I bit my lip and bowed my head so Lilian could put on the necklace for me, and as I walked out the door a few minutes later, I held the stone between my fingers, thinking of her.
Thought of Lilian’s words. Hell, even Enzo’s, minus the blowjob and condom talk.
Maybe I should make the most out of this… wild arrangement. Maybe that’s what Sandra would have wanted for me. Maybe it was her way of giving me some sort of guidance in an attempt to take back my life and do something with it.
12.Samir
Iweaved through myriads of people, mostly tourists stopping every few seconds to look or point at something new and exciting, and got to the Crown at eight on the dot.
The place was heaving, but I didn’t know what else I expected at the busiest time of the year. Hopefully with Elliot there would be enough hands on deck at the bookstore this season, and I wouldn’t need to find more last-minute help.
“You have a reservation?” a middle-aged blonde woman chewing gum asked me from behind the bar.
“Um… I think so,” I answered and looked to the left of the bar where all the diners were sitting, though I couldn’t spot the young man I was meeting.
My breath caught in my chest without warning, and I had to let out a long exhale to compose myself. Not that it helped any with the knot in my stomach that had followed me here all the way from home.
The woman kept staring at me as if she expected a better answer from me, and I decided to walk back out and get some fresh air before I collapsed from the unwarranted pressure.
Just as I pulled my phone out to message Cole, someone came to stand next to me, getting in my personal space for no apparent reason.
“Do you min—” I started but when I looked up, I found a pair of beautiful gray eyes staring back at me.
“Sorry,” he said, taking a step back as if he’d committed a crime, when in truth, him putting distance between us was the actual crime.
“Oh no. I didn’t—sorry, I didn’t see you. I was about to text you,” I told him and leaned in but realized midway that a kiss—even on the cheek—was way too familiar for strangers.
I offered him my hand instead when I noticed he’d also leaned in.
“Nice to see you again,” he said all formally when he grabbed and shook my hand. “I’m sorry I’m late. Were you waiting long?”
I checked my watch then raised an eyebrow.
“You aren’t late, and I just got here,” I told him. “I wasn’t sure if you’d made a reservation or not though.”
Cole smiled and brought his free hand up to scratch the back of his head, which made him look adorable.
Wait, was he nervous?
And am I still holding his hand?
I pulled back, mumbling an apology, and pointed inside.
“Should we?”
He nodded and opened the door for me, which felt all kinds of wrong considering our age difference, and I walked in.
The blonde woman looked at me again with narrowed eyes as if she expected a proper answer this time or else. Her colleague also turned to us. As did a few other patrons. Was everyone staring at us or was I imagining things?
Agh, Samir. What are you doing?
Of course people were staring. What was a forty-one-year-old doing out with a man half his age? I bet we looked like the oddest pair. And I probably looked like a creep. How had I not thought how weird this would be until now?
“What’s it gonna be then?” the blonde asked, and I opened my mouth but no sound came out.
Could I be more pathetic?
“I’ve got a reservation under Williams.” Cole stepped in front of me and approached the blonde woman.
