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richonnefics · 8 years

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March- A Taste of Love (Carolina-Bleus)

Michonne sighed in frustration as she looked at her computer. There had to be some other options, she thought to herself.

“Hey, you wanna go grab some lunch? I’m starving. I started that juice fast this morning but caved by nine and ate a mini-snickers I found in the bottom of my purse. Michonne? Are you even listening to me?”

“What?” Michonne looked up to see Andrea standing in her office doorway.

“I asked if you wanted to go out to lunch.”

“I thought you were doing the juice cleanse?”

Andrea rolled her eyes. “You didn’t hear a word I said. But I’m not surprised; you look like you are about to jump into that computer screen. Are you working on a case?”

Michonne sat back in her chair. “No, I was actually looking for something personal.”

Andrea’s eyes lit up. “You’re looking for a vibrator online at work? I didn’t know you had it in you…or I guess you will have it in you soon,” Andrea said with a laugh.

“Will you be quiet!” Michonne whispered harshly as she got up, pulled Andrea inside and shut her office door. “No, I’m not looking for that. I was looking for some couple’s activities.”

“Couple’s activities? Like swinging?” Andrea’s eyes lit up once again. “I didn’t think you or Rick would be into that.”

Michonne rubbed her temples as she walked back to her desk. “Andrea, I know he’s your boyfriend, but you really have to quit hanging around Shane so much. I’m looking for some fun things that Rick and I can do together…clothed and in an upright position.”

“Well—“ Andrea began.

“If you mention one more thing about sex, I’m kicking you out of my office.”

“I wasn’t,” Andrea said affronted. She laughed when Michonne side-eyed her. “Okay, I was. But I do have some actual ideas. What are you looking to do?”

“I don’t know.” Michonne shrugged. “Something different and a little outside of the box for both of us; something where we just have to slow down and just be together for a while. Rick and I have been so busy lately with our jobs, moving to a new house and town, and getting the kids settled, that I feel like we haven’t spent as much time together as we normally do.”

Michonne and Rick Grimes had been married for three years. They’d each brought children from previous marriages into their relationship. The blended family of five welcomed their newest addition, Ava, eleven months ago. It was the birth of Ava that prompted the Grimes family’s move from Atlanta and to Rick’s hometown about an hour outside of the city. Rick and Michonne were both from small towns and they wanted their kids to have the same experience of growing up in a close-knit community surrounded by family and friends. They’d packed up and moved in July so the kids could finish out the school year and spend part of the summer with their old friends. It’d taken almost the entire eight months since the move to really feel settled into everything. But everything finally clicked into place. Rick’s hometown now felt like the entire family’s hometown.

The family spent a lot of time together during the late summer weekends when they first moved. There wasn’t the distraction of the kids having a million activities to do on the weekends as they did in Atlanta. The quality time brought them even closer together as a family. But now the kids were thriving in school and making new friends and their weekends were once again filled with activities involving friends and school. Even little Ava’s social calendar was full of family members and close friends wanting to babysit her. Rick and Michonne finally had time to take just for themselves and Michonne wanted to make the most of it. The question was how?

“I told you not to move out to the sticks. Atlanta has everything fun, including your best friend.”

Michonne raised a brow. “Andrea, I see you at work every day and I’ve seen you ‘out in the sticks’ at my house a lot since I moved.”

“Hanging out at work isn’t the same as living in the same city. As for hanging out in Hooterville—“

“Senoia.” Andrea knew how much it annoyed Michonne when she called her town by other names. Michonne suspected that’s exactly why she did it.

“As for hanging out in Petticoat Junction on the weekends,” Andrea continued as if she hadn’t been interrupted, “well, I guess that’s the benefit of us falling in love with country ass best friends.”

Andrea and Shane met one weekend when he’d come to Atlanta to visit Rick. It had been early in Rick and Michonne’s relationship and Shane wanted to meet the woman who’d made his best friend smile again. The couple held a cookout at Michonne’s house where Andrea and Shane locked in on each other even before they were introduced. It had been lust at first sight that eventually, after a few hiccups and several breakups, turned into a serious relationship…albeit a tempestuous one at times…about a year ago.

