Chapter 15
Julien
When we reach the restaurant, I drop my smoke, step on it, and snag Romeo’s hand.
He looks twitchy as hell. I thought he was finally getting comfortable with all this.
His reaction to wealth only pushes me closer to him.
Instead of jumping on all the money, he withdraws from it.
Yeah, he took it, but he fucking deserves it.
We step inside the quaint restaurant, and Romeo is scanning the entire place, standing closer to me. In fact, he’s holding onto my wrist with his free hand.
“People are staring,” he says close to my ear as we step up to the host stand.
I look around, and sure enough, the older couples are scrutinizing us. I’m not sure if it’s because we’re so young or that two guys are holding hands.
“Fuck ’em,” I whisper and smile at the lady behind the podium. “I have a reservation for two. Julien Kendrick.”
Usually, there’s a waiting list to get into this place, so I used my stepfather’s influence. He’s taken clients here before. Screw him. He owes me.
They seat us at a table for two, and Romeo reluctantly lets go of my hand. He sits down, hunches into himself, and stares at the table.
“Are you okay?” I ask him.
“Everyone’s watching us. I feel like they can see through me. I hadn’t really cared at the beach as much, but I feel like I’m part of some… freakshow.”
“They aren’t anymore, and they have no way of knowing. Besides, there’s nothing wrong with what you do.”
Our server steps up to our table and asks us what we’d like to drink, but I ignore him for a second. “We don’t have to stay, baby. Would you like to go?”
With a deep breath, he sits up straighter and shakes his head. “No. I just need to stop making this about me.” Before I can argue, he orders a root beer.
“I’ll have a bottle of your finest cabernet, two glasses, and some water.”
The man nods and walks away to get our order. I’ve been to other restaurants where they eye me dubiously as if I’d order everything on the menu and run without paying. Maybe he wouldn’t have been so professional had Romeo not thoroughly covered the bruises on our faces.
“He didn’t card you,” he whispers, leaning forward.
I wink at him. “It’s all in the confidence you convey to others.
I’m good at masks and hiding what’s going on inside me.
” God, it really is easy to talk to him.
It just spills out of me as if I have no filter.
I’ve told him more about how I feel and my life than I’ve told anyone else, perhaps because this is all temporary.
I lift my menu, but peek at Romeo over it while he looks at his. “You look gorgeous,” I tell him.
He finally smiles and relaxes. “Thanks to you.”
“You’re always gorgeous, which has nothing to do with me, but the suit looks fantastic on you.”
“You’re so handsome, too.”
“Thanks, babe.”
I’m not sure about all the pet names. While I want to belong to each other, I can’t let my plans be derailed. Last night after sex and early this morning was proof enough of that, and I can feel that it’ll only get worse the more I experience from here on out.
I nearly ended everything this morning. It was fucking suffocating. And right when I thought it was over for me, out walks Romeo with his sweet comfort, bringing me back from the brink.
“I don’t know what to order,” he whispers again, looking around to make sure no one heard him.
“Don’t worry about that. Dinner here is about the tasting menu. You have the foods listed, so you know what’s going to be served, but you won’t be ordering.”
His brow scrunches as he reads the menu again. “Oh, that’s a lot of food. I don’t even know what half of this is. Like, what is k-kin-med-dai?”
It’s hard to remember that he has no education whatsoever. He’s so insightful that it’s easy to forget. “Kinmedai is a type of fish. It’s bright red. But these dishes are about little tastes. Think of them as fancy snacks, so you shouldn’t get full. It’s all about the experience.”
“Oh, okay.” Romeo sets down his menu and rolls his shoulders, trying to relax.
“We don’t have to stay,” I reiterate.
“No, I want to experience this with you. Truly. I just feel… stupid.” He picks at his chipping black nail polish before catching himself and sitting on his hands.
Fuck it. I stand, lift my chair, and sit next to him. I take his hand in mine, and he smiles with relief. Romeo is the first person I’ve ever known who calms down with a mere touch. Hell, he does the same for me.
“You’re not stupid. That bastard kept you from learning, but you are definitely not stupid.”
His pretty eyes look at me with worship. There are no other words to describe it. They’re big, filled with longing and desperation—maybe because it’s something I’ve always wanted to feel about another person.
“Thanks, Sugar.”
I kiss the top of his hand right when our server brings us our wine, water, and Romeo’s soda.
He goes over the planned plates of the evening in detail before leaving us alone.
