“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Out.”
“We are already out. How is that an answer?”
“It’s the only one you are getting right now.”
She huffed a quiet laugh. “You are being very bossy today.”
“Today?” I glanced at her. “That’s generous.”
She rolled her eyes but didn’t look upset. That, at least, was something. We stopped first at a place I owned, she didn’t know that, and I did not feel the need to tell her. I got out of the car and opened the door for her, leading her to the private entrance, which was sprinkled with minimal staff. Everything was clean and controlled, just the way I liked it. She sat across from me at the table, hands folded in her lap.
“This feels… expensive,” she said.
“It is.”
“You always take women to places like this?”
“No.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”
“I haven’t taken a woman anywhere in ages, Ilana.”
“So I am the only one?” she asked, studying me.
“Yes. And you always will be.”
The speed of the answer surprised both of us. Her mouth softened into something which was not quite a smile but came rather close to it.
“What am I to you, Avgust?” she asked.
“My wife.”
She didn’t ask anything further as I led her inside a private hall, which had nothing but a simple table decorated for us in the middle. I pulled out her chair, she sat down, and I took my place right in front of her. She looked around at the impressive size and beauty of the hall, which was adorned with expensive paintings.
“Did you book the entire hall for us?” she asked.
“I own the place. I can do whatever I want with it.”
Her eyes widened, but she didn’t say anything. The waiter came and placed our appetizers on the table before us. She looked at the food and dug in, but I watched as she did nothing but poke at the food. Plates came and disappeared, and most of her food went back untouched. It was concerning me.
“You don’t like the food,” I said, unable to ignore it any longer.
“It’s fine.”
“You need to stop saying that when it’s not true.”
She sighed, shoulders dropping. “It’s not the food.”
“Then what is it?”
She hesitated while I watched her argue with herself in real time.
“I don’t know how to be… normal,” she finally said. “After everything. I don’t know how to come back to life.”
“What happened to you wasn’t normal to begin with.”
