Chapter 9 Daniel
DANIEL
Claudia’s sudden urge to go on an adventure couldn’t have come at a worse time.
With Elliot still sensitive over what had happened a few weeks ago in his apartment, where I practically yelled at him for having a life of his own, I assumed he wouldn’t be pleased about me coming here with my wife—the wife he, thus far, had only heard of and never met.
With my stomach twisting with nerves, I opened the car’s door for Claudia and waited for her to step out before telling John to go and park the car.
After he drove off, I unwillingly turned to look at the small bistro.
Its wooden windows and Open sign that hung on the door often made me smile, but not today.
For the first time since coming here, I hoped the place would be closed.
“This looks cozy,” Claudia said while fixing her dress so it would fall down smoothly as she looked ahead.
“I told you it’s a small place.”
“This isn’t small, honey—it’s tiny. Anyway, let’s get inside. I’m starving.” She linked her arm with my elbow while waiting for me to take the first step.
I hate this.
Cold sweat broke out across my skin as I walked toward the door, my heart practically stopping once I opened it and the small bell announced our arrival. Typically, Elliot would poke his head out of the kitchen at this point. Hopefully, not today.
As usual, the place was empty, and it saddened me, considering it had so much potential if only for the right marketing.
“Are you sure they’re open?” Claudia whispered, a frown on her face, just as the kitchen door opened and out walked—
“Bonjour,” Elliot greeted before he looked up to see us.
Our stares quickly met, and his eyes shone with joy, only for it to wash off the second he noticed I wasn’t alone.
The shock on his face was like a punch to the gut, and I wished to turn around and walk as far away as possible from this catastrophe.
“Oh my, they really are French.” Claudia beamed while I tried swallowing down my growing panic.
Still not looking away from Elliot, I watched how he forced his lips into a small smile before walking toward us, his eyes moving from me to my wife.
“We would like a table for two, please,” Claudia said to my beautiful prince, who still seemed stunned by her presence.
“Hein?” His eyes then widened. “Oui, bien s?r. Euh, yes, a table for—” He held two fingers in front of him, and she nodded.
“Yes, please,” Claudia chirped.
Elliot quickly escorted us to our table, then offered us the menus after we took our seats. Claudia wasted no time before taking the menu from him, while I lingered for another moment. With his eyes locked with mine, I cleared my throat to catch Claudia’s attention.
“This is Elliot,” I said, voice calm.
Claudia looked up from her menu.
Feeling hot under her stare, I loosened my tie. “He’s the chef of this place.”
“That’s nice.” She turned to look at Elliot, who smiled at her. “My husband told me he comes here very often. I sure hope he isn’t a bother to you.”
Seeing Elliot’s growing confusion, I quickly translated Claudia’s words to him.
“God, do I love it when you speak French,” Claudia said after I was done, then glanced back at Elliot. “Good thing we have him, right?” She smiled while pointing at me.
“I am sorry. My English pas bon… No good.”
“Oh, honey, with a face like yours, nobody cares about what you have to say.” My wife rested her chin on her palm while studying Elliot with intensity. “Please tell me you’re a model?”
Elliot’s cheeks turned redder as he looked down at the floor.
“She’s a fashion producer,” I explained in French so he wouldn’t think my wife had just hit on him. “You don’t need to be embarrassed, Elliot.”
He looked up only to glance at me briefly before turning to Claudia.
“I am not model, just cook.” He pointed over his shoulder at the kitchen. “Work here, all day.”
“My God… That accent of yours,” Claudia gasped. “You’re so French!”
Well, of course. He is from France.
“Claudia, could we please just order—”
“Hush now, Daniel. I’m charmed.” Her eyes traveled back to Elliot as if she’d never seen such beauty before.
And while I agreed that Elliot’s features were, by far, striking, it still annoyed me that she also found an interest in him.
“How old are you, honey?”
“Dix-neuf.”
Claudia turned to me, and I sighed. “Nineteen.”
“Oh my, you’re a baby,” she cheered with a big smile on her red lips, unaware of what her words just did to me.
Elliot truly was young. But one glance at him was more than enough to let me know he didn’t enjoy this exchange of words, and I could understand why.
Assuming he was often treated as just a pretty face, especially after moving to a country where he couldn’t speak the language, it was no wonder he wore such a sour expression at the moment.
By only acknowledging his appearance, people reduced him to an object.