Ignoring the continued insult to her town, Michonne latched onto some new information. “Did you just admit that you love Shane?”

“Yeah.” Andrea looked a bit dismayed by her admission. “But don’t tell him I said it, it’ll make his big ass ego even bigger.”

“Y’all have been dating exclusively for nearly a year. Don’t you think he’s figured it out by now?”

“I guess but we still have a long way to go. But enough about that.” Andrea paused a moment. “I think I have the perfect idea for a date night for you and Rick. But, fair warning, you are going to have to actually travel to the big city after dark for it.”

“So very funny…what’s your idea?”

Saturday night…

Rick shook his head at his wife. “Michonne, I can’t believe you took dating advice from Andrea of all people. She and Shane aren’t like us. Their idea of a good time involves freaky stuff.”

“And how would you know?”

“The same way you do…Andrea and Shane don’t have a filter or a sense of shame.”

“They do spill all of the dirty details.” Michonne shuddered thinking about some of things Andrea had told her about what went on with Shane in the bedroom. Some things just couldn’t be scrubbed from the brain.

“Exactly! So you should know better than anyone than to think her idea of a good date night is the same as ours.”

“Rick, calm down. It’s a couples cooking class, not a swingers convention. Look around at the class. Do any of these people look like they’d be into that?”

Rick surveyed the other couples in the class. They all looked relatively normal…except for the guy who was wearing cargo shorts and a mullet. But still…

“Looks can be deceiving, Michonne. If Andrea suggested this class, chances are someone might end up naked on that counter over there with a carrot up their—“

“Welcome to Couples Cooking!” A bespectacled young woman mercifully interrupted Rick’s words. “My name is Olivia. And I’m so glad you all came out tonight.” Olivia looked at the couples and then down at a sheet of paper. “Oh, I see we have four couples present but we should have a full class of five.”

At that moment, voices were heard from the hallway.

“Speed it up, Shane! You always make us late wherever we go!”

“Beauty can’t be rushed, woman. I’ve told you that. And we ain’t that late. Besides, I don’t even know why you signed us up for this chi-chi frou frou shit anyway. If you want some good cooking, we can just go to my mama’s house. You know Trubie always puts her foot in it.”

Rick gave Michonne a look. She just shrugged her shoulders apologetically and mouthed “Sorry.”

Andrea and Shane made their way into the classroom.

“Hello!” the instructor greeted. “My name is Olivia. Why don’t you two find a spot and we can begin.”

Michonne heard Rick muttering “Please don’t come over here” over and over under his breath.

Rick loved Shane and had a relatively good friendship with Andrea. He was fine dealing with them individually, dealing with them together was a different story. Though the couple’s antics were entertaining at times, a little went a very long way.

Of course, Andrea and Shane walked over to the table beside the Rick and Michonne as soon as they spotted them. Andrea gave Michonne a quick hug while Shane clapped Rick on the back.

“Your girl roped you into this, too, Rick? The things we do for our ladies, right?” Shane laughed. Rick just continued to stare at Michonne until Olivia started speaking again.

“Now, that we are all here, I’d like to again, welcome you all. Cooking is something that is not only useful to nourish our bodies, but it can also serve to nourish our relationships. It allows us to work together to create something beautiful. Or, individually, we can use it as an expression of caring for another. It can help us to say “I love you” or “I’m sorry” and everything in between. Food just seems to taste better when it’s made with or by a loved one. The love flows through every bite. That is exactly what we are going to do tonight. We are going to make love on a plate.”

There was a beat of shocked silence after Olivia spoke. Then Shane barked out a laugh, the other couples started murmuring, and Rick gave Michonne an “I told you so” look. Olivia, for her part, was horrified. The last sentence had sounded better when she said it in her head. Cheeks aflame, she rushed on to finish her speech.

“Umm, each couple is going to make your own dinner from appetizer to dessert and then have time alone to share what you worked so hard to make and just enjoy quiet time together.” Pride recovered, Olivia smiled and clapped her hands together in delight. “Tonight’s theme is Rustic Romance. But before I tell you more, I want to go around the room and have everyone introduce themselves and tell us why you signed up for the class.”

Olivia’s words were met by a collective groan from the introverts in the room, including Rick. Michonne rubbed his back reassuringly. “I got this,” she told him.

