“It'll be a great night,” Marco said. “You're going to look amazing.”
I just hope that tonight isn't the last night that I get to spend with you, he thought.
Marco and Sabrina were seated at a small table on the patio of the restaurant. He'd reserved the seats earlier that day, asking the hostess to put them as close to the ocean as possible. He wanted the evening to be perfect.
“Look at this view,” Sabrina said, turning to face the ocean.
Marco much preferred to look at the view of the woman he loved, who sat across the table from him. Sabrina's new dress looked amazing on her. The silk held to her curves and he hadn't been able to take his eyes off of her since she'd put it on.
“I think it's a full moon,” she said, reaching over to touch Marco's hand.
He looked over to the horizon and nodded in agreement. “I'm certain that it is.”
The sky was clear and the moon shone brightly down over the ocean, giving the tops of the waves a silvery glow. The fact that the moon was full brought more meaning to Marco than just its beauty, though.
“Where I come from, a full moon is considered auspicious,” he said, bringing his attention back to Sabrina. “We think of it as good luck and therefore, a time when people should celebrate and make important decisions.”
“Really?” she asked. “Where I come from, the full moon is when people turn to werewolves.”
Marco chuckled. “I suppose that could happen too. But not on Orsino. You should see it, Sabrina. The people all gather into giant groups on the beach during the full moon. Right now, I'm sure hundreds of citizens are dancing on the sand on Orsino, praying and celebrating. It's a giant event every single month.”
Sabrina brought her fists to her chin as she listened to Marco tell the story. “That sounds like fun.”
The waitress approached, delivering a bamboo platter completely covered in different types of sushi. From fresh unagi, to spicy tuna rolls, to sashimi, it was all there.
“Anything else I can get you two?” the waitress asked.
“Can we get some hot Saki, please?” Marco requested.
; “Of course,” she said. “I'll be right back with that.”
Sabrina was staring at the plate of food as though she had just seen an alien. “I don't know what any of this is.”
“You've never had sushi before?” Marco asked, tilting his head to the side.
“I haven't,” Sabrina admitted. “But I'll try anything.”
The waitress brought them the Saki Marco had ordered and filled up the two porcelain cups, before walking away to help the other restaurant patrons. Marco held the cup in the air and Sabrina did the same.
“Here's to adventures,” Marco said. “Sometimes they're exciting and sometimes they're terrifying, but we're always better for having sought them out.”
Sabrina smiled and clinked her glass to his. “Yes. Here's to that.”
They sipped the rice wine and then dug into the food. Marco was surprised by Sabrina's willingness to try every type of sushi, even the ones that were completely raw. In fact, the only one she cringed at was the octopus. She still managed to chew it up and eat at least one piece, though. After the meal, the waitress took away their plates and left them to themselves to enjoy their Saki and the view.
Marco reached across the table and held Sabrina's hands. He gazed into those beautiful blue eyes of hers, wishing he could just get lost in them forever.
“It's hard to believe that this trip will be over tomorrow morning,” Marco said, trying hard to savor every ounce of the moment that he possibly could.
“It's gone by so fast.” Sabrina squeezed his hands. “It feels like yesterday that I was doing the interview for the job.”
Marco sighed, his eyes still locked onto hers. This was the moment of truth. He needed to find out whether or not she was going to come home with him to Orsino. It scared the hell out of him to ask, for fear that the answer would be “no”. But he couldn't ignore the topic any longer.
“Sabrina, I know that you had some hesitations about coming with me to Orsino,” Marco said, leaning closer. “But I'm wondering what your current thoughts are about it.”
Sabrina nodded. “I've been thinking a lot about that.”