As the evening wears on, he grows more and more relaxed until he’s eventually enjoying his meal. In fact, he takes several pictures of the fancy dishes and several of us together.
Romeo doesn’t like everything they serve, and he’s especially skeptical of the sashimi with orange and fennel because the fish is raw. I remind him that he had raw fish with the ceviche for lunch. He finally tries it, and his face lights up.
Eating at a high-end restaurant wasn’t on my list of things to do when I first made plans. This was entirely for Romeo’s benefit, since I’ve been to many amazing restaurants over the years. Not to mention, we had a personal chef at home.
Watching Romeo explore and eat new things has me experiencing the meal with fresh eyes.
The last thing to be served is dessert. Instead of using the tasting menu, I specifically ordered their gourmet cupcakes. I think Romeo will like them.
There are four on a beautiful plate, sitting in the middle of the table.
Each cupcake is small and wrapped in gold foil.
They’re lemon and almond flavored, sprinkled with lemon zest, and topped with a homemade chocolate ball dusted in pastel-colored powdered sugar.
The balls are filled with lemon curd and raspberry preserves.
“Oh, these look too pretty to eat.”
To prove him otherwise, I peel away the gold wrapper and take a bite of the cupcake. When I finish it, I pop the chocolate ball into my mouth, bursting with lemon and berries.
Romeo watches me, completely enthralled.
He reaches for one and takes off the wrapper.
After he takes a bite, his eyes explode wide, and the smile on his face is huge.
“Oh my god,” he says with his mouth full and a little too loudly.
“Sorry… Wow, this is the best cupcake I’ve ever had.
We had cupcakes once for one of the boys.
It was his birthday, I think. Most of us don’t even know when we were born.
It was chocolate and dry, but I liked the sugar. ”
I fucking hate that he hasn’t even had a decent cupcake until now.
We finish the dessert, and I wave to the server for the check. After I receive it and pay for the meal, I ask Romeo, “Want to see how much it cost?”
“Uhm, okay.”
It’s not to show off how much the meal was, but to put it all into perspective and for fun.
I suddenly recall that my dad used to do that.
Whenever we went out to eat, he’d wink at me and ask me to guess how much the meal was.
It had all been a game to me, but in retrospect, he was teaching me the value of money.
“How much do you think dinner was?” Dad asks.
“Five dollars!” I yell. He laughs and ruffles my hair.
“Close, it was actually $267.”
“Wow!”
I’m not sure why the sudden memory hits me deep within my core.
It’s such a simple thing. Perhaps it’s the joy.
That feeling of happiness that fills you.
I was so young back then. I had moments when I was genuinely happy.
God, I wish I could remember his face. I don’t even know what happened to all his pictures.
“Guess,” I say as we leave the restaurant hand-in-hand, and give the ticket to the valet to retrieve my car.
He stares up at the stars in the sky and thinks. “Hmm, it had to be expensive for sure. Let’s go with $350.”
“Higher.”
His dark brown brows shoot to his hairline. “Oh… uhm… $500?”
“Almost a thousand, including the tip.”
His jaw falls to the ground right when the valet pulls the car up to us. “I think I’m gonna be sick. That’s so much money.”
“It is. I didn’t tell you to make you feel bad. It’s just to show how much the wealthy pay for food. Fucking crazy, right? I don’t normally eat like this, not even when I was living at home. Not this expensive, anyway.”
“Then why did we eat here?”
“Didn’t you like it?”
“I loved it, actually.”
I kiss the top of his head before leading him to the passenger side of the car. “Then it was completely worth it. Seeing you have fun, try new things, and enjoy yourself was completely worth the cost, Romeo.”
I rush to the driver’s side as the valet opens my door. I climb in, start the car, and peel out.
“Next stop…” I say vaguely.
“Where to?”
“It’s a surprise, and not nearly as fancy as dinner.”
We hold hands while I drive. I keep glancing at him while he stares out the window, the city blowing by us.
The window is down, and cool air blows back his silvery hair.
His eyes are closed, but I can see his face enough to notice the small smile on his lips.
Then he turns his head and smiles bigger. “Thank you for this.”
“You’re welcome, baby.”
What a rare experience to find someone who appreciates you and the things you do for them. There aren’t any expectations, demands, or manipulations. Romeo is simple, raw, and honest in all he does. He’s not only beautiful on the outside, but he’s beautiful on the inside.
He’s exactly what I need before all this is done.