I took a morose sip of pinot grigio.
The kitchen door swung open, and I straightened before an unfamiliar server walked out with a plate.
I deflated again.
Of course, Sebastian wasn’t here (not that I was hoping he would be). His appearance during my date with Nikhil had been a fluke. Besides, he was too busy working on the frozen foods recipes now to do much else.
I finished my food and motioned for the check.
“Your dinner has already been comped, Ms. Singh,” the server said. “In addition, the kitchen sent you some special treats as a thank-you for being a return customer.” She nodded at someone behind me, and another server swooped in to place the items on the table.
One chocolate milkshake. One slice of chocolate cake with strawberries.
My heart leapt into my throat.
“Enjoy.” The server smiled and winked at me again before she left to take care of another table.
“We’re return customers, andwenever get special treats,” I heard a nearby diner complain.
I was too busy searching the room to hear their companion’s reply. A rush of anticipation zinged beneath my skin, but I scoured the whole restaurant and didn’t catch a single glimpse of Sebastian.
Still, I couldn’t hold back a small smile as I took a sip of the milkshake. It was thick enough to be ice cream—just the way I liked it.
There was no note accompanying the dessert this time, and yet I felt Sebastian’s presence as strongly as if he were standing right next to me.
Sebastian
I should’ve stayed away.
After Vermont—after I almostkissedher in the woods—I should’ve known better than to interfere with another one of her dates.
Maya was dangerous, and the more time we spent together, the more I lost control. It was why I’d canceled our North Carolina trip and handed her that win.
I was already unraveling at the seams. If I had to survive another overnight trip with her, I’d disintegrate completely.
I’d had every intention of taking a step back and keeping our relationship professional after we returned to New York. But when she popped up on my VIP diners list again—this time next to some finance hack whose name I vaguely recognized—I’d caved like a fucking sucker.
I’d managed to stop myself from showing up at the restaurant, but I’d instructed the staff to keep an eye on her date and to intervene if necessary.
At the end of the day, it didn’t matter whether I was physically with her or not. She could be hundreds of miles away, and she’d still haunt every corner of my mind, like a shadow I couldn’t shake.
She’d invade every thought, occupy every waking moment.
I was well aware how close I was to falling irrevocably under her thrall…
But there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to stop it.
CHAPTER 15
Maya
TWO DAYS AFTER MY DATE FROM HELL, MY PARENTSsummoned me to their house for lunch.
I say “summoned” and not “invited” because my mother’s tone left little doubt that if I were to skip the meal, I might as well move to another country and change my last name.
“Be honest,” I whispered as I followed Diya to the dining room. “How much trouble am I in?”
She pursed her lips and didn’t respond. She did, however, press a miniature chocolate bar into my hand before she left me to fend for myself.
