I step toward him, but he wrestles away from me. I reach for his hip to keep him in place and tilt my head up to kiss him. He softens, and when the kiss ends, he shows me what he’s been hiding: fistfuls of Babybel cheeses. I can’t help but laugh.

“You’re kidding me!”

“I mean, you basically told me that cheese was the way to your heart,” he says, peeling the wrapper off one and handing it to me. “So . . . I had to get you some cheese.”

I plant another kiss on him, then another and another. It turns out there is plenty more where the Babybel came from. He has an array of fancier cheeses, too—a Wisconsin cheddar, a soft brie, an impressively smelly bleu—plus a spread of jam, grapes, prosciutto, mustard, and a sliced French baguette. He opens a fresh bottle of red wine, pours two glasses, and places them extra-gingerly down on the coffee table in front of the couch.

“You won’t knock this one over, will you?” I tease.

“I promise I won’t, as long as you behave.”

“I don’t make promises I can’t keep!” I pop a grape into my mouth.

Once he’s finished setting out our feast, he reaches for the remote. “Netflix?”

“Sure.”

“I’m in the middle of rewatching Mad Men. I dressed up as Don Draper for Halloween basically every year of college. Or we could watch something else,” he offers.

Of course Blake’s rewatching Mad Men. It’s not exactly a surprise that Blake is drawn to the story of an ambitious guy making a name for himself in Manhattan.

“Let’s do it,” I say. “I always loved Joan and Peggy.”

I think we’re both more comfortable settling in on his couch this time around. As he queues up the show, he slings his arm confidently over my shoulders and I rest my head on his chest. I feel more at ease around Blake than I have in the past. Maybe it’s because we’ve begun to share vulnerable pieces of ourselves, or maybe every fledgling couple takes a while to find their groove. Maybe the myth of love at first sight puts too much pressure on people; even if there’s an instant spark, comfort needs to develop over time.

Halfway through the opening scene, Blake gently worms his shoulder out from under my head and gets up. “Forgot the cheese knife,” he says.

“Do you want me to pause it?”

“Nah, I’ve it seen it before.”