Chapter 16
“You hungry?” Cristie asked as she pulled out of the parking lot of the furniture store an hour later.
“Oh, I can always eat,” Remi said.
“I don’t know what Mom made, but we can go there and get something to eat, or we can just stop on the way home.”
“Or we could just go to the restaurant,” Remi said.
“You know, I love everything Richie makes. But sometimes I just want something different, something that we don’t have.”
“Anything in mind?” Remi asked.
She glanced his way as she drove down the street. “Ever had Middle Eastern food?”
“I’ve had Falafel,” he said.
“Falafel is one of my favorites. I love Middle Eastern food! You want to share some?” she asked. “They have all kinds of things. I usually get a meal, and a sampler to get a taste of everything.”
“Sure, I’m game,” he said.
A few minutes later they were pulling into the parking lot.
As they got out, Cristie’s eyes caught a view of all the bags in the backseat, and the rolled up throw rug stretching from the front seat into the back.
She knew the trunk was stuffed with bags of new things for Remi’s house, too.
“You know what? It’s getting late, and we still have to put all this stuff away, and you have to get up early tomorrow after having gotten up early this morning.
Why don’t we just get the food to go and eat it while we put all this stuff where it belongs? ”
“I don’t want to disappoint you. We can eat here,” Remi said.
Cristie shook her head. “No, let’s just get it to go. Come on, let’s go order more than enough food to go.”
Remi smiled at her and followed her into the restaurant that looked much like an Arabian home in the Middle East with its sandstone appearing outer walls, and arched windows. The second they stepped inside it was apparent to Remi that Cristie ate here often.
“Ah, Miss Cristie! How nice of you to join us!” a man exclaimed, coming around the host stand to briefly hug her. “Your favorite table is available. We are just cleaning it up after our last customer.”
“Thank you! But we’re just going to order some things to take home. I didn’t realize how late it had gotten and we’ve been at work all day, and shopping all evening, and still have lots to do at home.”
“Of course, of course. Is this your husband? I hadn’t heard that you’d married?” the man asked.
“Oh, no. I’m not married. This is my friend from childhood. We’ve been friends since we were three or four years old. This is Remi. Remi, this is Amir. He owns the restaurant. He and his family run it together.”
“Mr. Remi, how very nice to meet one of Miss Cristie’s friends. Please, take a look at our menu, and choose whatever you’d like. I will make sure it’s prepared right away so that you can be on your way,” the man said.
“Thank you, Amir. I’m pleased to meet you,” Remi said, accepting a menu from him.
He glanced down at it. “I’ll leave the ordering up to you,” Remi said.
“You sure?” Cristie asked.
“Yep. As long as you order lots of everything, I’m good.”
“Have you never tasted the foods we offer?” Amir asked.
“I’ve only ever tried Falafel. And I love it, but I’ve never tried anything else.”
“If you will allow me, I’ll prepare a feast for you that includes all of our most popular dishes,” Amir offered.
“Sounds okay to me,” Cristie said, looking at Remi for confirmation.
“Me, too.”
“Please, make yourselves comfortable. Have a seat or feel free to walk around and enjoy our decor. It will be only a short while and I’ll have your food ready to go.”
“Thank you,” Cristie said warmly.
Cristie walked around the restaurant, guiding Remi behind her by the hand as she pointed out some of her favorite decorations in the restaurant.
She smiled and spoke animatedly, nodding and pointing and taking a few minutes here or there to tell him what she liked about certain things, but he really hoped she didn’t ask him any questions about all she’d tried to share with him, because he hadn’t heard a single word she’d said.
All he knew was that she held his hand and smiled and chattered happily to him.
In what seemed so little time, the host from the front of the restaurant was back, handing them three large bags.
“I’ve included Moussaka, baba ganoush, shwarma, dolmas, kibbeh, and manakish.
For dessert you have kunafa. I’ve also included a few packets of your favorite of our secret blend of mint teas so that you can make a fresh cup or two when you get home. ”
“Thank you so much, Amir. I really appreciate all you do to always make me feel at home here.”
“Then I have been successful in welcoming you,” he said, holding her hand in both of his.
“We’re going to get ourselves home and unload all our purchases and enjoy this delicious food,” Cristie said.
