Chapter 10
POV: Jeanette
This chapter has been a real pain to write twice, due to some technical difficulties. I wrote the whole chapter differently, and it was difficult to start again, but I think it turned out much better than it did the first time.
I looked over at Simon, and smiled. He looked very handsome in his suit. It felt very formal, and I was really looking forward to dinner. The cab driver was being quiet in the front seat, which was good.
Simon and I could have a future, I could feel it. I wanted for him to stay with me forever, but I had some competition. It wasn't the kind of competition that most girls have, I was competing with Simon's dreams. I couldn't help but feel guilty, that if Simon chose to stay in Las Angales, he would be giving up on going to MIT.
I shook my head slightly and decided to focus on the night. Nothing else would intrude on our date together, this time.
The cab driver pulled up at the restaurant and turned to Simon.
"That will be forty-five dollars, sir." Simon pulled his wallet out of his pocket and paid the driver. We stepped out onto the sidewalk and walked to the doors of Valentino.
"Alright, here we go." Simon looked at me, "Are you ready?"
"You bet." I said, excitedly. We opened the doors and walked inside. A waiter came to greet us.
"Welcome to Valentino. You wish to be seated?" He asked, and without waiting for an answer, lead us to an empty table.
"Your menus," He gestured to the sheets on our table, "May I recommend the spaghetti bolognese, it is the best in the country." The waiter smiled and receded after a moment of silence.
"What will you have, Jeanette?" Simon asked me.
"Hmm, let's see," I skimmed through the menu, looking for something I hadn't tried before, "Ooh, I think I'll have the lasagne and ciabatta." I looked up at Simon, "How about you?"
Simon seemed thoughtful, then spoke.
"I'll have the spaghetti bolognese about which he was talking, since it is the 'best in the country'" He placed his menu on the table and signaled to a waiter.
"Si?" the waiter strode over to us, "How may I help you"
"We've decided our orders." Simon replied.
"I'd like the lasagne and ciabatta." I turned to Simon.
"And I'll have the spaghetti bolognese." The waiter jotted down the orders on a note, and looked up.
"Is that all, any drinks?" He paused.
"I'll have a glass of water, please." I requested.
"I'm fine, thanks." Simon shrugged slightly. The waiter left us and moved off.
"So it's just the two of us, now." Simon smiled, "How has school been for you lately?" he asked.
"I've been doing a lot better since you helped me out." I looked down at the table, "Some teachers just don't seem to care how well students actually know their material."
"Well, I care." My heart jumped, and I looked up at him. Our eyes met for a few seconds, perhaps ten. Then, Simon snapped his eyes away, and when I followed his gaze, I saw the waiter standing a few feet away. How long had he been waiting?
"Apologies for startling you, but your meals will arrive shortly." He left promptly, presumably to attend to other customers.
"So, how has school been for you?" I asked, trying to break the awkward silence.
"It's been okay, but I've been getting copious amounts of homework." Simon sighed, "The different teachers act like I'm only doing their subject, and assign work to me accordingly."
"Darn teachers." I put on a pouting face. There was a pause, and then we both started laughing.
"Oh, were only the education system redesigned, the economy would benefit so much." Simon calmed down slightly, "If I were president, I would pass a law; 'No more than forty hours shall be spent on school (or accompanying homework) in one week without the direct consent of the student.'"
"Simon for president!" I was still giggling when the waiter walked over to us with our food.
"One lasagne with ciabatta," He placed our dishes on the table, "and one spaghetti bolognese. Buon appetito." He carefully placed our utensils on the table and left us to ourselves.
I started to eat my lasagne, which I found quite likable. I saw that Simon was enjoying his food equally. I ripped some of the ciabatta from the main stick and dipped it in the tomato sauce.
"Do you know why the bread absorbs so much of the sauce, Jean?" He asked. I did know, so, with the risk of sounding nerdy, I replied.
"Yes, actually. The yeast cells used in the baking process excrete carbon dioxide, which creates small holes inside the bread." I explained, "The sauce gets trapped inside them, as the bread is dragged around in them." I smiled proudly.
"Correct, for a million dollars!" Simon exclaimed, "She'll be going home with a nice sum of cash tonight." We chuckled at Simon's impersonation of a quiz show announcer, after which we continued eating.
"Were it so simple." I sighed wistfully. If I had a million dollars, I could buy a house in Massachusetts and pay to go to MIT with Simon. If I had a million dollars.
"Do you want to try some of my bolognese?" Simon asked me, "It's actually pretty good." I smiled an affirmation and he rolled some spaghetti onto his fork, which he placed into my mouth. I swallowed and giggled.
"Thanks, Simon. It is pretty good." I tried to feed Simon some of my lasagne, half of which fell off my fork. Luckily, he caught the chunk before it could make a mess. I blushed, bright red.
"Oh, I'm so sorry." I squealed.
"Don't worry, no lasagne was harmed during the production of this film." Simon grinned. We both started laughing again, while Simon made his way to the nearest waste bin, and deposited the said lasagne in the hole. He returned to his seat and wiped the remaining sauce on a napkin.
"You have such quick reflexes." I said, "If it weren't for you, the cleaners would have had to wiped it off the floor."
"It's okay, Jean, forget about it." Simon shrugged my clumsiness off.
The evening was drawing to a close, and Simon and I were finished eating. We exited the restaurant and sat down on the edge of sidewalk, and Simon ordered another cab to take us home.
"I think it went well, don't you?" Simon turned to me.
"Yep, I enjoyed every second." I replied, "Well maybe not the part where I dropped the lasagne on you."
"Well, I think it was wonderful, Jean." He responded, "I wouldn't change a thing."
Our eyes met once more, and we gazed at one another, until I began to shiver. I hadn't realized just how cold it had become outside.
"You're cold." Simon stated, and moved closer to me. He unzipped his jacket and wrapped it around the two of us. I stopped shivering, and leaned my head on Simon's shoulder. We sat and waited until the cab arrived and we entered it, as quickly as possible.
All the way home we sat in a contented silence, thinking about the events of the evening, and I knew, at that moment, that I had really fallen in love with Simon Seville.
Aww... This chapter was a lot fluffier than the previous ones. So what do you think? Do you think it flows realistically? I don't usually get this far with girls, so from here on, the story can't be constructed from previous experiences. ;)
Review, please, and let me know what you think of the story.