A beautiful object, yes, but an object nonetheless.
What bothered me even more was the redness in his eyes, as if he’d been crying.
Filled with worry, I snapped Claudia out of her ongoing mumbling and hurried her to order.
Thankfully, she followed along, and after consulting with Elliot about his favorite dishes, he took our orders and went back to the kitchen.
“Is he both the waiter and the chef?” she asked as soon as he was gone.
“On low-traffic days, yes. Unfortunately, this place doesn’t do so well.”
Claudia hummed while looking around. “It sure looks that way… what a shame.” Her eyes then returned to me.
“But seriously, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a beautiful man before, Daniel.
I work with models every day, but that guy?
Wow.” She leaned back in her chair and shook her head.
“His eyes, nose, jaw, lips… He has it all: symmetry, perfect skin, height, distinctive facial features.” She snorted.
“He’s every photographer’s dream, and I assure you that if I cast him in one of my shows, he’ll be a star overnight, honey. ”
I knew that. And that was one out of the many reasons why I didn’t want her to meet Elliot.
With Claudia’s help, he could start his modeling career today, which was something I wished to avoid.
Why? Because just like she said, he’d be an overnight sensation, meaning the whole world would admire him and not just me.
I knew this was an extremely selfish whim, but the idea of Elliot becoming famous and admired by other men annoyed me.
It awakened emotions I wanted nothing to do with, jealousy so strong and palpable it burned through me like fire.
Yet, despite those childish urges, it wasn’t my decision to make.
If Elliot wished to be a model, who was I to stop him?
And to be honest, I was surprised no one had scouted him until now.
The city was loaded with scouts, but to my relief, Elliot slipped under their radar. Or so he had, until five minutes ago.
“Do you think he’ll be interested?” Claudia asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“I’m sorry, what?”
Still looking at where Elliot disappeared into, she spoke. “In modeling. Do you think he’ll be interested in it?”
I locked my jaw, every muscle in my face tensing at her question.
“He has the looks for it, but if I’m honest, I think he’s too sensitive for that world.”
Claudia turned to look at me, her brows pulled close. “Too sensitive?”
A soft smile pulled on my lips just thinking about Elliot and his gentle soul—a guy who loved getting lost in the blueness of the sky.
“Everything is new to him here, and he’s so easily affected. In fact, just now, when you commented about his accent and age, he didn’t like it.” Noticing my wife’s expression, I frowned. “What?”
“You make it sound like you know him,” she said, and I realized I might have shared too much.
“We’ve had a few conversations when I came here before, and that’s the picture I got of him. We hardly know each other.”
“And yet, you care about him getting hurt.”
I tensed in my seat. “Why do you say that?”
She chuckled. “I’m just surprised my cold husband finally grew a heart.”
So that’s what this was all about.
“Cold?” I challenged her with a raised brow.
Reaching for her glass of water, she took a sip. “We all know you have an iceberg for a heart, Daniel. It’s why your father loves you. ’Cause you’re a cold bastard.”
I might have been a bit strict and calculated, but cold? Was that the impression I gave people?
“Don’t worry, I love you the way you are. Besides, I think Maya turned you softer,” Claudia went on, unaware she’d already lost me because now I wondered if Elliot found me cold.
Just then, he returned to the table with our entrées, and whatever he brought with him smelled absolutely divine. Claudia’s face nearly glowed as he placed a colorful plate of ratatouille in front of her, and my mouth drooled just looking at the dish.
“What did you say it was called?” I asked Elliot, in French, when he placed a bowl of rich stew in front of me.
“Bouillabaisse.” He pushed it closer to me. “It is fish,” he explained in English before turning to look at my wife. “Eat.”
He didn’t have to ask twice, and I quickly reached for my spoon.
As always, I was amazed by the taste of his food, which was medicine to my soul.
If I were a cold man, then Elliot, without a doubt, was the exact opposite.
He was warm and loving, and somehow, all of that was transferred into the food he cooked.
With my eyes closed, I took another bite, savoring every drop as if it were the last thing I’d ever taste.
It was an experience like no other, and I wondered how one person could be this talented.
“My God, this is so good!” My wife practically cheered with her mouth still full. It was cute, to be fair, and she covered her chewing with a napkin before praising Elliot more. “This is delicious, darling. You must give me the recipe.”
Elliot chuckled. “Recipe? Is l’amour.”