Chapter 19
Lizzy
The knock on my door has me abandoning my puzzle. Fear strikes me at the possibility of Chris on the other side, but I must be lucky today, because instead of that crazy man, my sexy neighbor stands on my doorstep holding a bouquet of purple peonies, my favorite flower.
“Hey,” I say shyly, not sure how to navigate this situation. I’ve never had a man show up with flowers before.
“Hey,” Bash responds softly. He’s quiet for a moment, pensive, and I see the muscle jump in his cheek. “I’m here to ask you on a date. I’d love to take you out and get to know you better.”
The words wrap around my ribs in a hug. I can’t believe he’s here asking me out. I had every intention of pursuing him, but here he is.
“I’d really like that. It was my baked goodies that won you over, right?” I tease him.
He lets out a little chuckle, then shakes his head. “You’re an incredible woman who I’ve been interested in for a while. The baked goods are just an added bonus.”
That comment has me blushing. I never even considered the possibility that my sexy neighbor running buddy who I’ve been crushing on for a while could share the sentiment. Maybe I should thank Chris for instigating our official introduction.
“What did you have in mind? For the date?” Anything is better than a sports bar. Something tells me Bash won’t pick something so grimy.
“I figured since we both like being intellectually challenged, we’d make a great team.
There’s trivia night at Andromeda’s on Mondays and Wednesdays.
I know it’s technically a bar, but it’s an upscale wine bar, so I was hoping it beats Duvic’s.
” He rubs the back of his neck nervously.
“I mean, we can do something else if you’d like. I have dozens of date ideas for us.”
I don’t give him the chance to second-guess himself anymore. I’ve never been to Andromeda’s. In fact, I’ve never even heard of it. But trivia night with him seems exciting.
“Trivia night sounds fun. Let me change, then we can go.” I don’t even mind that he’s asking me out with such late notice. It’s only been three days since we’ve started talking, and he’s already made such an effort.
“Oh. I was thinking we’d go on Wednesday.
But if you’d like to go tonight, we can do that.
I was just expecting more time to prepare.
” He glances down at his slacks and button-up shirt as though they aren’t up to standard.
His shoulders tense, but he breathes in, then rolls them back.
“I would love to go out with you tonight. I don’t mean to rush you, but we will have to leave in the next twenty minutes if we want to get there on time. ”
“I’ll be ready in fifteen,” I assure him, then run to my bedroom.
I’m tempted to wear my new outfit but refrain since he saw me in it on Friday, and I don’t want him to think I don’t own any clothing.
I land on a pair of camel-colored plaid pants that I had tailored, a sleeveless black top, and a chunky belt.
I leave my hair down to add some femininity to the look.
Before I can convince myself that I look like a professor instead of a sophisticated woman, I leave my bedroom.
When I enter the living room, Bash stands from my couch, the perfect gentleman. Somehow, he seems to get bigger as he drinks me in. As if seeing me dressed up for him feeds his masculinity, making him more of a man.
“You look…” He gulps. “You look heart-stopping. The personification of the feeling of finishing a puzzle.” He reddens and coughs awkwardly. “I’m sorry. That was meant to be a compliment, but it sounded so strange.”
“I understood you.” That feeling of accomplishment mixed with seeing the full picture put together, it’s sweet bliss.
“Let’s get going,” Bash suggests. Once I get close enough to him, he leads me to his car with a palm on the base of my spine. The touch has my breath quickening.
The car ride is spent slyly bragging about our past trivia triumphs. We’ve come to the conclusion that we should win tonight because our combined intelligence is insurmountable. It may be egotistical of us, but unless we’re up against genius-level opponents, then we’re the favored team.
When we enter the extravagant establishment, I realize it can’t be put in any category even close to Duvic’s.
Andromeda’s is classy and refined. The maroon and black aesthetic is perfectly matched with the dim lighting and jazzy music coming from the band.
Even the wall art must cost thousands. I’m not sure I’ve ever been to a place so nice.
