“What?” I ask, feeling rather breathless as he takes my hand.
Rafe pulls me closer and kisses the side of my neck. “I almost wish we didn’t have reservations. I’d be perfectly happy with room service right now.”
“Well, I wouldn’t.” I shove him playfully. “I don’t know when I’ll ever get to dress up like this again, or have a world-famous chef prepare a dinner especially for me.”
Rafe sighs.
“Well then, Princess, I suppose we better get going.”
* * *
The atmosphere at 21 Royal is surprisingly mellow. It feels more like having dinner in someone’s beautiful, private home than having dinner in a restaurant. A butler serves us classic cocktails in cut-crystal tumblers upon arrival. We wander out onto the balcony to enjoy the drinks and some light snacks while the chef puts the finishing touches on our custom-crafted meal.
“I hope you’re hungry,” Rafe says, poring over the menu. “There are a lot of courses.”
“I’m starving,” I say, thanking my lucky stars that I have been blessed with the ability to eat a lot and have an unusually fast metabolism. This is my lucky day. “Tonight, I want to taste everything.”
“I love that you have an appetite.” Rafe takes one of the hors d’oeuvres off the small plate on the table and feeds it to me, then pops a second one in his own mouth. I close my eyes at the flavor explosion.
“That was intense,” I say, moaning a little. “Fig and I think ginger chutney? Sheep’s milk cheese? So good.”
Rafe swirls the ice in his cocktail. “The night is young. We’re just getting started.”
When the food arrives, it is served on gold-rimmed dishes at a table laid with sparkling-white linens. I can’t help eating just past the point of being full, as well as drinking past the point of being sober. Each course comes with a perfect wine pairing. But it’s a pleasant fullness. A delicious buzz. Decadently delicious. Every whimsical morsel seems to have been crafted to surprise and delight. I am a bit sad that Naomi isn’t getting to experience it. But not terribly so. I love having Rafe all to myself. His attention is complete and unwavering. We dip effortlessly in and out of conversation, talking and tasting together.
Every so often, Rafe touches me. A brush with his knee. A playful dab with a napkin. A hand on my bare shoulder.
By the time dessert arrives, we have to ask them to pack it up to be taken back to the hotel. Our waiter asks us if we want to retire back to the balcony to view the light show over the water.
“I wish my mom was here to see this,” I say, gazing out at the colorful explosion of lights, doubled in the reflections over the water. “She really would have loved this.”
“My dad loved everything Disney, too,” Rafe says with a smile. “The movies, the music, the parks. Every time we came to the US, he had to come. He was so excited when my sister moved to LA. It was perfect for him. I think he’s probably having a great laugh that you got my mother to dress up for our visit.”
“She wasn’t a fan?” I ask.
“Not as much as he was. But I think she likes coming now because the park holds so many memories.”
“I hope your dad and my mom are both watching,” I say impulsively.
“Oh, for sure they are,” Rafe nods, pointing at Tom Sawyer’s Island. “I think that’s them up in the tree over there. They have even better VIP seats than we do.”
And then we both stop watching the show because we’re making out.
* * *
The suite is silent and dark when we tiptoe our way back in. Naomi has hung a “Do Not Disturb” sign on her closed door.
Rafe backs me up to the table, dropping the bag of dessert on the surface. It falls over.
“Careful with that,” I say. “I’ll probably be starving again in a few hours.”
Rafe nibbles on my earlobe. “Want to take that bath now?”
“Actually …” I hesitate, slipping my fingers up his chest, undoing the top buttons of his shirt. “I was thinking about taking a shower in the grotto?”
The wine has made me bold. Or maybe it’s this awareness that the clock is about to strike midnight. Or, more accurately, 6 a.m., which is when the driver is picking me up to take me back home to Ephron and my real life.
Rafe, Orly, and his mom won’t be flying back till tomorrow night. They are spending a day visiting with his sister.
