Lauren tried to take it all in, but what she kept coming back to was that she was on a date with a man she was falling for. Had fallen for already, really. She wasn’t sure when it had happened, but she knew that Hakim was someone she could see herself with permanently.
Even though they’d been out to dinner before, this time both of them were hyperaware that it was a date. Hakim brushed her fingers with his when he handed her a glass, and Lauren leaned into him to point out something on the menu. They held hands and stared into each other’s eyes.
By the time they were having dessert and port, Lauren knew that it was going to be difficult to say goodbye at the end of the evening. And since that brought her back to the one-date-only foundation of the evening, she tried very hard not to think about it. Sure, they might see each other for business from now on, but in many ways, that just made things worse.
Over dinner they talked about everything. They traded stories from their time at university, and talked about growing up with or without siblings. They even talked a little bit of business, Lauren bouncing some of her ideas for strengthening her company’s financial controls off of him. Finally, she started laughing at the absurdity of their inability to not talk shop.
“Look at us. I know a lot has happened today to do with business, but we can’t even go a few hours without bringing it up.”
“Hey, I learned my lesson. You want to focus on your company, I’m not going to stop you.”
Lauren bumped his shoulder. “No, I need to learn to take time off. But I have to admit, I like talking about work with you. Not because we don’t have anything else to talk about, but it’s such a part of who we both are, it’s nice to have someone who understands that.”
Hakim threaded his fingers into hers and studied them. “I know. I’ve never been able to talk shop with one of my dates before.”
Lauren pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. He sounded so perplexed.
He looked up and saw her expression, and reacted with a sheepish grin. Hakim lifted her hands to his mouth and Lauren felt a thrill as his lips brushed across her skin.
“Fine, yes, you’re right. If I wanted to talk business with a date, I should pick a date that knows her business.” He gave Lauren a pointed look and she smiled back at him.
Back in the car, Hakim headed for another part of the city. Lauren recognized the theater right away; it was one of her favorite buildings in LA. She knew exactly what show was playing, because a bunch of her friends from her small theater group had tried to get tickets, but they were all sold out within thirty minutes of going on sale.
Lauren turned in her seat as Hakim pulled up to the valet. “How did you get tickets for this? It’s impossible.”
He gave her a cocky grin. “I know a guy.”
Lauren wasn’t sure if she wanted to hit him or kiss him. She decided not doing either was probably for the best. She could hardly contain her excitement as they walked to their seats in the front row.
All Lauren could do was look at him and say, “Really? Now you’re just showing off.”
Hakim’s full-throated laugh made several people look over at them, and made Lauren smile. They took their seats just as the lights blinked to indicate the show was about to start. Lauren took a quick look around, watching her fellow theater-goers, hoping that the audience that night would be a good one. It made so much difference when the audience was just as into the performance as the cast.
Her eye caught on a man in a dark brown suit a few rows behind her, sitting just off the aisle. He looked familiar, but Lauren couldn’t place him. Probably a work thing, but it bugged her that she couldn’t remember where she knew him from.
Then the lights dimmed and the curtain rose and Lauren forgot all about everything but the play and the man sitting next to her.
Lauren wanted to keep applauding long after the cast had left the stage, but with the audience already starting to disperse, she instead gathered her things and followed Hakim out of the theater. She was on an adrenaline high and couldn’t stop chattering to Hakim as they left about how amazing the show was.
When they got to the car, Lauren leaned against the car door so he couldn’t open it. Hakim looked at her surprised, but Lauren just shook her head.
“This has been an amazing night, Hakim. Thank you.”
Lauren held his gaze for a minute, willing him to understand just how much she’d enjoyed their date, then moved so that she could open the car door and get in. She was still full of energy, and didn’t really feel like going home, especially not alone. She wondered if Hakim would be up for another stop somewhere.
As if reading her thoughts, Hakim asked, “Since you seem to be far from tired, would you like to go back to my place for a drink?”