Mitchie's Prov
Keep an open mind, keep an open mind I repeated the mantra Shane gave me in my mind as I waited in anxiously for Jason to collect me, it wasn't working. I was a bag of nerves since Jason's beautiful invite. It came the day after our meeting in the library – I was still embarrassed Shane figured my plan out – on a card among a dozen red long stem roses. Although my breath was taken away by the lavish invite I couldn't help thinking of the choice I'd have to make after it all.
Knock! Knock!
I let out a breath as I answered it. He was at ease and all smiles on the other side of the door, he looked extremely handsome he'd obviously got a haircut and it now sat in a formal short straight style and he was dressed in a gorgeous designer navy suit and a light blue shirt with some buttons undone. I was glad now I'd chosen one of my favourite dresses; navy as well with a little embellishment beading around the waist, we matched.
I couldn't get in a compliment before him though, "Wow, you look beautiful." He complimented handing me a small bouquet of red roses. "There are six." He smiled. "For every month I've known you."
My heart melted before I felt my face clouding over again because of my thoughts, "Jason…"
"Ah." He held up a hand interrupting me. "No doubts now; close your eyes." He smiled and waited until I complied. "Now, picture this, it is our first date friends deciding to take the next step but we are not exclusive yet so you're dating others as well."
I furrowed my brow a little but tried to allow that image to fill my brain.
"Now keep that in mind and take a few deep breaths." He waited until I'd taken 3 long deep breaths. "Do you feel more at ease now?" He asked. "Like the weight of all this is taken away?"
I nodded in surprise, "How did you now this would work?" I asked astonished as all the nerves were locked in a little corner of my mind labelled 'later'.
"Because it worked for me when I was getting ready." He laughed.
I giggled freely with him now feeling at ease as I left the small bouquet next to the larger one, grabbed my purse and left with him.
He escorted me in a very gentleman-like manner downstairs to a waiting car I knew wasn't his because this car was a brand new black Mercedes and Jason drove a red Mustang.
"Mam'" He smiled pretending to tip an imaginary hat opening the passenger door for me.
"Nice ride?" I smiled making my compliment into a question as he joined me in the car.
"Too ostentatious?" He asked with a hint of worry as he started the engine.
"No." I giggled. "Just different."
"The perks of being the president of a fraternity that always gets the privileged." He laughed swinging an arm across my shoulders as we drove away from my halls.
We filled the drive with endless chatter I thought I knew a lot about Jason already mostly because we agreed about almost everything. I seen him as a male version of me. But getting lost in our conversation I had a feeling that was only the tip of the iceberg. Another thing happened as I was lost in conversation, although I'd locked the thoughts behind this date in a filing cabinet in my brain I began forgetting about that filing cabinet altogether.
"Where are we going?" I asked when a rare a lull in conversation occurred and I took note of our surroundings. We were no longer in the city we were by the coast our current road surrounded by the face of a cliff on one side and a cliff edge on the other.
"To dinner." He smiled, which got wider as I made a face at his vague answer.
I didn't push him further instead I just sat back and enjoyed the ride, scenery and the company.
I got caught up in conversation once again before I noticed that the cliffs had disappeared and the road we were now on was winding through acres of lush green lawn…no not lawn a golf course clearing marked with gold sandy bunkers and dots of red, the flags separating us from the cliff edge. I noted then the building on ahead in the centre of the course; it was built from a tan brick and had a dark grey roof and was much too big to be a golf club which made me relax slightly because I was useless at golf and wasn't exactly wearing appropriate shoes either.
When we parked at the front of a building I didn't get a chance to see the name of the building it was obscured by the valet coming to my side to open the door for me but he answered my question in English with a beautiful Latin undertone, "Welcome to the Ritz Carlton, Madame."
"Thanks." I smiled at him as Jason caught my hand to lead me up the few marble steps into the reception area.
After a few quick words to one of the girls behind the large oak desk we were directed to ENO. ENO wasn't a restaurant as I expected it was a wine and cheese bar a stopping point before the restaurant. Its interior was a cross between a wine cellar and college professors office/study, with its wood panelled walls and floors, open fire place and its diamond shaped shelves filled with wine bottles behind a mahogany bar.
