5 #2
Elion should probably thank Clara for minding his business instead of her own. However, he felt that would give her the idea that she could do it more often, and he did not want that. So, instead, he decided to buy her something nice and tell her it was for no reason.
He hadn’t told her he’d decided to go on the date.
Elion had chosen Wednesday because it was the day Clara had night classes.
So, she wouldn’t be there to bug him about why he was getting all dressed up and where he was going.
He’d been able to leave the house in peace.
He’d also gotten to the response before she had, screenshot the information, then deleted the email.
“How long have you been sculpting?”
Elion returned his eyes to hers from her hand, only to find her looking at him as she placed her glass back down.
“Professionally, about fifteen years. But overall, about twenty-three years. I started when I was eleven.”
“What kind of sculpting do you do?”
“For the most part, marble or granite. I occasionally make clay sculptures when I’m feeling creative but want to make something small. Or wood sculptures, but those are rare for me.”
“How do you choose which material you will use for your sculptures?”
Elion tilted his head at her question. He hadn’t been on a date in a couple of years, and even then, he hadn’t remembered them being this interested in what he did for a living, other than the fact that he made six figures a year. Let alone his process.
“It depends on the type of collection I want to make and how I want it to look. I can use either material for sleeker sculptures as long as I coat and polish them once they’re done. For something rawer, I sand them but otherwise leave the material in its natural state.”
Elion watched her nod at him slowly. “I get it. So, if you’re sculping Egyptian-inspired statues, you’d want them to be polished and refined, but if you were sculpting an arrowhead and wanted to keep it close to the original, you’d sand it.”
Elion found himself smiling at her because people didn’t often get what he meant when he explained the difference, unable to envision what he was explaining to them. Olani had, however, and had presented it to him in a way that made sense to her.
“Yes, exactly like that,” he responded.
“You mentioned your niece earlier. Is she the only one you have?”
Elion shook his head. “No, I have one other niece and a nephew. Clara is the oldest of my sister’s three children.” He leaned back in his chair. “What about you? Do you have any siblings? Nieces, nephews?”
“I do not. I’m an only child, and unfortunately, my cousin, Xola, is stubborn and hasn’t given me a niece or nephew yet.”
“Wish for a nephew when she does decide to give you one. Nieces like to mind your business instead of their own.”
Elion listened to her laugh at his statement, and he enjoyed the sound of it. He found himself smiling again.
Their server returned with their food and placed it on the table, asking if everything was alright before they turned and left once Elion and Olani told them they were fine.
Silence fell over the table as they tucked into their food, and it wasn’t uncomfortable, which surprised Elion because usually, any silence he was in with other people tended to be that way since he typically wasn’t one to progress a conversation.
Something he’d found himself doing since he’d sat down.
However, he figured that was because Olani seemed interested in his work, which was the topic at hand most of the time with him.
“What was the first material you learned to sculpt with?” Olani questioned after several minutes into the silence.
“Clay,” Elion responded. “It’s pretty easy to mold and manipulate while also being messy. So, as an eleven-year-old boy, I was all for it. It was fun.”
“Sounds like it.”
Elion watched her for a moment. “I could give you a lesson on our next date. There’s a studio in town, and we could reserve one of the spaces.
” He’d done it. He’d brought up a future date and had no regrets about it, even if she told him no.
He was having more fun than he thought he would, and they were only talking.
It was the standard “let’s get to know one another dinner” that often seemed bland, but that wasn’t what he was feeling at that moment.
Olani smiled at him, and Elion felt like he’d been winded. He’d thought she was beautiful when he first laid eyes on her: deep whiskey-colored doe eyes and full lips. Natural hair pinned like a crown. “I’d like that.”
They finished the rest of their dinner as the subject shifted to things they liked to do in their spare time and questions about their favorite movies, music genres, etc.
By the time they finished, Elion had no doubt he’d be on the website when he got home to request a second date. Since the dates they went on had to be arranged through the site, Elion was sure it was to give both parties peace of mind until they were ready to communicate outside of the website.
When the check came, Elion reached for it, but Olani beat him to it. However, he held his hand out for it.
“Please, let me.”
She shook her head at him. “No, I’ve got it.”
“Really, I insist,” Elion attempted.
“The site pays for the first few dates,” Olani informed him. “They’ll reimburse me, so it’s fine.”
Elion paused for a moment, a protest on the tip of his tongue, but he got the distinct feeling that she wouldn’t budge even if he insisted on paying himself again.
He didn’t care if the site reimbursed him.
In the end, he decided to allow her to pay this time.
Knowing himself well enough to know he’d be paying for their future dates.
Once the bill was settled, Elion walked Olani out to her car. When she unlocked the driver’s side door, he opened it for her, and she turned to look at him.
“This was nice,” she told him.
“It was. I’ll be honest and admit that I didn’t know what to expect and hadn’t really expected much, but I’m glad I came.” Elion took her hand in his, placing a kiss on the back of it. “Get home safely, Olani.”
“Goodnight, Elion.”
He released her hand and watched her slide into her car as the sound of his name rolling off her tongue echoed in his ears. It was something he could get used to hearing.
Going to his vehicle, Elion slid behind the wheel and headed home. Yes, he’d definitely have to get Clara a just-because gift.