Read Online What Love Looks Like by Lara Mondoux - Free Book Online Page A

your
flight?” I said, finally able to muster speech.
    “A little bumpy,
but I’m here. I’m glad to be back. I’m starting to like Columbus.”
    I couldn’t help
but smile, keeping my eyes on the road ahead of me. “I hope you like the
restaurant.”  
             “If
you picked it, I’m sure it’ll be great,” he replied. His confidence was
unnerving, and I imagined that it came from a lifetime of good looks and,
consequently, special treatment from everyone he encountered; it was a
confidence that I did not possess.
    We made small
talk as I drove us fifteen minutes south of downtown to Grandview Heights. I
couldn’t tell if Jay was uneasy at all, but I was, and I was pretty sure it was
obvious. Any time I sensed an awkward silence looming, I’d immediately fill it
with excessive small talk, exactly the way I did when we first met. I couldn’t
handle awkward silences, especiallywith
him. I wanted to have all the earmarks of someone who was fascinating, vital,
and full of passion.
    The restaurant I
chose was Third & Hollywood, aptly named for its location on the corner of
3rd Street and Hollywood Avenue. It was a contemporary American bistro with
shadowy lighting, a lively bar, exposed brick, and an open
kitchen—exactly the kind of atmosphere in which great first dates were
made. I'd spent hours the week before selecting just the right venue, one that
would deliver the perfect casual but sexy ambiance. It was slightly hip with
just a touch of romance. My choice said, “I’m a cool girl and I like you, but
I’m not obsessed with you—I can take you or leave you.” As if I’d ever
leave him.
    I finally
stopped rambling by the time we entered the restaurant. The noisy crowd at the
dimly lit bar filled our ears instead of intermittent silence. The hostess, who
eyed Jay up and down, gave us a forty-minute wait for a table and instructed
him that she’d “do anything she
possibly could to get us in sooner.” Earlier in the day I hemmed and hawed over
calling ahead to reserve a table, but ultimately opted against a formal
reservation. I wanted to appear blasé and to have a go-with-the-flow air about
me. With a guy like Jay I wouldn’t score a second date if I came off as too
regimented too early on. Even though I didn’t grow up with men falling at my
feet, I knew what made them linger and what made them run. While waiting, we
took the last two seats at the end of the bar. Jay ordered a Jack Daniels and
Coke, and I asked for a glass of Cabernet.
    “You look hot,
by the way,” he said, not appearing apprehensive in the least. But why would he
be? He undoubtedly went out on dates with different woman all the time, so
surely he was used to the dynamic of it all.
    Relieved that the
lights were low and that I could blush without his noticing, I smiled and
glanced at him from the corner of my eye, feeling my cheeks redden. “Thanks.”
    “How does your
wine taste?” He looked into my eyes attentively. His intensity was disarming. I
had to constantly remind myself that he was just a man, not a mythological
deity.
    “Excellent.
Would you like to try it?”
             “Sure.”
He took my glass and sipped the wine with the elegance of a sommelier. “Red
wine’s never been my thing, but that’s not bad. You have good taste.”
    “Well, I know
how to order a good bottle because of my job. A few years ago, I was clueless
about wine, but now I have an appreciation for it. I like a full-bodied red.”
    “That’s sexy.”
He was still staring into my eyes. “Maybe you could teach me about the body.”
Of course he was being suggestive, but he seemed so relaxed that all I could do
was giggle.
    “I’d be happy
to.”
             “In
New York?” he asked, winking at me.
             “So
we’re still on that subject?”
             “Yeah.
I really want you to come and see how I live. I think you’d love it.”
    “Okay.” I was
unable to disagree with him about