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Drew holds the car door open for me. I thank him with a nod and lower myself inside, taking another deep, relaxing breath as he closes it behind me. Work is over. School is out for the weekend. It’s date night. It’s time to leave all that shit behind and enjoy a night out with my beautiful boyfriend.
I flip the visor down over my head to check my make-up one more time. Perfect smokey eyes. Stunning yet subtle lips. Jenna always knows what the occasion calls for. I realize my topaz pendant has slipped beneath my neckline, so I pull it back out to keep it prominently on display where it belongs. I push my hair behind my ears to admire the topaz earrings dangling from my lobes; a gift for my twentieth birthday. I adjust the fit of the topaz bracelet on my wrist, too. Last year’s birthday gift.
Drew loves to make me dazzle on my birthday, that’s for sure.
“It’s my birthday,” I sing to myself as I shimmy a little.
Drew enters the driver’s seat. “Now, before we go,” he says as he reaches into his jacket pocket, “I need you to put this on.”
I stare at the black blindfold in his hand. “Really?”
He nods. “Yeah.”
“Why?”
“Because I asked you to,” he says. “And you trust me and I love you and?—”
“Okay, okay.” I twist in my seat. “You tie it for me, though, I don’t want to mess up my hair.”
He chuckles, happy to oblige. As he ties it off behind my head, all light disappears. “Okay,” he says, quickly adjusting it. “Buckle up.”
I settle into place, easily strapping myself into the familiar car. The engine purrs to life and Drew backs us out of the driveway.
A right turn here, a left turn there and, just like that, I lose all track of where we are and what direction we’re headed in. Oh, well. Like he said, I love him and I trust him. I’ll go wherever he leads, without question.
I feel along my armrest and press the button to crack the window. The sounds of Chicago fill my ears, but the concrete jungle doesn’t last. Seagulls get louder. Honking horns fade among the wind and waves...
The marina.
But why?
Drew brings the car to a stop.
“What are we doing here?” I ask in the dark.
“Do you know where here is?” he asks, his voice playful as always.
“Yes,” I answer as I sniff the air. “I thought we were going to dinner.”
“We are,” he says. “There’s still plenty of time.”
I squint, doubtful. “There is?”
“Yeah, I’ve got something to show you first.”
“What?”
He steps out. I wait on pins and needles for him to circle the car and let me out, too.
“Watch your head,” he says as he takes my hand and gently leads me.
I take a few cautionary steps forward with Drew’s hand on my hip. He weaves us through the parked cars on the lot, purposefully bouncing me around. I laugh, used to his playfulness.
The concrete becomes wood and Drew holds me back.
“Step down,” he warns, taking it slow.
I laugh as I follow his instruction. “Is the blindfold really necessary?” I ask. “I know where we are...”
