And the atmosphere inside the restaurant is immaculate. The restaurant’s interior glows with low amber light, all exposed brick and dark wood softened by flickering candles. The air is rich with the scent of truffles and wine, the kind of place where silence feels intimate, not empty.
But tonight, I’m not staying silent, I want to talk to Lana.
“So, Lana, how are you?” I should start easy.
“I’m good. Work has been a lot, though.”
“You work two jobs, right?” She nods with a sullen look. My little hummingbird is probably thinking about her asshole boss at the diner, and her other asshole boss at the hotel where her other job is as a server. Her boss’s face from the diner flashes inmy mind, and that familiar feel of doing some vigilante justice is kicking right in.
“I do. It’s so I can pay the rent and for food. Basically, to live.” I want to wire her a couple of million euros, but I think that would be too forward. Not that I give a shit about that, but Alina has made it clear that I should first get to know her. And I want to keep Lana by my side forever.
The truth is, even if she ran away, I would find her and bring her back to my house.
“…it’s hard, you know?” Fuck I didn’t hear what she had to say.
“I’m sorry,duso moja, what did you say? I was zoned out,” I apologize as I take a sip of my white wine.
“Don’t worry, I didn’t anything much of importance.”
“Everything you say is important.” Her cheeks are turning a cute shade of pink, and I’m happy that I did that.
“What were you thinking about anyway?” she asks me. Before I can answer, the waiter brings us our food. I ordered steak with mushroom sauce, and Lana did too. I think we like the same food.
“I was thinking about your boss.” My answer catches her off guard, and she stops her fork midway to her mouth.
“Why?” Her question is innocent, and it's something I’m debating, to be honest. Alina and Irfan told me that I need to be honest. I cut into my steak and take a bite.
“Because he has been harassing you. Is he not?” When I look at her, she is blinking rapidly. Fuck, I made her nervous.
“He is just being himself. But I don’t want to talk about him tonight. Please?” I set down my cutlery and reach for her hand.
“Of course,duso moja. So tell me, what do you want to talk about?” I retrieve my hand and continue eating.
“I want to talk about you. You seem like you know so much about me, but I know nothing about you.” I chuckle nervously because I don't know what she wants to know. I nod at her.
“So, M, what do you do for a job?”Which one?
“I’m a businessman. I have many car dealerships around Europe, Asia, the US, and so on.”
“That sounds interesting. Why cars? Sounds fire.” Nobody has ever asked me that.
“I’m a mechanical engineer by trade, actually.”
“That’s so cool! Where did you study?”
“Mechanical engineering at MIT. The man who dropped your presents off today is someone I met in college, along with his friend Josh.” She laughs a bit, probably thinking about the presents Oliver brought.
“He seemed nice enough.”
“So you found Oliver nice?” The teasing tone in my voice is unwavering. She picks up her wineglass with her left hand and takes a sip without taking her eyes off of me.
“Yes.” So this is the game we are playing now?
“You’ll be punished for that, little hummingbird,” I promise her. She leans forward, resting her hand underneath her chin. The playfulness evaporates from her face, and she takes a sharp intake of breath. Lana is fucking enjoying this.
“How?” Hook, line, and sinker. I set down my fork and knife, and I lean in.
“You’ll see.” With that she’s frozen in place. “Is there anything else you’d like to know about me?” My question snaps her out of whatever trance she is in, and she leans back, finishing off her dinner.
