Chapter 12 - THE FIRST DATE WITHOUT SECRETS
Their first date took place at a small Italian restaurant in Providence.
No private dining room.
No armed entourage.
No expensive spectacle.
Rafe wore a dark sweater.
Mave wore a green dress she'd owned for years.
They sat near the window.
Outside, the city glowed beneath streetlights.
For the first time, they talked about ordinary things.
Favorite books.
Childhood memories.
Bad movies.
Foods they disliked.
Mave discovered that Rafe hated olives.
Rafe discovered that Mave had never been on an airplane.
He stared.
"Never?"
She shook her head.
"Never had a reason."
He smiled.
"We should change that."
Mave raised an eyebrow.
"Don't start planning my life."
Rafe laughed.
"Fair."
They ate slowly.
No urgent calls.
No evidence bags.
No police alerts.
After dinner, they walked along the river.
The air was cold but clear.
Rafe stopped near a bridge.
"Mave."
She turned.
"Yes?"
He hesitated.
"I need to tell you something."
She smiled faintly.
"That sounds ominous."
He shook his head.
"I've spent most of my life making decisions for other people."
Mave listened.
"I don't want to do that with you."
She studied him.
"I want to know you. Not protect you from everything. Not decide what's best for you."
His voice softened.
"Just know you."
Mave's eyes filled.
She looked down.
"That's harder than it sounds."
Rafe nodded.
"I know."
She took a breath.
"Then start by asking me what I want."
He smiled.
"What do you want?"
Mave stepped closer.
"Right now?"
He nodded.
May you like
She kissed him.
And beneath the bridge lights, the woman who had spent years carrying other people's pain allowed herself one moment of happiness.
