Page 53 of Valentino

He chuckles. “You and me both.”

“You don’t cook?”

“I do but it’s really very…” he takes a sip of his wine and sloshes it round in his mouth, “…bad.”

I laugh. “I’m not much of a cook either.”

“Don’t ruin the fantasy for me.” He laughs and I laugh too.

Every now and then I get a glimpse of the friendship we once shared.

We fall silent and his eyes hold mine and as if having the same epiphany, he gives me a soft smile that reaches my bones.

It’s still there….

A buzzer sounds. “Dinner’s here.”

“Already?” I frown.

“Well, the restaurant’s two doors up and I get special preference.”

“How many nights a week do you eat from this restaurant?”

“More than I should.”

He gets up and goes and answers the door, and I hear him talking to whoever is delivering it. He arrives back with two big brown paper bags and begins to unpack it.

“What is all this?”

“Chicken piccata, salad and vegetables.”

“Smells delicious.”

A landline phone rings and the answering machine immediately picks it up, “Hi Val, it’s me.” a woman’s voice says.

He reaches over and immediately pushes the silent button.

He didn’t want me to hear that message.

“Who was that?”

“A friend.” He unpacks the bags without making eye contact.

“You’re seeing someone?”

CHAPTER FIVE

He shrugs as he begins to dish our meal onto our plates. “Yes and no.”

What?

I watch him. “More yes than no?”

“More no than yes.”

“Right.” I sip my wine, unsure what to make of this new information.

That’s why he wasn’t flirting back…he’s seeing somebody.