Chapter 10 Stella #2
“Troublemaker,” he said on a low growl just as the hostess called our names to let us know our table was ready.
We made our way to a booth on the far side of the restaurant. It had tall partitions at the top to provide more privacy. Dark-red walls mixed with artwork gave it a sleek but welcoming atmosphere.
We both slid in, facing each other, as the host put down our menus. I picked mine up and pretended to read it, even though I already knew what I would be getting.
When our waitress came, we ordered drinks and an appetizer to get us started.
“This place is so charming.” The entire space was so quaint and set up like a European storybook. “Pasta is my favorite food—well, anything Italian, really—but everything on the menu looks great.”
“Good. I’m glad you like it.” He gave me that megawatt smile again and my insides turned to mush.
“Thank you for agreeing to move this to tonight instead of tomorrow.” I needed him to know how important tomorrow was and that I wouldn’t have asked him to change it for just any reason. “Family Day is a big celebration with my parents, and I can’t really miss it.”
“Family Day?” Axel asked me and then paused. “Is that another weird phrase or American holiday I don’t know about?”
I chuckled at his assumption. “No. I mean, I don’t think so. I’m not sure many Americans even know that term. It’s used by families who adopt. It’s the day the adoption was finalized in court. The day their family was complete.” I told him that last part with air quotes.
“It’s also for the kids, too,” I added. “The day they got a new family. We celebrate every year and my parents go all out. Even now as an adult, they still treat it like my birthday or Christmas or any other big holiday. Here, I’ll show you.”
I turned to grab my phone from my purse, where I had intentionally left it so I wasn’t distracted during our date.
As I pulled up the photo to show him, Luna’s name appeared on my screen. I hit the ignore button and turned the phone to show him the picture of my parents and me from last year on Family Day.
“The picture went away because Luna is calling you,” he told me.
I turned my phone to hit ignore and then showed him the photo again.
“You are wearing a crown,” he noted with a small grin tugging at his mouth.
“Yeah, they got it for me on my first Family Day, and my mom brings it out every year,” I told him, smiling myself as I thought about how that plastic bedazzled crown barely fit my head, but she still made me wear it every year anyway.
The phone vibrated in my hand again, showing Luna’s name on the screen once more. A deep pit in my stomach started to form. Luna knew I was on a date with Axel—the same date she had been so excited for me to go on.
“You might want to get that,” Axel said, likely having seen her name on the screen as well.
“Sorry… She wouldn’t call me if it wasn’t important,” I told him before swiping to answer the phone.
“Hey, Luna. I’m with—” I began to say, but she cut me off.
“Stella, I’m so sorry to bug you on your date, but the security company called me because you weren’t answering your phone,” Luna said, and my stomach dropped.
“The smoke detectors and heat sensors were activated, so the company called the fire department. I pulled up the security cameras, and there was a small fire back in the kitchen before the cameras went out.”
“Oh God,” I whispered into the phone.
“I’m just pulling into the bakery now. I’ll call you as soon as I figure out what’s going on,” Luna said and then hung up the phone before I could respond.
I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at it as if trying to blink away what had just transpired and make it go away.
“What is wrong?” Axel’s voice broke through my fog.
I looked up at him, trying to get my thoughts together. “I have to go.”
I turned to see our waitress coming back, bringing our appetizer with her.
“Excuse me. I’m so sorry. Can we get our check?” I asked her urgently. “There’s been an emergency, and we have to leave. I’m so sorry.”
“Uh, sure,” she said, staring down at the appetizer. “I’ll box this up and bring you the check.”
I turned to Axel, my eyes filling with tears. Choking them back, I told him what Luna had said.
“Let’s go,” Axel said when the waitress was back with our appetizer, giving her cash and grabbing the to-go box.
He took my hand in his as we walked out of the restaurant in silence, my mind whirling with so many scenarios.
He walked to the passenger side and opened my door. There, he let go of my hand, only to cup my face instead.
“Breathe,” he said softly, and I closed my eyes, taking a moment to do just that.
I re-opened my eyes to see him staring at me with concern on his face.
“I’m gonna call Luna again on the drive there to check in,” I told him.
“Let her call you,” Axel said calmly. I tried to interrupt him, but he shook his head gently and spoke again. “You need to give her time to find out what happened. Once she has the information, she will call you back, or we will arrive there and you can ask yourself.”
I knew he was right, but it was hard to let the nerves go when all the worst-case scenarios were playing around in my head.
His hand curled around the side of my head, and he pulled me ever so gently closer to him.
I had about one second to realize he was going to kiss me before his mouth was on mine.
My lips sparked at the contact with his as he gently and slowly kissed me.
This wasn’t a deep-hunger-heat-of-the-moment type of kiss.
This was a distraction kiss. One to take my mind off what was happening, but in a good way.
He finally released my lips but only pulled back a few inches. “Feel better?” he asked quietly.
Maybe my brain was on overload, or maybe the kiss was so incredible that I couldn’t speak, but all I could muster was a few nods while I stared back into his intense eyes.
He guided me into his car, and we drove off. He had one hand on the wheel and his other connected with mine the entire drive to my bakery.
It was a small gesture, but the subtle support meant so much to me, and I knew I was going to need that support for what was about to come.