“It is rather nice, isn’t it? Although, the most beautiful thing here is sitting just opposite me.”
Alianna felt her face flush as she set her bag by her feet.
“Wine?” She asked, picking up a drinks menu.
“Wine. I can even ask if they’d put a strawberry on the rim of the glass, just for you.”
***************
Three courses, one shared bottle, and a small plate of macaroons later, Alianna felt as if her cheeks were hurting from laughing this evening.
“You actually fell off the horse, into horse poo?”
“Yes. It was a miracle I ever decided to try and ride them again. Thankfully, our stable hands - ”
“Wait. Your stable hands. You have your own stables?”
“Yes,” he nodded. “The horses are ours, and we have people who help us tend to them.”
Alianna sighed. “I would love to ride a horse. Let alone have my own. Where do you ride them?”
Rionan considered his answer. “Through forests, fields, by rivers and waterfalls. Wherever the feeling takes me, and wherever I feel that I need to go.”
“That sounds wonderful. Maybe someday, I could enjoy such a thing, too.”
Rionan looked away from Alianna briefly, his smile not falling off of his face, but averting his gaze. He trailed hisindex finger around the rim of his wine glass, the movement slow. “Maybe. Do you have a stables nearby?”
Alianna cringed at the implication beneath the words, but tried to ignore the voice inside her head that was telling her that he thought she should find her own damn stables to go to.
“No, we don’t. There aren’t many horses around here, actually.”
Their waiter walked past and stopped to refill their wine glasses.
“Another bottle, sir?” he asked, as he drained the remaining drops into Rionan’s cup. Rionan looked to Alianna and raised his eyebrows in question.
“Yes,” she replied on his behalf.
The waiter returned a few moments later, placing the new bottle of wine in the cooler, which was in the middle of their table, and quickly departed.
“So, what’s it like staying here?” Alianna asked.
“At The Rinniel? It’s nice. What makes you ask?”
Alianna sighed. “The truth is, I have never been here before. I’ve always viewed it as a bit out of my budget. I haven’t eaten here before. I’m more than happy to pay my half of the bill tonight, of course - ”
He leaned forward across the table and placed his hand atop her own. It caught her off guard, and she felt her chest flutter, looking up at him.
“You will do no such thing,” Rionan said softly. “My treat, I told you that. I wanted to bring you here. Allow me. Please.”
“Thank you, Max. That is incredibly kind.”
She looked down at his hand, which she noticed he had not hastened to pull away. His gaze seemed to follow her own, and his eyes drifted back up to meet hers. Alianna bit her bottom lip, which didn’t go unnoticed by him. Rionan sat back in his chair, trailing his hand backwards as he moved, but leaving their fingertips touching across the table.
“It’s a nice place, I suppose. The staff are very attentive. The room service is good. The mini fridge is well stocked, andthe décor is to my taste.”
“That all sounds rather posh, you know. What are the rooms like?”
“A nice balcony view. A good size. A shower big enough to have a party in,” he winked, catching the colour that flooded her cheeks. Rionan laughed. “I am sorry. I’m joking.”
