When I come downstairs, he’s ready and waiting, and his eyes grow wide at the sight of me, making me blush hard enough so that my cheeks match the dress.
“Wow, kitten. You look incredible. You’ll steal the show no matter where we go,” he says, a broad smile on his face that pushes dimples into his gorgeous cheeks.
Dammit, this man makes my heart spin sometimes. More than sometimes.
I step next to him and let him take my hand, leading me towards the front door.
“I’ve booked us a spot at a place that is sure to impress,” he says, pushing the door open for me and not letting go of my hand until we reach the car.
“As long as they have things like beetroot puree and chickpea sauce on the menu, I think we’ll be in the right spot,” I joke.
“That sounds like exactly the type of menu we’re in for.”
Yulian is full of surprises.
He somehow managed to book us a table, but not justanytable—thebest table in the restaurant—at a place that usually has a six-month waiting list. We’re seated right at the window of the Crystal Castle on the top floor of the tallest building in the city. The views are insane, enough to spin my head a little as I lean too close to the window and vertigo teases me.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it,” he says, not looking at the view at all.
I smile, picking up my champagne glass and tilting my head to the side. “Everything really is beautiful. Thank you so much for this. I needed it.” I lift my glass and touch the lip against his.
It chimes softly. “To your very successful upcoming designs,” he grins. “And to you, for being as incredible as you are.”
He sips his champagne, and I giggle shyly.
“I mean it, Katerina. I don’t think you’ve ever had the opportunity to truly spread your wings and be yourself. And now that you have a glimmer of that, you’re already proving how incredible you are. I can’t imagine what magic you’d create if you had all the freedom in the world.”
My heart flutters at the thought. He’s right. This design studio he’s created for me is only a small beginning. Something I’m scared to lose. Something where I can’t even use my real name. Imagine if I were free to network and spread the word without worry.
“Well, I have you to thank for showing me that small steps lead to big things,” I say, my eyes catching his in the soft candlelight. It flickers on the table between us, and there are more shimmering lights around us. The romantic atmosphere is doing things to my heart as I stare into his eyes. Those dimples are set in his cheeks as he watches me.
“I wish I could give you more, Katerina. You deserve the world.”
His words touch deep inside me, rippling through me like hope.
Imagine if I married this man. Imagine what a beautiful life I would have.
The waiter arrives and starts telling us about the specials.
He talks about steaks and vegetables and the fish of the day, but when he tells us the lamb comes with a chickpea sauce, Yulian’s eyes dart to mine, and we both start laughing so hard we’re crying.
The waiter stands awkwardly waiting for us to finish, but we can’t stop.
Eventually, he mutters, “I’ll give you a moment,” and hurries away.
When I can finally breathe again, Yulian reaches beneath the table and places his hand on my leg, grinning madly. “I guess I know what I’m ordering. How can we not try that?” he says.
“Now if we can find that beetroot puree…then I’ll know what to order, too,” I giggle, wiping tears of laughter from my cheeks.
The entire evening, we’re full of inside jokes, quiet giggles, and subtle touches. At one point, he decides I’m sitting too far away, and he pulls my chair up against his. After that, his hand doesn’t leave my leg, and I rather enjoy the warmth of his palm against my thigh.
The night is magical. It’s happy, and somehow, I feel like we’re in a bubble, removed from all the drama that’s been going on. It’s just us, and it’s perfect.
My heart is happy, and I’m daring to let it be.
We eat lamb chops with chickpea sauce, and it’s surprisingly full of flavor. We eat lobster with butter sauce and roasted beetroot—it was the closest we could get to anything beetroot related—and it’s also incredible.
The food is plentiful, and Yulian orders us a few starters even though we don’t finish our main course, because he wants us to taste more things.
