A winery tour.

After a 30-minute drive, you reach the outskirts of town and the winery Mia mentioned. She says she reserved a tour, tastings included, and a room at the hotel right next to it.

“Just remember,” She begins as you walk through the double glass doors at the entrance to the building. “We’re here to taste wine, not to drink our socks off.” She chuckles. “Even if you like one, don’t ask for more. We can buy a bottle later. Be responsible with your drinking, okay?”

You nod. “Always.” She seems knowledgeable about this stuff, you notice. “You’ve been to a winery before?”

“I have.” She says. “It’s fun… but I’d rather not talk about it now.” She smile wryly.

Why do you get the feeling it has to do with her ex-husband?

You walk to the counter and Mia gives the lady behind it her name. She tells you the tour is about to start. Mia takes your hand and confidently guides you through the building. You notice the lady raise her eyebrow at that. Mia did say you should get used to it.

You’re not alone for the tour. There’s an elderly couple and what appears to be a group of four friends out on a trip. You’re definitely the youngest here. The two guys of the group of friends are, very unsubtly, eyeing Mia with wide eyes and open mouths. You don’t blame them. You can hardly believe this woman is with you.

Mia releases your hand, and while a part of you wishes she hadn’t, the odd looks of everyone present when they saw you holding hands with an older woman said a lot. You don’t really want to make other people uncomfortable.

The tour guide greets you all and asks you to follow him outside.

You start with the actual vineyards. It’s really amazing to see so much green. There are rows on rows of grape-baring vines so perfectly arranged. The guide says this vineyard focuses on red wine, but they make white wine as well. He allows everyone to try some of the grapes and boy are they sweet.

“You know, I’m a red wine person, but when it comes to grapes I actually prefer the white ones.” Mia tells you after tasting one.

“Same here.” You agree, nodding. “These seeds are too big.”

You walk quite a lot, following the guide as he explains the process for selecting and harvesting grapes.

He then takes you to the sorting room, where many people in a line select the best grapes, get rid of the bad ones and unwanted elements.

Apparently the process is not as straightforward as you thought. The guide tells you the white grapes need to be de-stemmed and pressed for their juice before fermenting them, while only some red grapes need to be de-stemmed. He says it depends on the type of red wine they’re making.

“Fermenting the grapes along with the skin is what gives red wine its color.” Mia adds for you.

Then it’s time to see the fermentation containers. They use wooden barrels for white wine, and huge wooden barrels for some red wines and even bigger stainless steel tanks for others. This is basically where the sugar in the grapes turns into ****.

After that, you’re taken to a room full of smaller wooden barrels. Here’s where they leave the wine to age anywhere from a few months to several years before it’s sold. It seems the type of wood used for the barrels affects the wine’s flavor.

Throughout the tour, Mia hasn’t look surprised at anything. That doesn’t mean she looks bored. She’s been intently paying attention to everything.

Now comes the interesting part. Tasting.

On total, you must have tried about 10 different wines, but you couldn’t have drank more than a quarter of a bottle. Mia drank a bit more than you, but the woman can handle her liquor well. Better than Emma, at least.

After that, you’re left to explore the facilities as you see fit, so long as you don’t go into restricted areas. That’s when you and Mia make your escape. She takes your hand again and leads you away from the group.

“Want to go for another walk?”

You nod and you both head back to the vineyards, where the big vines manage to hide you. You walk hand in hand, enjoying the view and the fresh air.

“You know a lot about wine.” You tell her.

“I said I’d been to other wineries, not that I’d been to this one. Like the museum, I’d been wanting to come here, but hadn’t made the time. Did you enjoy it?”

“A lot. I’m not one for drinking too much, but I do enjoy wine. Probably got that from by dad. I had a vague idea of how wine was made, but, well, now I know for real.” You chuckle.

“I’m glad. I was worried you’d find it boring.”

“Well, don’t worry. This was great. I even have a wine in mind I’d like to buy a bottle of.”

“Me too. Maybe we can share it at dinner?” She looks at you with a smile and narrowed eyes, telling you she’s looking forward to spending more time with you.

God, those bedroom eyes are just too much for you.

You stop walking and gently pull Mia’s hand. She raises an eyebrow, but her confusion fades the moment you wrap your arms around her narrow waist and pull her against you. She smiles and embraces you as well.

Mia is a tall woman, slightly taller than you. Her breast press against your upper chest. Your eyes are locked on hers, and her eyes are locked on yours.

Mia plays with your hair for a bit before she sighs, as if resigned to something. “I didn’t want to bring this up now. I would’ve liked to talk about it tomorrow after we’d gone back. But I feel like it’ll be best in the long run if we get it out of the way now.”

What is she talking about?

“Emma told me about the supposed affection multiplier you have.”

Your back runs cold, and your hold on Mia weakens, yet her hold on you doesn’t.

“She told me a lot of things. Said it made sense. She also said you were worried about telling me.”

Your mouth dries up. You don’t feel like you can form words, so you nod.

“I gave it some thought myself. Honestly, you realize how crazy the story sounds, right? Yet why would you admit to something like that if it wasn’t real?” She starts playing with your hair again, but you can’t tell if that’s a good or a bad thing.

“I’ll be honest with you, David. I’m not worried about my feelings anymore.” She looks at you straight in the eyes. “I’m worried about yours.”

You can almost hear your heart thundering in your ears.

“What will happen in the future? What will happen to the women that love you so much you’re always on their minds?” She sighs. “What will happen to me?”

…

You don’t know how to answer. You could make promise upon promise, but they’d be worthless in front of those worries.

“I… I can’t answer that.” You manage to say.