Chapter 13: Of French Girls and Dragons - Pt 2 of 5

Saturday night. The restaurant seemed alive with the buzz of its patronage, the mood set by the warm glow of romantic lighting as they held hands across the table. The waiters had already been polite and quick to take their orders, now they had the space and time to focus gratefully on nothing but themselves as they shared these intimate moments. “What are you thinking?” he asked in his deep, rich tones resonating over the table with a warm and kind undertone, as if to let her know nothing she could say could be the wrong answer.

“Just how much I love you”, she said without hesitation, the words rolling off her tongue like a well rehearsed line, but with the sincerity of a heart that had just discovered its purpose. Cane’s eyes lit up and he couldn’t help but lean in closer, his heart racing at her confession. “And I love you, Kate. More than I could ever put into words,” he whispered, his thumbs tracing gentle circles on the back of her hands.

Their meal arrived, a feast of Italian cuisine that filled the air with mouth-watering aromas. They talked and laughed, sharing stories of their day and their pasts, the conversation flowing easily. Kate felt a deep sense of comfort and belonging with Cane, as if she had known him for a lifetime instead of just a week. They fed each other bites of food, their eyes locked in a silent dance of affection and desire.

Never once did they mind or pay attention to any wandering stares from the other patrons at their obvious age differences or even their seamless familiarity with one another as their meal progressed.

The air grew thicker with anticipation as the dessert menu was brought out, but Kate had her eyes on a different prize, she leaned closer to Cane, her breath hot against his ear as she whispered, “I want you to take me home and rip this dress off of me,” she purred, her teeth grazing his earlobe. A shiver ran down his spine and he felt his cock twitch in his pants.

Before he could adhere to her wish though, he bade her to bare with him a moment as he withdrew a small black velvet lined box from his coat pocket. The implications running wildly through Kate’s mind as he slowly gestured with a single hand that she allow him to elaborate. “The box is a promise Kate, one you don’t have to be afraid of and one I don’t want you to accept tonight. It’s a reminder of how I feel for you and where this could lead. But I won’t accept a sudden shotgun response, knowing it would be completely unfair. If I may be so brave as to say that you feel enamoured, maybe even in love with me”, he said with a knowing smile “and I understand that feeling perfectly, but what’s in this box belongs to the Kate that’s seen all my flaws all my hidden mistakes and all my insecurities”.

“It belongs to a Kate I hope to know very well after she lives with me, learns to put up with me through my hardest ordeals and still has the strength to say no, even if she only wants to say yes to make me feel happy for my own sake. It belongs to the Kate I hope to meet with you one day after the initial fire and lust of our relationship tempers and we still know we love eachother beyond anything physical. Does that make sense?” he asked his tone serious yet, gentle, as she took everything in.

Kate nodded slowly, her heart racing with a mix of anticipation and fear. She knew what the box likely contained, but she also knew the weight of the promise he was giving her. She took a deep breath, her eyes never leaving his. “I understand,” she whispered, her voice shaky with emotion. “And I want to be that Kate for you,” she said, reaching out to cover his hand with hers.

“Maybe in time, maybe once we both get sick of eachother”, he said smiling lightly “I don’t mean to dangle this above your head as a carrot to lure you on, it would make the gesture worthless and more insulting”, he said searching her eyes for acknowledgement of his statement. “But I do want you to know that no matter what happens tonight, or tomorrow, or next week, that I am in this for the long haul and I’m not going anywhere unless you tell me to leave”, he said his voice earnest, his eyes never leaving hers.

Kate felt the weight of his words settle into her chest, a warm feeling spreading through her. She knew Cane was different, she knew he was the kind of man who didn’t make promises lightly. “I know,” she said softly, her eyes filled with emotion. “And I feel the same way,” she added, her voice a whisper.

“Would you ... would you like to open it and see a little bit of what your future might hold?”, he said, his voice shaky at first before rooting itself firmly in his determination to present his declaration of love for her, taking on a more physical form.

