A WONDERFUL KIND OF STOOPID

It had come to my attention that my girlfriends were right and Bell was indeed the hottest guy in the Green Packlands. If you were sharing a table with the hottest guy in the whole Green Packlands, who was my Mate by the way, MINE, there would be ah, EXTERNAL FACTORS that might annoy you occasionally throughout your date.

More than one female had ever looked our way, and they were NOT checking out the food on our table. They weren't very subtle about it even. This was very distracting for me, because Boo would rise up and I would have to squelch her down so she wouldn't visibly/audibly snarl.

And you'd think ladies who were eating at a fancy smancy place like Moshiro would pay more attention to their own dates - who would be footing the extraordinary and unknown bill.

I still didn't feel comfortable ordering at a restaurant that didn't print their prices on the menu. It was like blindfolding yourself and offering to sign a cheque.

Would I recommend Moshiro to those who liked signing and randomly handing out blank cheques? Out of five stars...

My tangerine juice was okay. 1 star.

The oysters were not cooked. But Mate liked it. So 1 star.

The lobster bisque that they were so proud of, tasted like Ki's crayfish bisque. I couldn't tell the difference. 2 stars for Ki.

Their bread sticks tasted like soft pretzels. 3 stars. Cos I ate three sticks.

The Miso Cod tasted like fish, which I guess was right, because it was fish. And it had tiny pink shrimp and cherry tomatoes on top. 1 star because Ki's version of it tasted better.

Wait, was I being too strict to compare Moshiro to Ki's cooking? But Ki's cooking was probably my closest food comparison to what was presented on the table. It's not like I could compare anything here to my vast experience with hamburgers and fries.

Mon Blanc was pure bliss. Mmmm... It was taller than any Mon Blanc I had seen before. This one had three layers of biscuit hidden at the bottom and layered with white fluffy creamy stuff. And then more white stuff and brown stuff, wrapped in brown noodles that tasted like hazelnut and cream. Think Nutella all dressed up for the prom.

Like me. Just the everyday Nutella goodness, wearing a perfectly blue designer dress, and just for a single night pretending to be Mon Blanc.

Mate smirked, "Is it that good?"

I took the dessert spoon out of my mouth and nodded.

"Feed me." He said.

Wait, what? Oh, he wanted to try some? But it was mine! MINE!

I flared.

"Come on Princess, just one bite." He coaxed.

I only need one bite to take your head off! Order your own dessert!

But then I made the mistake of looking directly at him, and he was smiling. Smile #3. And quite instinctively, I scooped a nice fat spoonful and held it up for him.

He ate it. I flared when our eyes met. What was that? I pulled away and blamed the mating bond.

I didn't dare to look at him after that. Not until I finished my dessert. I probably would have fed him all of it if he asked. So dangerous. The mating bond was too dangerous around dessert.

Mate on the other hand, simply cough a small laugh into his hand, "That was a bit embarrassing."

Yeah? Then why did you ask for it? Stoopid Mate.

After that, Mate handed over his credit card and asked for the cheque please, and then he signed whatever it was that Blake presented to him in a black leather case.

For all I knew, they wouldn't have printed the price on the bill either.

When Mate pocketed his card, he slipped a hundred dollars in the black case in its place.

Blake thanked him and walked us out to the door, wishing us a lovely night.

Okay! I did it! I thank goddess and my parents, especially my mum, for bringing me up well so that I survived two hours at a fancy restaurant on my first date without commiting etiquette harakiri.

There was a flash of something from a nearly crowd. Something glass, or metallic? I turned, but Mate physically blindsided me with a protective growl, blocking my view with his body. His hand immediately sought out my waist as he maneuvered me to the car and put me in.

What?

"Don't look out the window." Mate told me, before shutting the door and walking round to his side.

What was that flash? Where was the threat? Gun? Sniper?

Mate started the car muttering under his breath, "Damn paparazzi."

Oh. Hahahaha. And I thought we were about to be assassinated. Lol.

"Let's go somewhere else." Mate decided, "I meant to take you to he Marina at the Gold Packland, but the paparazzi might follow, and it's getting late."

Yeah, it was probably well pass midnight. Even though Moshiro and the rest of the midnight romance crowd was up, tomorrow was a school day for me. I was going to get in trouble with Mum and Dad later...

But I watched Mate as he drove back into our Packlands, and quite forgot about the existence of tomorrow. I was only vaguely aware of warriors running out of their post to stop the cars behind us when we reached the road home.

"Don't look back." Mate put an arm around me, so that my face would be blocked from the flashing light that followed. I turned back front. Our car was stopped too. A uniformed warrior ran over, and with a quick bow, opened up the VIP lane for us, even though the traffic back was smooth sailing.

Mate lifted the hand around me to wave thanks to the warrior, and then drove on without a word. He didn't put his hand back around me after that. He just kept on driving till we got well into packlands, then we turned down a road I've never been before. It wasn't the way back to Night Leaf.

Mate's hands were large and his fingers were angular and long on the steering wheel.

I took at peek at his side profile. Sigh... So handsome, even in the half dark of the car at night, Mate had a strong side profile, and long lashes... I remembered watching him sleep at the Underground. The dark lashes that rested on his cheeks were framing his golden eyes now. And his lips. I checked them again, yes his lips were definitely shaped like a bow, his bottom lip dipping to form the curve.

"Grrrr..." Mate growled lowly, "Don't look at me like that, Princess."

"Like what?" I asked. What? I can't stare at my own date? Wasn't that what people do on dates?

Mate shook his head and pulled the car over, "We're here."

We're where? Like in the middle of the woods? Don't tell me, we were going to hunt rogues? Not exactly the typical date activity, I really wasn't dressed for it.

"Don't worry." Mate's low voice was gentle, "Come with me, I just want to show you something."

I followed Mate out of the car, and off the road, through the woods, which wasn't easy on heels. At the last bit, Mate picked me up and hiked quickly up a steep incline. Then he put me down, we were on top of one of the Green Packlands low hills. There was a single tree next to us, arching over to one side.

So many stars.

"Why do stars fall down from the sky? Everytime, you walk by? Just like me, they long to be, close to you ~"

I knew this song was about him. As in seriously, I watched as one star fell from the perfectly clear sky and then another.

"Shooting stars! Make a wish, princess." Mate told me.

"You planned this?" I turned to him incredulously. How did he-

Mate shook his head and smiled (#4), "No, princess, we were just lucky. You really are my lucky star."

We watched the stars, it stopped quite quickly, so it was really only for a moment.

"Actually, what I wanted to show you was that." Mate led me to the other side of the tree. There was a short cliff down, where a heavy tree branch stretched out towards. Mate picked me up and put me on the branch, then he climbed up, "Can you stand up and look?"

I kicked off my shoes to stand up. And oh! From up here, you could see the lights of our pack towns. The Lorent Pack, Night Leaf, and Morning Light. There were smaller clusters too, their roads were unlit at night - the minor packs. The lights nestled in the darkness of the deep woods was like looking at clusters of gems still in the bedrock.

Mate sat down on the branch and patted the space next to him. I sat down too, it halved the view. I could only see Morning Light and the hill that would one day be Princess Town now.

"One day," Mate promised me, "We're going to rule the world, and this land would be our throne."

He smiled (#5). And then he leaned over and kissed me on the side of my head.

So I did not once object to his world domination plans. All I was aware of was the light of home spread out in front of me, and the warmth of Mate beside me.

I lost three things that night. My two shoes, and my heart.

Conclusion: Love is stooopid.

But it was a wonderful kind of stooopid.