"Yes. You do. You look beautiful," Brian smiled.
"Thanks. You both look great. I know what you mean, Jess," Khaat said, "its been a long time for me too."
"Well, shall we then?" Brian asked. He had hired a water taxi for them. They took it to the best restaurant in the city, where Brian had arranged two of the best tables in the house. He figured that Jack and Jess deserved to have a romantic evening all for themselves. He made sure that the tables were not more than a few short steps apart, but he did make sure they were separate. He had arranged the finest in Italian prosecco for each table, and had a dozen red roses for at each table--one bouquet for Jess and one for Khaat. He had left nothing out.
The staff opened the door for them, and they found they were, by far, not the only ones in evening wear in the restaurant. This was a special black tie seating in the restaurant tonight. It wasn't normally open this night of the week, but this was different. They had live music--traditional romantic Italian classical music--and hosts escorted each couple to their tables. The nice part was that they did not have to order tonight. Brian had arranged a chef's tasting for each table, so they got to taste a wide variety of the restaurant's signature dishes--the best of the best. Khaat was impressed. She'd never been at a chef's tasting before, and she was looking forward to tasting the best that Venice had to offer.
Brian poured champagne for Khaat and for him. "A toast," he told her, "To many more happy, peaceful memories in our lives." She smiled, lightly touching her glass against his. She sipped the champagne.
"It's wonderful," she smiled. "And so are you. Thank you. The roses, the champagne, these wonderful tables with a view of the Grand Canal, the chef's tasting menu--you've thought of absolutely everything."
"The night is young," he smiled. "There is more to come. Enjoy it."