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“Lover’s special?” Amelia asked. “What’s that?”
“Ah, madam, the lover’s special is a very special course, the very best that Maison Blanc has to offer. Twelve courses, plus the finest of wines and the most decadent of desserts.”
“Sounds fantastic,” Alistair exclaimed. “I—we can’t wait.”
“Wonderful! Right this way.”
The maître d’ led the two of them through the small crowded restaurant to a candlelit booth near the back. Amelia slid in first while Alistair slid in behind her, leaving a small gap between the two of them to avoid making it uncomfortable for her.
“Wow, this menu is exotic.” Alistair read through the list of courses that they’d be served aloud. “Foie gras, escargots de Bourgogne, tete de veau. I can’t even pronounce these, let alone eat them.”
But Amelia was too distracted by something else, and Alistair noticed. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Looks like something’s bothering you.”
“I still can’t get over why Aunt Evelyne booked the lover’s special for us. I mean, it’s only our first date, and she’s already acting like we’re married.”
He shrugged. “I’m sure she means no harm. She just wanted us to have a nice night out, that’s all. But if you don’t like it, we can always go somewhere else. Burgers, maybe?”
“No, it’s fine. We can stay. I just don’t want to feel like we’re moving too fast.”
“Hey, Amelia.” He turned his body slightly and held onto her hands. The tingling sensation shivered up her body once more. “We can move as slow as you like. This… experience, or whatever you wanna call it—”
“Fucked-up situation?”
“That.” He smiled at her again, a look of comfort and compassion shining through his eyes as he did so. “This fucked-up situation is all new to me, too. I’m just as nervous as you are.”
“So, why’d you agree to her idea, anyway?”
He sighed. Then he paused and took a deep breath. “Amber.”
“Amber?”
“Yeah, Amber. She was my girlfriend. My girlfriend of seven years, to be exact. Until… until she got killed by a drunk driver one night.” He took another deep breath.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. It was my fault, anyway.”
“How?”
“Well, Amber was drinking at a party with some of her friends and called me to come get her, but I couldn’t because I was stuck at work. Long story short, she decided to get into her car anyway and, apparently, when two drunk drivers collide, it only ends in a fatality. I told her to just stay at her friend’s, but she started throwing a fit and insisted that if I didn’t come get her, she’d just drive herself.”
“I’m sorry,” Amelia said again, feeling awkward in the moment. “Are you okay?”
Alistair sniffled. “Yeah, I’m okay. And I’m sorry for unloading all this on you. Your aunt heard about my story from my mother and was only trying to pull me out of my slump and get me back out there. Mentioned that she has a niece also going through a rough time, and that we could either be happy together or sit in that slump together. Her words, not mine.”
Amelia chuckled. “Definitely sounds like her.”
“So, what about your situation? What’s your story?”
But she just shook her head. “I don’t really want to talk about it.”
“I understand.” He scooted himself closer to her. “If you ever do, I’m here.” And then he wrapped his arm around Amelia’s shoulders.
She didn’t fight it, and instead, leaned her head down against him. In that moment, it just felt right, and though she didn’t want to admit it, Amelia felt herself drawn closer and closer to the stranger beside her.
CHAPTER
FOUR
