"Right this way," the courteous, middle-aged host lead us towards the outdoor restaurant.

As we followed the man, I noted the classy furniture, the smartly dressed waiters and waitresses, and the elegant light fixtures. A heavenly aroma of food and drink floated through the air, the fancy restaurant filled with sounds of cutlery and pleasant chatter.

The moment we entered the outdoor area, the restaurant's din mingled with the gurgle of water. My eyes widened, taking in the sizeable fountain that was located in the centre. Numerous tables stood around a pathway made of wooden planks, forming a perfect circle around the fountain. While the fountain stood on a bed of grass in the open, the tables were protected from the skies by a ceiling of glass supported by wooden panels at regular intervals.

"Wow," Jason said, stealing the word right from my mind.

"Ah, here we are," the man announced when we reached the only unoccupied table in the circle.

Jason grabbed one of the chairs, holding it out and gesturing for me to sit. I smiled and obliged, thanking him as I did so.

"Here are the menus," the bespectacled host said, placing two fancy cream-coloured cards onto the table. "A waiter will be with you in just a few moments to take your order. Have a good evening!"

Jason and I thanked the host before he left the table with another polite smile. 

"This is great, Leena," Jason spoke up, his eyes glittering under the pretty yellow and white lights. "It was nice of Claire to do this for us."

It was because of Claire's friendship with a manager at The Secret Garden that Jason and I could get the coveted outdoor table for dinner at such short notice.

"Yeah, I'm glad she did," I smiled, snapping the silky white napkin open on my lap. "So, what do you want to eat?"

I studied the fancy menu card, searching for the vegetarian options.

"Whatever you're having," Jason said simply.

"But I'm a vegetarian," I pointed out awkwardly. "You can have anything you like, Jason."

"I know," he smiled. "I asked Claire today, and she told me."

Just as I opened my mouth to respond, a waiter dressed in a crisp black-and-white vest suit arrived at our table.

"Good evening," he greeted us cheerily. "May I take your order?"

Jason smiled, gesturing towards my menu.

"Okay," I said, quickly ordering for broiled ricotta gnocchi, couscous, and Greek lasagna. Turning to Jason, I asked, "Dessert?"

He glanced at his copy of the menu for a moment before suggesting the orange sorbet and creme brûlée.

"Thank you," the waiter said, tucking his pen and notepad into his pocket. "Your meal will be served soon."

Excusing himself, he retreated to the indoor portion of the restaurant.

Approximately ten minutes later, the waiter returned to our table, his arms laden with plates. He set the appetisers and main course down with a bow.

As we ate, Jason and I talked. We asked random questions, laughing as we discovered unexpected little things about one another.

"Favourite colour?" Jason asked.

"Black. Yours?"

"You already know," he said, gesturing towards my turquoise blue dress with a wink.

"Favourite kind of movies?" I inquired.

"Any movie that is shot in an airplane."

"Wait, what?"

"I love any movie if the whole thing happens inside an airplane," Jason smiled sheepishly. "Like Non-Stop."

"That is the strangest thing I've heard," I said, laughing. "One of my favourite thriller movies was shot in a plane. It's called Flightplan."

"Hey, Flightplan is one of my favourites, too," he grinned, our forks and knives clinking against our plates as we ate. "Jodie Foster, right?" 

"Yeah," I said, trying not to burn my tongue on the piping hot gnocchi.

"So, what's your favourite kind of movie?"

"Cheesy horror and thriller movies, mostly."

"Snakes on a Plane would be the perfect movie for us to watch together," Jason joked.

"We should watch it," I laughed.

Jason and I lapsed into a short silence as we dug into our food. Hot and delicious, the appetisers melted in our mouths. I realised just how hungry I was when I dug into my portion of lasagna, the flavours of lemons, artichokes, and eggplants blending together beautifully.

"This is really good," Jason commented, gesturing to his plate of lasagna.

I beamed in response before asking, "Favourite sport?"

"Swimming," Jason responded instantly. "I was on my school's swim team for a while."

Regrettably, I just blurted the first thing that came to mind, "No wonder you have such a nice body!"

I clamped a hand over my mouth, my face burning with embarrassment. Jason dipped his head, his mismatched eyes cast down. His cheeks turned pink as he attempted to suppress his smile.

"Oh god," I muttered, burying my face in my hands. "I can't believe I said that."

"Hey," Jason called, reaching across the table to pull my hands away from my face. 