Kate felt her heart flutter in her chest, her breath caught in her throat. “Really?” she asked her eyes wide with excitement. Cane nodded, his gaze never leaving hers as he slid the box across the table. She picked it up, feeling the weight of it in her hand, and slowly lifted the lid. Inside, nestled on a bed of velvet, was a stunning ring. It was a diamond set in white gold, with smaller diamonds forming a delicate pattern along the band. It was beautiful, but what made it truly breathtaking was the way it caught the light, as if it had a secret glow of its own.

“It belonged to my mother, before she passed away, she swore me to pass on the virtues it instilled, as I hope to pass it onto you one day Kate, make no mistake, I love you and everything you are and represent is captured perfectly in that ring your holding, but it wouldn’t be fair to offer it to you just now, or for you to accept as much as we might both be tempted to”, he said regret heavy in his voice. “I just thought it would be better to show you in the most definite way I could think of, what you mean to me now and what I hope we could both mean to eachother in the future, with no strings attached, does that make sense?”, he asked genuinely worried he’d misjudged her.

Kate felt a sudden warmth in her chest, her eyes brimming with tears. “Cane,” she whispered, “it’s ... it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” She closed the box gently and placed it back on the table. “I love you too, more than I ever thought possible. And I understand what you’re saying. I’m in no rush,” she said, smiling softly.

“I knew I had chosen wisely”, he said “I knew you were the only one who could understand after all we’ve been through so far”, he said raising his hand to cover his face as she heard the beginnings of gentle sobs muffled through his hand.

Kate reached across the table, her hand covering his. “You don’t have to hide your feelings from me”, she said softly, “You can be vulnerable, we all have our moments”, she added, her voice a gentle whisper as she watched him collect himself.

Cane took a deep breath; his eyes reddened but clear as he met hers again. “Thank you,” he murmured, “You’re right, I just want to be sure you know how much you mean to me,” he said, his voice thick with emotion.

They sat in silence for a moment, the weight of their unspoken feelings heavy in the air between them. The clinking of silverware and the low murmur of the other diners served as a gentle backdrop to their intimate moment.

She pressed the box shut in his hands as she looked into his face and said with a gentle smile “I do, Cane. And I’m not letting you go without a fight”, she winked playfully at him. “And I hope the next time you offer me this gift of your total affections for me that I am as worthy of it as you are of me”, she said with a tender look in her eyes. He felt his eyes water at her kindness and love, she truly was something else.

“But for now, let’s pay the bill and get me home, I think my mom would like to know she might have a future wedding on the horizon to help plan with me before we go any further”, more so if we both explain it to my parents the way you helped explain it to me, okay?”, she asked with a smile that was both playful and hopeful. Cane nodded, his own smile matching hers. “As you wish, my love,” he said, standing up and pulling out her chair.

When they got to her home, the first thing they did was explain just that, as both Kate and Cane both sat them down and carefully explained how the whole evening and unfolded and the future promise of their love not yet fully realized and what it entailed further down the road.

Her parents first reactions came from her mother as she handled her initial trepidations by gripping her husband’s hand and said with a slight tremble in her voice “Kate, you know we’ll support you no matter what, but are you sure you know what you’re getting into?”, she asked her daughter, her eyes filled with both love and concern.

Cane who’d handed her the velvet box for assurance watched as she opened it up to her mother to reveal the ring inside with a warm smile, and no small amount of glee, as her parents both gasped in surprise. “It’s beautiful”, her mother said, taking the box from Kate’s hand to examine the ring more closely. Her father, his eyes wide, was speechless for a moment, then spoke up, “It’s a fine ring, but are you sure you’re ready for this?”

“In the future, maybe, but for now, Cane’s gonna’ hold onto this”, she said handing it gratefully over to him with a kiss. “He wants to make sure his intentions for us are a clear as they are bold, with no intent to lead me on. He just wanted to let me know in the same way were letting you know what the future could hold. Which we both understand could be quite jarring, considering how short of a time we’ve known eachother. This is more like a preview we both want to share, so that no false illusions about how we feel about eachother persist”, she said with a firm nod, looking to Cane for his affirmation.

