It took about twenty minutes to get to the restaurant, a place on Lake Travis. They had missed the sunset, but the moon was full and the sky was clear; with the heaters the restaurant would supply, it would be lovely outside and quite romantic. Or at least he hoped she would think it was.
"I've always wanted to come here!" Kara sounded surprised and excited by their destination, and Jason was pleased.
He parked the car, then got out and walked around, ready to open her door, but she had already begun to get out. Instead he held out his hand which, she took graciously, though she seemed surprised. He closed the door behind her and once again placed his hand on her lower back as they made their way to the front door.
~*~
He was perfect; absolutely perfect. Seriously, if Kara could make a list of everything she found attractive in a guy, Jason would pop up on the page as the personification. How in the hell did this happen? Kara wasn't this lucky. Hell, she hardly ever dated; how is it that the first date she has in over four months was with her perfect guy?
First of all, when she opened the door? Holy Mother Mary, is fuckhot a word? Because that's what popped into her head at the sight of him. Jason was, gah. She had no words other than fuckhot. There he stood in front of her, dressed casually and yet still looking fashionable. He could pass for a freaking GQ model. His cotton shirt fit just snugly enough to give a hint of the toned body underneath. And those jeans - they looked tailored to his body! The man had to work out daily. And then there were the Doc Martins. This evening he looked more like the boy she knew in high school than the doctor she just met. She couldn't help but stare in shock, with memory overload, grateful her mouth didn't unhinge and drop open on its own accord.
When they walked to the car - actually when they walked anywhere - he always had his hand on her, guiding her gently in a protective manor; it made her heart beat pick up and her skin warm. She wasn't used to guys treating her this way; apparently she needed to raise her expectations. After tonight, Kara was sure she would be spoiled by Jason's gentlemanly attention.
There was something about his touch, something warm and comfortable. He felt like home. Getting ahead of yourself aren’t you? Kara tried to distract herself from those thoughts in the car by perusing his music collection. She was pleased to find for the most part they had surprisingly similar taste in music. Jason had quite the eclectic selection and there was some stuff he had on there she didn't recognize, but from the rest she imagined she would like it herself. She settled on Jack Johnson, as it seemed the perfect tone for a first date: comfortable but not too romantic or too loud.
When he smiled in approval of her song choice they finished the ride to the restaurant comfortably. After they arrived, Kara opened the door and began to get out as Jason reached down and held out his hand to help her. It was probably the single most romantic thing any man had ever done for her. When her hand slipped into his and their eyes met, each with a small smile on their face, she felt the warmth all over. It was like a blanket covered her in his presence. A warm, soft, delicious, snuggly blanket Kara was quickly becoming attached to.
She suddenly had the overwhelming urge to kiss him but managed to keep her desire in check, and mentally chastised her internal teenage hormones. Seriously, she was going to end up scaring him off with the vibrations of her mental yearning.
It was then that she noticed where they were, Beau Lac. She had always wanted to come here, but had never had the opportunity, or the excuse to spend the money. As they made their way to the front door he once again walked close to her, and while she liked having his hand on her lower back, she imagined his arm around her shoulder with her snuggled into his side, and shivered longingly at the idea.
Jason gave his name to the hostess and after a few moments they were being led to a table for two outside. The air was cool, but there was a space heater placed nearby that made their arrangement comfortable. He pulled out Kara's chair, surprising her slightly as they smiled at one another. Their hostess smiled politely and handed Jason the wine list menu, giving them their waiter’s name for further assistance before leaving them and returning to her station.
After he took his seat Jason looked over the wine list and asked Kara if there were anything she’d like to try.
"I actually don't drink wine. There was an unfortunate incident when I was twelve," Kara answered mischievously.
"I think I'm going to need to hear this," Jason laughed.
Their waiter came to the table and asked if he could get them anything from the bar. Knowing they wouldn't be ordering a bottle of wine, Jason looked up at Kara questioningly, "Anything else you'd like?"