“Well, I guess we’ll go first.” A petite blond man and his curly-haired partner, who both looked like they’d stepped out of the pages of an LL Bean catalogue, stood up from their table. “My name is Eric. This is my husband, Aaron. I signed us up because Aaron travels a lot for his job and eats a lot of room service. Once he comes home, it seems as if he’s both forgotten how the stove works and that I’m his husband and not part of a hotel dining staff.” Eric smiled at Aaron and grabbed his hand. “I want us to share more in the cooking.”

“My name is Aaron and I have no good defense for what Eric said because it’s all sadly true,” he said with a laugh. “But I’m glad to be here because I want us to spend the time we do have together doing as much together as possible.”

A brunette and her partner stood up next. “Hey. My name is Maggie. This is my boyfriend, Glenn. I guess we have the opposite problem of Eric and Aaron. Glenn loves to cook. He cooks all the time. But it’s always the same thing…pizza. I love pizza or at least I did when we started dating.” Maggie turned to Glenn. “I love that you are so enthusiastic about cooking, I just need you learn to make something that doesn’t have tomato sauce, bread, and cheese as a base. I’ve gained ten pounds since we’ve been dating, Glenn.”

Maggie’s boyfriend grinned sheepishly at her words. “Hi, everyone. Well, I do love pizza…a lot. I mean I own a chain of pizzerias I love it so much. They are called Rhee’s Roundhouse if you want to stop by. Mention this class and I’ll give you a pie for half off.”

“Glenn…”

“Sorry, babe. I’m here because I love Maggie and I’ll do whatever it takes to make her happy…even cooking something that isn’t pizza. Though, for what it’s worth, I couldn’t even tell that she gained weight. She just looks more beautiful to me with each passing day.”

“Oh, you are definitely gettin’ some tonight, man!”

“Shut up, Shane,” Andrea said harshly, embarrassed.

A redheaded guy and the mullet man Rick had spotted earlier stood up next.

“My name is Abraham,” the redhead began. “This is Eugene. Uh, we aren’t a couple-couple like Eric and Aaron over there.” Abe turned and pointed to the couple. “No offense intended, love is love. I actually caught a couple of episodes of that drag racing show with my ex. I know I’ve gotten Big Red caught in the metal menace a couple of times when I’ve zipped up too fast, so I applaud the intestinal fortitude it takes to tuck the ole twig and berries like those ladies do. So, nothing but respect from this corner.” Abe ended his speech to Aaron and Eric with a sideways peace sign which the couple hesitantly returned, not sure what exactly was going on at the moment.

Abe continued. “As I was saying, uh, my name is Abraham but you can call me Abe. I’m here with my friend, Eugene, cause apparently my ex signed me and her up for this class before she decided to up and leave me for a senator’s pretty boy son last week.” Abe paused and worked his jaw for a moment. “She did all of the cooking so I figured I’d better use this opportunity to learn at least one dish that doesn’t involve baked beans and hot dogs…cause I’m gettin’ real sick of both.”

“My name is Eugene Porter. I’m here for moral support and because Abe promised to go to a local comic con in costume with me if I came here. I’m thinking about having him go as Wolverine since he has the sideburns and white tank tops for it, but we’ll have to dye his hair, shave the mustache, contour some abs—“

“Shut it, Eugene,” Abe interrupted.

Andrea and Shane spoke next. “Hi, my name is Andrea. I signed my boyfriend, Shane, and myself up because—“

“Because she wanted to know if I can bring that heat somewhere other than the bedroom. And the answer is, of course, yes.”

Andrea took a deep breath before continuing. “I actually signed us up, hoping this would be an opportunity for you to learn how to listen and follow directions…any type of directions. Now, I’m just hoping we make it out of this without me cutting you.”

“Oh, dear,” an alarmed Olivia muttered. “Why don’t we move on to our final couple for introductions.”

Michonne and Rick stood. “My name is Michonne. This handsome man right here is my husband Rick.” Michonne smiled at Rick’s blush. “I signed us up because our lives have been really busy and in flux for the last year or so. We are finally to a place where things are settling down and I realize we’ve been busy making time for everyone else and not so much for each other. I thought this would be a fun night that would be just about the two of us as husband and wife and not as mama and daddy or any other roles we have.”