“You must both return to share a meal with us when you can stay for a while and be pampered!” he said, leading the way to the register. He rang them up, then stood at the door waving as they drove away.
“So, what do you think?” Cristie asked as they drove away.
“I think he’s very friendly, maybe to a fault. And that he adores you. And if you don’t hurry, you’re going to eat whatever is left because I’m just going to start eating my way through these bags. I cannot believe how good this food smells!”
“I know! Isn’t it crazy?!”
“I don’t even have to be hungry, I just have to think about what it smells like and I’ll find myself sitting in their dining room salivating.”
Remi laughed. “I completely understand.” He opened a bag and pried the top off of one of the containers, pinching off a little of what looked like a ball of some sort, rolled in greens.
“Hey! Don’t you eat all those stuffed grape leaves!”
Remi’s eyes fluttered as he chewed and reached for another. This one, though, he didn’t eat, he held it up to Cristie’s lips for Cristie to accept.
She opened her mouth and he placed it on her tongue.
Her lips closed around his fingers, and his heart skipped a beat.
She moaned softly as she bit into the stuffed grape leaf. “Oh my God, that’s amazing.”
Remi swallowed, his focus on her profile.
She glanced his way, smiling at him, praying that he didn’t smell the sudden rush of desire that swept through her at the taste of his skin on her tongue. She didn’t plan to taste him, it just happened, and now she couldn’t get it out of her head, and her body was thundering in need.
“It is. Quite amazing. I know I’ve never ever smelled anything like it.”
“Middle Eastern food gives the best aroma,” she said, her voice shaky.
“Second best, it gives the second best,” Remi said, forcing himself to look away from her since she didn’t seem to want to address the flush of need that had suddenly taken over her every cell.
He knew that his fingers touching her lips, and her tongue had been an accident, but she’d reacted just the same as though it had been intentional.
If she thought he might have scented her, she could be embarrassed, and the last thing he wanted was to make her feel embarrassment of any kind.
“So, when we get to your place, we should hurry up and unload everything, so we can eat while it’s still hot,” Cristie said.
“I say you start unpacking the food and getting plates and forks and all, and I’ll start bringing everything in. We don’t have to put everything where it belongs tonight. The furniture won’t even be here for a couple of days still.”
“That’s a good plan. You always did make good plans,” she said, smiling at him.
~~~
Cristie pulled her car up as close as she could get to Remi’s front porch, and quickly got out. “Getting the food inside,” she said, gathering the three bags and preparing to go inside.
“You’ll need this,” Remi said, fishing the key out of his pocket. He leaned over the seats and held it out toward her.
Cristie shifted one of the bags and took the key from him. “See you inside.”
Remi watched her let herself into his house, then took his time getting all the bags out of the back seat and taking them inside and dropping them right inside the door before going back out and getting everything from in the trunk as well.
When he entered his house the second time, Cristie had laid out the meal on the coffee table, complete with tall glasses of ice waiting for the tea she was brewing in the kitchen.
There were bowls and platters of food across the coffee table, with a plate for him on one side, and one for her on the other.
Serving spoons sat tucked on each of the platters and large bowls, with forks and spoons for themselves on each plate.
She’d even laid out several of the thick folded paper napkins Amir had included beside both of their plates.
“Wow, it’s a feast,” Remi said.
“It so is. We’re almost ready to start. I’ve got the tea steaming. I cheated a little. You’re supposed to pour boiling water over the tea leaves and let it steep for seven minutes before sweetening and pouring over ice. I didn’t want to wait that long. It’s in the microwave.”
Remi laughed. “I’d go microwave every time.”
The microwave pinged letting them know it was finished, and she half-danced to the kitchen like a school girl to get it. “I hope you love this tea. I love this tea. I always say that when I get my own place, I’m going to keep this in the fridge instead of the usual southern sweet iced tea.”
“Amir said it’s mint?” Remi asked, stealing a stuffed grape leaf and popping it into his mouth.
“It is, but it’s ever so subtle. You sweeten it with a touch of simple syrup, just a touch. And there’s something about when you pour it over ice and when you sip it, you get a little warmth from where it was brewed here and there, along with the chilled parts from the ice. It’s soooo good.”
“Well, stop telling me about it and let me try it,” he said, flopping down at his place at the coffee table.