Jason politely pulled out one of the stools by the bar for me and helped me up into it before sitting in the one next to me laying his arm over the back of my seat to bridge the gap between us. The barman greeted Jason like an old friend confusing Jason until we realised reception must have rung ahead to announce us. He returned interrupting my teasing Jason about his face when the waiter had greeted him, with a tray that had eight glasses separated into two rows of four with about a mouthful of wine in each, a platter of cheeses all varying shades of white, yellow and orange and a bowl of tear shaped chocolates. He placed four glasses in front of me then the other four in front of Jason, one white and three red, if you looked close you could see that the red were all different shades, and he then placed the platter of cheeses and bowl of chocolates between us. Then from under the bar he pulled up a bit of card with the names of wines on it and set that between the platter and bowl, and left us.
"Let's play a game." Jason suggested with a playful smile as he slide the card towards me. "I'll try and guess what each wine is without looking at the card."
I laughed lightly looking at the names on the card there was no way he could know, "O.k. what are the stakes?" I smiled.
"No stakes." He smiled. "You'll just have the pleasure of gloating if I can't do it." He smiled cheekily.
"O.k." I smiled waving my hand towards the first glass, the white one.
He hummed to himself examining it with his eyes, gave it a swirl then smelt it like he was a pro making me laugh before he took a small sip.
"Hmm…I think this is a Sauvignon Blanc?" He asked unsurely.
I checked the card and was astonished, "You're right."
He smiled triumphantly picking up my own glass and handing it to me before clinking his with mine. It didn't take us long to get onto the second.
He choose the lightest red but by passed the theatrics and just took a brief sniff before taken a sip, "Ah." He sighed happily after swallowing. "This is a Bordeaux from Napa Valley." He said surely.
I nodded in awe, "How'd you know?"
"It's my favourite." He confessed. "I'd know it anywhere."
"Oh." I was eager to try this one now.
He stopped me before I could though, "Eat one of these first." He insisted offering me the bowl of chocolates.
I didn't question him and followed his instructions, popping one chocolate in my mouth then taken a sip of the wine. He was right it was good.
We played the game with the last two wines he was never as sure as he was the second time with the last he even had a small disagreement with himself before he gave me an answer but he still got them right.
"That was incredible." I was still complimenting him when the barman approached us.
"Your table in the Conservatory Lounge is ready." He smiled. "Please follow me."
I slid off my stool using Jason to keep myself upright surprising myself as I took his hand easily as we followed him.
The Conservatory Lounge named so because the entire dining area was situated in a large conservatory that overlooked the ocean. Like in ENO Jason held out my seat for me before hanging his jacket over the back of his seat and sitting opposite me. The sun came in at an angle so it didn't blind me to look at him thanks to the blinds draped on each window of the conservatory, but it still managed to compliment every feature in his face and natural highlight in his hair.
The waiter continued to come and go between courses but I barely paid him any attention or had any spare time to notice how good the food was because of how caught up I was in Jason. I knew we agreed on a lot but I found out that was only scratching the surface of what Jason was made of, he was the whole package…the perfect guy.
"How did you do it?" I asked looking at our hands intertwined on the table and noticing for the first time our main course dishes had vanished.
"What?" He beamed happily looking at our hands.
"Naming the wines, how did you do it?" I asked bringing my gaze to his face.
"I've been here before." He smiled sheepishly.
I felt my heart sink a little he brought another girl here I felt my face shadow over at the thought.
"With my family." He clarified quickly; he must've seen my face before I'd looked away from him. "My sister she was twenty one a week or two ago."
I sighed quietly in relief and felt myself brighten up again.
"Your deserts." The waiter interrupted.
Funny I didn't even remember ordering desert I thought pulling myself away from Jason to look at him. He was standing with two plastic take-away boxes one with a slice of chocolate cake inside the other a slice of plain cake with jam and cream filling.
"We're taking this away?"
Jason nodded suppressing a laugh at my expense letting go of my hands to take the plastic containers off the waiter's hands.
"Where are we going?" I asked as the waiter helped me out of my seat.
"Not far." Jason smiled piling up the plastic containers so he could carry them with one hand, draped his jacket over the same arm and placing his other arm around my waist.
