Love

"Gabriel's not a very good negotiator." Elise decides, finishing her first glass of champagne. I'd explained how I'd managed to get our ride sorted, but I'm keeping the details of our destination secret. "You've set the bar high... Give me a hint?" She pleads.

I simply smile, no chance, her reaction to the car melted my heart, I'm not going to ruin her reaction to the rest.

It's almost a shame how short the journey is, but we manage to finish the champagne and the music stops just as we arrive... Almost as if Gabriel had figured out exactly how long the journey was and set it up to end as we arrived... I underestimate him too much. The driver opens the door to allow us out and we're greeted with a small plaza, I can see the hotel from here, and the restaurant next to it. It appears to link directly into the aquarium, but it's much more high-end than the family establishment itself.

"I need to go and pick something up, I'll be five minutes?" I explain to Elise.

"Woah, woah, woah." She exclaims. "Where are we? Where are we going? What are you doing?" She requests with a mix of excitement and anxiety. i guess this is a bit too mysterious, leaving her on her own isn't a good idea, but bringer her and picking up the key before dinner kinda ruins the flow.

I hear the driver clear his throat. "If I may, Miss. I can go and collect your item and bring it to you at your destination." He offers politely. That's convenient... And weird.

"Is that part of the service?" I ask in a confused tone.

"No, but I'm technically not even working today, and Gabe was very insistent I make everything perfect." He reveals, slightly breaking character. Hey, I won't complain about more help. I give him the nod and he makes his exit, time for me to get back to what's important.

I smile at Elise and take her hand, leading her towards the restaurant doors. We enter what appears to be a fancy waiting area, equipped with a bar, as well as a greeter who approaches us to confirm our reservation. I give him the details and he gives us a beeper that will signal when our table is ready, before inviting us to enjoy the lounge until then.

We take a couple of seats away from the bar, damn, even the chairs are comfortable, I could get used to this high-class life. "Okay, this place is pretty fancy, how did you do this?" Elise asks in awe of our surroundings, I would've thought she'd be more used to it, given her house and all that.

"A magician never reveals their secrets." I smirk. "Besides, you haven't even seen the best part yet." I add, thinking about the restaurant's signature attraction. Our driver appears soon after to discreetly hand me the room key, before taking his leave for the evening. I'm almost shaking with anticipation at this point, I need that final reveal before I can settle down and enjoy the evening. Lucky for me, it doesn't take long before we're called for our table.

We return to the greeter who directs us up a set of stairs, where a waiter meets us and proceed to lead us past some double doors and into the dining area itself. I knew what was coming and even I'm in shock. The entire far wall is transparent, allowing for a view into the aquarium, schools of fish, mammals, creatures of all kind. It's like a room underwater... Which I guess it is.

The room itself if bathed in a cool blue light, with only the candles of the tables and the dim lights from the doorways illuminating the marine feel. I turn my focus to Elise, who's face is covered in shock, she must not have even heard of this place before, let alone expected to walk into it.

"Do you like it?" I ask her, knowing full well she was too gobsmacked to answer. I take her hand and follow the waiter to our table. Crap, I hadn't thought of this, do I have to pull her chair out? Does she have to pull mine out? Wait, that wouldn't make sense. My worries are alleviated when Elise simply sits down in one of the chairs. She saved me again and didn't even realise. I take my seat opposite her, content in the reminder of how much I love this girl.

We order a couple of starters while we look at the main menu, as well a a bottle of wine. It's all covered by the money Jasper gave me, so might as well use it. "How strange, no seafood, I can't think why." Elise jokes, finally recovering from her shock. "Can I freak out now, or is there another big surprise I should wait for? Have you brought a dinosaur? Are you secretly an alien?" She continues with a huge smile on her face.

"Nothing really, other than that we have a hotel booked for tonight so we don't have to worry about getting home." I clarify, the hotel was never meant to be the big reveal anyway, at this point it's worth giving her that to look forward to so she doesn't realise my real intentions. My plan is to say the words after we've eaten, that way I have time to work up the courage. Elise was definitely right, it's way harder to summon the strength in a situation like this, my previous confession feels a bit embarrassing now.

"Why, 'Miss Cray', are you trying to seduce me?" She grins in a breathy tone.

I smile at her impression, but I'm not sure I like the 'Miss' part sticking around, makes me sound like a kid. "Is it working?" I retort. I think I'll go for the steak, it's all paid for anyway, and Elise has always said she doesn't mind me eating meat around her, so why not treat myself? I deserve it.

"Yes!" Elise laughs. "The fact that we're in public is the only reason I haven't jumped on you already." Wow, am I glad I booked that hotel room. Tonight is not going to be quiet. Our starters arrive and we give our orders for the main course, before we're each poured a glass of wine.

I raise my glass to my girlfriend. "Here's to you, Elise. I hope all of this shows at least a fraction of how much you mean to me, I couldn't imagine being without you." I declare, I feel like it's cheesy, but she seems to appreciate it, clinking her glass to mine.

"I love you." She states before taking a sip.

Wait.

Rewind.

Hang on a fucking minute here.

My face appears to betray my surprise at her finally speaking the words I'd longed for, as she meets my gaze with a smug smile. My heart's beating so fast, I can't tell what's going through my head first, elation at finally hearing it, or anger at her stealing my thunder. Who am I kidding? The first one is overwhelming, but the second is definitely there.

"I'm sorry." She follows up. "I know you probably wanted to say it first, but I... I felt like I was going to burst. This is the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me, and I wanted to say it all the way back at the party, I couldn't wait any more. I'm sorry I-"

"I love you too." I finally respond. The initial gut punch aside, I don't care if I don't get to say it first... Even if I did, technically. "I love you so damn much, it's killed me to not say it, I can't blame you for not holding back." I continue. I can feel my eyes getting heavier, welling up. No. No, no, I am not going to cry. I spent too long on my make up.

Elise seems to notice my plight. "Don't cry." She orders. "If you cry, I'll cry, and then we'll be a couple of crying girls in a beautiful restaurant, and I don't want that to be our memory of today." Yeah, that's be more helpful if she weren't clearly fighting back tears herself.

I manage to regain my composure, reaching across the table to hold her hand. I can't believe it's done. I said it. We said it. We're officially a couple who love each other. All the worries I had about details and if it were too soon fade away... Because right now? Right now I love Elise Monroe.

A thousand kisses aren't enough.