Cane nodded in agreement with Kate, his eyes never leaving hers as he slipped the box back into his pocket. “It’s a symbol of my promise to you Kate, and to your family, that I’m in this for the long haul. And when the time is right, I’ll ask for your hand, and hopefully, I’ll get the answer I’m hoping for,” he said his voice strong and steady.

Her father cleared his throat, looking from Kate to Cane and back again. “Well, we appreciate the honesty, and we can see that you both have a strong connection,” he said, his expression thoughtful. “But we also want you to be sure, Kate. This isn’t a decision to be made lightly,” he added, his voice carrying a hint of the protective instinct that any father would have for his daughter.

“Kate there was a reason I wanted to invite your parents over on our date yesterday, this was it. I knew either way I wanted you and them to know”, Cane said as he took a deep breath, “I wanted to show them that I’m serious about you, about us. That I’m not just some guy passing through, I want to build something with you that’s more than just a fling or a fleeting romance”, he added, his eyes never leaving hers.

Her mother looked at Kate with a knowing smile, “I think we can all see that, Cane. You two have a special bond, and if this ring is any indication, it’s a bond that’s meant to last,” she said, her voice filled with warmth and understanding. “If it’s not too much to ask”, he said, “do you mind if we spend a private moment in her bedroom, I have something talk to Kate about that isn’t exactly meant for polite conversation and I’d hate to embarrass her if anyone overheard”, he offered, his tone considerate if abit mischievous “it’s harmless, just something that requires a little privacy”, he assured.

Her parents exchanged a look, a mix of curiosity and concern, but they nodded in agreement. “Of course,” her father said, his voice gruff but accepting. “We’ll be in the living room when you’re done,” he added, giving Kate a gentle pat on the shoulder as she and Cane disappeared down the hall.

As they made their way to her bedroom Kate led him by the hand, as Cane feigned ignorance as to where it actually was, taking her lead. He knew exactly where it was having walked in and out freely the first time he had ever been here, several times in fact, washing sheets and replacing towels to remove any evidence of what he and her brother had done.

Closing the door behind him but not locking it, he quickly fished out his Smartphone picking out something he wanted to show her. “I know emotionally you must feel at least a little drained, but just to remind you that I am more than just a hopeless romantic I got you this particular form of “dress”, I don’t think you’ve ever worn before in case you wish to make our next meet up a more private one”, he said his mischievous grin from before amplified greatly as he turned his phone towards her, what greeted her on the screen was a very revealing “dress” of the type she agreed she’d never worn before especially in public as she looked at the purple and black patterned bodice that also had a golden filigreed edge with a purple trim on the edge spreading outwards luxuriantly to capture and at the same time expose her more than generous bust from the center of which hung a light gold emblem of a rose ... no a blooming nightshade pinned to the fabric.

The waist itself parting on either side, high on the thighs to reveal what would be a very tantalizing amount of flesh of which was strewn with light gold chains. The fabric that did cover up her modesty past her hips looked more like the trailing front of a tabard reaching what would be her knees in a long, rectangular length of material, covered in the same purple and black patterns but made up of night shade designs. Each sleeve of the dress were open and made to hang open like an exaggerated evening gowns, the edge of which was made to look like the purple, bladed teeth of some carnivorous flower eventually forming part of what she could only describe as a thin cloak of sable black material flowing down her back.

Each sleeve cut off just above the bicep with an outward facing gold and purple emblem of a nightshade bloom, connecting to the neckline which started as a mandarin collar from Chinese dress styles, meeting at its center with an amethyst crystal before it’s black and purple material flared out like curling leaf edges to attach to the bodices edge discretely. From the main collar of her dress, hanging from the amethyst crystal at her neck a larger one dangled on a golden chain, the length just long enough she knew to nestle within the cresting contours of her touching breasts.

The entire dress itself was displayed on a fully adjustable mannequin designed to reflect her fit in a larger size as it hugged the figure just right, arms outstretched. The cloak/cape attached to the back of the neck and sleeves, which themselves joined up the main material of the bodice at just above the bicep where they cut off, and as shown could be detached as she scrolled though several photos, capturing different angles and potential for future alterations if necessary.