Page 26 of Brick Wall

Annie

“ H ello?” I pick up my cell phone off my office desk. It’s a little past eight at night, and I’m going over travel accommodations for a future away game.

“Hi, Annie. This is Sebastian,” he says adorably.

It’s not often I would use that description for this man, but I don’t know, something about this conversation so far seems so endearing.

Of course, I know it’s Sebastian. I have caller ID.

Plus, I’d recognize that voice anywhere.

It’s still haunting my dreams…in the best way.

I haven’t spoken to Sebastian in two days—since a hasty goodbye an hour after our high school make-out session in the shed.

“Um, I was wondering if you would like to go on a date.” My face automatically brightens to full strength, and I’m suddenly grateful he is asking me out on the phone instead of in person.

“Yes,” I blurt.

“Um, good,” he replies. I don’t think he expected that answer or such a quick reply. I’m not sure. “I was thinking about Tuesday night. Does that work?”

Tomorrow, and no, it doesn’t. This is the first official week of classes, and it’s hectic. Plus, we have our Harvard Invitational this weekend, so I have a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff to do as well.

I throw out an alternate date, but Sebastian’s schedule is just as hectic, maybe more so.

We settle on next Monday evening for our first date, the first date both of us have available—seven whole days from now.

* * *

“Is that what you are wearing?” Goldie asks as I enter our main living space.

“Yes?” I say with a level of uncertainty. I was sure, but now I’m doubting myself.

I’m wearing dark jeans with a black shirt that highlights both my assets, if you know what I mean. My light brown hair is down and wavy tonight, and I’m wearing a touch more makeup than usual, but it’s still me.

“You look great,” Goldie says back, trying to calm my nerves.

“He said something casual, but do you think I should wear something else? A dress, maybe?”

“Nah, you look like you. I’m sorry if I made you doubt yourself.”

I wave my hand over my face to shoo away her response. “Nope, you’re good. I’m good,” I say with more conviction than I feel.

The doorbell rings, and Goldie dashes to the door and opens it before I have time to react.

“Sebastian,” Goldie greets with a firm nod.

“Goldie,” Sebastian imitates with the same voice inflection and nods as he moves farther into the apartment.

Sebastian greets me with a half hug and asks if I’m ready. I nod as a reply because I’m not sure whether I can speak right now.

He looks and smells so good, with his familiar scent of cedar and citrus and a hint of chocolate. He’s also wearing dark jeans and a black T-shirt. I don’t know how I feel about twinning it on our first date, so I grab a light blue jacket by the door just in case.

He opens his truck door for me, and as I jump in, he says in a husky voice, “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you, you do too.”

I also notice we are both twinning our blushes at the moment.

The car ride to our destination is fairly quick. He tells me nothing about what we’re doing, but we pull up to a cute French restaurant in the South End, where he valets his truck.

After a quick exchange with the valet attendant, Sebastian opens the door to said restaurant. It’s adorable inside, with white tablecloths, dim lighting, and candles at each table. The restaurant is small, with only a handful of tables, although all the tables are empty except for ours.

“I know the chef,” Sebastian says shyly when he sees my confusion about an empty restaurant just for us.

“Wow. This is great. Thank you.” I slip into the chair that Sebastian pulls out for me .

I haven’t seen Sebastian since the night of our first kiss in the shed, but we’ve talked every day since our phone call of him asking me out. We’ve been mostly texting—quick texts here and there—but it’s been a nice reprieve from my busy schedule.

We fall into easy conversation and share in greater detail about our previous week after we place our order.

“That game was stressing me out yesterday,” I share with Sebastian. I’m unsure if he likes to discuss the details of his game or would rather leave work at work. “That last drive was killer.”

The Boston Revs won their first game of the season on Sunday afternoon, just barely. They were down by three points with two minutes left. However, Quinn threw the game-winning touchdown with seven seconds left to spare. Talk about a nail-biter.

“Yeah, I was stressed too,” Sebastian easily agrees. “It sucks to start the season off with a loss, so I’m glad we came from behind to win that one.”

“Yeah, it’s great to win your first game, especially an away game.”

He nods in agreement. “You had a similar victory this weekend,” he says as he lifts his red wineglass, and I clink my glass to his.

Sebastian is referring to my weekend victory at the Harvard Invitational this past weekend. We didn’t win every game, but we did dang well. I’m proud of my girls; they ranked higher than expected from the “experts,” but I knew we’d have an impressive showing.

