At 24 years old, Liliana was ready to start building a serious relationship. She loved her parents' story, and though she didn't want all their troubles, she'd hope to find happiness like they did.
By the time the hour 7:00 PM rolled around, Liliana was nothing but a bundle of nerves. She tried to keep her appearance simple. She curled her hair, and simply powdered her face and applied a little bit of gloss and mascara. She wore a cute blouse she scored at the mall, and a pair of dark blue pants, and heels. Liliana looked in the mirror and hoped she didn't appear too overdressed.
When the doorbell rang, Liliana felt her heart jump to her throat, but she told herself to keep it together, and she breathed as she headed to the door. When she opened the door, the look on Carlos' face was priceless. He seemed somewhat shocked, but the smile that formed on his lips couldn't be ignored.
"What?" Liliana asked, carefully.
"Nothing, you look amazing, Please." Carlos invited her, and Liliana followed after him to his car.
He held the door open like a gentleman, and once she was settled, he closed the door. During the car ride, both Carlos and Liliana seemed nervous. Carlos was dressed in a long sleeve dress shirt, and jeans, and though he tried to appear calm, he kept tapping his hand against the steering wheel in a soft but noticeable manner.
On the other hand, Lili felt how sweaty her palms were as she played with her fingers. She felt every nervous breath that entered and exited her chest. And her stomach just wouldn't stop with the butterflies.
The music playing in the background was the only sound in the car, and Lili knew that there was no way she would be able to stay in the silence, or else her nerves would just take over, and the date would be over before it even started.
"So how was your day?" Liliana decided to break the ice first.
"It was okay. I woke up, headed to therapy, then I came home had something to eat, and then took a nap before preparing for tonight." Carlos explained, then he looked her way quickly before looking back on the road "you?"
"My day was good. I did some cleaning around the house, but mostly prepared for tonight." Liliana admitted.
"Were you nervous?" Carlos asked, seemingly interested in everything that Lili said,.
"Honestly? Yeah, I still am to be honest." Liliana stated, not even bothering to care about what Carlos would think about her honesty.
"Well, just so you know, I don't bite, my momma taught me well." Carlos chuckled and Liliana giggled as she said, "I'm sure she did. So where are we going?"
"We are going to one of my favorite restaurants. I am telling you, after tonight, your life will be changed forever." Carlos stated, his tone excited.
"I think I should be the judge of that, don't you think?" Liliana laughed as she shook her head.
"Well you're right, I'll let the food speak for itself, plus I don't think you'll have it wait long because, we're already here." Carlos pointed, as he pulled up to a restaurant called "Angel's Palate".
When Carlos parked the car, he was quick to head to the other side and open Liliana's door, an action which caused her to smile, and her cheeks to warm up with a blush.
Carlos walked close to her and led her to restaurant, but he did not touch her.
After so many close encounters with Mr. Cavalier, Lili half expected Carlos to place his hand on her lower back or something, but of course Carlos was a total gentleman whereas Mr. Cavalier forgot manners and just did whatever he wanted.
Carlos opened the door for Liliana, and led her up to the Maître D. Once they approached the uptight man who seemed to be holding his breath, Carlos cleared his throat as he said, "Carlos, reservation for a table of two." Carlos explained, and after a quick check off his clipboard, the man spoke in a strict manner "follow me." Then he turned sharply and led the couple to their table. The man walked taller and straighter than a pole, and Lili could only imagine just how seriously he took his job.
The restaurant was warm and cozy. The dimmed lights allowed for a comfortable mood to set in the atmosphere. As they headed to their table, Lili noticed everyone enjoying their meal, and engaging in soft conversation. And she smiled. This was her kind of crowd. Everyone was on the same level, everyone seem down to earth, and no one was overdressed or scouting out the competition.
Once they were seated, Carlos smiled as he said, "alright, besides him," Carlos pointed to the retreating Maître D, "everything here is awesome."
Liliana giggled and prepared to reply, when a young woman with a bright smile appeared "good evening, my name is Maya, and I will be your waitress this evening. While you look over your options, what would you like to drink?"
"I'll have a glass of sangria please." Liliana chose first, and Carlos smiled as he said, "make that two."
"Alright, I'll be back with your drinks soon." Maya stated, then she turned away and left.
Liliana looked over the menu and felt her mouth water just at the names of delicacies she spotted on the menu, when she looked up, she noticed Carlos simply watching her with a smile, as he leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed.
"What? You're not going to choose?" Lillian asked, as she looked between Carlos and the opened menu in her hand.
