45. Chapter 44
Chapter 44
Alisha
D on’t spill anything.
It was incredibly hard keeping tonight a secret from Felix, as usually I’d tell him everything. But this, no I wanted it to be a surprise. Tonight, I was taking him on a reclusive date with Ophelia and Mira preparing our dinner and dessert for us.
Mira told me about this gorgeous park about twenty minutes away and we talked to the owners who agreed we could rent a small space for the evening. Mira and Ophelia had been so kind to chip in with their own money, which I refused at first, but they both told me they wanted me and Felix to have an amazing last night together, as we deserved it.
I remembered when Mira also pulled me to one side for a one on one conversation. I didn’t know if she was going to give me a drilling, to warn me that if I hurt her brother, I’d be for it. But the conversation had been a lot better.
“You love him, don’t you?” Mira asked me.
“I really do,” I told her honestly and this satisfied her. She wanted a happy ending for her only brother and I’d want to give that to him.
There was a nearby restaurant that had been happy to offer its utensils and stoves so that Ophelia and Mira could cook. The whole evening was planned to a T and now, sitting in Felix’s car, I was a bag of nerves, or rather a whole hurricane of them. I had to keep swallowing as my throat was getting dry and as we got closer and closer to our destination, my heart palpitated.
This was all for him and I wanted to have an incredible last night with him. I didn’t know when I’d see him next after leaving tomorrow. Maybe we’d make plans for the new year, he could come to see me and meet my family. The thought of this sounded wonderful. I imagined my mum would smother him in hugs but my dad would be slightly more reserved. Protective. My brothers—they would act like they didn’t care, but deep down they did. Kiya, well she’d be very happy and would want to be best friends with Felix immediately. I’d never been more set on a man meeting my family before.
Everything had really changed for the better, I was much more confident in myself. I had partly Felix to thank for that but I also owed it to myself, for persevering and stepping outside of my comfort box. It meant I now had the courage to try other things, maybe snowboarding next.
Finally, the satnav announced we arrived and I told Felix to park up near the park. He looked a little confused and I placed one finger on my lips, signalling my silence. Still wasn’t going to spill the beans.
“Take my hand,” I told him as we jumped out of the car and locked up. The street was quiet, a few people walking up and down it. The night was clear and crisp. I led us toward the iron gates of the park, which were left open and I was thankful there were a few lamps above the gravel path as we walked down it.
“I thought parks had to be closed after a certain time.” Felix walked at a steady pace beside me, and he still looked confused—bless him.
“Not this one,” I replied. I could see our table about a minute’s distance away. I knew Ophelia and Mira would have done a brilliant job setting it up. Finally, Felix clocked on and as we came to a stop in front of the table, his mouth gaped open.
“Surprise!” I exclaimed, holding my hands out in front of me to present.
“This is…so…” Felix couldn’t quite finish so I did for him.
“Romantic?” I smirked and Felix nodded. His eyes were full of adoration as he couldn’t look away from me and I couldn’t look away from him either until someone cleared their throat and I turned to see my two friends grinning, Mira holding two wine glasses and Ophelia holding the wine bottle. They looked adorable in their outfits, crisp, white shirts and smart black trousers with shiny shoes. They really looked the part and I needed to thank them immensely later.
“Sit down, lovebirds. We’ll be your hosts tonight. We hope you like what we’ve prepared,” Mira said and Felix was slightly shocked to see her.
“Mira, you’re in on this too? I thought you were at the markets.” Felix took his seat, still in disbelief, but he’d better believe it.
“Nope. You should know they’re not open tonight.” Mira placed the glasses down in front of us whilst Ophelia poured the wine into them. It looked like sparkling wine as she generously filled our glasses.
“My mistake.” Felix chuckled, picking up his glass and taking a slow sip. I did the same, relishing the coolness of the wine and the fizz bubbling on my tongue. Very refreshing.
“Sit tight and we’ll bring your main meals shortly.” Ophelia offered us a bow, which made me giggle as she was so serious about it.
“Looks like we’re going to tip the hosts tonight.” Felix leaned a bit forward in his chair, admiring the handiwork on the table, courtesy of his sister and Ophelia.
“Give them more than ten percent” I fiddled with my napkin, which had been folded into a love heart.
“Thank you for doing this. It’s very sweet of you,” Felix thanked me, reaching across the table to intertwine our fingers. Electricity shot through me as our skin touched, like always. I would spend another week here in Ischgl if I could but home was calling.
“I wanted to give you an amazing last night with me. I don’t know when I’ll see you again,” I said sadly.
“We’ll make plans for after Christmas. I want to be in your life, Alisha,” Felix told me, rubbing his thumb against my palm.
“I want to be in yours too. Felix, I—” I was about to tell him but was stopped by the girls reappearing with our food. Maybe I’d wait until the end of the evening, when we were completely alone.
“Bon appetit.” Ophelia placed my hot plate on the table and I gazed at what the girls had prepared for us. Salmon with cheese sauce, steamed asparagus with tomato and couscous. It smelt and looked delicious, I was almost about to dribble on my plate. Luckily, I had good reflexes. Salmon was one of my favourite fishes to eat and Felix’s too.
We thanked the girls and they left us to it. My fork sank into the salmon with ease, which meant that it was cooked just right. I had no doubt about my friends and their culinary skills but fish could usually be tricky to cook.
When I placed the first portion in my mouth, I moaned in delight. The cheese sauce complimented the salmon too.
“It’s very creamy and just the right amount of salt. Who do you think made the cheese sauce?” Felix asked me.
