A/N: I'm sorry it took me two weeks to post the end of it, but my life had been super crazy lately and I just didn't seem to find a minute for almost anything. But, finally we are here, at the end. I am almost certain a lot of you had other ideas about this final chapter, but after all the first dates I have written, I choose the easy way out. Fun fact, the last 7 sentences or so had always been the last lines, even in the original end that was supposed to be initially 10 chapters ago or so. I still hope you enjoy the finale :) One last note, the restaurant Carlos speaks about is a real place in Trenton. And according to google a really pricey one, as well.
There was a long silence after my comment that might not have been fully thought through. Did I regret saying it? No. To some degree, I was actually glad we had been able to go that direction. While this conversation was still a long way from being called finished and boxed up, it was a start in the right direction. And for now, that was really all I could ask and hope for.
"I'm almost certain the office isn't soundproof enough for that to really happen," he joked and finished with a grin, which made me grin in return. And then almost blush fiercely, seeing as I could already picture the awkward encounters after such an encounter. Especially Lester's mind came to mind, seeing as he was never shy about speaking his mind and voicing an opinion. And I was certain he would have a whole lot of opinions that needed to be mentioned.
"So… is that you pulling back already?" I asked, confused but also amused. It was hard reading about this situation. While I was almost certain he wasn't backpedalling from earlier, I needed to be sure. This conversation felt to some point like a rollercoaster with its constant up and down. But maybe that was really just me, thinking too much about everything I said and everything he said as well. I was really bad at reading situations and sometimes understanding whether people were joking or whether they were serious.
"What? No," he replied, almost alarmed. "I just wanted to give you some very fair warning and heads up. I certainly wouldn't care one way or the other, but you might have issues with the poor soundproofing of the offices."
"That's very considerate of you," I remarked, amused, and saw him just nod as if he really had just done me a massive favor. "Have both of us just been stupid for almost a year?" I wondered and saw him laugh.
"I just respected your wishes and while I would have liked for you to come to this point way sooner, I am just glad we managed to get to this at some point. I don't mean to be a dick or push you into directions. You aren't certain you want to explore yourself. And I really get it. These kinds of things suck for women. You are always made out to be the villain and as if you gain something from these entanglements, so it isn't like I blame you for your hesitance. Guys don't really have to put up with these stereotypes. But… I'm really interested in seeing where this could lead and the last eight or nine months haven't changed that." As if to make a point, he reached for my hand, which was currently laying on top of his breakfast bar. "I think we should have dinner and just…see where things take us."
"Is this you asking me out?" I asked with a slight grin.
"That is me asking you out," Carlos confirmed. "Name the date, time and location and I'll be there."
I looked at him for a long moment, thinking this through and realizing after having more or less pinned after him for a year, maybe it was time to stop wasting time and start getting things done. "Tonight. 6pm. The IHOP on Franklin and Main."
He looked at me, flabbergasted for a long while, before his face was almost illuminated with a wide smile. "You work fast. Though…IHOP?"
"I like them," I almost whined, knowing it was a weird place for a date, but I really did and they usually offered something for every taste. And it was less frequented than the usual hangouts for dates, meaning I wouldn't have to fend off questions from my mother and everyone of their neighbors by morning. If there was one thing that traveled faster than lightning, it was gossip in the Burg.
I could see that Carlos seemed unconvinced, if not to say uncomfortable with something in my suggestion. I wasn't sure whether it was the fact that I suggested a date a few mere hours from now, or whether it was the location, but he didn't look like he was fully onboard yet.
"How about Spigola Vino e Cucina in Hamilton? I could call them right now and get a table reserved in a heartbeat."
To say I was shocked at his suggestion would be an understatement. Everyone in Trenton knew Spigola Vino e Cucina. It was famous for its amazing food and service, but also the most expensive restaurant in and around Trenton. Spigola Vino e Cucina was a place when you wanted to celebrate something major or plan to propose. Or if you didn't care if appetizers started at 30 bucks upwards. Someone told me the cheapest item on the entire menu was a bottle of water, for 12 dollars. Water. 12 dollars. This was not a place for a first date. Or a second. Or third, for that matter. Also, if I was seen having dinner with Carlos at that place, I wouldn't have to fend off questions about who I was dating, but rather about dates for our upcoming wedding.
"Your facial expressions somehow tell you are not a fan of my suggestion," he commented, and I wasn't quite certain what I actually had done to give it away. But people told me I had a very expressive face.
"As much as I love the idea, I don't think that's the right spot for…tonight."
"You would seriously choose IHOP over one of the best restaurants in the area?" he asked, surprised.