"Nah, I already know what I want." Carlos shrugged, and Lili played along as she asked, "oh yeah? Care to share?"
"Nope. I'm going to wait and see what you decide to choose first." Carlos shrugged, and Liliana rolled her eyes as she said, "alright, I see how it is."
Just as Liliana finished her sentence, Maya returned. She placed two glass of water on the table, then she placed their wine glasses, and easily poured their drank, and in that instance Lili was reminded of the first time she poured wine for Mr. Cavalier, and she giggled softly, which caught Carlos' attention.
"What's on your mind?" Carlos asked, his tone intrigued, and Liliana shrugged as she said, "I just remembered something."
"Are you ready to order?" Maya asked, while she pulled out her notepad.
"Yes, I'd like to try the spaghetti with lobster, the surf and turf and the coconut crème brulee." Liliana explained, then Maya turned to Carlos who smiled as he said, "I would like the scallops, the steak burger, and triple chocolate cake please."
"Very well, I'll take these." Maya stated, as she collected the menus, and left the table once more.
"Steak burger and triple chocolate cake?" Lili questioned, surprised.
"Yeah, it’s sort of a regular for me when I come here." Carlos bragged, and Liliana shook her head, "but I have to commend you for your choices. I think you're really going to enjoy them." Carlos assured.
"Yeah? Alright I'll hold you to it." Liliana smiled, then she sighed as she felt herself relax, as the evening continued.
"So how do you like our company so far?" Carlos asked, as he sipped from his glass, along with Lili.
"I like it a lot. You were right about the Dunns." Lili pointed out.
"Of course I was right, and from what I've heard you crushed your first trip with the man who writes our checks, so how did it feel?" Asked, Carlos.
"Good. But that's only because I had Chamille by my side, she gave me the boost of confidence that I needed." Liliana testified, and just as she finished, Maya arrived with their starters.
The moment Liliana took a bite of her food, she closed her eyes and sighed as if she was in heaven.
"Right?" Carlos supported, and Liliana nodded as she blocked her mouth to speak, "this is so good." And she was not over exaggerating.
"You're welcome." Carlos smiled, and Lili simply busied herself on cleaning out her plate.
Before she was done with her appetizer, Maya had already arrived with their entrees.
Liliana couldn't help but let out a soft sound of pure indulgence as she tasted the well-seasoned, well done steak, and the lobster which melted in her mouth was absolutely delicious.
"Seriously how did you find this place?" Lili just had to ask.
"A friend of mine invited me here, and when you said, yes to our date, I just knew that I had to bring you here." Carlos replied, before he took a hefty bite from his burger.
"Well I thank you. Remind me to say yes to you again for future dates." Liliana spelled out before she could stop herself.
Carlos gulped quicker than he should have as he asked, "wait, is that a proposal for a second date?"
"Only if you planned on asking me at the end of this evening." Liliana replied, confidently, and she had to mentally thank the sangria she had been drinking, which allowed her to feel comfortable enough to make such a bold statement.
"I planned on asking you from the moment I saw you earlier." Carlos admitted, and Lili chuckled softly as she looked down and blushed.
By the time their dessert had arrived, Liliana wasn't sure if she had room for more.
"Want a bite?" Carlos offered, as he pushed his plate towards Liliana, who greedily dug her fork into the slice of triple chocolate cake, and when she brought the fork to her lips, and enclosed the piece in her mouth, Liliana wanted to melt.
"Oh God, this is..." Liliana trailed off as she enjoyed the last bits of her food.
She looked up at Carlos, her eyes thankful, as she said, "this was amazing. I had a great time."
"I'm glad. Are you ready to go?" Carlos asked, and Liliana nodded.
In the car ride back to her house, Liliana felt a lot more comfortable.
"So what else to do you like to do besides being a charming gentleman, and eating steak burgers and triple chocolate cake?" Liliana asked, feeling relaxed.
"Well, I like spending time with the family. I love listening to music. I enjoy a good movie every once in a while, and I try to keep healthy enough." Carlos shrugged, as if he wasn't too interested in speaking about himself.
"Cool, you sound like a mellow dude." Liliana giggled, and Carlos smiled as he said, "well I'm glad that this mellow dude has caught you attention, and I'm hoping to keep it for as long as possible." Carlos admitted, and Liliana was suddenly very awake.
"Yeah? So you're aiming for more than causal dates?" Liliana asked, curiously.
"I'd like to try to know you and see where this goes, so you don't have to run for the hills yet." Carlos smiled, hoping he didn't freak her out.
"I'd like that." Liliana replied, truthfully, as she felt her heart flutter in her chest.
This was good.