geo metal of the lights and the tables and chairs and mixing them with the soft swoops of the Polynesian art and the bright colors of the photography.”
“Right! And, it’ll be like a joining of homes — your old one, and your new one.” She nudged me, taking her phone back. “I’ll even let you put that stupid San Francisco football blanket in there to represent your in-between home, too.”
I smiled at the joke, but mostly just watched her in fascination. “You’re pretty rad, you know that?”
Belle laughed, the sweetest sound. “Rad, huh? I don’t think anyone has ever called me that.”
“Glad to be the first.”
We shared a smile just as the lights flickered, and then we settled in, both warmer now and with a glass of wine and chocolates.
Just as the show started, I reached over and grabbed her hand, holding it in mine.
And she squeezed it, smiling against a flush I knew she thought I couldn’t see.
The second half of the show was just as powerful as the first, and even more riveting, gripping me by the heart and holding me captive. And yet, as much as I watched the stage, I couldn’t keep my eyes from drifting over to Belle.
I loved the way she watched so intently, the way her eyes watered when tragedy struck, the way her hand squeezed mine a little tighter when the drama surged. I’d never taken a woman to a show before — mostly because any woman I had asked had never been even remotely interested.
To see someone who loved it as much as I did, who felt it the way I did — deep down to the core — it was magical.
The end of the show brought us to our feet, along with the rest of the crowd, and we stood and applauded and cheered as the dancers, actors and actresses, and orchestra took their bows. We were both still bouncing and talking a hundred miles an hour as we spilled out into the streets of Chicago with the rest of the audience.
“And her voice,” Belle said, mouth wide open. “I mean, I couldn’t hold my shit together that second half. I was crying every other song.”
“Their chemistry was so believable.”
“And the dancers.”
“Incredible. The design, the colors, the songs. Although, as much as I loved the mashups with all the familiar songs, I think an original score could have really set this show on another level.”
“Yeah,” Belle agreed with a click of her tongue. “I agree. I think it was lacking a bit there. But, otherwise?” She did a chef’s kiss, smiling up at me. “Perfection.”
I smirked, taking in the sight of her, the pavement wet from the evening rainstorm, lights playing off of it and sparkling in her eyes, too. Her hair was still matted to her head, and the hoodie fell down past her knees, a hilarious contradiction to the bottom grandeur of her gown and high heels.
Belle followed my gaze, covering her face with the sleeves of the hoodie — her hands completely hidden inside now — and shaking her head. “Ugh. I look like such a mess right now.”
I shook my head, too, pulling her into me and tilting her chin up so I could see her eyes. “You look perfect.”
Her eyes flicked back and forth between mine, and when they fell to my lips, I knew what she wanted without her asking. And I was eager to answer.
I tilted her chin a bit more, pressing my forehead to hers before I bent to capture her lips. They were warm and tasted like wine, and I leaned into them, soaking up every last drop.
Belle’s hands wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer, and by the time we broke the kiss, we were both breathless, panting, tugging at each other’s hoodies like they were the only things tying us to the Earth.
“You know, that big, fancy California King bed you ordered for my bedroom got delivered yesterday.”
Belle snaked her tongue out over her bottom lip. “Did it now?”
I nodded. “Mm-hmm. Sure did. Complete with that plush, memory foam mattress, and the buttery-smooth, one-thousand-thread-count sheets.”
She hummed. “That so?”
“Comforter, pillows, the whole shebang.”
“Well, I did put in a rush order on all that,” she confessed, pulling me closer, her lips dancing over mine. “Couldn’t have you sleeping on an air mattress any longer than absolutely necessary.”
“So thoughtful,” I mused, thumbing her bottom lip.
She bit it as soon as it was free from the touch, and I inhaled a breath that