After hearing Michonne’s reasoning, Rick felt bad for complaining earlier. “I’m Rick. My wife really doesn’t ask for much, but even if she did, whatever she wants, I’m going to make sure she gets. I have to admit that I complained…a lot…about coming here tonight.” Rick turned to Michonne with an apologetic smile on his face. “And I’m sorry for that because after all you’ve done to make me happy, coming to a cooking class is the least I can do.”

Olivia smiled at the couple. “Well, thank you all for introducing yourselves.” Olivia looked at Abe, Eugene, Shane, and Andrea. Well not all of you, she thought. “As I said, our theme for the night is Rustic Romance. You are going to be making dishes that are everything a good relationship, be it romantic or platonic, should be…comforting and familiar but also open to a little positive change every now and again. The dishes that we are going to make tonight are classics but with a bit of a twist. In honor of the changing seasons, our dishes tonight all have a taste of Spring.”

Olivia waited for the excited murmuring to begin. It didn’t so she soldiered on. “We are starting out with a delicious salad of grilled stone fruit, arugula, radicchio, country ham, and burrata cheese. Then we’ll move on to our main dish, roasted Dijon chicken with a mélange of spring vegetables.”

“What the fuck is a ‘mélange’?” Michonne heard Shane whisper to Andrea.

“Finally, we’ll have lemon yogurt crumb cake for dessert. We’ll actually prep dessert first because it takes the longest overall from start to finish. Then we’ll work on your main. You’ll prepare your salad right before it’s time for dinner to begin.” Olivia held up some sheets of paper. “You all have recipe directions at your stations. Please read over everything and then we’ll get started. I’ll do a little knife skills and safety demonstration and then you can go forth and cook. I’ll walk around and make sure everyone is okay.”

Michonne picked up one set of instructions and handed another to Rick. “You read the main, I read the dessert, and we’ll read the salad together?” she asked.

“Sounds like a plan.”

A look around the room was a good indication of how all the individuals communicated as couples. Eric was playfully trying to distract Aaron while he read the instructions. Maggie rested her head on Glenn’s shoulder while the couple read over the instructions together. Abraham was busy trying to strategize their meal prep while Eugene pointed out every flaw in his plan. Shane and Andrea were arguing about something that happened last week. While Rick and Michonne were comparing notes about their recipes and dividing their tasks based on skill and comfort level.

After Olivia’s demonstration, the couples washed their hands and began making their meals.

Lemon-Yogurt Crumb Cake

“Okay, the oven is preheating. You want to start with the crumb topping?”

“I guess.” Rick picked up the directions for the cake. “There weren’t this many directions to put Ava’s crib together.”

Michonne laughed. “Yes, there were and you put that together perfectly. We’ll do the same with this cake.”

Rick and Michonne stirred, beat, zested, and folded ingredients together until they were down to the last couple of steps for the cake.

“Here, taste some of this.” Michonne held a spoon full of lemon curd up to Rick’s lips.

“Mm, that’s delicious. It reminds me of Mama’s lemon meringue pie.”

“You have a little bit right here…” Michonne leaned over and wiped a small bit of curd off of Rick’s bottom lip with her index finger. She then licked the curd from her finger while Rick watched enthralled.

“Are you trying to start something we can’t finish right now, Mrs. Grimes?”

Michonne smiled slyly. “I have no idea what you are talking about Mr. Grimes. I just wanted to taste the curd, too.” She dropped dollops of the tangy mixture in different spots over the batter. “I’m glad it was already made for us. Now we just have to swirl it with a knife. You want to do the honors?”

“No, you’ve always handled a knife better than I do.”

Michonne scoffed as she began swirling the curd. “Please, I’ve seen you gut things with pinpoint accuracy. You can handle yourself with a knife just fine when necessary.”

Rick sprinkled the crumb topping over the batter. He placed the dish in the oven and set the timer for 50 minutes.