“It’s great to kick off the season on a good note,” I agree, as we clink our glasses together again .

Our server brings over our food and places several plates down. Sebastian ordered a large porterhouse steak with potatoes and veggies, salmon with rice pilaf, and a salad. I ordered the steak frites because it’s fun to say, and I love a good steak.

He looks almost embarrassed as the server drops several plates in front of him before taking off to return to the kitchen.

I don’t know why he would be embarrassed. I know he must eat a lot of calories every day to perform at the elite level he does. I get it. I don’t care.

It’s a delicate balance for him as an offensive lineman. He needs to eat many calories to keep up his weight and energy, but not so many that he goes over.

I’m happy that Sebastian could get back to his weight range. He messaged me after his final check-in before the game that he made it back in his range, just barely, but he avoided fines.

I’m happy that he felt comfortable enough with me to share his problem with me, and I’m glad he took my advice and reached out to his team for extra help. It meant a lot to me that he could trust me with his problems, and I was happy I could be there for him.

With the delicious smells in front of us, I decide to concentrate on my steak for a moment. I slide my knife against the grain and pop a piece into my mouth.

“Oh my God, this is so good,” I say after I finish the first bite of my steak.

“Right?”

We both focus on our dinner and don’t talk too much, and afterward, we are both in a delicious food coma.

The server comes to clear our plates and we both order another glass of red wine. I don’t think either of us wants the night to be over with. I know I sure don’t.

“So, are you going to tell me about your worst date now?” Sebastian asks with a hint of mischief in his eyes.

“No,” I say with a big laugh.

“C’mon, please share with the class.”

“Good thing class is out of session,” I retort.

“Please? I’ll tell you my worst date.” He wiggles his brows.

“Let me guess, it was with a woman whose name rhymes with hyena?” I tease.

“Man, you must be psychic or something.”

“Or something,” I mumble.

“So, you’re really not going to tell me?” He has a fake pout on his face.

We stare at each other in silence for five minutes. Not going to lie, I don’t hate it. Although, I’m trying my hardest not to laugh because he’s staring so intensely at me, trying to break me.

He raises an eyebrow to challenge me.

“Fine. I give in. It actually started as a really good date, but then he wouldn’t stop bothering me about my dating history. He would not drop it. Definitely the worst date.”

Sebastian howls with laughter. “Fine, I’ll drop it.” He pauses, but then adds, “For now.”

“That’s so kind of you, sir.”

Sebastian’s eyes light up with delight at sir . I’ll have to remember that in the future, hopefully in the near future.

We stay and chat a little longer, but a yawn accidentally slips out of me.

“Ready?” Sebastian asks.

“Oh, sure.” I’m caught a little off guard because I figured we needed to settle the bill, but I guess when you know the owner, everything is all set.

“Everything is all set,” he assures me, reading my mind.

“Thank you for a great night,” I say as we exit the restaurant.

* * *

The drive back to my apartment in South Boston is quick this time of night. When we are a few blocks away, Sebastian asks, “So, did the worst date guy end up recovering the fumble?”

“Yeah.” My voice is a bare whisper in the night.

“Hopefully, there will be another?” he sweetly asks in a low voice.

I blush again.

“I hope so,” I softly respond. “I’m not sure when, though,” I add in a more confident manner. We are both so busy that it took a solid week to wait for this one.

“Tomorrow is my best day. It’s a lighter day. I can do it later in the afternoon or early evening.”

“I’m sorry. We have practice from five to seven tomorrow, and I have much to do before and after.”

We go back and forth, sharing our packed schedules.

“Can you make it to the game on Sunday?” Sebastian asks with hope in his eyes.

It’s the second game of the season, but it’s their first home game. I’m happy he asked, and Sunday is my only day off this week. “Yes,” I say with a smile.

“Great, I’ll get you two tickets if that works,” Sebastian states.

“That sounds great. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Me too,” Sebastian agrees .

We’ve now arrived in front of my building, and once again, Sebastian is double-parked, but the street is quiet.

“I had a great time tonight, thank you,” I softly say to Sebastian.

“Me too.”

I’m not sure who leans in first; maybe we both do simultaneously, but our lips meet in a quick but sweet kiss.

“Good night,” Sebastian says, pulling back with a smile on his face. “I’ll send you the details for Sunday soon.”

We say good night again with another quick kiss, and a smile appears on my face. It remains on my face well after I’m back in my place and climbing into bed for the night.

I lied earlier. This has been the best first date I’ve ever been on.