The Royal Contract

As Alex and Dani explored the city on foot, enjoying the new experience together, another couple was also getting to know each other on the other side of the town.

"I promise that this time, nothing will be interrupting us," Sebastian told Jacky as they drove to their dinner destination.

He made sure that nobody would be calling and bothering him tonight with his date with Jacky. A friend already agreed to take his on-call duty in case there was an emergency.

Just for tonight, he wanted to give Jacky his full attention. He was genuinely interested in her. Watching her the other time at the hospital's waiting area, playing with the kid made her more appealing. There was something about her that fascinated him.

"I don't mind what happened last time." She assured him, not wanting him to feel guilty that their date last time almost ended early because of his job.

"Thanks for understanding. But not tonight." He promised her because he wanted to spend time with her and get to know her.

"Where are we going?" She asked, curious about what he had planned for them.

She certainly wanted this date to work. She knew that she liked Sebastian. He had a good profession that he could be proud of, and she did find his sense of humor entertaining.

But there was a but. Jacky could not pinpoint what exactly was missing in their date. She could not feel the excitement of seeing him, unlike her previous dates. There was no thrill when she finally saw him on her doorstep.

"I thought of Japanese if you are not allergic to seafood, but there is also Italian or Mexican if you like spicy food." He asked her as they moved along the traffic. "Then, maybe a movie if you are interested. A friend of mine highly recommended this new movie."

"I like the Japanese food and the movie." She placed her hand on top of his that was on the gearshift. He responded with a wide grin on his lips. But to her dismay, she did not feel anything when their skin touched.

She promised that she would give him a chance to woo her, and that was what she intended to do. She figured that she just needed to purge the image of what Marcus did to her and the memories of how great Lance was. Then, she could concentrate on liking Sebastian.

Maybe a few more dates with him should do the trick. That was if he was still interested in dating more. Well, Jacky could only hope.

Going back to the other lovely couple on the stroll, so far, they had managed to find several things to see that interested them, then ended up on the Brooklyn bridge.

"You know, I think I have passed this bridge a thousand times growing up, but never once stop to look at the sight." She told him as they continued on their way across the long walk across the wide river. "I never had the chance to explore this part of the city."

"Why?" He asked, wanting to know more about how her mind worked. "Don't you find this place fascinating?"

It was one of the places he had fancied exploring on his own when he first arrived at this city. He was captivated by the different things it offered compared to the life he left behind to study here.

"I don't know. Maybe it just did not appeal to me at that time. But now, I think I figured it out." She spoke softly at him as her gaze traveled the beauty that surrounded them. "I would rather experience my first time here with you."

She did not ever think, even in his wildest dream, that a simple walk on the bridge with him could turn out to be so romantic. With him on her side, everything seemed so different. The lights from the other side of the bridge seemed to be more colorful and brighter.

She could feel his hand tightened its grip on her, but it did not hurt her. It was more comforting. As if he was reassuring her that she had nothing to fear as long as he was around.

"Do you like coming here?" She questioned him, seeing that he was indeed familiar with the place. 

"Yes, I like to come here whenever I want to think. But the last time I was here was a long time ago. After that, this would be the only time I returned." He stopped on the railing and looked beyond the river, pulling her closer to his side.

"If you like this place, why did you stop." She looked in his direction and could only see a side of his face. There was a solemn look in his expression that she could not decipher as if he was in deep thought.

"The last time I was here was when I brought Tyra with me. I wanted to share with her the beauty of this place. But it was a mistake. She never appreciated it." He confided to her something about his past that he had buried already in his mind.

"Oh!" She did not know what to say to that. It was the first time that he did mention something about his past relationship with Tyra. 

"I hope you don't mind that I brought you here. I want to experience this with you. This place is so special to me that I want to share it with you." He pulled her hand towards his lips. He planted a kiss on her knuckles while he stared at the view beyond the tall skyscrapers that lit the darkness into the dark sky that enveloped the city.

"I don't mind at all. I am glad that you cared enough to share this with me." She could see how this place might not appeal to everyone's taste, but she was glad that she liked what he liked.

They continued to stroll around the city, ending up in a diner to have a late dinner. There was nothing fancy about it. The server only wore a shirt under their checkered aprons. 

"Isn't this the best burger and healthy french fries you ever had for dinner," Alex said as he teased her with soggy fries on her lips, probably drenched in a drum of cooking oil.

"Definitely." She took a bite of it, enjoying every minute that she was spending with him. Of course, not much the fries. 

She never thought that eating in a place liked this would be more romantic than the hundred of dates she had eaten in an expensive restaurant.

Then, she did the same. "Open up." She placed the fries in line with his lips.

He took a big bite of the fries, but before she could pull her hands away, he grabbed it and planted a single kiss on her fingers. It automatically sent electric shocks on her body, creating sensations she had been craving since she saw him earlier.

"I like you very much." He once again admitted. "I want to share with you many more about my interests and likes. To explore more new experiences with you, if you want that too." He said, holding on to her hands.

"I like that very much too." She answered him, moving closer to him until they were only inches away from each other. Slowly, she lowered her lips to him until he also responded to her kiss with abandon, not caring if they were in a public place.

So far, their interests seemed to be matching. They seemed to enjoy the simple things and loved to explore more. Dani wondered if there was something that they would have difficulty in seeing eye to eye, but that was something that they would face together when the time came.