"A Bloody Mary?" Kara looked to Jason, her answer coming out more like a question.
"We’d like a Bloody Mary and a Margarita, frozen, no salt please," Jason answered, turning to the waiter and handing him the wine list menu.
"Oh wait, that actually sounds better, I'll have the same, frozen, no salt," Kara amended, smiling at the waiter.
"So you like Bloody Marys and Margaritas, but not wine," Jason pointed out conversationally. "What’s the story with the wine?"
Kara gave a small, embarrassed laugh, "Well, as I said, I was twelve. I had a friend come over to stay the night while my parents were gone for the evening…"
"Boy or girl?" Jason interrupted.
Kara looked at him questioning.
"Your friend, was it a boyfriend?" Jason inquired, staring intently. Kara felt a slight blush grow.
"It was a girl Jason. I was twelve." Kara emphasized the twelve and laughed, giving him a scandalized look.
"Hey, the details are important in these things!" he chuckled. Kara had the distinct impression he was flirting, and she liked it. "I'm sorry, please continue," he waved his hand.
"So my friend was staying the night, and my parents were out. There was a bottle of wine in the refrigerator. The cork was still in it of course. I believe we poked it through with a knife,” Kara looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully. “We drank the entire bottle, threw up and passed out. I'm not really sure about the order," she admitted. "The hangover the next day was horrible, and while my parents didn’t notice, or at least didn’t mention anything, my friend was never allowed to spend the night again. And ever since, I can barely even tolerate the smell," she grimaced.
Jason grinned, "Well that's too bad. Sometimes there's not much that can rival an evening by the fire with a glass of chardonnay. But then I suppose hot cocoa with Bailey's would be an adequate substitute."
Kara smiled and looked up at him shyly as she agreed, "I imagine that would be lovely."
They were quiet for a minute, neither of them talking, both gazing out at the water. The moon was full, and its reflection on the water was mesmerizing.
"So," he broke the silence. Kara turned back giving him her attention. "The elephant," he started, chuckling. Kara hesitated a moment wondering if he was going to bring up their past acquaintance, then felt her cheeks flush slightly at seeing the knowing look in his eyes. "Lake High," he stated. Kara’s blushed deepened as her heart rate picked up and she nodded her head in acknowledgement. Jason gave her a slight smirk and nodded his head also.
"I remember you," he continued quietly, looking down at his hands on the table. "You went to the library a lot, I saw you ..." he trailed off, unsure of what else to say as he glanced around the room and then back to look into her eyes.
"I remember you too," she replied. She opened her mouth to continue just as their drinks arrived.
Jason thanked their server, took his drink and then turned his attention back to Kara.
"You were a senior," she began again, then feeling braver added, "I don't know if you knew this, but all the girls in the school had huge crushes on you," Kara grinned, hoping her attempt at flirting wouldn’t end in humiliation.
"Yeah? All of them?" he said in return, his eyebrows raised and his eyes sparkling.
"Oh, definitely," Kara replied nodding her head enthusiastically. J
ason laughed and took another sip of his drink. "Of course it was well known that you didn't date," Kara pointed out as she ran her finger down the ice on her glass and picked it up to also take a drink, enjoying the tart lime flavor mixed with tequila and the feel of the frozen liquor on her tongue.
Jason frowned at this and looked up, his eyebrows furrowed, "I had a girlfriend back in Seattle," he explained. Kara gave him an understanding smile. "We agreed to a long distance relationship. I was going to move back to Seattle to go to college, along with her and our friends," he continued, "so I remained faithful, while she toured the State of Washington," he finished sarcastically.
Kara's mouth dropped open in shock, her eyes wide, "She cheated?"
Jason gave a humorless chuckle, "That would be putting it lightly." He took another drink and looked intently at the table in front of him.
"That ... that's ... I don't know what to say," Kara finished lamely. She shrugged, bewildered by the thought. Jason just laughed.
"It sucked," he agreed, laughing again, this time with more feeling. “But we were young; it was a ridiculous notion to believe it would have worked out anyway.” He shook his head, seemingly to clear the negative thoughts from the air.