Roasted Dijon Chicken with Spring Vegetables

Making their main dish of roasted chicken and vegetables was much more relaxed for the entire class. Olivia thought it was because people were getting more confident in cooking as the class progressed. Really, it was because they were all taking furtive sips from the bottles of white wine each couple received as an ingredient for their dish. The recipe only called for half a glass of wine so the rest was fair game in their opinion.

The wine was doing almost too good of a job relaxing people. Rick’s accent steadily got heavier and he kept reminding Michonne to season the chicken’s “wangs”…which got a repeated chuckle out of Shane. Andrea accidentally squirted Shane in the eye when she squeezed juice out of a lemon…at least she said it was an accident. The incident did occur right after Shane made a lewd comment about massaging their meat. Which was an actual thing they had to do in order to coat their chicken with the Dijon sauce…but Shane was just being crass and he wasn’t even drunk. Glenn got really tipsy and ended up sipping out of the glass that held the leftover chicken stock. It was good so he just went with it. Aaron started entertaining everyone with random, but amazingly spot on, impressions of Hollywood stars past and present. And Eugene…well…

“Medical attention is required at station three! I repeat medical attention is required at station three STAT! We got a bleeder!” Abraham suddenly yelled out startling everyone. Eugene had managed to cut himself with a vegetable peeler while prepping some carrots.

Rick and Michonne watched as Olivia rushed over to Eugene with first aid kit in hand. “Maybe she should have rationed out the wine to just what we needed for the recipe,” Michonne said as she took another sip from measuring cup of wine she and Rick were sharing.

“Probably.” Rick reached for the cup and drained it. “You wanna refill?”

“Of course,” Michonne nodded as she continued drawing cats in some spilled flour.

Sobriety Check

Once she was hip to their drinking and sensing that the couples were getting dangerously close to not being able to cook safely, Olivia decided to have a little impromptu intermission after the chickens were placed in the oven.

“Everyone is doing an amazing job! Why don’t we take a quick break and enjoy some little bites I put together. We have grapes, cheese, dried apricots, figs, bread, crackers, and water. Eat up…especially the bread…and have a drink of refreshing water.” The group dove into the food but much to Olivia’s chagrin, they ignored the water for the most part for more wine. She just hoped the food would help sober them up enough to not burn down the kitchen.

“How are the kids?” Rick asked as soon as Michonne came back over to their station. She’d stepped out to check on their children.

“Fine. Carl’s movie just got out. Duane’s dad was already outside waiting to pick them up and take them back to his house for the night. According to your parents, Dre and Judy came home from the birthday party seriously hyped up on sugar but they crashed about an hour later and have been asleep ever since. Ava, on the other hand, has been an absolute angel and your parents are threatening not to return her to us tomorrow.”

Rick chuckled. “Wait until she’s cranky and won’t sleep or has smelly stuff coming out of both ends, they’ll want to act on that return policy with a quickness.”

“I think they’re just glad to finally have all of their children and grandchildren in the same town again.”

“Honestly, it’s good to be back home. You’d think just living an hour away wouldn’t be that big of a deal, but sometimes home felt lightyears away…especially after Lori died.” Rick’s first wife, Lori, had passed away six years prior after a sudden, devastating illness. Rick’s whole world shifted in what seemed like an instant. It felt like he’d woken up in an awful dream that he couldn’t escape. The only thing that kept him together was knowing that his kids needed him to be strong for them. But he’d just been existing and not really living until one magical day.

Michonne spread some brie on a cracker and topped it with a bit of dried apricot before handing it to Rick. “I’ve always wondered why you didn’t just pack and move back home with the kids.”

Rick smiled his thanks to Michonne’s for the snack. “I thought about it a lot in those first couple of years and Mama was always asking me to come back home but something kept telling me it wasn’t the right time. It’s like I was waiting for something…” Rick captured Michonne’s hand in his own. “Or waiting for someone.”

Grilled Stone Fruit Salad

Satisfied that everyone was mostly sober again, Olivia decided to resume the evening. “Everyone, your cakes are out of the oven and the chicken and vegetables are almost done. We’ve reached the last dish you’ll prepare tonight, the grilled stone fruit salad. This dish should come together fairly quickly, so once you’ve grilled your fruit and done the other prep, you can go outside to the patio and find your private tables. The salad will be assembled for you and dinner will be served to you by our amazing waitstaff. Once again, thank you all for coming!”

