After a few minutes of waiting, the waiter finally placed our orders on our table. I ordered a seafood marinara pasta since I have heard from one of my college friends that this restaurant is famous for its pasta dishes, especially for its seafood marinara. Ansel, on the other hand, ordered a rib-eye steak pasta which he ended up ordering because of my earlier indecisiveness.
"Thank you," I said to the waiter once he's done placing our food on the table.
After my last class for today, Ansel waited for me outside of the business building. We were supposed to go to the library or to a coffee shop to prepare for the upcoming exams together, but when I told him that I didn't have a proper meal for lunch, he brought me to this restaurant first. He said that if I don't eat, I probably wouldn't be able to concentrate because of my rumbling stomach.
And I think he was going to be right about it.
Once the waiter is gone, I let out a soft squeal and said, "I've been meaning to try this!"
After taking a forkful of pasta, I almost let out a moan because of how amazing it is. The marinara sauce and the flavor from the variety of seafood perfectly suit each other, producing a slightly sweet yet savory taste.
"I could eat this all day." I sighed, my mouth filled with the overwhelming taste of the dish.
With the thought of wanting to let Ansel taste this heavenly dish, I took a forkful for him and said, "you should try it!"
Ansel looked blankly at my outstretched hand, and after a few moments of him staring blankly at it, I retracted my hand, embarrassed at my aggressive action. Although Ansel, ever since we got together, has never been shy with his affections, feeding him like this in public might not be acceptable for him.
"I'm sorry," Ansel spoke, his deep voice soft and with a hint of remorse.
Hearing him apologize for something that is probably my fault made me anxious, and I quickly responded, "Don't worry about that! It's my fault for being so forceful."
"It's not that," Ansel said while reaching out for my hand on top of the table. "I love it when you show your affections to me." Ansel let out a small smile that made my cheeks heat up.
"Honestly, I can't eat seafood."
My mouth formed a small O after realizing the reason behind Ansel's response to my earlier action. Since we haven't been together for long, there are still a lot of things that we don't know about each other.
"Are you allergic?" I inquired.
"Yes," Ansel replied. "I found out when I was a kid. I was sent to the emergency room after eating some shrimp."
I merely nodded at his reply. The image of a young Ansel suffering from an allergic reaction suddenly made my heart ache. "Is your allergy hereditary? Like does anyone from your family have the same allergies?"
"I don't know," Ansel replied. "And I don't think they also know about mine."
My eyebrows furrowed at his response, and after seeing my reaction, he continued, "We don't usually eat together, so it is not surprising if they don't know."
My eyes widened in shock from his reply. I was used to my family frequently eating together that I forgot that Ansel's family is not entirely 'common' per se. They are one of the oldest and richest families in the country, and I shouldn't really expect them to have the same traditions as a simple family like ours.
Not wanting for Ansel to remember anything that might upset him, I smiled sheepishly at him and changed the topic by saying, "then I should taste your food before you take a bite. Just to make sure."
Ansel chuckled at my response and spoke, "I have been doing fine for more than ten years, but I'll indulge you on that."
***
Ansel entered the private room after the usher opened the door for him. My breath hitched in my throat once I saw him, and my heart began beating fast against my chest. Everyone's gazes immediately fell onto him, and his imposing aura suddenly filled the whole room with silence.
No one moved an inch after Ansel entered the room except for Paul who went to his side to welcome him. He briefly introduced Ansel to everyone, and I drowned off the sudden chatter that ensued once Paul guided Ansel to a seat almost right in front of me.
Almost everyone began fawning all over Ansel after he sat. Even the small crowd that I was talking with earlier cannot hide the awe on their faces at the sight of Ansel.
And I don't really blame them.
Ansel looked very dashing with his dark blue pinstripe three-piece suit and a white dress shirt underneath. Although he is fully-clothe, with the way his clothes impeccably hugs his body, anyone can imagine the muscular physique behind those layers.
