Chapter 28 Daniel
DANIEL
“I want, euh… soup, but no cream, s’il te pla?t,” Elliot said, eyes focused on the menu. “Oh, and… uh, no croutons,” he added before handing the waiter back the menu.
“I’ll have the Pomodoro, please,” I said, also handing him my menu. “And a bottle of your finest wine, please.”
After writing down our order, the waiter walked away, yet Elliot’s stare lingered on him.
“Doesn’t it bring back memories?” he asked, turning his eyes to me.
It sure did.
“I think I’m still full from that seven-course meal you cooked for me.”
“Please. It wasn’t even that much food,” he tsked.
He’s delusional.
Our waiter returned with the wine, and after presenting the bottle and giving me a taste, I approved, and he filled my glass.
“I sure miss your cooking,” I admitted, not minding the waiter, who now filled Elliot’s glass.
“I miss it, too…” Moving his eyes to the waiter, Elliot thanked him before the guy placed the bottle on the table and left us. “Honestly, I don’t think I’ve cooked for what… a year?”
My lips curved in displeasure. “Well, that’s a shame.” I then thought of his order and asked, “Why did you only order soup?”
Elliot pulled a pack of smokes from his pants pocket and placed it on the table.
“I don’t like to eat a lot in the evening.
” Taking one cigarette out, he used his lighter to light it before wrapping his lips around the tip and taking a deep inhale.
“It’s making me sleep bad,” he said after blowing out the smoke.
“And smoking doesn’t?” I grimaced, not happy with this bad habit of his.
He took another drag before waving his hand around us. “Everyone here smokes.” Another puff. “Besides, we asked to sit outside so I could smoke.”
True. But even though we had a beautiful table right in one of Milan’s hidden alleys, and the guests around us also poisoned themselves with those damn cigarettes, it didn’t mean Elliot should have done the same.
“Merci,” Elliot told the waiter, who’d just placed an ashtray on our table, along with some bread.
Ignoring the waiter, I focused on Elliot’s stunning appearance.
Somehow, he’d gotten even more beautiful since I’d last seen him face-to-face.
I did manage to catch a broadcast of a new jeans commercial he was in, but nothing matched seeing him in the flesh.
Since NYC, he’d gotten a haircut, and now, with his dark hair slicked back, defined clean-shaven jaw, and sharp blue eyes, he looked like a movie star from Hollywood’s golden age.
It was funny to compare this Frenchman’s beauty to one of America’s classics, but it was hard not to with him looking like he was just pulled out of an old Western.
“You’re staring,” he said, making me smile.
“Oh, am I?”
“Mhm-mhm.”
Pleased, I grabbed a bun from the basket, tore a piece off, and popped it into my mouth. Making sure to chew the bread with a smile, I continued to stare at Elliot, who held both his wine and cigarette in the same hand.
Taking a drag, he then blew the smoke out and shook his head. “I still can’t believe you’re here.”
Neither could I, but last Saturday, I was struck by such longing that I had to ask my secretary to book the flight.
“I told you I missed you on the phone, didn’t I?”
“You were horny.” He placed his wine down but kept the cigarette. “Men say a lot of things when they’re horny.”
“And how would you know?”
Leaning back on his chair, he brought the cigarette to his lips. “I am a man, too, aren’t I?”
Curious to hear more, I leaned forward. “I see. So does that mean you’ve told lies?”
Also getting closer, he leaned on his elbows, so now our faces were only mere inches apart.
“Never. Unfortunately for me, I’m incredibly honest.”
“Honesty is a good thing,” I said and snatched the cigarette from between his fingers, only to put it out in the ashtray.
“And yet, I am the one getting the short stick,” he said in English, and while his accent made me swoon, as he was adorable, the essence of his words saddened me.
“When I told you I missed you, I meant it.” Covering his hand with mine, I squeezed him tight. “That’s why I flew nine hours to be with you.”
Elliot glanced down at our joined hands. “So why are we wasting time in a restaurant instead of being in bed?” He looked up. “Tomorrow, I’m leaving for—”
“For the Amalfi Coast.”
Confusion formed on his precious face.
“Y-yes.”
“To shoot a commercial for a new cologne?”
He nodded, his brows drawing closer. “How do you know?”
“Well, there’s no commercial, but there is a suite booked for three nights.”
His mouth fell open. “Daniel, you did not!”
I couldn’t stop the smile on my face from growing bigger until it hurt my cheeks.
“I might or might not have arranged a short vacation for us under the pretense of work.” Thanks to my ties, I managed to pull it off without arousing anyone’s suspicion.
I told Claudia I was here for a car show, while Father was too busy with the new cocktail girl in his gentleman’s club to ask any further questions beyond where I was going.
I knew lying to my entire family wasn’t ideal, to say the least, but despite what Elliot thought, I hadn’t come here for sex.
“I can’t believe it,” he whispered in a soft voice, and the look he had in his sapphire eyes was probably my biggest accomplishment. Yet.
“Well, you better, because we have a flight in the morning,” I said as I leaned back in the chair. “And thankfully, your new car will be waiting for us there.”
“My new car?” His eyes widened. “No… Daniel! You didn’t—”
“If I came here for a car show, at the very least I had to buy a car to make it believable,” I tried defending myself when he shook his head.
“I don’t even have a driver’s license!”
“Really?” I frowned.
“Yes, really. Why would I need one?”
I scratched my jaw. “To drive around, obviously.”
Crossing his arms, he shrugged. “I have people to drive me around.”
My brows immediately snapped together. “What people?”
“All kinds of people.”
“What does that even mean—”
My jealousy was cut off by our food arriving: my pasta and his soup.
Spreading a white napkin over my lap, I cleared my throat. “Obviously, we’ll need to get you your driver’s license as soon as you’re back in the States.”
“Why? You can be my driver there.” He kicked my leg under the table, and I looked up to see his smirk. “You already were once, remember?”
Of course I did, and the memory of that day made me realize how far we’d come. And the fact that we were now here, together, despite all of my mistakes, was a wonder at best.
“How about ice cream for dessert?”
Elliot’s whole face lit up. “Will you order vanilla again?”
“Only if you’ll get chocolate.”