We walked back through ENO and the reception but instead of leaving through the main entrance we left by the side exit that opened up into a large garden. It was hedged in from the rest of the hotels grounds with a rainbow of small flowers dotted about the turquoise lawn and a small gravel path broke the lawn into two halves and lead straight up to a beautiful white gazebo in the centre. The lawn was so flat that on a normal day it was probably used for croquette or badminton. But this evening the lawn was covered in rows of white lawn chairs, the entrance of the gazebo was blocked by a huge white projection screen while the projector was in the centre of the gravel path aimed at it and there was an old time popcorn, hot nuts and soda cart sitting behind the last row of chairs.
I smiled widely as I put the pieces together myself but Jason explained anyway as we walk towards two unoccupied seats.
"They have an old movie night here every week. Tonight's movie is 'Breakfast at Tiffany's', have you seen it before?"
"Yes!" I smiled excitedly before toning myself down. "It's one of my favourites."
He seemed happy with my reaction as we sat down and he halved each slice of cake and moved them about so one of each was in both containers before handing me one and we settled in with his jacket around my shoulders and wrapped in his arm leaning into him as the movie began.
After the movie it was still early and neither of us wanted to leave just yet so we set about a walk of the grounds until a sign post caught Jason's attention.
He half laughed, "Seems like this place has its own beach." He pointed out impressed.
"Let's go then." I smiled enthusiastically.
We followed the sign posts directions and were first confused as we came to the edge of a cliff until Jason noted the pale wooden steps set into the side of the cliff down to a small crescent shaped beach. I took off my heels and followed him down them holding his hand.
The sun was low in the sky hidden behind the clouds somewhere but the sand was still lovely and warm from the day's sunshine. I kept my hand entwined with his as we walked over the sand, no conversation was really necessary we enjoyed each other's company too much but we chatted to fill the silence every once in a while. We were half way across the little beach before clouds parted and the sun made its final appearance for the day shooting pinks, oranges and purples across the sky as it sunk slowly in the horizon. This was without a doubt the most romantic scene of our date and he seem to feel it too he leaned in slowly then seemed to think better of it and pulled away and began to walk again as if nothing happened.
I couldn't help myself and spoke my thoughts aloud, "What was that?" I almost pouted.
He looked first confused then a little happy at my reaction, "Sorry." He apologised. "But I'm not allowed."
My eyebrows mashed together in confusion, "'Not allowed?'"
He seemed reluctant to say more but as the silence continued I put it together myself and the filing cabinet I had so successfully forgot about came back into my mind, "There were rules." I guessed sullenly remembering why this date was taking place.
He nodded apologetically, "A few, just to keep things fair."
"A few?" I frowned more at his vagueness now than out of confusion, a few wasn't going to sedate me I wanted to know everything now.
"Just things like we aren't allowed to discuss each other's dates, not allowed to sabotage each other…just things like that." He trailed off looking ahead avoiding saying anything else.
"There's something you not telling me." I frowned stepping in front of him to claim his attention.
He looked at me for a long second before sighing in defeat I almost smiled if this had been Shane he would have never broke.
"There's another small arrangement but not for the dates." He started reluctant to continue but I kept staring him down so he did. "After you choose the other isn't allowed to have much to do with the new couple."
I let that sink in, "You mean one of you I'll never talk to again?" I felt my eyes wanting to well up at the evitable loss.
"No, no." He reassured me quickly putting an arm around me and squeezing me into him. "Nothing so final just in the beginning."
The beginning? That could be any length of time really when I thought about it who says when the beginning ends really? There would be two says in that question my own and what would be the evitable injured party.
"I'm sorry; I've ruined the night haven't I?" He asked apologetically.
"No." I tried to smile reassuringly. "I'm glad you told me better I know, really." I tried to smile more reassuringly this time.
He didn't look convinced.
"It was going to happen anyway." I thought aloud to convince him…to convince myself. "When I pick between you both, one of you will not want to see me for a while…" Or ever again I thought.
He seemed convinced and nodded in agreement but the calm that came over him was the opposite of the feelings whirling inside me and they didn't fade the rest of the night but I tried to hide it best I could.