Reluctantly, I raised my eyes to his. Jason's eyes shone with laughter that heightened my chagrin.

"Can we please pretend like I didn't say that?" I begged, fiddling with the blue charm bracelet dangling from my wrist.

"Only if you tell me your deepest, darkest secrets," he smirked, arching an eyebrow daringly.

Although I knew that Jason was joking, his challenge sent me into a panic, my palms growing sweaty at the thought of all the things that I hadn't told him. Suddenly, the colours of the restaurant were too sharp, the fountain was too loud, and the overhead lights were too bright.

"Leena," Jason whispered, sensing my discomfort. "Are you all right?"

"Y-yeah," I tried to muster a laugh, only to have a strangled squeak escape my throat.

"Good," Jason shifted in his seat, tipping his head to peer into my eyes. "Because it's time we started talking about the serious stuff."

"The . . . serious stuff?"

"You know," he prompted as though the answer was obvious. "Dogs or cats? Cake or ice cream?"

A big smile spread on my face as the tension eased temporarily. With a laugh, I thought back to the crazy golden retriever, Juno, that had interrupted Jason and me at the rose garden.

"Dogs," I nodded. Thinking back to my first kiss, the answer to his second question tumbled out of my lips, "Ice cream. How about you?" 

"Dogs and ice cream," Jason confirmed, leaning back in his seat. "That sounded a little weird, but you know what I mean."

I laughed, grateful for his ability to perceive my agitation and cheer me up immediately.

For the rest of the meal, I bombarded Jason with questions, cautiously avoiding the topics of my school and family life while I asked him about his. Thankfully, he was comfortable with my interrogation, smiling as he talked about his friends and parents.

A while later, the waiter brought our gorgeously plated desserts. The cool, sweet dishes were emptied in a matter of minutes as Jason and I shared them.

"Everything tasted so good," Jason said, wiping his mouth with his napkin.

"It did, didn't it?" I beamed, pleased.

I flagged the waiter down and requested the cheque. As I waited, I admired the bubbling fountain, transfixed by the gushing water.

"Excuse me, ma'am," the waiter said, returning to our table. "Your cheque has already been taken care of."

"Oh," I mumbled, realising that Claire must have paid for the meal without telling me. "Thank you?"

"Of course," he smiled. "Have a good evening."

"Huh," I muttered, turning to Jason. "How do I tip?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "You can't just throw money at the table like a diner."

I laughed, shaking my head. "Do we just leave, then?"

"I guess."

"Okay." I took a quick sip from my glass of water before getting up.

Jason followed close behind me, my stilettos clicking against the wooden floor. 

"Hey," I said when an idea struck me, stopping him after walking a few paces away from our table. "Do you . . . want to take a picture by the fountain?"

"Sure," Jason smiled, leading me towards the grass lawn at the centre of the outdoor restaurant. 

Since there were no 'Keep off the grass' signs, Jason and I stepped closer to the fountain, careful to ensure that the water didn't spray on us. 

On closer examination, I found that the large stones that encircled the water were engraved with intricate fishes and mermaids. Digging my phone out of the white purse, I opened the camera application. 

"Hey, what kind of phone does a mermaid use?" he asked, pulling me closer before taking my phone and angling it above our heads.

"I don't know," I lifted my chin to look at the camera. "What?"

"A shell phone," Jason responded with a big grin, pleased with his silly joke.

A laugh bubbled up from my throat as I lifted my hand to smack Jason in his chest. I looked up when I heard the camera clicking a picture. Jason grinned triumphantly, handing my phone back to me.

"But I wasn't even looking at the . . ." I trailed off as I looked at the picture.

Neither of us was looking at the camera. My eyes were cast down, my face lit up with laughter. Jason's body was angled towards mine, his smile radiating happiness. My arm was blurred, the camera catching the motion as I raised it towards Jason's chest. The fountain bubbled away in the background, small white and yellow lights glinting in the distance. 

Spontaneous and genuine, the picture was absolutely gorgeous.

"I love it," I gushed, craning my neck to kiss Jason's cheek. "Thank you."

***

"It's so dark in here," I commented as I led Jason towards the outdoor patio behind Claire's home.

It was way past 11:00 PM. The two-storey house was doused in darkness.

Claire must be asleep.