"So was she your first?" Kara asked boldly, taking a rather large drink of her margarita. She couldn't bring herself to look at him with her question.
He coughed, choking on his drink slightly, causing her to look up.
"Love, I mean!" Kara elaborated rather loudly, completely embarrassed.
Still coughing, Jason grabbed his napkin and wiped his mouth and then began to laugh. "She was," he admitted. "Both," he added with a wry grin.
Kara shook her head, covering her face with her hands as they both laughed at where their conversation had taken them.
"What about you?" Jason asked.
"First love?" Kara questioned, quirking her eyebrow. Jason nodded.
"First year of college, Mason Winters," Kara answered, as Jason's head snapped up in recognition. Kara looked at him questioningly, "Did you know him?"
"Yeah," Jason replied. A look crossed his face which Kara had trouble discerning; surprise, maybe? She felt a little uncomfortable.
"Sorry," he said quickly, waving his hands, "I guess I'm a little surprised, he was ..." Jason searched for the right word, finally settling on, "popular."
Kara burst out laughing, "He was. I was actually surprised he had any interest in me, but everyone kept saying college was different; people who didn't talk to you in high school would suddenly be your best friend, et cetera. So, I went with it. I was,” she paused searching for the right description of herself, “quiet - in high school. In college I wanted to be different. He liked me, and I thought, why not?"
A silence settled over them.
"So something you said is bothering me a little." Kara looked at him questioningly, her head tilted as she tried to subtly prod Jason, without words, to continue telling her what was bothering him when he didn’t continue. After a moment, and a rather large gulp of his drink, he looked up and spoke, "You said you were surprised he wanted you. Why where you surprised?" he asked, honestly curious.
"Well,” she hesitated, “I was a wallflower, and shy, not to mention a pretty ordinary looking kid. I guess I just thought he was out of my league?" She finished, her answer sounding more like a question.
"You're kidding right?"
"I was eighteen!” Kara leaned forward more intently, “I mean, I know now that all my self-depreciation was crap, but, back then ..." she shrugged, then leaned back in her chair.
Jason sighed and nodded in agreement, "Yes, school was hard," he relented.
"It was.” Kara picked up her glass and leaned toward him once again, holding her hand out in a toast. Jason mimicked the motion and tapped his glass to hers, "To growing up,” she finished quietly.
"And reconnecting," Jason added with a wink.
Chapter Seven
Dinner was everything Kara had hoped it would be; Beau Lac was amazing, the food was exquisite, and she even stopped worrying about the cost of their meal. Being on a date with Jason was surreal, unlike any date she had ever been on. He was a complete gentleman – opening doors, pulling out her chair and ordering their drinks and food, of course after making sure to ask her what she wanted. He even offered to share his entrée with her, and Kara agreed, offering him some of hers in return. Both dishes were mouthwatering, but when it came time for dessert and the waiter offered to show them the dessert tray, Kara declined, stating she couldn't eat another bite. The truth was she had made a raspberry trifle and was hoping to invite Jason up to her apartment after he took her home, to share it with him.
After paying for dinner, Jason asked Kara if she would be up for listening to some music. There was a bluesy jazz band playing at one of his favorite bars, Elliot's, and he was hoping she'd be willing to spend more time with him, and she eagerly agreed.
Elliot's was a small bar; some might consider it a dive, nestled in the bottom floor of an office building. It didn’t seem like the typical spot for such a place but Kara could see why Jason loved the atmosphere. The lights were kept dim and the music was generally mellow. It made for a great place to sit and hear good music while still holding a conversation. The high booths afforded privacy and the candles on the tables gave the hint of romantic ambiance. On Saturday’s Elliot’s hosted karaoke night, which Jason had explained was his sister’s favorite past time, and she dragged him along with her as often as she could. Kara briefly wondered if she would enjoy going with him some time, would he offer. Her answer was decidedly yes, even though she was sure to humiliate herself if she attempted to sing.