“I bet it was Ophelia, she loves her sauces and she’d have suggested it to Mira. If the main meal is this good, I can’t wait for dessert,” I said, placing another forkful of food into my mouth.
Fuck, this was so good. I’d hire them as chefs if they gave up their day jobs.
“Where are they doing all the cooking?” Felix looked around him, but it was only us two in the park. It’d be impossible to cook outside, especially with the chilly weather and possibility of flies and other bugs getting into the oil.
“They’re using a kitchen in a local restaurant, just a minute or two from here,” I said, just as I finished swallowing. I didn’t like to talk with my mouth full. It was unattractive, and I didn’t want to spew food on a table, or even on Felix.
“Very impressive. I think I’ll triple tip them, just hearing that.” Felix stabbed his fork into an asparagus, eating it whole. Me, I liked to cut mine up into smaller pieces. When it came to food, especially vegetables, I’d try to cut them down into smaller portions. The tomato though, I’d eat with no problem as it had a sweeter taste.
Our plates were completely clear by the time the girls came back and when they saw this, they exchanged proud looks with one another.
“For dessert, we’ve prepared a chocolate fondue, with strawberry and banana. We know how you both love chocolate.” Ophelia stacked the plates while Mira picked up our knives and forks.
“Chocolate is the best. I definitely have room for that.” I smiled at the creative duo. They gave us some privacy again, saying they’d be back in about ten minutes. It was enough time for the food to settle in our stomachs.
“What’s the first thing you’ll do when you get home tomorrow?” Felix asked me as he dabbed at his mouth with his napkin. Good question. There were so many things I needed to do but one was to give my cat Chou all the cuddles and kisses as I had really missed my furry friend.
“Well, I think I’ll order a takeaway once I’ve unpacked. Ophelia might stay over but then she’s got a lot to do at her own apartment. We don’t live that far from each other, so if she wants to stay she can,” I said, finishing the rest of my wine. The fizz had dissipated a little but it still tasted amazing.
“And then what about Christmas?” Felix continued. I’d spoken to him a bit about potentially my grandparents coming down from India but it hadn’t been confirmed yet by my parents. Mum would prepare the usual meal, a traditional Indian one. What I needed to do once I got home was pick out a saree to wear; last year, I had worn a dark purple one with an intricate lace design. This year, I was leaning more toward silk.
“I’ll go to my parents for a Christmas lunch and we’ll exchange presents with one another. Then mum likes to give out Indian sweets, rose cookies and nevris,” I told Felix, a smile painted on my face as I spoke about the traditions we shared as a family.
“Rose cookies sound delicious.”
“They’re very popular in South India, where my mum was born. It’s translated as Achu murukku. In Tamil, murukku means twisted and Achu means mould, so we use a flower shaped one,” I said.
“Which part of South India?”
“Thanjavur, in Tamil Nadu,” I said. I’d only been there once, about five years ago but a lot of tourists liked to go there, especially to see the Brihadisvara Temple. Mum had lived in Thanjavur until she was eighteen, from there she decided to attend university in the UK. She met my dad not long after, they were studying the same course and once they set their sights on one another, that was that. They fell in love quickly but decided to have a long engagement, to get to know each other’s families. Within two years, they were married. They didn’t want children straight away, so focused on their finances and building a home.
My mum’s parents visited more often than dad’s, so it was more natural for me to talk with them more.
“I’d love to go there with you,” Felix said and my heart softened. I loved hearing that he wanted to get to know my family more, my culture. I also wanted to get to know his family more too. I hadn’t managed to meet his cousins yet but they sounded like a laugh.
“The best time to go is between November and March. The temperature is not too bad then,” I said, running my fingers through my hair. I caught a waft of something sweet and turned my head to see Ophelia and Mira approaching with our dessert.
“Wow, look at that!” Felix exclaimed, sparklers were going off, planted inside the bananas. There was a medium sized pot of melted chocolate on the side of the plate and a helpful portion of strawberries. Mira handed us two sticks so we could stab the fruit with them and dip in the chocolate. It was really a nice touch and a simple dessert, enough to keep us sated.
“We hope you’ve enjoyed your evening. Please don’t forget to rate and review, as we’d like to do this again,” Mira joked, linking her arm through Ophelia’s.
“Five stars coming from me straight away, you’ve done well tonight girls.” Felix gave them a round of applause and I joined him, we probably looked like idiots clapping in the middle of a deserted park but that didn’t matter. I couldn’t be happier.
“Thank you,” I said graciously. I’d help the girls tidy up after eating the dessert and then we’d all head home. Well, I’d go to Felix’s to have one last sleep with him, and I didn’t mean sexually. I just wanted to hold him and fall asleep to the sound of his rhythmic heartbeat.
Me and Felix devoured the dessert and laughed until our stomachs hurt. As the date was drawing to a close, I wanted time to freeze so I could savour this moment. But time was a cruel thing, it didn’t stop for anyone.
Once we finished eating, we helped clear the table and Ophelia provided a box where we could store everything. The girls said they’d take it with them and let us get on our way. I’d pulled them both into tight embraces and thanked them again. I had the most amazing friends ever. And the most amazing man too.
Felix still wasn’t familiar with the route so needed to use the satnav on the way back and all throughout the journey, I gazed at him. I wanted to remember his gorgeous face, his five o’clock shadow, his full lips that I had pressed mine against many times and the way his biceps flexed whenever he moved his arms. I didn’t want to forget tonight.
I hoped there were many more nights like these in the future.