I thought about my answer for a second and figured that all my previous dates and relationships had always started on expectations that I was supposed to fulfil and also on always following the same patterns. It had almost always been the same, whether it was with my ex-husband Dickie, with my first love Joseph Morelli or anyone since then. There had always been the same patterns, same expectations, same steps. And most of them involved trying to be someone you were not and do something that others wanted you to do. It was always about expectations and customs. While Carlos was definitely breaking the mold long before I could even think about it, I also figured that for once, a lot of sincerity and honesty would be well placed. A whole new concept.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but…I come from the Trenton area of Chambersburg, otherwise known as Burg. It's an old-school and old-fashioned area where people hardly ever show any sort of growth. Things have remained the same since the 60s," I started and saw the confusion on his face.
"And this has exactly what to do with our date?"
"Apart from weddings and funerals, dating life is one of the biggest topics. Who is dating who? Who split? Who cheats? It is… no one's business, but that doesn't stop anyone. If we go to Spigola Vino e Cucina, I'm not just facing questions about you and what it is that we are getting up to, but also what month we set the date."
Carlos laughed. "Sounds almost like the Spanish Inquisition."
"The Spanish Inquisition would be a walk in the park compared to this," I state flatly and seriously. "But... while we are on the topic, this is something you need to know. People will be on my case and constantly gossiping and just...fabricating stories as long as they are entertaining. God knows how long it will take for rumors about pregnancies to surface. Or weddings. Or anything in-between. I know you are a rather private person who likes to keep things private, so...," I let the open sentence and its conclusion hang in the air.
"Are you already looking for reasons to talk me out of this?" Carlos asked, amused.
"I don't. But I also think I owe it to you to warn you what you are getting yourself into," I replied.
He looked at me for a moment before shrugging. "IHOP is, but I want to make it known that I think you deserve better than that."
"Noted," I agreed. "But for now, let's keep it simple."
I had to admit I wasn't entirely certain whether Carlos Manoso really knew how to keep things simple, seeing as everything he surrounded himself with was top-notch and boarding into luxury.
I watched him get up and walk around the breakfast bar towards me, stopping right in front of me to turn me on my stool to face him. He leaned forward and for a moment I assumed he was about to kiss me, but moved his head past my face and next to my head, leaning in even more, before I felt his hot breath on my ear. "Just so you know, nothing really scares me. Not even the possibility of someone coming up with strange stories. Because I actually think you might be worth it, you might be worth almost everything."
He moved his head back, leaving me disoriented by the feels for a moment, before he actually pressed his lips against mine, making this seem almost like a promise and a seal top whatever we had just agreed upon. His kiss was just as addicting and amazing as I remembered it from our way back to Trenton all these months ago.
A few hours later I found myself inside IHOP, probably way too overdressed for a place like that. But I wasn't the only one. Carlos was just as overdressed as I was and we both found it amusing that despite the fact where we were, either still put in the effort to look presentable.
The waitress that served us seemed confused at first, probably not seeing plenty of dressed up people during her job. She went through some specials that were seasonal and on a special menu, asked for our drink orders and came back several moments later, dotting down our food.
It was the most normal, most casual and least pressured date I had ever been on, and somehow that said a lot. And despite all of it, it also was one of the best dates I had ever been on, too. I don't know if it was the company, the fact that it took me and us eight months to get to this point or just because I didn't feel any pressure and expectations, but something was different, refreshing, and just good. It was fun and just…easy-going, without seeming too casual.
There was chemistry and sparks from start to finish, and definitely a lot of flirting from either of us. What surprised me was how bubbly and excited it left me for things to come and without a single worry about this interfering with the job or making things awkward. For a weird minute, I actually wondered what the hell had I been worried about beginning with?
The night ended with a kiss that was so scorching hot, urgent and almost desperate that it definitely would have ended in either one of our beds easily, but Carlos surprised me when I more or less offered myself to him in the heat of the moment and he proofed to be way better than probably every single guy before him by stopping us before things got too heated and probably also way out of hand.
"We waited so long, what's a few more dates?" he asked, almost casually, and I wondered if he really was that calm and collected right now? I mean, I had felt a very prominent argument poking me in the thigh just moments prior.
"A few more dates?" I asked, sounded even to my own ears more than just slightly aggravated. But, in my defense, I really was in a state of mind.
He just laughed softly at my outrage, before he pulled me against him again and kissed me once more, departing a few moments later. Guess there always was the shower massager. Or a battery-operated friend. I just hoped, sooner or later, my waiting was going to be rewarded in the proper ways. Not that I was allowed to be really angry or annoyed, seeing as I had been the one to push the idea of an us far, far into the back of my mind. So, with that in mind, that I could have had the whole Carlos-Manoso experience long ago, I sighed and let myself into my apartment and hoped for the next date to end differently.
Spoiler alert… it would. But only because I was very insisting and gave him little to no choice for a no. I don't think he really minded.
A year after I threw caution to the wind, I moved in with him and another year later, we eloped. He had joked we should get eloped in North Dakota, at which I just replied even he wouldn't be able to get me back to that place. Once was already one time too many.
He laughed, and we settled for an island in the Caribbean, where there was no chance of snow storms and being grounded for days.
Though, admittedly, being grounded seemed to have worked out just fine. Just saying…