Kara slid into the booth first and Jason took the seat across from her. Immediately a waitress sidled up to their table and asked if they wanted to order drinks. Kara noticed that the waitress stood closer to Jason than to her, leaning over in what looked to be an attempt to be alluring. She smirked to herself as Jason appeared oblivious and ordered a Heineken, and then she ordered the same. They sat quietly for a while, enjoying the band and drinking their beers.
“So tell me about yourself, Kara Baker,” Jason leaned forward across the table, closer to her.
“What, like from birth to age twenty-seven?” Kara smiled.
“I was thinking more of likes and dislikes, but the story of your life sounds good too,” Jason winked and laughed as she felt her cheeks begin to flame.
“It’s a very boring story.” Kara waved him off, shaking her head, “Is there anything in particular you’d like to know about?”
“Well I know you don’t drink wine, due to an unfortunate pre-teen trauma. What else don’t you like?” he asked, tipping the beer back and taking a long drink.
“Mushrooms,” she replied quickly. “What about you?”
“How can you not like mushrooms?” he asked incredulously, instead of answering her question.
“They’re gross. And slimy. And they smell funny. I mean I’ll eat them if a dish has cream of mushroom soup in it, or if they’re cut up so small it’s pointless to try and pick them out, but my preference is to avoid them,” Kara explained.
“Fair enough, I guess. Completely insane, but fair.” Kara swatted at him and they both laughed.
“Now what about you?” Kara asked again.
“I’m pretty neutral on most things; I’ll try anything once. To be honest, I’m not sure there’s really anything I won’t eat or drink,” he answered, then after a moment’s thought continued, “Oh wait. I won’t eat tapioca pudding.”
“Why?” Kara giggled at the face he made when saying that.
“The texture; it drives me crazy. I spend forever with a mouth full of the pudding trying to chew every little bubbly rice thing.” Kara let out a loud laugh at this, imagining Jason’s determination while eating the lumpy dessert. When she finally settled down and glanced over at Jason, she noticed how Jason was leaning in towards her, a look of desire on his face, and flushed again, this time for a
whole different reason.
“It’s getting late,” he mumbled, almost in a whisper. Kara nodded her head in agreement and watched as Jason pulled a few bills from his wallet and laid them on the table. He stood and held out his hand to her to help her from her seat. Taking it, she felt the warming sensation she always felt when he was near. Once she was upright, he did not let go of her hand, instead holding it as they walked to his car, only letting go when he opened her car door for her.
When they reached her apartment, Kara became nervous. The dessert was waiting for them but she was suddenly anxious about asking him in. She wasn’t ready for the evening to end but it was late; what would he think of her invitation? Would he think she was easy or maybe that she invited lots of men over late at night?
"Would you like to come in for dessert?" she finally blurted. She realized immediately that while it had sounded innocent enough in her head, now that the words were out of her mouth, they sounded quite suggestive and it made her cringe. Now he was sure to think poorly of her. Jason let out a small laugh and Kara could feel her cheeks flaming once again.
"I'd like that," he answered sheepishly.
~*~
Jason couldn’t help but enjoy how often he seemed to fluster Kara. He decided to take it as a positive sign that she was as attracted to him as he was to her. He smiled, once again seeing her blush as she giggled and unlocked the door, before walking in first and then motioning for Jason to follow.
"Keys," she stated simply, holding out her hand, although it came out as a demand.
Jason smiled and dropped his keys into her waiting palm, then watched as Kara walked over to a key hook and hung her key ring, along with his, by the door.
"I have a tendency to lose them, so this makes my life easier," she smiled, answering his unasked question. Jason watched as Kara made her way to the kitchen, following her silently. There was something so appealing in the way she moved, gliding through the room. Lovely. Kara walked to the refrigerator and grabbed the raspberry trifle and a container of whipped cream, then spooned out two portions onto plates and topped them with whipped cream. Jason walked over to the kitchenette table and sat down as Kara placed his plate in front of him.