Cornbread & Crossroads

step at a time until we got to the top. He pushed open the heavy metal door to reveal a rooftop unlike any other I’d visited.
Wooden stakes lined the sides of the small space with strings of twinkling lights hanging across that glowed against the dark sky. Potted plants added a little bit of greenery to the urban skyline, and the scent of sweet jasmine wafted in the breeze.
Mason led me across the roof until we came to a small table with two cloche-covered plates and a couple of burning candles. Scenes like this only existed in books, not in real life. I gazed at everything and recognized the amount of effort it took for him to achieve the surprise.
“Okay, I think you’ve been lying to me all this time,” I said, approaching the edge of the roof and gazing out over the twinkles and sparkles of the city below us.
He paused and frowned for a second. “What do you mean?”
I lifted an eyebrow. “There’s no way you’re just a detective. Whatever you did when you worked up here, you have some serious connections.”
Mason relaxed at my teasing and put his arm around my waist as he joined me in admiring the cityscape. “Well, since you’re my girlfriend, I guess I should let you in on my secret. I’m actually Bruce Wayne.”
“I knew it!”
He produced a small sunflower from out of nowhere. “Most people would say I should shower you with roses, but I knew you’d prefer this.” Running the soft petals over my bare arms, he waited for my reaction.
I shivered but refused his jacket. “I’m not cold. I’m in absolute awe of how special you’ve made me feel this entire trip. Especially tonight.”
“And I haven’t even turned up my charm yet,” he said, his voice low with expectation.
If this wasn’t his maximum effort, then I was in serious trouble. I smiled, pleased to find myself excited and not scared at the prospect of succumbing to Mason’s charms tonight.
Offering me his arm like a true gentleman, he escorted me back to the table. He placed the sunflower inside the vase with a few other blossoms in the middle but moved the whole arrangement to the side to give us a better view of each other. With practiced panache, Mason lifted the covers and revealed our meals.
We’d eaten at a little Italian place off the beaten path owned and run by a sweet family who still used their old nonna’s recipes brought with them from Napoli. I’d remarked after that amazing meal that I’d never be able to look at marinara sauce in a jar the same ever again. Mason had ordered me a caprese salad with slices of fresh tomato and mozzarella with basil covered in salty olive oil plus a portion of the spaghetti alla carbonara di mare, with all kinds of seafood in the amazing sauce.
My mouth drooled over my own plate, but when Mason lifted the cloche from his, I laughed. My second favorite place we had eaten at was a basic burger joint, but they made the most incredible burger with dry-aged beef, caramelized onions, crispy hickory-cured bacon, smoked cheddar, spicy pickles, and a barbecue mayo all stacked on a toasted pretzel bun. And while I gobbled up the fries back at the Harvest Moon Cafe, I needed to convince Mr. Steve to try a version of truffle fries like the ones on my boyfriend’s plate.
“You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?” I accused while my mouth watered. “That’s the only explanation for why you’re spoiling me so much.”
Mason covered his plate with his hand. “Who says I’m sharing?”
Although we had wine glasses, he lifted a nearby pitcher and filled mine full of dark liquid. One sip and I smiled at his choice of sweet tea that provided the perfect taste of home.
“Where’d you get this?” I asked. When I’d asked for iced tea to go with my meals, it had all come unsweetened.
He shrugged. “Like you said, I’ve got connections.”
We both ate while recounting some of my favorite moments from the trip. Mason’s face lit up at all the different experiences I shared, and I knew it pleased him to no end that I’d enjoyed the vacation as much as he wanted me to. We both ate a little off each other’s plates until one more bite might make us burst.
“Guess I’ll save dessert for later,” he suggested, pushing his chair back and standing. He held out his hand for me to take, and I rose to join him.
We walked around the edge of the rooftop, gazing at the scene changes from the different angles. A nice breeze cooled us, but I didn’t feel a chill with my body wrapped in his steady embrace. He quieted after a while, burying his nose in my hair and holding me with a tighter grip.
“Charli, there’s something I’ve been wanting to say to you for a while,” he murmured into my ear. “And now that I have you here all to myself, I’m actually nervous.”
Turning around, I held onto him and lifted my eyes to gaze at him. “I’m all ears.”
Mason brushed a few strands of hair out of my face. “I know the two of us haven’t been solidly dating for that long, but there are some things a person knows right from the beginning.” With a sigh, he hugged me close to him.
I breathed in the scent of him and reveled in how safe it made me feel. When he didn’t continue right away, I tried to coax him along. “And what did you know about me from the beginning? That I was annoying? That I didn’t listen very well? That I would always run into danger first and deal with the consequences after?”
My questions stunned him for a moment until his genuine laugh vibrated through me. He planted his lips on the top of my head. “Yes to all of those things. But mainly, you were different from any other woman I’ve ever known.