6. Blush

The two of you walked towards the local pub down the street from campus. You didn't know if he knew about it or not but he allowed you to lead and guide them down the street.

"I hope you like The Lantern. It's a bit of a hole in the wall but they have the best burgers and fries around here. I found them when I first moved here."

As you rambled, while the two of you walked along the sidewalk, you noticed he was watching you with a soft smile on his face. You felt a small blush cross your face and you dipped your head in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry. I'm rambling."

"Hey, don't hide. I like hearing you talk." He said.

He stopped the two of you and tilted your face with his hand softly on your chin. When your eyes met his your breath caught for a moment. You knew he had green eyes but at that moment they were the deepest you had seen them since the two of you met.

"I'm sorry I ramble. I tend to get carried away." You said as you looked into his eyes with a soft smile.

"Well if that is the worst I have to worry about, I think I'll be good. Sometimes I get pretty damn sassy and it is not always pretty when I do, so I apologize ahead of time." He said with a chuckle.

Before the two of you turned to walk down the sidewalk again you leaned into him and wrapped your arms around his torso, pulling him into a gentle hug. You felt his momentary hesitation before he allowed his arms to do the same.

As the two of you stood joined on the quiet sidewalk in the chill of the evening you allowed yourself to relax a bit into his arms. Not enough to completely give in to the feeling, but just enough to show him, and yourself, that you cared for him.

As you did, his arms pulled you tighter to him. It was not a possessive hug and it was not the bone chilling tightness you had experienced too often. Instead, it was like he was enveloping you in protection and letting you know he had you and would protect you.

The two of you stood together for a few more seconds before you pulled away slightly, arms still loosely around him. He didn't let you go and instead allowed his arms to give you the space you wanted while still having them around you.

"Thank you. I needed that." You said with a small smile and blush.

He didn't answer, he didn't need to. Instead, he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on your forehead as he pulled you into another soft hug before letting go and taking your hand in his.

"So where is this place? I should warn you, the sassiness gets worse when I get hungry."

The two of you laughed as you led him down the sidewalk for a few more minutes. Both of you walked in a comfortable silence as he held your hand and rubbed his thumb over your hand.

"Here we are." You said excitedly as you reached the restaurant.

As the two of you entered you waved to the barkeep and the waitress at a nearby table. You made your way towards the small high-top table by the window. As you walked you felt his hand along your back letting you know he was still there with you.

"You weren't kidding when you said this place was a hole in the wall." He stated as he helped you get settled before sitting beside you on the chair.

"It may be but they have the best burger in town." You said as the waitress came over.

"Hey, Y/N! You came at a good time. It will get busy here in about an hour since midterms are going. Apparently nobody actually studies in the evenings anymore." She said as the two of you shared a laugh.

"And who did you bring?! You are handsome!" She said as she looked over Rafael.

"Michelle, this is Rafael. Don't scare him away!" You chuckled as she looked over him once more before giving you a knowing smile.

"Burger, fries, and a cider?" She asked as you shook your head.

"For you handsome?"

"I'll take a burger, fries, and a scotch, please."

"Anything you want handsome." She stated as she gave him a wink causing the two of you to chuckle.

"Well she is forward." He said as he looked at you with a grin.

"Yea.. she's harmless though."

"Well don't worry.." He stated as he took your hand before continuing. "I am not going anywhere. Thank you for inviting me."

The two of you enjoyed an easy conversation as you waited for your food. Michelle had brought your drinks over but neither of you noticed as you both were too engulfed in each other.

"So what made you leave the world of law to become a dean, Rafael?" you asked as you took a sip of cider.

You regretted asking the question as soon as you saw his face fall. You didn't know why you asked or even if he wanted to tell you and as you watched his face fall as he took a heavy sip of his scotch you kicked yourself.

"Sorry.. You don't have to tell me. I didn't mean to impose." You stated as you tried to back track and save the moment.

"No.. it's okay. It's just.. Not here, okay? I want to tell you, I want to be honest with you. I just don't want to ruin this tonight." He said as he looked at you with a slight redness in his eyes.

You took his hand again and squeezed it as you smiled at him and nodded. Neither of you said anything as you sipped your drinks and as your food arrived he held your hand tight for a moment longer before giving it a slight squeeze before releasing it.

"Well let's see if this lives up to all the hype you gave it." He said as he went to take a bite of his burger.

As you took a bite of yours you heard him give a slight moan and you could have sworn you died in that moment. You didn't know why but that small sound made you come undone and you felt the all too forgotten sensation as you squirmed for a minute.

"This is amazing." He mumbled as he took another bite causing you to chuckle.

The two of you ate together and shared soft smiles in between bites. It wasn't until both of you were down to just your fries that the conversation picked back up once again.

"We will definitely have to come back here again. I needed that burger." He said causing you to blush and smile at him.

"I would like that." You said as he took your hand in his once more.

"I don't mean to be too forward but.. I really like you and I mean it when I say I want to do this again."

Without even realizing it you blushed again as you took a sip of your drink. You could feel his eyes on you and your face became hotter. It wasn't long before he was reaching over and grabbing one of your fries and popping it in his mouth with a sinful grin causing both of you to chuckle.

It wasn't until the two of you were making your way out of the restaurant that you realized how busy it had gotten since you arrived. You were glad the two of you were leaving before it got too crazy and you were thankful you both were able to have a quiet dinner before the crowd gathered.

"Can I walk you home, Y/N?" He asked as the two of you stepped into the chilly night.

"I would like that." You said with a small smile and soft blush.

As the two of you reached your building you turned towards him with a smile. He moved his hand from yours and put his arms around you, pulling you into a warm hug. When he pulled away slightly you saw the odd, yet very cute look on his face.

"What?" You asked softly.

"Nothing." He said as a smile crossed his face.

"No tell me." You said as you playfully poked his side with your hand causing both of you to laugh together.

"It's so ridiculous and I don't want to embarass myself." He softly said as he leaned his forehead on yours.

"Can't be as bad as my ramblings earlier, so start talking buddy." You retorted playfully.

"I … you blush when you smile or when you see me looking at you. It's the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. You are so beautiful, Y/N" He whispered as he leaned his head down for a soft kiss.