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S ophie was standing there. She was in front of Bryce, a mere two feet away, and her smile was wide and infectious. Bryce just stared, taking her in. She’d waited well over a year to see this woman again, and Sophie did not disappoint. She’d had a terrible day at work, it had sounded like over the phone, but she looked absolutely perfect to Bryce. Her long dark hair was down and a little mussed, probably due to the constant humidity of this city or maybe the likely hurried walk to the bar. Bryce didn’t know. She also didn’t care. She just needed to be touching Sophie right now. No, she needed more than that. She needed to be kissing her.

“I know we agreed on a hug, but…”

Sophie’s eyes widened, and her smile disappeared as she licked her lips. That was the only permission Bryce needed. She reached out, cupped Sophie’s cheeks in her hands, and pressed their lips together. Sophie responded instantly. Her lips danced with Bryce’s as if they’d done this a million times before, and her arms were around Bryce’s neck, moving into Bryce’s short hair. Bryce’s own arms were around Sophie’s waist at the small of her back, rubbing over her shirt because she needed to feel Sophie pressed against her again. A hug wouldn’t have been enough.

“Wow,” Sophie let out when they finally pulled apart.

“Yeah,” Bryce echoed in agreement. “Sorry. I couldn’t wait.” She pressed her forehead to Sophie’s. “Good to know that still works, though.”

Sophie laughed a little and said, “Definitely still works.” Her hand moved to Bryce’s cheek then. “I am so sorry. I hate that I made you think I’d make you sit here alone.”

“You just kind of quit your job for me, so I’d say we’re even,” she replied.

“I quit for me ,” Sophie said. “But you did provide the proper motivation to finally do it. I can’t believe you’re here.” She stroked Bryce’s cheek. “God, you’re here.”

“And we’re in our bar,” Bryce added. “It looks like our sofa is free now.” She looked over Sophie’s shoulder and saw all three women stand up at the same time. “Want to sit? I’ll get us drinks.”

“Will you make sure to come back?” Sophie asked. “If not, I’m going with you.”

Bryce kissed her quickly and replied, “I will definitely be back. And you have my number now, too, remember?”

“Yeah,” Sophie said. “Sorry; still a little worried about losing you again.”

“I’ll be right back. What do you want to drink?”

“Something light. I haven’t eaten since lunch,” Sophie shared.

Bryce nodded and said, “Let’s get you some food, then. We can come back here later or another day.”

“No, this is our bar.” Sophie tugged.

Bryce looked down and noticed that Sophie’s fingers were in her belt loops.

“It’ll always be our bar, Soph,” she said. “But I wouldn’t mind getting you some food and sharing a glass of wine or something over a late dinner. It would be easier to talk, too.”

Instead of a response, Sophie just wrapped her arms around Bryce’s neck again and pulled her in for a hug that Bryce never wanted to end. She held on to Sophie like her life depended on it and breathed in the faded scent of grapefruit. That only made her close her eyes and tighten her grip around Sophie’s waist.

“I’ve missed you so much,” she said against Sophie’s neck.

“I’ve missed you too,” Sophie replied.

“Why does this feel so damn good?” she whispered into Sophie’s ear.

“I don’t know, but I don’t want to let you go.”

“I don’t want that, either, but I can actually feel your stomach growling,” Bryce said with a laugh. “Come on. Let’s get you something to eat, and you can tell me about your day.”

“Do I have to?” Sophie asked. “It was awful, and I just want to be here with you.”

“We can talk about anything you want,” she said as she pulled out of the hug and held out her hand for Sophie to take.

Sophie’s hand slipped into her own, and Bryce stared down at how well they fit together. She’d planned on them having a drink here and then maybe taking a walk through a less crowded part of the city, but if Sophie hadn’t eaten in hours, they’d take care of that first. When they got outside, Bryce squeezed Sophie’s hand as she attempted to pull her through the crowd. Sophie stopped, though, so Bryce turned back to her, looking confused.

“I live here. Maybe I should lead?” Sophie asked with a smile.

Bryce nodded, and Sophie moved to walk in front of her. Making their way off Bourbon took longer than she would’ve anticipated, but when Sophie turned them onto a less populated street, they were finally able to walk side by side.

“You’ve eaten already. Are you sure you–”

“I ordered food. I didn’t really eat much of it,” Bryce interrupted. “I’m starving.”

“Why didn’t you eat what you ordered?”

