Aria looked around, wonder written all over her face.
"This is nice. Really nice."
"You sound surprised."
"I am, a little. I figured you'd take me somewhere... I don't know. More upscale?"
"Upscale restaurants have witnesses. People who might recognize us. This place?" I gestured around. "No one knows us here. No one cares. We're just another couple having dinner."
"Are we? A couple?"
I reached across the table, laced my fingers through hers.
"What do you think we are, Aria?"
Her face flushed. "I don't know. This is all so new. So complicated."
"It doesn't have to be complicated. Not tonight. Tonight, we're just Kai and Aria. No last names, no family business, no arranged marriages. Just us."
She smiled. That real smile that made my chest tight.
The waiter came. We ordered wine, pasta, too much food for two people. I didn't care. Wanted to give her everything. Wanted to see her happy and relaxed instead of scared and trapped.
The conversation flowed easily. She told me about the books she'd been reading, the sketches she'd been working on. Her dreams of going to college someday, maybe becoming a teacher.
"I know it sounds silly." She twirled pasta around her fork. "Given everything. But I used to think about it all the time before my parents died. Having a normal life. A job I cared about. Making a difference somehow."
"It's not silly." I squeezed her hand. "It's a good dream."
"What about you? What did you want to be before all of this?"
"Honestly? I don't remember ever wanting anything else. My father made sure of that. Started training me young. Made it clear that this was my destiny whether I liked it or not."
"But if you could choose now? If you could walk away from all of it?"
I thought about it. Really thought about it instead of giving her some bullshit answer.
"I'd want to take Lia somewhere safe. Set her up so she'd never have to worry about money or security. Let her live whatever life she wanted." I paused. "And I'd want you with me. Wherever we ended up."
Her eyes went wide. Soft.
"That's a nice fantasy."
"It's more than a fantasy. I'm working on making it real."
"Do you really think that's possible? Getting out? After everything?"
"I have to believe it's possible. Otherwise, what's the pointof any of this?" I moved my thumb in circles on her palm. "The thought of a future with you is the only thing keeping me sane right now. The only thing making all of this bearable."
"Kai..."
"I meant what I said this morning. I love you. And I know you're not ready to say it back. I get that. Our situation is fucked up and complicated and you barely know who you are outside of what your family trained you to be." I lifted her hand to my lips. "But I'll wait. However long it takes. Until you're ready. Until you're sure."
Tears gathered in her eyes. She blinked them back.
"I never thought my life would take this turn. Never imagined I'd be sitting in a restaurant with someone like you, talking about love and futures and impossible dreams. This is all so new to me. Overwhelming. But I appreciate your understanding. Your patience."
"You're worth waiting for."
