Chapter 20
MIf somebody told me a year ago that I would be on a date with the most gorgeous woman in the world, I would have had that person admitted to a psychiatric ward. I can’t believe my luck.
And the atmosphere inside the restaurant is immaculate. The restaurant’s interior glows with low amber light, all exposed brick and dark wood softened by flickering candles. The air is rich with the scent of truffles and wine, the kind of place where silence feels intimate, not empty.
But tonight, I’m not staying silent, I want to talk to Lana.
“So, Lana, how are you?” I should start easy.
“I’m good. Work has been a lot, though.”
“You work two jobs, right?” She nods with a sullen look.
My little hummingbird is probably thinking about her asshole boss at the diner, and her other asshole boss at the hotel where her other job is as a server.
Her boss’s face from the diner flashes in my mind, and that familiar feel of doing some vigilante justice is kicking right in.
“I do. It’s so I can pay the rent and for food. Basically, to live.” I want to wire her a couple of million euros, but I think that would be too forward. Not that I give a shit about that, but Alina has made it clear that I should first get to know her. And I want to keep Lana by my side forever.
The truth is, even if she ran away, I would find her and bring her back to my house.
“…it’s hard, you know?” Fuck I didn’t hear what she had to say.
“I’m sorry, duso moja, what did you say? I was zoned out,” I apologize as I take a sip of my white wine.
“Don’t worry, I didn’t anything much of importance.”
“Everything you say is important.” Her cheeks are turning a cute shade of pink, and I’m happy that I did that.
“What were you thinking about anyway?” she asks me. Before I can answer, the waiter brings us our food. I ordered steak with mushroom sauce, and Lana did too. I think we like the same food.
“I was thinking about your boss.” My answer catches her off guard, and she stops her fork midway to her mouth.
“Why?” Her question is innocent, and it's something I’m debating, to be honest. Alina and Irfan told me that I need to be honest. I cut into my steak and take a bite.
“Because he has been harassing you. Is he not?” When I look at her, she is blinking rapidly. Fuck, I made her nervous.
“He is just being himself. But I don’t want to talk about him tonight. Please?” I set down my cutlery and reach for her hand.
“Of course, duso moja. So tell me, what do you want to talk about?” I retrieve my hand and continue eating.
“I want to talk about you. You seem like you know so much about me, but I know nothing about you.” I chuckle nervously because I don't know what she wants to know. I nod at her.
“So, M, what do you do for a job?” Which one?
“I’m a businessman. I have many car dealerships around Europe, Asia, the US, and so on.”
“That sounds interesting. Why cars? Sounds fire.” Nobody has ever asked me that.
“I’m a mechanical engineer by trade, actually.”
“That’s so cool! Where did you study?”
“Mechanical engineering at MIT. The man who dropped your presents off today is someone I met in college, along with his friend Josh.” She laughs a bit, probably thinking about the presents Oliver brought.
“He seemed nice enough.”
“So you found Oliver nice?” The teasing tone in my voice is unwavering. She picks up her wineglass with her left hand and takes a sip without taking her eyes off of me.
“Yes.” So this is the game we are playing now?
“You’ll be punished for that, little hummingbird,” I promise her. She leans forward, resting her hand underneath her chin. The playfulness evaporates from her face, and she takes a sharp intake of breath. Lana is fucking enjoying this.
“How?” Hook, line, and sinker. I set down my fork and knife, and I lean in.
“You’ll see.” With that she’s frozen in place. “Is there anything else you’d like to know about me?” My question snaps her out of whatever trance she is in, and she leans back, finishing off her dinner.
“What’s your favorite color?” Her mundane question makes me smile and tilt my head. I don’t think anybody has ever asked me this question. This just shows me how fucked up my life has been.
“Red. And yours?” I ask her.
“Same. Uhm, what movies do you love to watch?” More of this usual shit, I guess. But I answer gladly because I could listen to Lana for fucking hours.
“I usually watch true crime documentaries. My favorite is Deadly Women.”
“Oh my God!” Lana squeals. “Mine too! Okay, okay. Do you like cooking or going to restaurants?”
“Most of the time, I don’t have that luxury. But I can make a mean burek,” I answer with pride in my voice. Making burek is something widespread in Bosnia, but to me, it means everything. Lana senses my hesitation to speak and reaches across the table and takes my hand.
“Hey, is everything okay?” she asks as I squeeze her hand.
“Everything is more than fine.” I kiss her hand to let her know that I will always be fine if she is with me. She lets my hand go and listens to me.
“I’ll elaborate. My mother taught me how to make burek, and it’s one of my favorite memories of her.”
“That’s so sweet. Do you miss her?”
“I do, very much. Anyways,” I say in a slight dismissive tone because talking about my mother makes me sad. And I don’t want to be unhappy with Lana.
“Any more questions, little hummingbird?” I ask her, and she blushes.
“Well, how do you know where I am? Like, at all times?” Her question makes me lick my teeth with my mouth closed. How honest should I be? I hate liars, and I am never one to shy away from talking about what I do.
“Do you want the truth?” I ask her.
“The truth is always honest.” Touché. I lean back in my chair and answer her question as truthfully as I can.
“I started the car dealership business all by myself because I wanted something to do besides my main business.”
“How does your car dealership manage then without you?”
“I have managers and employees who take care of day-to-day business.” She nods approvingly and keeps on listening to me. Her eyes pleading.
Fuck, she wants the truth. And because I plan on keeping her, she needs to know about that other side of me.
“I think we should talk about the rest in my apartment.”
“And who says I am going with you?” She crosses her arms, daring me to say something. I like a challenge, and I am accepting hers. I wave over the server and ask for the check. Once I pay for dinner and give him a fat tip, I stand up and go over to her.
I tower over Lana, and I stretch out my arm.
“Because I said so, little hummingbird. Get up, you are about to see that I’m not a man to be trifled with.”