She bites her bottom lip. “I honestly didn’t think about it. I guess I’ve had a lot on my mind.”

I smile. “Good thing I’ve made some plans, isn’t it?” I nod towards the bag. “Hurry up so we can make it to the Heathman in time for happy hour.”

“Like Ana and Christian’s Heathman?”

“Who the fuck are they?”

“Duh, Riley. Ana and Christian. From Fifty Shades? The Heathman is where they first kiss. It has quite a bit of significance in the book.”

I roll my eyes. “First of all, you really need to quit reading those novels. Secondly, they have a great happy hour menu and it’s close to our next item on the agenda. Purely coincidental.”

“What’s the next item on the agenda?”

“Nice try. You’ll just have to wait and see.”

After she packs her bag, we take the streetcar into the heart of downtown Portland. We walk along the sidewalks until we round a corner and land directly in front of the Heathman Hotel. We’re seated by a window in the bar and order some drinks with appetizers. Devyn nurses her Jack and Seven while we eat and make small talk. Out of nowhere, she gets a full body shiver that’s pretty hard to ignore.

“You cold?” I ask.

“What? Oh, uh…no. I just can’t believe I’m actually sitting in the Heathman right now.”

I lift an eyebrow. “The book again?”

“Uh, yeah!”

“Isn’t Fifty Shades that bondage book? You starting to change your mind about trying a little S&M?”

Devyn’s jaw drops. “No! And it is so much more than that! It’s a beautiful love story. She’s the healing balm for his shattered soul!”

I shake my head in disbelief. “Yeah, I’m sure the love story is why you enjoy it so much.”

She narrows her eyes at me. “Why else would I like it?”

“Oh, I don’t know…the dirty, dirty fucking maybe?”

“Whatever,” she huffs, blushing profusely.

“Why are you blushing, Devyn? Because I’m talking about fucking?”

“No!” she denies.

“Since when are you so nervous around me?” I know she’s getting turned on thinking about her lady porn and I’m going to milk this as much as possible.

She squirms in her seat. “I’m not nervous.”

I laugh. “Liar. Don’t forget who you’re with.”

She crosses her arms over her chest, pushing her tits up for my viewing pleasure, and sticks out her tongue. “Whatever.”

I look at my watch and signal for the waitress to settle our tab. “Save that tongue for later. And hurry up and finish your drink. We have to get to our next destination.”

Her blush deepens. “And where was that again?”

“I’m not going to slip, Devyn, so quit trying to get it out of me.” I sign the receipt and stand up to offer my hand. “C’mon, let’s go.

DEVYN

WE WALK ONLY A couple blocks and end up at Pioneer Courthouse Square, also known as Portland’s living room. It spans an entire city block in the heart of downtown. The center of the square is arranged like an amphitheater where a semicircle of approximately two dozen steps serves as seating. On the west side, there’s a small visitor’s center framed by a cascading waterfall with a coffee shop sitting up above. The entire thing is paved by red bricks, many of which are inscribed with people’s names .

There’s a large projector screen set up in the corner. We make our way through the crowd and find an open spot on the steps. Riley reaches into the bag he’s carrying and pulls out a woolen blanket, spreading it over our legs as we sit down.

It’s obvious there will be a film showing so I ask, “What’s playing tonight?”

He smiles. “Anchorman.”

I slam my open hand into his chest excitedly. “No way!” Anchorman is one of my all time favorite movies. Riley reaches into his bag and pulls out two mini bottles of scotch. I grin big and recite one of my favorite quotes from the movie using my best Ron Burgundy impression. “I love scotch! I love scotch! Scotchy scotch scotch. Here it goes down, down into my belly.”

I chug the bottle and belch afterwards, slamming my palm over my mouth in embarrassment.

Riley laughs. “Sexy, Dev.”

As we watch the film, the temperatures drop. I start rubbing my arms to get warm.

Riley stands and says, “I’ll be right back.”

I watch as he walks over to the opposite corner and steps inside Starbucks. He returns a few minutes later with two large cups of hot chocolate. He reaches into his bag again and pulls out two airline bottles of marshmallow vodka. I had no idea such a thing existed!

“We’re drinking grown up hot chocolate tonight,” he explains.

He pops both of our lids, which conveniently have some room left in the cup and pours the vodka, bringing the chocolatey liquid right to the rim.

I take my first sip and moan. “Oh my God, this is pure heaven.” I continue drinking until my cup runs dry. I feel slightly buzzed and can’t stop thinking how wonderful tonight has been so far.

When Riley puts his arm around my shoulder, I actually start feeling like this is the most perfect date imaginable. I have to constantly remind myself that this isn’t a date; this is Riley. I snuggle into him anyway and he rests his chin on the top of my head. We watch the rest of the movie in the same position.

RILEY

I KNOW I SHOULDN’T be holding her like this but she smells so damn good. Like birthday cake…or maybe sugar cookies, or donuts. Whatever it is, I want to fucking devour her. While the credits roll, she tilts her chin up to look at me and gives me a blinding ear to ear grin. I’m taken aback by how beautiful she is. I can’t remember ever seeing her smile this big. Without thinking, I lean down until my lips are brushing against hers. She gasps in surprise which gives me the perfect opportunity to slip my tongue into her mouth. She responds instantly by raking her fingers through my hair and deepening the kiss.

Devyn moans into my mouth, giving me the green light to pull her onto me so she’s now straddling my lap. She tastes so fucking sweet I could do this all night. She’s grinding her body into mine with reckless abandon. It’s like she’s starving for me as much as I am for her. Right when my fingers brush the underside of her breast someone whistles and yells, “Get a room!”

I clear my throat, reminded that we’re out in public. Devyn quickly scoots off my lap and starts picking up our belongings. She starts fumbling with the blanket, trying to fold it but she drops it three times. I frown when I notice that she won’t make eye contact with me.

“Devyn.” She ignores me, and picks up the blanket again. I grab her hands, stilling her movement. “Devyn, look at me.”

After a few seconds of looking anywhere but at me, she lifts her chin and hesitantly meets my eyes. “What is this, Riley?”

I’m confused. “What is what?”

She throws her arms out, gesturing to our surroundings. “This! All of this! Happy hour at the Heathman? And don’t even try claiming it was a coincidence again when you know how much I love those books. Then following it up with one of my favorite movies while snuggling under a blanket? And the hot chocolate? You know how much I love hot chocolate on chilly nights and you took it a step further by spiking it with the most delicious creation I’ve ever tasted! Why are you doing all of this? These are all very date-like activities. Like, best date ever activities!”

“Your point being?”

“This isn’t a date, Riley!” she shouts, garnering the attention of some bystanders.

I usher her to some rushing water nearby to drown out our conversation. “Why isn’t this a date? Especially considering the fact that you want this night to end with a very good date-like activity.”

She huffs and sits down on the steps. “It can’t be a date. Dates open the door to possibilities. Possibilities that you and I don’t have.”