PART TWO — FALLING WITHOUT PERMISSION—THE FIRST REAL DATE
233 Words
Adrian asked Mia to dinner.
Not as coworkers.
Not for business.
A date.
Mia stared at him.
“Are you asking me out?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I like you.”
“That’s suspiciously straightforward.”
“I can make it complicated.”
“No.”
He smiled.
Their date was disastrous.
The restaurant lost their reservation.
They ended up eating street food.
Mia spilled sauce on Adrian’s shirt.
A dog stole half his dinner.
They laughed until their stomachs hurt.
At the end of the night, Adrian said:
“This was better than the restaurant.”
Mia smiled.
“Much better.”
Neither wanted the night to end.
—ADRIAN’S SECRET
Mia discovered Adrian’s bookstore dream.
He had a folder filled with designs.
A bookstore.
A café.
Plants.
Reading corners.
Small tables.
Warm lights.
“You made this?”
“Years ago.”
“Why didn’t you do it?”
“My father.”
“What about him?”
“He thought it was impractical.”
Mia looked at him.
“And you listened?”
“For a long time.”
She understood.
Adrian wasn’t chasing success because he loved it.
He was chasing it because he wanted to prove he was worthy.
Mia reached for his hand.
“You don’t have to prove anything to me.”
He looked at her.
That sentence stayed with him.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD