Chapter Eleven
Alfie
The food at Vito’s was just as good as Jonathan had said it would be, but I was more interested in the man sat across from me than what I was eating.
From the moment I’d seen him round the corner I’d been short of breath, and nothing had changed since we’d sat down.
Jonathan looked stunning, and I couldn’t stop myself from staring.
I’d been worried he wouldn’t like the flowers, or that they’d be too much, but they’d been too beautiful to resist because their colour reminded me of the lipstick he’d been wearing the first time we’d met.
The same one he was wearing tonight.
I kept having to resist the urge to lean over and kiss him, because I didn’t want our first kiss to be something quick and awkward over a restaurant table.
I wanted it to be something we’d both remember, and one I’d spend the rest of the week dreaming about whenever I was up to my eyeballs in ice cream and Milo’s ever more ridiculous plots.
“Have you had a chance to do any painting recently?” Jonathan asked as we finished off the arancini and bruschetta, both of which had been delicious. I was glad he’d been open to sharing because I was sure I’d have had food envy no matter which one I’d ordered.
“No,” I said with a shake of my head. “I’ve not even managed to unpack properly yet. Half my army is still in its carry case from the last tournament.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m assuming the shop has swallowed all of your time?”
“Yeah, and it looks like it will be that way for at least the next few months. Although we did draft a job advert for some seasonal staff today and I think Darcy is going to post it on our social media tomorrow. It’s going on a jobsite too.
I’m not sure what sort of response we’ll get but we’ll see.
” I tried to smile and not think about how exhausting my life would be if we couldn’t find anyone to help out.
The sudden burst of hot weather coupled with the influx of half-term tourists had helped us meet every goal we’d had for our first week and more.
But it had also made the three of us realise how wildly unprepared we’d be if this pace continued throughout the summer.
Darcy spent ninety-five percent of his time in the kitchen, starting so early and finishing so late that I was genuinely concerned for his health, but if we were busy there was no way for me or Milo to help him.
And although we stayed late too, with Milo forcing Darcy to sit down and eat something while standing over him, it wasn’t sustainable.
“If you need a hand, I don’t mind helping out,” Jonathan said with a smile that felt the sun bursting through from behind a bank of cloud.
“We’re closed at the weekends, so I could come down then.
My job is people-facing, so I’d be fine serving customers.
Then you or Milo would be free to help Darcy out. ”
“I can’t ask you to do that,” I said, reaching across the table for his hand because I loved holding it. “You need days off, you can’t give up your free time for me.”
“You don’t have to ask. I’m offering.” He squeezed my hand gently and interlaced our fingers together on the polished wooden tabletop. “I don’t know how good I’ll be, but if you need an extra pair of hands, I don’t mind. At least until you get some more staff in.”
“Are you sure? It’s very noisy sometimes. And I’m not saying that because I don’t think you can handle it, I just don’t want you to force yourself into an uncomfortable situation for me.”
He glanced away, looking out of the window at the cobbled street outside where a few people were walking past. Luckily it was nobody I knew, and I was still surprised that neither Darcy nor Milo had made some terribly disguised appearance at the next table, complete with fake moustaches, oversized glasses, and bucket hats.
Although Milo’s actual moustache and mullet meant he’d be recognisable just about anywhere.
“I’m sure,” he said. “If I have a task to do, then I think I’d be okay. And if not, maybe I could help Darcy? I’m good at following instructions.”
“You are too perfect,” I said, stroking my thumb across the back of his hand. “Stop it, you’re making me look bad.”
He chuckled and glanced back to me as our waitress appeared to clear the table and ask if we wanted any more drinks. After she’d left, I added, “Let me talk to Darcy and Milo tomorrow, and you think about whether you’d really be okay with it.”
“Okay.” He nodded. “I’ll check with Laurie too and see if he minds. I doubt it, but it’s polite.”
“Sounds good,” I said with a smile as I tried to wrap my head around what Jonathan had offered. He didn’t need to do that at all, but he had and I didn’t know why. All I knew was that I was so fucking lucky to have met him.
And that I wanted to kiss him more than anything.
The conversation moved on as I asked Jonathan about his progress on his Angel Eater, which I was dying to see in person, and we talked about the minis we wanted to paint, the dream additions to our armies, and the armies we wanted to collect and build in the future if we ever had the time, money, and space.
The rest of our food arrived, and once again I was so glad we’d decided to share because both the pizza and the cannelloni looked fucking heavenly.
I sliced the pizza in half and turned the plate so Jonathan could reach his portion while we talked about other tournaments we’d been to, and as we ate, we started taking a deep dive into the lore of Sword & Flame, sharing our favourite bits and comparing fan theories.
I’d never met anyone I could nerd out with in this way, so I hardly noticed the time passing. We ate and talked, ordered pudding and talked even more, and suddenly it was dark outside and we were nearly the last people left in the restaurant.
“Oh,” Jonathan said, looking around with a startled expression. “I didn’t realise how late it was.”
“Me neither. I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun.”
