“What’s your favorite color?” Her mundane question makes me smile and tilt my head. I don’t think anybody has ever asked me this question. This just shows me how fucked up my life has been.
“Red. And yours?” I ask her.
“Same. Uhm, what movies do you love to watch?” More of this usual shit, I guess. But I answer gladly because I could listen to Lana for fucking hours.
“I usually watch true crime documentaries. My favorite isDeadly Women.”
“Oh my God!” Lana squeals. “Mine too! Okay, okay. Do you like cooking or going to restaurants?”
“Most of the time, I don’t have that luxury. But I can make a mean burek,” I answer with pride in my voice. Making burek is something widespread in Bosnia, but to me, it means everything. Lana senses my hesitation to speak and reaches across the table and takes my hand.
“Hey, is everything okay?” she asks as I squeeze her hand.
“Everything is more than fine.” I kiss her hand to let her know that I will always be fine if she is with me. She lets my hand go and listens to me.
“I’ll elaborate. My mother taught me how to make burek, and it’s one of my favorite memories of her.”
“That’s so sweet. Do you miss her?”
“I do, very much. Anyways,” I say in a slight dismissive tone because talking about my mother makes me sad. And I don’t want to be unhappy with Lana.
“Any more questions, little hummingbird?” I ask her, and she blushes.
“Well, how do you know where I am? Like, at all times?” Her question makes me lick my teeth with my mouth closed. How honest should I be? I hate liars, and I am never one to shy away from talking about what I do.
“Do you want the truth?” I ask her.
“The truth is always honest.” Touché. I lean back in my chair and answer her question as truthfully as I can.
“I started the car dealership business all by myself because I wanted something to do besides my main business.”
“How does your car dealership manage then without you?”
“I have managers and employees who take care of day-to-day business.” She nods approvingly and keeps on listening to me. Her eyes pleading.
Fuck, she wants the truth. And because I plan on keeping her, she needs to know aboutthatother side of me.
“I think we should talk about the rest in my apartment.”
“And who says I am going with you?” She crosses her arms, daring me to say something. I like a challenge, and I am accepting hers. I wave over the server and ask for the check. Once I pay for dinner and give him a fat tip, I stand up and go over to her.
I tower over Lana, and I stretch out my arm.
“Because I said so, little hummingbird. Get up, you are about to see that I’m not a man to be trifled with.”
21
Lana
I take his hand and stand up like it’s a mechanism at this point. His hand feels amazing in mine, and I shouldn’t be feeling like this.
Ecstatic.
We barely have time to grab our coats, but I insist on doing it because I’m sure they are expensive.
“Where is your apartment?” I ask him as he drags me outside. We are outside, and it’s even colder now because it’s nighttime. The parking lot is abandoned, and we are the only ones here.
“So, where?” I ask him again because M hasn’t even looked at me since I asked him the question. I thought that he would have opened the door for me, but he does none of that. He spins me around and pins me against his car.
