Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Alba smoothed her hands down the front of her dress for what had to be the tenth time in the last thirty seconds.
It wasn’t even creased, she knew that, but her hands needed something to do.
She was going to turn around, walk straight back down the road, and pretend this night had never happened otherwise.
You’re not doing that.
She exhaled slowly, lifting her chin and catching her reflection in the glass of the restaurant window before she stepped inside.
The atmosphere hit her all at once, the signs of an evening in full swing, and for a split second, Alba felt completely out of place in it.
God, she felt as though she was stepping into something she wasn’t quite ready for.
Or maybe something she’d wanted for far too long.
“Good evening,” a server greeted her, offering a polite smile. “Do you have a reservation?”
“Uh, yes. Clifford.” Alba cleared her throat. “Table for two.”
The server nodded and checked the list before gesturing further inside. “Right this way.”
Alba followed, her heels clicking softly against the polished floor, but her pulse steadily climbing with every step she took. And then she saw her. Ellie was already seated, seemingly relaxed, one hand resting against the table and the other wrapped around a glass of water.
She was…waiting. For Alba.
God.
Alba slowed, her breath catching as an overwhelming warmth spread through her chest. She looked…
incredible and effortless in a way Alba didn’t think she, herself, could ever be.
Her hair fell perfectly, her posture was composed, but there was something different about her tonight, too. And she was looking right at Alba.
The second their eyes met, Ellie’s entire face changed. It softened and brightened…and then she smiled, and Alba knew she was done for. Completely. She forced herself to keep moving, even though her heart was pounding so hard that she was certain everyone in the room could hear it.
You’re actually doing this. You’re on a date with Ellie Hamilton.
She couldn’t quite believe it. She couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that Ellie was sitting there, waiting for her, wanting this, wanting…
her. And after everything, too. After Audrey and all the false starts…
the rules she’d built around herself just to stay safe.
Alba wasn’t about to ruin any of this. Not tonight, not ever, if she could help it.
Because she knew deep down that this mattered. Ellie mattered.
Whatever this was between them…she was going to protect it and nurture it. She was going to do everything she could to make sure it became something real and solid. Something neither of them would regret.
By the time she reached the table, Ellie was already standing.
“Hi,” Ellie said as she moved around the table. Her hand lifted and brushed against Alba’s arm as she stepped in, and before Alba could fully process what was happening, Ellie leaned in and kissed her.
It wasn’t a polite or public kind of kiss.
No, this one had weight and was full of intent.
It was also full of heat. Alba’s breath caught instantly, her hand finding Ellie’s waist as she leaned into it.
The world around them blurred, the low murmur of the restaurant fading into nothing as Ellie’s lips pressed firmly against hers.
Alba dipped her gaze as she drew back. “Hi.”
“Sorry,” Ellie murmured, a blush settling on her cheeks. “I’ve been thinking about doing that all day.”
Alba reached out and squeezed her hand. “Don’t ever apologise for kissing me.”
Ellie’s eyes darkened at that, something unspoken passing between them before she stepped back and pulled Alba’s chair out for her. “Sit. I’ve ordered a bottle of red.”
“You look amazing, by the way.” Alba watched Ellie from across the table, neither of them sitting yet.
Was Ellie thinking the same thing she was?
Was she also looking for the nearest exit so they could escape whenever they wanted to…
preferably in search of a hard surface and accompanied by a lot of moaning.
“Thank you.” Ellie did sit down this time, clearing her throat as she lifted her menu. “Good choice of restaurant…”
“It’s a favourite of mine.” Alba lowered herself into a chair, her pulse refusing to settle as her mind tried to catch up with what had just happened.
Because if that was how they were starting the night, God only knew where it was going to end.
“And now it’s the place I’ll always associate with our first date. ”
Ellie hadn’t stopped smiling from the moment Alba had joined her at the restaurant.
She’d tried to rein it in, to be a stable level of normal, and to not look like she was sitting across from the most captivating woman she’d ever met, but it was impossible.
Entirely impossible. Still, Alba had been great tonight.
She’s also done a decent amount of laughing along with Ellie.
And Ellie knew she would go home tonight and dream about it.
The sound of it and the way her eyes crinkled had heat flaring up Ellie’s spine on more than one occasion so far, but more than anything, she would never forget the way Alba kept leaning forward like she was genuinely invested in every word Ellie spoke.
