"Mmm." Isabelle crossed to the table and dropped into her chair. "Sorry, I'm late. Milan was a nightmare." She looked at Kim with obvious interest. "So you're the one who finally caught him. I'm impressed."
"I didn't catch him," Kim said. "He's not a fish."
Isabelle laughed. "I like her."
Sebastian, seated beside me, leaned over. His hand clapped my shoulder.
"Good one," he murmured. "She's not what I expected."
I wasn't sure if that was a compliment or a warning.
My grandmother spoke again. "I must admit, Kim, I'm curious. What do you see in my grandson? I can't imagine why someone like you would look at him twice."
"Hey," I protested.
She waved me off without looking.
Kim was quiet for a moment. Long enough that I started to worry. Then she turned to look at me, and something in her expression made my breath catch.
"He's not who he pretends to be," she said softly. "I think he's better. He just doesn't know it yet."
Silence fell over the table.
My grandmother's eyes were sharp as they moved between us. "We'll see," she said finally.
The tension broke. Aria started talking about some gallery opening she'd attended. Sebastian poured more wine. Isabelle pulled out her phone to show my mother something about her latest collection.
But I couldn't stop thinking about what Kim had said.He's not who he pretends to be.I reached into my pocket and found the velvet box. Time to make this convincing.
"Actually," I said, cutting through the conversation, "before dessert, there's something I wanted to do."
All eyes turned to me.
I pulled out the box and turned to Kim. Her eyes widened slightly, a flicker of confusion crossing her face.
"I know this is new," I said, loud enough for everyone to hear. "But I wanted to thank you. For being patient with me. For seeing something in me worth seeing." I opened the box.
The necklace glittered inside. A delicate gold chain with a small sapphire pendant. I'd chosen it because it was elegant without being ostentatious. Because, for some reason I didn't want to examine, I'd wanted to give her something beautiful.
"Xavier." Her eyes were shooting daggers at me.
"May I?"
She nodded, but didn’t say any of the harsh words I knew were gathering in her mind. I stood and moved behind her. Lifted the necklace from its box and draped it around her throat. My fingers brushed the nape of her neck as I fastened the clasp. Her skin was warm. Soft.
I let my hands linger a moment longer than necessary.
"There," I murmured, close to her ear.
Aria was the first to react. "Oh, my God. That's gorgeous." She turned to Sebastian. "Why don't you ever do things like that?"
Sebastian's expression was pained. "You've gotten me in trouble."
My mother was dabbing at her eyes with a napkin. Isabelle was nodding approvingly. Even my grandmother looked impressed, though she was trying to hide it.
"Very nice," she said. "Very romantic." Then her eyes glinted. "Now kiss her."
I froze.