Shane stood up from his station. “Hold up, I know we are getting more than just a damn plate of food! You had us working harder than a one-legged man in an ass kicking contest making this food. We better get some doggie bags or something.”

Olivia wanted to claim a bottle of wine for herself after dealing with this man all evening. “Mr. Walsh, the brochure states that the rest of your meal will be boxed up and given to you at the end of the evening.”

Andrea pulled Shane back down to his seat. “I gave you the brochure on the way over here. Didn’t you read it?”

“I already told you, I don’t read…I live.”

Andrea crossed her arms. “Then why do you have all of those car magazines at your house?”

“Well, if you’d bother to peek inside of one while you were snooping, you’d see it sure as hell ain’t for the articles.”

The couple continued to bicker back and forth while everyone else went about preparing the ingredients for the salad. But the argument was seemingly over as quickly as it began. When the other couples came back from grilling their fruit, they saw that Shane and Andrea had disappeared. Their whereabouts were discovered after a yelling was heard in the hallway. Everyone ran out and saw Eugene holding a hand over one eye, a shirtless Shane calling him a pervert, and Andrea straightening her clothes. Apparently, Shane and Andrea had slipped away to do some early making up in a storeroom and Eugene came upon them. He didn’t make his presence known until Andrea looked up and saw his face and mullet peeking from behind containers of flour.

Rick looked at Michonne and said, “This is why we don’t go out on double dates with them anymore.”

Dinner is (Finally) Served

Excitement over, Rick and Michonne walked out to where they were to share their meal. It was beautiful outdoor dining space. The tables were set around the grounds a fair distance apart to give the feeling of privacy. The simple décor of the tables was in direct contrast to the chandeliers that hung in the trees above. The entire effect was soft, intimate, and, true to the evening’s them of rustic romance.

Michonne looked around after Rick pushed her chair in. “You know what this reminds me of?”

“I certainly do.” Rick smiled as he took his own seat. “Our wedding.”

Rick and Michonne’s romance was the stuff of modern day fairytales. Their eyes met across a crowded room…actually a crowded playground where their kids were playing…and it was love at first sight. They’d each been hesitant to act on their feelings because they had both become single fairly very recently…Rick as a widower and Michonne as a divorcee…and they wanted to be sure loneliness and loss weren’t influencing their emotions. But every time they saw each other at the playground, it became harder and harder to walk away without saying something…doing something. Until, finally, their kids took the decision out of their hands.

Four years ago…

“Daddy! Daddy, meet my best friend, Andre!”

Rick looked up from his phone to see four-year-old Judith running towards him holding the hand of a little boy who looked to be her age. He recognized him instantly.

“Well, how do you do, Mr. Andre?” Rick bent down and held out his hand to greet the little boy.

Andre shook his hand with a giggle. “Good.”

“These big kids didn’t want to share the swing and they made me cry and Andre yelled at them and now he’s my best friend forever.”

Rick stood up and looked around. He made sure to always watch both Judith and Carl while they played. And Carl always stuck close to his younger sister as well. Today, Carl was at a friend’s house, so it was just Judith and Rick. He’d only put his head down briefly to read some texts from family and friends back home. They kept urging him to come back, especially his mother…who really wanted him to move back to their hometown with the kids…but he wasn’t ready for that yet.

“When did this happen, Judy?” Rick asked looking back at Judith.

Judith shrugged. “I don’t know, Daddy. A little bit ago.” She started swinging hands with Andre. “Can we go get cheeseburgers and milkshakes, Daddy?” Andre’s eyes lit up at the idea.

“Well, Mr. Andre, you do deserve a thank you for protecting my little girl. But where is your mother? She—“

Before Rick could complete his thought, he heard a voice yell out, “ANDRE! ANDRE ANTHONY!”

Michonne raced through the playground looking frantic until she came upon her son. She let out a breath at seeing that he was safe.

“Andre, you can’t just run off like that!”

Andre ran over to his mother. “I’m sorry, Mama.”

Michonne bent down to hug her son. Satisfied that he was okay, she finally looked up and noticed Judith…and Rick. Michonne stood slowly and her eyes widened when she saw Rick. They just stared at each other until Rick walked over to her.