“I feel a little bad though. I shouldn’t have kept you out so late if you have to get up early again tomorrow.”
“I’m glad you did,” I said as I flagged down a member of staff to ask for the bill. “I really needed this.”
“The food or the distraction?” he asked with a small, sly smile. His lipstick had faded as he’d eaten, becoming more of a soft, deep stain, but to me it still looked perfect.
“Both, but the best thing about it has been the company.”
He flushed slightly and my heart skipped.
I knew our time this evening was coming to a close, but I desperately wished there was a way I could stretch it out.
I toyed with the idea of asking him back to mine for a cup of tea, but I didn’t want him to feel obliged or like it was an expectation of more.
“This is my treat,” I said as the waitress put the bill down on the table in a little black folder. I flicked it open, surprised at how little it cost for such good food, then reached into my trousers for my wallet.
“You don’t have to do that,” Jonathan said quickly. “We can split it. Or I can pay!”
“No, I want to treat you,” I said firmly. “And if you want, you can pay for the next one.”
“Deal.” He grinned and bent down to scoop up his flowers. “We’ll have to figure out another time for me to distract you. Maybe next Wednesday again? Unless you’re free before that?”
“What about Saturday?”
“Won’t you be tired from work?”
“Yes, but that’s a given whenever we go out,” I said. “And I don’t want to wait another week to see you again.”
“You won’t if I help out at the shop,” he said as the waitress produced a card machine for me to pay and asked us if we’d enjoyed our meals, which we had. I could see us coming back regularly and probably ordering the same thing every time.
“I wouldn’t really get to see you though,” I said as we stood and walked towards the door, stepping out into the cooling night air. There was a fresh breeze coming in off the sea, bringing some relief from the stifling heat of the day, and I took a deep breath as it washed over me.
I turned to face Jonathan, hoping I could ask for a kiss before we parted ways but before I could open my mouth, he gestured towards the direction he’d come from and said, “Would you like to walk back with me? I know it’s a little out of your way but maybe we could have tea?
I could show you the Angel Eater too, if you wanted to see her. ”
“That would be lovely,” I said, sliding my hand effortlessly into his as we began to walk up the cobbled street to the middle of Heather Bay.
Our conversation continued as we walked, and I’d never met anyone who was so easy to talk to.
We shared so many of the same interests, liked so many of the same books and films, and both hated those toxic people in fandom spaces who always tried to put other fans down, one up them, or correct them in the most rude and condescending way possible.
As we reached the top of the hill, I realised we were closing in on the church that sat there and a neat line of small, stone terraced cottages around the edge of the churchyard.
“This is St. Michael’s,” Jonathan said as he steered me towards the cottages, heading for the one on the far end with a black door and a hanging basket outside filled with black and purple flowers. “And this is my house.”
“It’s so cute.”
“Thanks.” He pulled his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door. “Would you… would you like to come in?”
“If you’re sure,” I said. “I don’t want to overstep.”
He smiled, and there was a flicker of heat in his eyes as his lips quirked. “You’re not.”
“Okay then.”
I stepped through the door after him into a comfortable, cosy-looking sitting room.
Jonathan had mentioned the cottage was rented and therefore decorated in nothing but cream and beige, but he’d put up a lot of pictures to cover the walls.
There were also quite a few bookshelves that were almost overflowing, as well as a comfortable-looking grey sofa with a crocheted blanket over the back and some cushions with bees printed on, and the TV in the corner had several tall candles sitting next to it on a dark, polished unit.
Following Jonathan’s lead, I slipped off my shoes, then lost myself in looking around the room as he ducked into the kitchen to put the roses down and I heard the sound of the kettle being filled.
My heart was racing and I could barely hear myself think over the sound of my blood pounding in my ears. I desperately wanted to kiss him, but I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable in his own house.
But the smile he’d given me when he invited me in… did he want this as much as I did? All I could do was hope.
“Would you still like tea?” Jonathan said, appearing in the kitchen doorway. “I have decaf and peppermint if you want something without caffeine. I think I’ve got some camomile too.”
“Decaf would be amazing, thank you.”
He turned away and my feet carried me towards him before I’d thought it through. “Wait…” My hand caught his and his eyes met mine, a flush decorating his cheeks. “Before that… Can I…”
“Yes,” he said, stepping closer to me until I could see all the details of his face in perfect clarity. He was so beautiful I didn’t even know how to put it into words.
“You don’t even know what I was going to ask.”
“Yes, I do.” Without his shoes he was the tiniest bit shorter than me, but I barely had to tilt my head. “You were going to ask if you could kiss me. And you can. Because I want to kiss you too.”
I smiled and leant forward, nudging his nose with mine before gently pressing a slow, sweet kiss to his lips.
Time seemed to slow down and stop, as if the universe wanted the two of us to savour this moment. As if it knew this was something important we needed to remember for the rest of our lives.
Then Jonathan put his hand on my chest and gently grasped my shirt, pulling me closer as he deepened the kiss.