You’ve really hit the jackpot here.
The wine had helped to take the edge off the start of their date, but not enough to dull anything she was feeling.
Thankfully, she didn’t want it to feel dulled.
Not a second of it. She swirled what was left in her glass, watching the deep red catch the low light of the restaurant before lifting her gaze back to Alba.
They’d been discussing Eloise for the last ten minutes, and for once, Ellie didn’t want to run out the door so she could go home and cry. Alba just made her feel a different kind of way when Ellie spoke about her daughter.
“I always used to make a big thing of her birthday,” Ellie said, her voice dipping without her intending it to.
Alba’s expression softened instantly, her attention sharpening in a way that made Ellie’s chest ache.
Not out of sadness…but out of admiration for Alba.
One day, Ellie had been going home alone, feeling miserable and hopeless…
and the next, Alba was in her life, showing an interest in everything that came out of her mouth.
“I’d take the day off,” Ellie traced her finger around the rim of her glass.
“We’d go somewhere…anywhere she fancied, really.
She changed her mind every year.” A small smile tugged at her lips.
“One year, it was the zoo. The next, it was a spa day because she said she was too old for animals.” Ellie laughed and shook her head.
“She was nine.” Alba smiled as she reached a hand across the table and settled it over Ellie’s.
“I think this year is going to be a year when I don’t spend it hiding. ”
Alba’s gaze didn’t waver. “That’s a big step.”
“It is.” Ellie nodded slowly. “I wouldn’t have even considered it not that long ago.”
“What’s changed for you?”
“You, Alba. You’ve changed me. You’ve held me together some days without either of us even realising it.
” Ellie dipped her gaze and smiled. “I don’t want to keep living that way.
When there’s an anniversary or a birthday, once Christmas rolls around…
I don’t want to sit at home in the dark, hoping nobody calls. ”
“I’m proud of you, Ellie.” Alba leaned in and kissed Ellie’s knuckles. “And if there’s something you want to do on those days, you say the word, and I’ll be available for you.”
“Maybe we should arrange to do something this year. Her birthday is next month.”
Alba grinned. “Yes. I’m in.”
Ellie lifted her glass and sipped slowly as she let her gaze drift across the restaurant. The moment she landed on a table in the corner of the room, she froze.
Susan and Jeanette…
Because why wouldn’t they be here? Why wouldn’t this perfect, fragile, and carefully built moment be interrupted by the two people Ellie least wanted to see right now? Ellie’s jaw clenched as she watched them, her posture straightening on instinct.
Don’t let it ruin this.
But it was already too late because Susan had seen her. Their eyes met across the room, and in that split second, Ellie saw the recognition, the curiosity, and the calculation brewing.
And then Susan rose to her feet.
“Oh, for God’s sake,” Ellie muttered under her breath, setting her glass down a little harder than she’d intended to.
Alba’s brows drew together. “What is it?”
Ellie didn’t look away. She just glared at Susan as she moved across the restaurant towards their table. “We’ve been spotted.”
Alba turned, following her line of sight. “Ah. Of course.”
Ellie exhaled, bracing herself for whatever was about to happen. If Susan wanted to know what was going on, she wouldn’t lie. She also wouldn’t put up with anymore shit being directed at Alba.
“Ellie!” Susan waved, her voice overly bright as she reached the table. “Fancy seeing you here.”
“Mm. Fancy that.” Ellie didn’t stand. She also didn’t smile. “Evening, Susan.”
A hint of uncertainty crossed Susan’s face as she glanced between Ellie and Alba. “This is a nice surprise. We should all do this more often outside of work. You know, having dinner with members of staff.”
“I’m on a date.” Ellie’s words landed cleanly between the three of them, her tone leaving no room for interpretation.
Susan’s gaze snapped back to Ellie, then to Alba, then back again as though she’d misheard. “I-I’m sorry?”
“I’m on a date.” Ellie leaned back in her chair, calm, steady, and completely unapologetic as she said, “With Alba.”
Susan’s face fell as the colour drained from it. “O-oh. I didn’t realise.”
“Well, it was nice seeing you anyway.” Ellie nodded towards Susan’s table. “You’d better get back to your friends. I’m sure you’ll have a lot to tell them now.”
Susan glanced around as though she was searching for something to say that would recover the situation.