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“Lead the way?” I give him a smile and that seems to snap him back to reality, and we head out of the apartment.
Darian brings us to a restaurant in the heart of downtown that sits atop a newly built high rise, with the outdoor view of the mountains and the rest of the city.
We walk in, bypassing the front desk check in -to my confusion- and the hostess turns bright pink as she stammers, “Mr. Cathorn! Lovely to see you tonight, weren’t expecting you in but we will send a waiter to your table right away.”
I curiously watch the interaction between them. The hostess appears flustered, but Darian isn’t being intimidating or rude, he’s merely smiling at her kindly, “Not a problem, Sarah. We’ll get settled and enjoy the view while we wait.”
She nods and gives a slight bow, “Yes y-, Sir.”
Darian glances back at me with a smile that threatens to stop my heart where it sits in my chest as he extends his hand out. I slide my fingers into his palm, a static shock zaps our skin momentarily and jolt slightly, laughing as he leads me through the restaurant.
“So, is this a place you frequent often?” I probe, determined to learn more about Darian’s outwardly mortal but luxurious life.
“You could say that.” He smirks but stays focused on guiding me through the restaurant.
He glances back at me and I shoot him a glare, making him laugh a little harder as he holds a door open that leads to the outside patio seating.
“I own the building, including the restaurant within it and I employ everyone who works here.” He says softly near my ear as we make our way past tables.
That’s when I notice the waiters and waitresses pause to give him smiles or waves as we pass them.
My jaw goes slack, but I manage to keep myself from completely gaping.
“You own all of this and the jet?” I whisper to him incredulously as we get to a portion of the patio that has a single tablesurrounded by beautiful planters with vines encasing it to give it privacy, the opening displays a full view of the city below. There are soft lights weaved through the vines to give added ambiance and there’s a small propane fire in the center of the table.
“Stunning.” I breathe.
As the sun sets over the horizon and shadows encase the city, the lights of the buildings and streets get brighter, which only adds to the appeal of the sight. This feels like a dream.
I glance at Darian, and he’s staring at me with an unreadable expression on his face.
“Stunning.” He affirms quietly and my cheeks burn again.
He gestures to the table and my heart hammers in my chest when I realize my hand is still held in his. Releasing it with a smile before seating myself, eyes widening as he pushes my chair in gently for me.
Is he always this much of a gentleman or is this all a ploy?
Suspicion plagues my mind as the minimally kind gestures from Caspian threaten to ruin the moment.
Darian sits and must see the conflict on my face, “Would you rather go somewhere else to eat? I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable coming here, but the view is incredible and the chef’s are extremely talented.”
Considering him for a moment I laugh softly and drop my eyes to the table, “I’m not uncomfortable here. It’s just... the events up until today have simply made me question motives more than I ever have before. I don’t mean to offend you at all.”
I glance at Darian and his jaw clenches, but he nods, “I can promise you, the intent with tonight is just to have a beautiful view while eating good food.” There’s a slight twinkle in his eye as he adds, “Though, you’ll just have to judge the latter for yourself, I suppose.”
I chuckle and a waitress approaches our table with a genuine smile, placing a menu in front of each of us.
“Good evening, Mr. Cathorn! How are you both doing tonight?”
Darian smiles softly, tearing his gaze from me to the waitress.
“Hello Ilana, great to see you again. We are doing well, just flew in today so we are excited for a good meal and drinks. How is your husband doing since his surgery?”
Her face lights up as he mentions her husband, the tightness in my chest lessens.
“His recovery is going slow but well. He is doing physical therapy twice a week and needs additional testing monthly for the next 6 months before they reassess his progress. Thank you for asking.”
Darian eyes her for a moment and then nods once. “Let him know we’re thinking of him and if either of you need anything...”