They certainly don’t have these types of wine bars in my small town in Mississippi.
One of the hostesses leads us to a table near the wall. I notice the other couples and teams have an edge to them, and I wonder if this is more competitive than I anticipated. The hostess returns with our trivia sheets.
When I notice we weren’t given menus, I turn to ask Bash why, but a well-dressed woman appears at our table.
“Hello, I’m Gwenevere, the house sommelier.
I’ll be assisting you with your wine selection.
Our five-course dinner is paired with a specific wine per item.
The theme is French cuisine. Each course will coincide with the subsequent round of trivia.
Please let your server know if you have any questions for me or the chef,” the chic woman explains.
I’m in shock at the elevation of the meal.
While I’ve never experienced anything like it, Bash remains collected.
He thanks her, and she disappears just as quickly as she appeared.
Only a few moments later, a truffle and butternut squash bisque arrives paired with a white wine I couldn’t name.
Since Bash isn’t making a big deal of this, I delve in.
Once we finish our soups, the trivia starts.
The first round is on history, which isn’t my strongest suit.
But Bash must have several textbooks memorized because the ones I can’t contribute to, he gets right.
Down to the specific date to the exact day of a Roman Empire battle.
Unfortunately, we’re not the only team to get them all correct. Two others do as well.
The rabbit dumplings arrive next with a second wine.
They’re exquisite, just as the soup was.
It dawns on me that I absolutely cannot finish each glass of wine.
Even though Bash explained that they’re four-ounce pours for a little more than a taste, I can’t handle the equivalent to three and a half glasses of wine.
The next round is mythology, an ode to the name of the restaurant.
Having had a phase of interest in mythology a few years back, I’m able to contribute much to this round.
We get them all correct. The third round, foreign affairs, proves to be trickier and we miss one when I insist on an answer despite Bash’s disagreement. His guess had been the correct answer.
By the fourth round, I begin to suspect he’s letting me take the lead.
He only gives his guess once I’ve given mine, even though he seems to know every answer.
There’s a slight ping in my chest at the realization.
But when I catch the way his eyes sparkle and his dimples appear when I get excited over an answer I know, it dawns on me that he wants me to experience the thrill of getting the right answer, and he enjoys my excitement. It’s really sweet.
By the fifth course, the dessert course, I’m stuffed.
But somehow, I make room for the flourless chocolate torte.
Despite no longer drinking the wine, I’m still tipsy by the final round of trivia.
But when the topic is revealed to be paleolithic animals, I perk up.
I know the answer to every question, and despite the two questions we got wrong in previous rounds, Bash and I win.
The prize astounds me, a night at the five-star hotel in town. Bash, once again, doesn’t seem surprised at the pricey reward. And to his credit, he doesn’t make any comment about us sharing the room. Although, I secretly plan on doing just that.
“You keep it,” I argue. “You paid for this incredible night, and we both know you’re the reason we won.”
“Absolutely not. It’s your prize. And you contributed just as heavily as I did.” He hands me the envelope with the gift certificate.
“Thank you,” I relent, deciding I’ll save it for us to use later. As I shove it in my purse, he leads me to the car. But once we get there, instead of opening my door, he crowds me against it.
“Don’t bring another man,” he demands in a rough voice. The muscle in his jaw clenches, and I can see the war within his eyes.
“What?” I croak out.
He stares into my soul as he leans closer. “Don’t bring another man to the hotel.” I can feel his rough voice all around me.
“I wouldn’t do that,” I assure him breathily. There’s something about the way he seems to be lost to his emotions right now that has my core tightening. It’s wrong to be reacting to it, but he’s too sexy.
He nods then opens my door. Instead of waiting outside, he bends in and buckles me in.
His fingers don’t roam inappropriately, but the brush of them has me straining for his touch.
When I inhale deeply, I can smell his earthy, manly scent, which has me squeezing my thighs together.
Bash pulls back and rounds the car all too soon, oblivious to my reaction.
Yeah, there’s no way I’m using this hotel certificate with anyone else.