Curate, connect, and discover
32. kiss prompt + Zekina please.
zeke/tina + a kiss by candlelight!
“I can’t believe my dad agreed to this.” Tina says, ducking her head with a sheepish smile.
“It took some convincin’, girl! I won’t lie.”
Zeke’s cheeky grin is charming enough that she doesn’t pry for details. Later, definitely, but not in the middle of their special night.
“Well, he likes you.” She says, still smiling. “He likes the way you treat me. How you’d do anything to make me happy.”
As Tina looks around her family’s restaurant again, still in awe of the surprise Zeke arranged, she has to agree with her dad’s assessment.
“I try my best, T. You know I’m crazy ‘bout ya!”
Tina might think her smile reveals her giddiness, but it’s little more than a slightly turned up line. Zeke reads it anyhow, seeing the excitement underneath.
“I know you are.” She nods, reaching a hand out to take one of his. “So am I.”
Having a boyfriend who’s close to her family is nice—very nice—but it still makes her squirm with the tiniest bit of embarrassment sometimes. Her entire family now knows that a boy likes her enough to cook her dinner, and that’ll be enough to make her mom ask nosy questions for weeks to come.
Still, it’s comforting to see the people she cares about most getting along with each other. Her dad let Zeke use his kitchen. That’s no small gesture. Behind her back, Tina’s entire family collaborated to make this night perfect.
Her mom had started it, sending her upstairs on a faulty errand, then Louise tricked her into heading back downstairs after closing. When she finally returned to the restaurant, Tina discovered Zeke waiting for her. He’d cooked them both a plate of her favorite pasta dish, complete with a homemade Alfredo sauce.
Though it’s nothing too fancy, it doesn’t take much to enchant a hopeless romantic. Tina loves every moment. He brought her a bouquet of lilies-her favorite flower-and there’s a single candle lighting every booth. It almost feels like a daydream.
“I’d do this for ya every night if I could, Tina.” Zeke says, pressing a kiss to her wrist. “You make me wanna go all out all the time.”
Tina likes that she doesn’t question his sincerity. Even setting candlelit dinners aside, Zeke’s been nothing but a gentleman since they started dating. It’s in the small things, really. He jumps to offer his jackets, when she makes the slightest suggestion that she might be cold. He seems to take joy in caring for her.
“I’m gonna do something nice for you soon.” She tells him earnestly. “Something sweet and unexpected. I promise.”
Zeke tilts his head, causing Tina to mirror the motion, before giving her hand a squeeze. His strong grip sends a jolt through her body.
“Don’t be silly, girl! Look around.”
Tina does. He kisses her once, softly, the two of them surrounded by the glow of his candles.
“I’ve got everything I could possibly want.”