“Ah, I’m sorry about this. Andre apparently saved my little girl, Judith, from some bullies and she wanted me to meet her new best friend.” Rick smiled. “I’m Rick Grimes.”

“Michonne Wil –“ she grimaced at almost using her former married name. “Michonne Richardson.”

Rick and Michonne shook hands and the moment their fingers touched, they knew what they felt when they first saw each other was real.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

Rick smiled as he knew exactly what Michonne meant by that statement. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, too.” He cleared his throat, suddenly nervous. “Judy wanted to thank Andre with some burgers and milkshakes. Would that be okay? My treat for the four of us.”

Michonne smiled and Rick felt his heart race. “I’d like that.”

Rick and Michonne spent the next few months after officially meeting settling into their feelings for each other and making sure their kids were fine with the changes that were quickly happening in their lives and with seeing their parents with new partners. But everything went smoother than expected and the three kids were soon wondering when they were all going to live together as a family. So, after a year of dating, Rick and Michonne got married in an intimate outdoor ceremony with their closest family and friends in attendance. Some of the best memories from their wedding were of them dancing the night away under the stars with their kids.

Present...

The entrance of the waiter with their grilled salad brought Rick and Michonne back to the present. The couple spent the rest of the evening enjoying their delicious hard work and doing something they hadn’t had a chance to in a long time…just spending time together.

As the evening officially drew to a close, Rick reached across and clasped one of Michonne’s hands. “I want to thank you for this. I love all the time we’ve spent with the kids lately, but I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed us having time alone.”

“That’s what this whole evening was about.” Michonne thought back to all that had happened during their cooking class. “But maybe a couple’s cooking class wasn’t the best way to spend time together.”

Rick shook his head with a laugh. “No, this was the most adult fun I’ve had in a while.” When Michonne gave him a look he continued. “I mean outside of the adult fun we have in our bedroom of course.”

“That’s not what that look was about. I’m surprised you actually had fun. The night was a bit of a mess.”

“It was but that’s what made it fun. Besides, we made some new friends. We cooked some good food. And the best part is I got to spend it all with you.”

“You really are the sweetest man in the world.”

Rick blushed at the compliment. “I don’t know about all of that, but I do know we should do this again.”

“You want to go to another couple’s cooking class?” Michonne asked incredulous.

“Oh, hell no. I meant we should do more stuff with just the two of us.”

“Okay. I think we can manage that.”

“But I would like to keep in touch with the folks from class…maybe have them over sometime.”

“Even Abe and Eugene?”

Rick looked over to the friends enjoying their meal. “Yes, even Abe and Eugene.”

“Just as I said…sweetest man in the world.” Michonne smiled at her husband. “You ready to get out of here?”

“Yeah. What do you want to do after we leave? It’s still early yet.” Rick knew exactly what he wanted them to do.

“Well, it’s Saturday night. The kids will be gone until tomorrow and we have the house all to ourselves.” Michonne tapped her chin as she pretended to ponder for a minute. “My oh my, whatever could we do?”

Glad they were on the same page, Rick jumped out of his seat and rushed around to help Michonne out of hers. “You get our doggie bag while I bring the car around. Oh, and see if Olivia has any extra lemon curd in there.”

“Why?”

“You acted like it was so good when you licked it off of your finger. I want a chance to see how good it tastes on the rest of your body.”

Michonne swallowed and nodded. “I’ll be back lickety split,” she said, employing one of Rick’s country phrases.

“Funny, you should say that, cause that’s exactly what I’m going to do to you when we get home.” Rick kissed a shocked Michonne and gave her gentle push into the direction of the restaurant.

Michonne looked over her shoulder and watched Rick walk out to the parking lot. When she turned around and spotted Olivia she took a page from Abraham’s book and yelled, “Lemon curd…STAT!”

Recipes

Grilled Stone Fruit Salad (A/N: stone fruit season typically starts in the US in late Spring but I liked the recipe so I used some artistic license to include it for March)

Roasted Dijon Chicken with Spring Vegetables

Lemon-Yogurt Crumb Cake

#richonne date night #richonne #richonnefics #rendezvous #date night series

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