Simon laughed and was glad that she was open to trying new things, “I kind of hope we have to eat with our hands.” He stated.
“Oh no. What if I bite my fingers?” she legitimately asked.
Simon’s expression fell, “Do you really think that’s going to happen?” he asked trying not to laugh at her.
Cherish’s fingertips pressed against the plate in her own paranoia, “I do.” She replied.
As the first meal was brought out, the waiter set the plates down and took a step back, “Enjoy. This isn’t hot.” He said walking away.
Cherish turned her head in the general direction of Simon and sucked her cheeks in, “Well, good luck. Hopefully it’s not something like a barnacle.” She muttered. Pressing against the plate, she then snatched her hand away hesitantly and snorted out a laugh, “Oh God, whatever it is, it’s firm and it…it has a shell.” She said.
Both hands went to work peeling the shrimp before she ran her finger along its entirety. Taking a bite, the soft taste of the shrimp complimented the chilled garlic and tomato sauce drizzled on top. Cherish rolled her jaw as she chewed before she nodded, “Oh dang. That’s…that’s good and spicy! I wasn’t expecting that.” She said.
Simon came to appreciate the tone and sound of Cherish’s lilted voice. The experience of eating food solely by touch and smell was one thing he wanted to do again. The moment he found out the appetizer was shrimp, he peeled and ate them quickly. Shrimp was by far one of his favorite crustaceans.
Within five minutes, and behind Simon, Cherish’s fingers danced over the plate and brushed the shells from side to side with a sigh, “Damn, I finished already.” She laughed.
Simon rubbed his hands against the napkin, “That was really good. I don’t know if it’s because I can’t see, but the taste was really bright.” He said.
Cherish ran her finger along the back of her ear out of habit before she lowered her hand and waited. The waiter returned, “Pardon my reach.” He stated taking the plates away.
She found herself smiling. Even though she couldn’t see him it was nice and reassuring to hear his voice. She wiped her corner of her mouth with her thumb and cleared her throat, “I don’t know about tasting bright, specifically because I don’t know what light tastes like, but I do agree that it was far more flavorful.” She replied.
As she adjusted to the blindness and didn’t psyche herself out, the first thing she was struck with as the waiter returned was the smell. She inhaled a deep breath, smiled to herself, and hummed out an all too excited chuckle. Pausing, she rolled her lips in and squeezed her eyes shut. She was turning into a bonafide glutton like Simon.
Simon inhaled a deep breath before he felt around for what the food was. He was pretty sure it was curried chicken, or a flavoring along the lines of a Caribbean dish, and couldn’t wait to taste, “I hope this is what I think it is.” He said taking the first bite. He hummed out with satisfaction and nodded, “Oh, it is. It is. Cherish, you need to try this.” He asserted while leaning over. Digging into his greens and rice, he ate with little to no grace. He couldn’t see, and he had to hover over the plate; eating like a caveman. Thankfully, everyone was in the same boat and not a soul could judge.
Without even knowing, she leaned into the plate just as he did and scooped what she could and allowed the rush of flavor take over her senses. Reaching over, she patted against his chest to gain his attention, but mistook it for his arm, “You’re right. This is really, really good!” She then blew out and cleared her throat, “And hot. Where did they say the water was again?” she whispered to herself as she lifted her body and gently felt around for the chilled glass.
Smiling, Simon took a hold of her forearm and wrist. He reached over to the vicinity where her glass was and led her hand to it, “Right here.” He said.
Cherish paused and released a soft breath. His fingers were warm, strong, and gentle against her skin. She bit down on her bottom lip once her fingers touched along the precipitation on the glass. Clearing her throat, she wrapped her fingers around the cool surface and gripped it abnormally tight, “T-Thank you.” She said.
His hold on her knuckles lingered. Her fingers were slim and pleasantly cool, and her nails were short enough to do her job, but long enough to give a feminine scrape along his palm once he pulled away. For a moment, in the darkness, Simon felt a pull towards her. Thoughts of the way her touch felt on him lingered in his mind as they ate in silence.
Lifting the rim to her mouth, she metaphorically rolled her eyes upward as the thought of sex crept into her mind once more. Of course, this was quite a different sense of sensual with the meal, but for a split moment she lost herself. Both thoughts were momentary as the waiter returned and brought them to their senses. Cherish lifted herself as the waiter came through and gave them the final leg of their meal, “I’m taking your plates and setting down dessert.” He said.
With the small plate placed down in front of them, Simon took a bite and he guessed it was blueberry cheesecake, but he wasn’t sure, “If it’s not cheesecake, I’m afraid to ask.” He said.
She tapped her fork against the
