Sean held open the door, the bell above tinkling softly to announce their entrance. Stepping inside the quaint Italian restaurant, Kelsey eyed the display of authentic vintage Olive oil bottles that lined the back wall. Tendrils of greenery weaved amongst the bottles and books, carefully tucked above rustic wooden frames containing aged photos of Italian landscapes and candid photos of joyous moments.

  Kelsey's breath was taken from her. It was beautiful in here, the dim lighting and gentle symphony of stringed instruments transported her out of her hometown. Sean smiled down at her, his eyes eagerly watching her reaction.

  A smiling middle aged man approached them, a thick black moustache lining his top lip.
      "Sir, Madame." He greeted, bowing his head slightly. "May I offer you a seat?"

Sean pulled his attention away from Kelsey, his hand wrapping around her waist as he greeted the host.
    "Thank you. I called earlier, booking under Henderson?"

The Man's eyes lit up, his hands clasping excitedly in front of him, his round cheeks going rosy as his smile spread wider.

      "Oh yes! If you'd like to follow me up the stairs to our private area." He turned away, walking towards the back of the small restaurant towards an old wooden stair case, it's bannister ordained in fake vining flowers. Sean extended his hand forward, insisting that Kelsey followed first.

  Her heels clicked against the tiled floor as she past by numerous tables set up for evening service. An elderly couple sat shoulder to shoulder in a side booth raised their full glasses of red wine to them as they passed. Their eyes crinkled and wrinkles lined their face but youthful joy was still present in their smiles and laughs as the man whispered something to the women before giving her a gentle peck on the cheek.

  Kelsey's heart warmed. Maybe love wasn't something she should just throw to the ground claiming it to be a farce? Maybe, just maybe. If she gave it a chance. Love could be better than before?

   Her hand grazed the bannister as she ascended, the stairs creaking with each step. Reaching the top, her mouth fell open. Taking in the view before her it was something she'd only ever seen in movies.

Tiny lights shone above like the stars, Olive trees sat in terracotta pots in the corners of the room, their branches climbing and settling against the brick work. But her gaze focused on the table set up before her. Two chairs sat across from each other, a wooden table between adorned in a sage green table cloth and pillar candles. Light pink rose petals scattered across the table top, their aroma filling the air. But the part that had Kelsey speechless was the giant window that the table was next too. The view showing the stretch of beach and the vast sea that ran off from it. The sky was painted with blues and purples, brushes of vibrant oranges and yellows danced amongst them as the sun was beginning to set.

Sean brushed past her, his hand gently taking hers as he lead her towards the table. The host standing to the left, two menus clasped in his arms.

Dropping her hand Sean pulled a chair out from the table, holding it out for Kelsey to take a seat.
     "Thank you." Kelsey whispered, her eyes still wide in amazement. Taking the seat opposite, Sean settled down.

     "Your menus." The host proclaimed, placing a menu down in front of them both. "May I get you two any drinks?" He looked between them both, his smile never faltering.

   Looking up at Sean, Kelsey let out a little giggle. The realisation of what was going on finally setting in. He raised an eyebrow, a small laugh leaving his lips too.

      "Just water for the table if that's ok?" Kelsey replied, smiling up at the host.
      "Of course, Madame." Turning away from them he walked over to the bar that was at the far end of the room. Looking back over at Sean, Kelsey's hands dropped on the table, her shoulders slouching as another laugh of disbelief left her mouth.

      "What the hell, Sean? This place is stunning!!" She said, gesturing to the view and decor. He leant back in his chair, a satisfied look spread across his face. "How on earth did you find this place?"

      "This is one of the oldest restaurants left standing in this town." He answered. "The restaurant owner is the grandfather an old school friend of mine. I looked it up to see if it was still open and well..." raising his arms he shrugged slightly. "...Here we are."

    "Wow. This has always been here? I guess this town isn't a complete loss." Kelsey said sitting back upright as the gentlemen returned, placing a small basket of bread rolls in the centre of the table along with a large ornate jug of water next to it. "Thank you."

     "You're welcome. I'll give you both some time to look over the menu." He bowed his head once again before heading back the way he'd just come from.