“Because I thought you’d ditched me, and I lost my appetite. The waiter asked me if something was wrong with the food because I ate about two French fries and told him I was done.”

“Oh, babe…” Sophie shook her head, laughing a little. “Let’s get you some food, too.”

Sophie just called her ‘babe’ like it was nothing, but it made Bryce smile.

Spotting the first restaurant that looked busy but not packed, Sophie pulled them over to look at the menu, which was posted at the right of the door. When the woman moved to read it, Bryce couldn’t resist moving in behind her and wrapping her arms around her.

“Is this place okay?” Sophie asked. “They have a little of everything.”

“Can we just stand here for, like, another minute?” she asked as her chin hit Sophie’s shoulder.

Sophie didn’t say anything, but she covered Bryce’s arms with her own for a few seconds before a crowd gathered to look at the menu as well, so they headed inside before the place got even busier. Sophie gave the hostess her name, and they moved to the side after they were told to wait twenty minutes for a table for two. There wasn’t anywhere to sit, so Bryce moved them over to a wall, where they could at least lean. She motioned for Sophie to stand in front of her and looked into her eyes.

“You are so beautiful,” she said softly as she cupped Sophie’s cheek, her thumb sliding along the soft skin. “I’ve never seen anyone so beautiful before, Soph.”

“I’ve pictured your face so many times,” Sophie said. “Gorgeous.” She leaned in and pressed her forehead back against Bryce’s. “Can you hold me until our table is ready? I just need you to do that.”

Bryce kissed Sophie’s cheek, pulled her in against her front, and just like that, they were back in that hug that she never wanted to break. They stayed like that, breathing in one another and not saying anything, until someone called Sophie’s name to sit them, and it was quite possibly the best twenty minutes of Bryce’s life. She’d never had that kind of silence with someone where it wasn’t awkward or weird, but it was somehow just part of them that they could hold one another and not be talking, not be doing anything but enjoying the other person’s presence.

Ready to be seated, Sophie took Bryce’s hand, and Bryce led the way as they followed the hostess to their table, which, thankfully, was in a back corner, away from the middle of the room, where tables were pushed together to make room for more customers. They had a booth only meant for two, so they had to sit across from one another, and that felt too far away even though Bryce could reach over the small table and hold both of Sophie’s hands in hers. For a minute, they just stared at one another with soft smiles, and Bryce thought about how if she saw anyone else doing this in a restaurant, she’d laugh at them and think that they looked ridiculous.

“Good evening,” their waitress said as she approached. “Can I get you started with something to drink?”

“Wine?” she asked Sophie.

“Red? Merlot?” Sophie checked with her.

“Yeah. Whatever merlot you have,” Bryce replied. “And can we get the bottle?”

“I’ll need food if you’re doing that.” Sophie laughed.

“I’ll bring out some bread for you with your drinks,” the waitress said. “Water?”

“Yes, please,” Sophie answered.

“And we’ll need a few minutes to look at the menu,” Bryce added before the waitress walked off to get their drinks, and she returned her attention to Sophie. “Appetizer?”

“Yes, I’m starving.”

“I’m guessing you’ve been here before. Do you know what’s good?”

“They have fried gator tail bites here with a rémoulade.”

“I didn’t eat gator the last time I was here.”

“What? You have a food blog, and you didn’t try gator here?” Sophie teased.

“I tried other stuff, but not that,” she said.

“I know. I’ve read all your blogs now.”

“All of them?” Bryce asked.

“Every single one. Though, I must admit that I read the ones you wrote about us a few more times.”

“I posted one last night. Did you read that one, too?”

“This morning before I left for work. You’re sweet, you know?” Sophie said with that smile Bryce loved.

“It’s the truth.”

Their waters arrived shortly after, and the waitress set down their wine and glasses as well. It wasn’t full-on table service because this wasn’t that kind of a restaurant, but she still offered Bryce the glass to sniff and taste. Bryce nodded, and they ordered the gator bites for their appetizer before they were left alone. As she held up her glass, Bryce had to laugh because Sophie was eyeing that bread like she wanted to devour it, and it was adorable.

“To us,” she said.

“To us,” Sophie replied, clinking their glasses together. “So, I assume your friends expect an hour-by-hour update?”

“Oh, shit,” Bryce muttered after taking a quick sip and setting her glass down.

“What’s wrong?”

“I told Megan and Kelsey that you stood me up. I need to text them real quick.”

