Ah. When I’d said I’d make it easier for her, she must have assumed that I was leaving. That I would let her fears about my mother’s opinion deter me.
But I had no intention of giving up so easily.
I strode back to the table and stopped beside Laila.
‘Excuse me, but I saw you from across the room and I could not leave without introducing myself. My name is Gabriel. Gabriel Marceau. You look very beautiful tonight and I would love the opportunity to get to know you better. Would you do me the honour of having dinner with me?’
Laila’s mouth closed, then opened then closed again and she blinked several times as if she was trying to process my question.
The silence stretched for seconds, then what felt like several minutes and hours, but I did not care.
Other diners in the restaurant started to stare and even Claude looked at me and made a gesture to ask if everything was okay.
I gave him a firm nod.
If I had to stand here until tomorrow for Laila to reply then I would do it.
‘Just dinner,’ Laila said. ‘That’s it. And only because I’m hungry and I’d prefer not to eat in this fancy restaurant alone. But after that, I’m calling Juliette. And I’m speaking to Claude.’
‘Dinner sounds perfect,’ I said, sliding back onto my seat. ‘You did not tell me your name.’
‘You know what my n…’ she started, before pausing. ‘It’s Laila.’
‘Enchanté.’ I smiled. ‘It is a pleasure to meet you.’
8
LAILA
This was a mistake.
Every fibre in my being told me that even sitting at the same table as Gabriel was wrong.
If I was really hungry, I could just order room service or go to McDonald’s.
Anythingexcept having dinner with my best friend’s freaking son.
Yet here I was, doing it anyway.
What the hell was wrong with me?
When Gabriel had asked if I would have spoken to him if he approached me at a bar, my first thought was that the chances of that actually happening were practically zero considering I didn’t go to bars any more.
But my second thought was that in the unlikely event that I did and a man like him asked me out, after I’d checked for hidden cameras to be sure it wasn’t a prank, my body would be screaminghell, yeah.
When he’d left the table and I thought he’d gone for good, part of me believed it was for the best because then I could just forget the whole thing had happened and I wouldn’t have to tell Juliette.
But if I was being completely honest, my stomach also sank a little because I was disappointed.
Not just because of how he looked (the man was agod), but also because he was right: Ididused to really enjoy our conversations. So when he returned, I was kind of relieved.
And when he said that he thought I was beautiful, I know I shouldn’t have, but I swooned a little. I couldn’t remember the last time someone had called me beautiful and meant it.
Maybe never?
I wasn’t counting the workmen who wolf-whistled and called every woman who walked by building sites ‘gorgeous’ or ‘sweetheart’.
When Gabriel looked into my eyes, he really seemed like he meant what he said. And he seemed genuinely happy to see me like somehow he knew I’d be here. That’d be impossible though.
