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Liv seemed to be in good spirits, though, and that lifted Juliette’s mood, too. She was looking forward to tonight. They had been on a number of dates by now, but this was the first one that was overtly romantic and couldn’t be mistaken at all for two friends hanging out.
When they got to the restaurant, a waiter was ready for them, leading them to a table with a long candle in the middle and an elegant, dark blue table cloth hanging almost to the floor.
Juliette glanced around as she sat down, sure that she would be treated to judgmental looks on every side, but no one paid more than passing attention to them. Two women clearly on a date… and no one cared.
“What are you looking so concerned about?”
“I just – well, I’m expecting someone to confront us, to be honest. My mom certainly would. At least, she would have a year ago. I’m not sure now, but she’d be thinking disapproving thoughts to be sure.”
“No one is going to confront us. People nowadays are a lot more accepting than you’d think – and those who aren’t know better than to cause a scene in here. Allowing homophobia in your establishment is a sure way to get the worst press possible. They would be kicked out for sure.”
That was a comforting thought, because Liv was right. Juliette knew that the manager wouldn’t want to risk their restaurant’s reputation. She turned her eyes to the menu, which looked absolutely delicious.
They ordered, and while they were waiting for the food to arrive, Liv took Juliette’s hand over the table. This time, Juliette didn’t bother to look around. She was too focused on the pleasant feeling of Liv’s warm hand around hers to think of much else.
“You know, there’s a garden out back. I was thinking that after dessert, we could go out and watch the stars together.”
Juliette squeezed Liv’s hand. “That sounds wonderful.”
The date was absolutely perfect. The food was divine, the staff pleasant, and the garden around the back was beautiful. Liv and Juliette sat on a bench. It was chilly, and Liv put an arm around Juliette’s shoulders, drawing her in closer as they gazed up at the sky.
Juliette, if she was honest with herself, which she was desperately trying to avoid, knew she was on some level falling in love with Liv.
Liv made her happy in a way that nobody ever had.
“I always liked looking at the stars, you know. A lot of my paintings are inspired by the feelings they evoke.”
“Like what?” Liv asked curiously.
“The feeling of being a tiny speck in the universe – but not in a bad way. Just a small part of something much bigger. It reminds me of who God is and how amazing He was to have created all this.”
“That must be a nice feeling.”
Juliette knew that Liv wasn’t religious, and she’d never felt the need to try to convert her. She knew that some people were all about converting others, but Juliette held the unpopular belief that those who didn’t worship as she did weren’t destined for hell.
It drove her mother almost as crazy as her pro-LGBTQ+ beliefs did. Laura had tried unsuccessfully to convert both Kane and Liv. Kane had been patient with her, but Liv had just laughed in her face, telling her there was no way. Juliette smiled as she remembered her mother’s indignation.
“Yeah, it is. Do you believe in anything? I know you don’t believe in God, but is there anything else that guides you?”
“I suppose my own moral compass guides me. Most of my beliefs are the same as the ones my dad taught me growing up, but I’ve examined them and taken and added what I felt was necessary.”
“How do you decide which beliefs are right and which ones aren’t?” Juliette had it easy. Everything was written down in a book for her – though to be fair, there were many parts of the book she didn’t take literally, or prioritized over others, such as Jesus’ command to love your neighbor over some aspects of Leviticus.
“I guess the ones that make me feel proud of my actions are good one, and the ones that cause me to be ashamed are bad ones.”
It seemed like a faulty system to Juliette, because how could you trust that your own feelings were correct? However, Liv’s beliefs were much the same as hers, and she hadn’t found a single objectional thing about Liv’s views, so perhaps the system wasn’t as faulty as it seemed.
“That makes sense. Ugh, look at the time. We should probably go. Any later and my mom isn’t going to buy that we were at Joe’s this whole time.”
Liv sighed. “Yeah, let’s head out.”
Juliette was quiet on the drive back, immersed in her thoughts. The date had been enlightening as well as delightful. She knew that she liked dating Liv – she’d known that for a long time.
Tonight, though, was the first night it had hit her just how much she didn’t want this to end.
They returned and said hurried goodnights to Laura and Kane before going to Juliette’s room, as was their habit in the evenings.
“Liv, I need to talk to you.”