The streetlights did an inadequate job of illuminating the couch that stood on the patio. The sky was nearly empty, the moon nothing but a narrow crescent, the stars dull. It was as though the moon and stars, like the streetlights, were too lazy to do their jobs.

They seemed to say, It's a Sunday. Give us a break!

"Shouldn't you tell Claire you're back?" Jason whispered as he followed me dubiously.

"She's sleeping," I pointed out, carefully navigating our way towards the couch. "All the lights are off."

I sat down, tugging at Jason's arm until he was seated next to me. 

"You can stop whispering. Claire can't hear you," I assured him. "Her window doesn't even face this side of the house, Jason."

"Yeah, okay," he whispered.

I smiled and shook my head, pulling my coat closer to shield myself from the chill of the night.

"I'm glad we went out today," I said finally, dropping the white purse to my side.

"Me too," Jason smiled, reaching for my hand. "It was the best date I've ever had."

His comment sparked a question in my mind. I inhaled deeply, voicing my doubt before I could stop myself.

"Have you . . . been on many dates before?" I asked, my tone careful and neutral.

"Well, I dated a girl from high school," he said, his grip tightened on my fingers. "We were together for about a year."

"Oh," my voice came out as a small squeak. "What happened?"

"We just," I felt his shoulders lift and drop in a shrug. "We started going out because our mutual friends were dating. Neither of us was very serious about it. We just drifted apart halfway through."

I chewed on my lower lip, trying to process the information. Before I could decide whether to ask him her name, Jason spoke up.

"Have you been on many dates before, Leena?"

"No," I answered truthfully, tipping my head to the side.

"So, I'm your first date?" Jason asked, his excited eyes glinting in the darkness. 

"Yes," I smiled. "You're special."

"I'm not special," Jason corrected me, leaning closer until our faces were inches apart. 

My wide eyes fixated on his lips as his denim-clad knees touched my bare legs.

"I'm very, very lucky," he whispered, slipping his arms around my waist and pulling me in for a kiss.

I shut my eyes, revelling in Jason's smooth, cool lips. Sliding my hands up his arms, my fingers entangled themselves in the hair at the nape of his neck. An electrifying heat seared my skin through the fabric of my dress as Jason's hands wandered up my back. Daringly, I captured his lower lip between my teeth, encouraged by the low groan that escaped his throat. I shuffled forward in an attempt to get closer to him, accidentally stepping on my own foot in the process.

"Ow," I muttered against Jason's soft mouth.

He began to pull away. "What's wro—"

"It's nothing, I'm fine," I hurried to clarify. I bent forward to peel the five-inch heels off my feet. "Stupid shoes."

Jason's arms caught mine firmly. "Let me."

I watched in a trance as Jason hooked his fingers around my knees and pulled my legs onto his lap, my curls falling over the armrest as I leaned back. An involuntary gasp tumbled out of my lips when his fingers grazed the hem of my dress. At an agonisingly slow pace, his hands travelled down my legs, leaving my skin mottled with goosebumps. Cool air greeted my toes as Jason pulled my heels off, dropping them onto the floor with a muffled clatter. 

I looped my fingers around his shirt collar and tugged him towards me, his chest colliding with mine. We shifted around wordlessly until I was lying under his tall frame. Our lips crashed together with a newfound intensity, Jason's hands clenching at my sides as he held his weight over my body.

A sudden breeze blew around us, stinging my exposed legs. In a bid for warmth, I entwined them around Jason's legs, causing my dress to ride further up my thighs.

Several moments later, we pulled apart, our chests heaving as we gulped for air.

"I really like this dress," Jason whispered, his lips grazing my earlobe.

Another breeze, colder and stronger, coursed through the air. I shivered, the coat that was flattened under my back no longer providing any warmth.

"You're cold," Jason realised in alarm. "You have to get inside."

"No! I'm not," I lied, tightening my legs around his. "I'm fine."

"No, Leena," he insisted, disentangling himself from me and pulling me to my feet. "You were sick just a while ago."

Disappointed, I grumbled, "I'm not sick now."

I tugged my dress down my thighs awkwardly as Jason grabbed my shoes and purse. Draping his arm around my shoulder, he led me around the house, towards the front door.

There was no mistaking the reluctance in his voice when he said, "I should go."

"Okay," I sighed in resignation, taking my shoes and purse from his outstretched hands.

"Okay," he repeated. "Goodnight, Leena."

I stood on tiptoe, planting a soft kiss on his lips before saying, "Goodnight, Jason."