"Alina?" I was shaken out of my thoughts when Paul suddenly called my name. I shifted my gaze towards him and found him smiling widely at me. He was seated on the right side of Ansel, and I tried my best not to catch Ansel's eye.
"I don't know if the two of you had already formally met but," Paul started, and I could feel my back starting to get drenched with cold sweat at the thought of his next words. He gestured towards Ansel and continued, "this is Sir Caesar Ansel Chadwick, the CEO of our company."
I forced out a smile on my lips and shifted my gaze towards Ansel. I was immediately welcomed by his piercing blue eyes, and I almost cowered under his gaze. His eyes were boring onto mine, and as much as I wanted to turn my head away from him, I have to prioritize our business.
"Nice to meet you again, Sir," I greeted him with my overused business smile. He took my outstretched hand for a handshake, and when his huge hand covered almost the entirety of mine, a familiar spark went through my body.
All of a sudden, I was reminded of all those times I held this warm hand.
Whenever we were together, his hand would always automatically reach out for mine, and the same goes for me. It felt so natural that it seemed like we were two magnets constantly pulling each other towards one another, and never letting go.
Yet, it is a fact that two magnets can be separated if something, or someone, pulled them apart.
And the last time I held this hand, right before I decided to let go of it, the warmth that I loved so much was nowhere to be found.
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance," Ansel replied, and afterward we both retracted our hands from the handshake.
After our very short introduction, we were back to ignoring each other's presence.
I knew for a fact that he only went to our house to have dinner with us last Sunday in order to appease my mother. I should not expect him to act all casual with me just because of that one day, especially since I know deep down that I don't really deserve it.
Hence, if I wanted to be friendly with the rest of the project team and have a trouble-free contract with them, I should try to ignore his presence and just enjoy the rest of the night.
Rachel poured another glass of wine for me as she continued talking, but her words were drowned off by the chatter from the crowd in front of me, and as much as I wanted to concentrate on what she's talking about, I can't help but hear Ansel's voice amidst the noise.
'Wow Alina, so much for ignoring his presence.'
I cannot hear exactly what they were talking about, but from the bits of pieces that I could hear, it seemed like they were excitedly talking about finishing phase two of the project and how well the construction of the foundation is going. Also, it seems like the whole project is going exactly according to their timetable.
I tried my best to ignore them once again and focused on Rachel who's talking animatedly beside me. Suddenly, she shifted her gaze towards the crowd in front of us and chuckled.
She leaned towards me and whispered near my ear, "They're talking about work even right now."
I took a quick peek towards the group and replied, "It seems so."
"You know the project team is kind of special," Rachel started, piquing my curiosity. "It's kind of unusual, but the CEO handpicked all the members of the project team from different departments. And after knowing that, we felt quite special, and a sudden camaraderie formed among us."
I can't help but glance towards Ansel while Rachel talked about the formation of the project team. He was talking with Paul and a bunch of other people, and as if sensing my gaze, he turned to look at me and caught me staring at him. I quickly shifted my gaze away from their direction and stammered out, "that's amazing."
Rachel lit up at my reply and continued, "and when we noticed how truly excited you became when you saw the design, we felt like you just have to become a part of us!" She took hold of my hand, and I was taken aback at her sudden action, but with the sparkle on her eyes, I could not help but feel warm at how passionate she is towards her work.
"This project is like our baby, and we will love anyone who'll treat it as a treasure."
Rachel continued talking, shifting from one topic to another so fast I could only nod in response at her every word. In the middle of our conversation, another member, Leah, joined our conversation.
Rachel and Leah were both quite talkative, and chatting with both of them made me forget that I have been downing every glass of wine that they have been pouring for me, and after god knows how many glasses of wine, the food was finally served.