     "Owens." Sean's voice was low as he reached forward for a bread roll, looking up at her through his eyelashes. "There's so much in this town that you've missed out on."

     Kelsey's heart skipped a beat. All sarcastic and witty replies absent from her mind. She watched as he took the roll between his hands, tearing it down the centre before dipping one half into the olive oil. She watched as he took a bite, her mouth watering and her brain ablaze with dirty thoughts. Swallowing, she reached across the table for the second half, dipping into the oil.

      "Clearly." She said, popping the smaller half in her mouth, the flavours delicate on her tongue. Sean shook the table with his laughter, gesturing at the basket in the centre.

      "Kels, you literally have a basket right in front of you!"
      "Yeah but the way you prepared that one was just what I wanted."
      "I literally just tore it in half?."

      "Michelin star chefs should take note." She winked. "You seem quite skilled with those hands." Ignoring Sean's spluttering Kelsey kept her eyes down reading the menu before her, her chest taught from trying to hold in her laughter.

       "Kelsey!" Sean coughed out between strained breaths, tears welling in his eyes, he dabbed the corners of his mouth with his napkin, attempting to hide his laughter.
       "Oooh the Cannelloni con Spinaci E Ricotta sounds divine."
       "Kelsey you can't just brush past that-"
       "But then they've also got Tagliolini Norcia!" Kelsey interrupted, looking up at Sean, an innocent look plastered on her face. He looked down at her smiling, his eyebrows raised and head shaking left to right slowly.

      "I wonder if they have any specials on?" Kelsey asked, tilting her head to the side.

      "I think you're special enough." Sean laughed before picking the menu up himself. His forehead creasing as he read through each dish. "You seem to know a lot about Italian dishes? Is that the type of restaurant you work in?'

      "Oh no, we do a vastly different menu. It's ever changing." Kelsey said, well aware of the stresses Cameron goes through with their head chef Riko to get the menu to stay somewhat the same for more than just two weeks at a time.

      "No, Milly and David visited Florence a couple years back and Milly still raves about the food. That's how I know about Italian cuisine." She placed the menu down and grabbed the water jug filling up both Sean and her's water glasses.

      "Thank you." Sean smiled taking one last glance at the menu before placing it back down in front of. Kelsey took her glass in her hand raising it between them.

      "To the proper way to do a first date." She cocked her eyebrow, Sean rolled his eyes before reaching for his own glass, clinking against Kelsey's.
      "To our proper first date." He corrected. "The crazy golf was a fun date but I won't count it as our first as it was under false pretences."

  Taking a sip they became aware of the presence that was heading towards them. The waiter pulled out a yellowed notebook from their apron pocket, the pages crinkled and torn due to use. Clicking their pen the elder male hovered the pen over the page.

      "May I take your order?" He asked, looking back and forth between Kelsey and Sean.

      "Are you ready?" Kelsey asked Sean. He nodded in response.
      "After you."

  Turning back to waiter, Kelsey smiled up at him.
       "The Tagliolini Norcia, please." He smiled as he wrote it down quickly on his notepad, glancing up he nodded at Sean to take his order.
       "The Lasagna, thank you."

       "No worries, sir. I'll put that through for you both, is there anything else you'd like? More drinks, perhaps?" He gestured at their empty wine glasses, pocketing the notebook back in his pocket.

      "I'll take a soft drink, a lemonade if possible." Kelsey responded.
      "Make that two, please." Sean added.

       "I'll get that for you right away." Bowing his head he headed back.

  Returning back to their secluded haven, Kelsey leant forward on her hands, her wide eyes staring up at Sean. His dimple prominent as he stared out the window, the setting sun casting him in a golden glow. His eyes, piercing blue and full of adoration fell on Kelsey, his smile softening as he reached out for her hand. Taking it in his, he ran his thumb gently over the top off her hand, sending a shiver of goosebumps up her neck.

      "So, Owens." He spoke, his voice like silk. "What are we doing?

  Kelsey's breath hitched. Her eyes unable to break away from the depths of his.

     "We're rectifying a six year mistake." Kelsey replied, her voice barely above a whisper. Sean's pulse quickened at her response, awaiting to hear her next words.
     "I should've seen you for who you were back then. You should've been the one."