I couldn't hold back a laugh from escaping from my mouth, seeing his happiness after hearing my reply.
He smiled, "I am glad," he said fixing on his set and then pouring some wine on my glass and then on his own as a good gentleman would do.
"Why are you glad," I tilted my head to the side slightly and lifted my glass of wine leaning it closer on my lips as I kept eye contact with him.
"If I remember well you mentioned you didn't date," I said and when he met my gaze I take some sips of the wine.
"Indeed, Lily, I don't do dating." He replied as his gaze fell on my lips, as I departed the glass from my face and place it back on the table.
"I have some rules I follow when I like a woman to keep both her and me emotionally detached and avoid any sentimental involvement."
I had to bite my tongue to hold back the laugh, he sounded so serious that the curiosity get the best of me.
"So you would apply those rules with me too?" I asked curving my eyebrow.
He nodded, the waiter reached the table before he could reply and placed food on the table, he wished us to enjoy our meal and then walked away.
"I would if you agree to respect those rules as well."
That was his flaw, I knew he was too perfect to be real, and I also figured out very well he was a control freak. But I didn't imagine he was so much to even set rules on a potential relationship.
"Well, I need to know the rules first then." I started to cut my meat to camouflage my uneasiness.
I felt like I was in a work meeting and not in a classy beautiful restaurant with none other than the man I had been thinking no stop since I had met him.
He cleared his voice, "I don't usually date a woman for a long time, the longer a woman dated me before falling in love was four months. Then I had to break up with her because she was too involved and I couldn't afford that." He continued.
Why was he so scared of love? Was he even capable of it? Four months was such a long time dating someone.
I swallowed down, I let him finish even though I knew I had to refuse to respect his rules.
"So that depends strictly on you, another rule I have is not to sleep or stay in each other's houses. But since we had already broken that rule since you spent the night at my place then we could turn a blind eye on my house, but I will never spend a night in your house."
If he was another man I would have already stood up from the chair and ran away as soon as possible but I wanted to know him more and if those were the only rules then I could put a bit of effort.
After taking a long breath he continued, "third rule, I don't have intimate activities many times. As I said that would depend on you as well, but I did an analysis and figured out if you have sex more than five times you're more likely to start liking that person on an emotional level. However, I never did it more than three times with the same person for a while."
Alright, that was insane, we already almost did it the first time, and what kind of man in the entire world would count how many times he has sex with a woman?
I shook my hand and giggled nervously, "that's unusual." My patience and control surprised me since the word I wanted to say was insane but my well-mannered mind changed it in time.
He smiled, "I know, I am very attracted to you at the moment so I doubt we will date long if you accept my demands." He hissed a joke but I didn't laugh.
I wanted to finish our dinner as soon as possible and then forget this man, I thought being in control was attractive but he was completely on a new level and now I understood why according to my friend Joanna he had dated many women.
The waiter remove the dishes from the table and we order for the second time although my stomach was in a knot.
For some instants, I wished he would change his mind or say he was kidding the entire time, I was so happy to meet him again that I didn't expect such a twist of fate.
The silence fell for some instant until he broke it with his hoarse voice, "I am sorry if you didn't expect this, but as I said I have to focus on my career and my work."
My heart dropped in my chest, my eyes narrowed for some instant and I wondered what happened to him to make him become so cold and use work as an excuse.
I came back to reality and I shook my head, I didn't have to justify him.
I smiled at him and when the dessert arrived I took a breath of relief, the end of the date was close.
"I am shocked, I didn't expect this at all. You're asking me to intermittently date you for some weeks? Even If I could do that it sounds too crazy for me, we're not eighteen anymore."
As the words slipped out my tongue I paused for some instants, I realized maybe Carl was right when he told me I was boring and I never did crazy things. Maybe that wasn't a twist of fate maybe that was the occasion I needed to prove him and the rest of my family that I could have fun as well.