After the waiters placed the numerous dishes onto the long table, Paul stood up, catching everyone's attention, and spoke, "before we start eating, I just want to commend everyone for doing a great job for the past few months." Paul raised his wineglass and continued, "We still have a long way ahead of us, and I hope that we will continue riding this pace and see this project come to life soon."
Everyone cheered after Paul's mini-speech. Anyone can see how ecstatic the members are, and I can't help but smile at the enthusiasm that they are showing for this project. Once the chatter died down, Paul spoke again, "now, may I ask Sir Caesar to say a few words?"
Paul sat down on his seat beside Ansel as Ansel stood up. He raised his glass and spoke, "I will not make this long. All of you have showcased your skilfulness for the past few months. For tonight, you all deserve a break for your impressive work, and once this project is completed, expect that everyone will receive a special reward."
Everyone was staring at him as he delivered his short speech, and once he's done, the cheers from the members were louder than before, and a loud chatter ensued.
The members started eating and chatting all together. All the dishes looked delicious, but after all the drinks I had earlier while talking with Rachel and Leah, I felt too full to start eating.
Rachel and Leah began gushing over how delicious the dishes are. Rachel started asking me to try various dishes, gesturing at almost everything in front of us, and as much as I wanted to decline, I wouldn't want to sound fussy.
"This is their specialty," Rachel said while handing me a platter filled with a creamy dish. "It's so delicious that the flavor just melts into your mouth."
Encouraged by Rachel's barrage of praises for the dish, I took the platter from her hand and placed a helping on my plate. I took a small bite from the cream dish and I was immediately overwhelmed by the savory taste of shrimp and garlic that was perfectly harmonized by the cream sauce.
"It's really good," I said excitedly at Rachel who was looking quite expectantly at me.
"Right!" Rachel squealed and we both went back to eating and chatting together.
Since I'm not exactly a social butterfly, I wasn't the type to initiate a conversation with anyone, and I'm fortunate enough that the members from this team are very outgoing that I can't help but be dragged in their pace.
It's like working with a bunch of people who has the same personality as Luke.
'I'm pretty sure that if he's here, he'd be the center of attention.'
"Sir Caesar," the woman beside Ansel spoke, and even though I am trying my best to ignore that side of the room, I cannot help but overhear their voices. "You should try this one. They said it's the restaurant's specialty"
The woman who spoke has long curly ash blonde hair that frames her heart-shaped face. She looked pretty in my opinion, but she's too close to Ansel that it must have been uncomfortable for him. It seems like she's trying to get some points from him, and I just want to commend her courage for doing so.
She went and picked the platter with the creamy garlic shrimp, and as she was about to place a helping on his plate, I suddenly spoke with a rather loud voice, "You can't!"
The woman was quite surprised at my outburst. She shifted her gaze towards me and furrowed her eyebrows. With a hint of incredulous tone in her voice, she said, "Excuse me?"
With too many eyes on me, I almost wanted to cower in shame. Ansel is already old enough to know what he's supposed to eat. I'm also pretty sure that if not for my outburst, he would probably not eat the dish or would perhaps decline the woman's offer.
But I guess, old habits never die.
"I-I mean," I stammered out. I forced a smile on my face, trying to remove the awkwardness in the air, and continued, "You can't not try that dish when you're here. It has tons of shrimp and is very delicious." I placed an emphasis when I said the word shrimp, hoping that Ansel would understand my outburst.
The woman smiled back at me and said, "That's right!"
I almost sighed in relief when everyone went back to their own conversations. I tried my best not to glance towards Ansel's direction, afraid of seeing his expression towards my embarrassing outburst.
Relieved that I was able to escape the rather shameful situation, I took a huge gulp of wine from my glass, and suddenly, a wave of nausea washed over me. I've been downing too much wine, and I think I already went over my limits.
With the thought of wanting to freshen myself up and then get some fresh air, I excused myself from Rachel and Leah, who was both busy with eating, and went out of the private room.
'I promised Luke that I won't be vomiting on anyone's clothes tonight.'