Keitaro could feel his heart racing even faster than before, but at least he managed to regain a semblance of calm.
As they finally settled on their seats, Keitaro was stressed, more stressed than your parents asked you for your report card and you failed all of your class.
More stressed than when you take a test that you didnt study for that is worth 80% of your grade.
The dim lighting of the restaurant, coupled with the soft music playing in the background, created quite an intimate atmosphere.
He glanced at Shoko who seemed to be quite at ease, probably because she couldn't tell how stressed this was.
She met his gaze with a smirk, clearly amused by his earlier fluster.
"So, what are you thinking of ordering?" she asked, her voice casual but carrying that playful undertone she often used when teasing him.
Mustering all the courage in his body, he picked up the menu making sure to keep his hand steady, for fuck sake, they had cuddled and made out before, why was it so hard to look at her?
He looked at the menu....his mind was still a mess, trying to recover from seeing her in that dress was no fun.
It didnt help him that her leg brushed against his under the table, he could feel the sparks in his spine already.
He forced himself to focus, managing to scan the menu, and found something that he could eat.
"Uh, I think I'll go for something light," he said, trying to sound nonchalant. "Maybe the filet mignon with vegetables."
Shoko raised an eyebrow, she was clearly amused. "You? Light? You're usually the one ordering two mains."
He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Trying to pace myself tonight."
Why was it so hard now, what was a good method to calm people's minds?
Oh yeah, imagine that they were naked...
....
...
Why....why did he try that, why did he think it would be a good idea to imagine her like this?
Now he couldn't stand up without causing a scene....just great.
Shoko smirked again, sensing his discomfort but choosing not to press further. "I think I'll go with the seafood pasta. This place seems like it knows its way around good seafood." She closed her menu and handed it to the server with a gracious nod.
Keitaro followed suit, handing over his menu and offering the server a polite smile. The waitstaff here was incredibly professional, they moved like a well-oiled machine, which was good for them, he was sure they all had a lot of training under their belt.
"Anything to drink?" the server asked, his tone warm and courteous.
Keitaro was about to order a simple glass of water when Shoko chimed in, "A bottle of red wine, please. Something dry, maybe a Bordeaux?"
...
Drunk Shoko.....
Could he deal with such a menace right now....probably not. But oh well, he could handle it.
The server nodded, jotting down the request before disappearing into the dimly lit ambiance of the restaurant.
Keitaro shot Shoko a look, one eyebrow raised. "Wine, huh? You sure about that?"
He was for real, was she sure about the wine, after all she was known for...
Shoko shrugged her shoulder, then leaned back in her chair with that easy, confident air that she always carried around her. "What? You woke me up for it earlier, remember? Plus, it's just one bottle. I'm not planning on getting drunk. You worry too much."
Riiiiggghhhhttt.
"Can you blame me?" he said, crossing his arms and leaning back a bit. The chairs were quite comfy if he could say so himself. "Last time you had a few glasses, things... got a little out of hand."
He fully remembered how she acted that day, almost pulling down his pants, if she didnt fall asleep well things could have escalated past that.
Shoko laughed softly, her eyes were twinkling with a little bit of mischief. "That's on you for being so fun to mess with. Besides, it's not like I get tipsy that easily. You're just overreacting." She said with a soft smile on her face.
That was BS.
"Yeah, well, I'll believe it when I see it," Keitaro added looking at her dead in the eyes, he knew that she knew that he knew that she knew, she was bullshitting.
Soon, the wine arrived, and the server expertly poured them two glasses. Shoko raised hers, offering a small toast. "To a relaxing evening, hmm? No need to overthink things."
As they sipped their wines and enjoyed their food, Keitaro couldn't help but notice how truly cute she looked.
No, not cute, the way the dress seemed to hug her figure in all of the right ways made him feel some type of way that he did not understand yet.
She was on very fine lady.
He smiled a bit upon noticing her, he liked her, there was no denying it.
He liked every little single quirk about her, he would cherish that smile, it was just so precious.