“You told them I stood you up? Bryce, they’re going to hate me.”

“I’ll explain later. They’ll be fine.” She quickly pulled out her phone and sent them a text. “Besides, I like you. That’s all that matters.”

“No, it’s not.” Sophie laughed. “I want your friends to like me, too.”

“They do. Or, they will ,” Bryce said, placing her phone down and grabbing a piece of bread, which she held out for Sophie. “Are yours expecting an update, too?”

“Jill texted me six times.” Sophie shook her head. “I told her about the work thing and that I was finally on my way to you while I was in the Uber, but she messaged again when I was walking, asking for an update, so she knows I’m safe.”

“Safe. Right,” Bryce said with a wink. “It’s crazy how much people are invested in this, huh?”

“You and me?”

“Yeah. When I wrote the initial blog, it was for me. I just needed to get it out. Sean, Megs, and Kels were about done hearing me talk about you or comparing these dates that they wanted me to go on to you, so I needed an outlet. I wasn’t even going to post it. I just needed to write it. But then my hand is on the mouse, and I’m clicking to share it before I can stop myself, and people are responding, asking me to keep writing about it.”

“I’m glad you did,” Sophie noted.

“God, me too. I’m sitting across from you, and we’re at dinner.” Bryce thought for a second. “We’re not just at dinner, right? This is a date.”

“You kissed me the moment you saw me, so… Yeah, I think we can safely say that we’re on a date.”

“A first date,” Bryce said. “A year later.”

“At least, it’s actually happening,” Sophie replied.

Their appetizer arrived a few minutes later, and they placed their entrée order. Bryce loved that Sophie ate four pieces of bread and dove right into their appetizer without holding back. She hated it when women felt like they needed to order salads and hardly ate on a date. They talked about Bryce’s flight in first class and how nervous she’d been all day, and Sophie apologized again when Bryce regaled her with her story of walking up and down Bourbon Street, trying to locate the bar.

“I don’t know why it’s so hard to find the damn place.”

Sophie laughed and said, “It happens. And you probably got turned around last year. The cops really took you to the station?”

“Yes. It took me hours to get out of there. I thought they were going to either ticket me or lock me up at some point, but I managed to convince them I had nothing to do with it, and I was totally sober, so that helped. All I wanted to do was get back to you, but I was too late.”

“I can’t believe we missed each other at the café, too,” Sophie said. “I ran after you, Bryce.”

“Had I known, I would’ve pulled the damn car over, Soph. I wish so much that things had been different.”

“Maybe they weren’t supposed to be,” Sophie replied. “Maybe it was supposed to be this way.”

“God… Why? I could’ve had a year with you already,” she said before she took a sip of her wine.

“You think we’d be together?”

Bryce shrugged and replied, “I have no idea what might have happened, obviously. All I know is how I’ve felt since the moment I laid eyes on you and how it’s hurt, not being able to find you. I’m glad we’re finally here, though. We’re on our first date now. As much as part of me wishes it was our hundredth, I kind of like this part, too.”

“Me too,” Sophie told her with that smile again as she pushed her plate away, finished with the catfish she’d ordered.

“Dessert?”

“If you want,” Sophie said.

“I just want time with you.”

“We can always go to Café Du Monde, then; have some beignets that we would’ve had last year,” Sophie suggested.

“Can we walk? Will it be crazy crowded over there, too?”

“It’ll die down a bit over in the Square, but the Café will be busy, yeah,” Sophie answered.

“Is there even a single quiet place in the city this time of year?”

“Probably your hotel room,” Sophie said.

Bryce swallowed hard and asked, “Not your place?”

“Not built as well as the Quarter hotels, so I sometimes hear my neighbors, but… it’s an option,” Sophie replied.

“Can I get you two some dessert?” the waitress asked.

“No, thank you,” Bryce said. “Just the check.”

The waitress didn’t even blink as she pulled the padfolio out of her apron, always ready for them to leave during busy season, and Bryce quickly placed her credit card on top of it. Having paid, Bryce stood and, once again, held out her hand for Sophie to take.

When they left the restaurant, Sophie pulled them onto a different street, out of the way of the crowd. Bryce stopped them then, hearing the music and sounds fade behind them now, and she pushed Sophie gently against the wall.

“I’m going to kiss you again,” she said.

“I’m going to kiss you back,” Sophie replied. “Again.”