After all of the indulging, I’d still managed to be ready twenty minutes before Jared was due to arrive. My heels clicked against the elevator floor as I stepped in, and I couldn’t help but fuss with my hair and dress while I waited for the doors to open to the first floor. Walking down the hall, I checked my watch; I still had fifteen minutes before he would arrive. Just as I peeked out, the door popped open. Jared stood in front of me in a solid black dress shirt and charcoal-grey slacks. His hair had the slightest bit of gel in it, easing the subtle messy waves into each other.

I sucked in a tiny gasp, throwing my hand up to my chest.

“I’m sorry, did I startle you?”

“Yes! I wasn’t expecting you, yet,” I said, breathless.

Jared handed me a small but beautiful bouquet of pink and white tulips—my favorite—and smiled sheepishly, “I couldn’t wait until six-thirty.”

I pressed my lips together to keep from uttering the embarrassing truth, but I couldn’t stop myself. “I couldn’t either,” I blurted out.

A triumphant smile broke across his face, and then he helped me with my coat. He gently pulled me against his chest and whispered into my ear. “You are stunning.”

My ears burned. I willed the blush in my cheeks away, glad to be stepping out into the brisk air.

“Where are we going?” I asked as he pulled away from the curb.

“You’ll see,” he said, an excited grin spreading across his face. “I’m glad you agreed to come. After the other night, I wasn’t sure you’d say yes.”

“Well, after you ambushed me at the Ratty in front of everyone, I hardly had a choice.”

“Coercion was the plan all along,” he said, chuckling. He reached over and lightly traced my fingers.

“So this place we’re going to…should I expect more strange cuisine or are you playing it safe this evening?” I casually turned up my palm to intertwine our fingers. Normally I wasn’t so forward, but the rules had changed. We both knew that nothing about our time together was ever ordinary.

“It’s a surprise.”

I wrinkled my nose. “I don’t like surprises.”

“Yes you do.”

“I know,” I huffed. It was maddening that he knew me so well. “Am I going to learn anything about you tonight?”

“That’s the plan.”

Jared pulled onto a narrow street and parked beside the curb in front of a darkened building. I wasn’t sure what restaurant it was, but it didn’t look open. He took my hand and led me down an alley, guiding me around the water-filled potholes.

“Your cut has healed nicely,” I noticed, “I can barely see it.”

Jared simply nodded, leading me further into the darkness.