Chapter 10 - THE FIRST DATE THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
Dante took Sonia to a small Italian restaurant in Brooklyn.
Not expensive.
Not glamorous.
Just warm lighting, red-checkered tablecloths, and the smell of fresh bread.
Sonia looked around.
“You own this place?”
He laughed.
“No.”
“Good.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Why good?”
“Because I want to know what happens when you don't control the menu.”
Dante smiled.
“Fair.”
---
They talked for three hours.
About childhood.
Family.
Regrets.
Dreams.
Sonia told him she'd once wanted to become a restaurant owner.
Then her father's illness changed everything.
Dante listened.
“Do you still want that?”
She hesitated.
“Maybe.”
He smiled.
“Then don't give it up.”
She looked at him.
“It's not that simple.”
“I know.”
He took a breath.
“But wanting something matters.”
---
After dinner, they walked along the waterfront.
The city glittered across the river.
Dante stopped.
“Sonia.”
She turned.
“Yes?”
“May I kiss you?”
She smiled.
“You ask permission for everything.”
He laughed.
“Only the important things.”
She stepped closer.
“Yes.”
The kiss was gentle.
Warm.
Unhurried.
When they separated, Sonia smiled.
“Not bad.”
Dante laughed.
“High praise.”
---
For the first time in years, Sonia felt something beyond responsibility.
Hope.
Not the desperate kind.
Not the kind that depended on someone saving her.
May you like
The quiet kind.
The kind that grew when two people chose to be honest.
