JULIAN OLIVAREZ
If the interior of the hotel is what had mesmerized me earlier,then this booth had me dumbstruck,speechless with my jaw on the floor. I don't think I can come up with the right words to describe this space. Beautiful or eye-catching is such an understatement.
"É uno spettaccolo così bello. Magnifico, " I unknowingly blurt out. I hear Adrien's voice reply beside me,stunning me out of my dazed state.
"Io è di sicuro . Non migliore di te. Bello, " he says.
I feel a rush of heat spreading to my face and ears. I can't hide the smile that is trying to break through my normal face. I didn't know before that I liked being on the receiving end of compliments. I was used to giving them not the other way round. I might as well have a praise kink I wasn't aware of till now.
I noticed that Adrien was not even looking around like I was,maybe he frequents this place lots. I brush it off as that,he must be used to such intricate beauty, seeing he recommended this hotel and had made the reservations.
I had no idea a day would come where I get to have a theater experience or even dine in a VIP restaurant. It was honestly some of the things I had never bothered to think about my whole life. I was always so occupied with my work and Issa back then. I wanted to build an empire of my own without anyone's contribution,I wanted that validity that I buried my adventurous self deep down within me. I had to set priorities straight for me to achieve the goal I had back then. Now that I look back,why have I never thought of going out and traveling for vacations,not business. I have the money that even if I spent for a month,I wouldn't be able to create a dent in my net worth.
Seriously, if someone had told me a week ago that i would be experiencing all this,so soon,i wouldn't have believed them. I would have ignored their words and labeled them as bluff.
Really,I never expected any of this to happen to me. Ever,let alone thinking about them.
I join Adrien, where he is seated in the semicircular couch with a mahogany, Lazy Suzan dining table in the center.
It overlooks the city of Portofino,and unlike the other part of the hotel,here you can have a clear view of the sea through the ceiling to floor clear glass window. The whole booth is made of glass walls.
I look up to see how the roof looks like at night and find a clear view of stars,prominent in the night sky.
When was the last time I looked up at the stars? They are exceptionally stunning tonight.
"Your jaw might drop,beautiful." Adrien reminds me of my current state.
Another rush of heat spreads through my body at his comment. It's embarrassing already that I let my lips part in wonder at the sight before me but calling me beautiful. Does this man even know how good he looks. He is your poster guy for beautiful,masculine, and dominant male,but he calls me beautiful. And I won't stop him because I low-key love it when he calls me by those sweet endearments.
The waiter from earlier walks in with two menus in his hands. He hands one to each of us.
"Can I get your order, sir?" He asks me.
I look to the man next to me to see if he has already placed his. Why is the waiter asking just me?
He has already returned the menu to the waiter. Oh my God! How did he manage to choose right away? This hotel has very many options to select from that I failed to choose what I should eat.
I give up and return the menu to the waiter.
"Please get me chef's choice of vegetarian food,a glass of fruit juice, and later I will have vanilla and strawberry ice cream for dessert."
The waiter turns on his heels to leave the booth to get our meals served.
I give Adrien a questioning look,an incredulous one at that. I need some sort of explanation,otherwise, I won't be able to understand why I was the only one who placed an order, yet there were two menus presented to us.
I think he finally picks up on the unsaid questions in my eyes as he shifts a little bit to face me while chuckling.
"Well,the chefs know what to serve me whenever I come here. So there was no need for me to say a thing." He answers.
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. What did I expect? Of course, with the way he was familiar with the setting,he must be a frequent customer here.
"Okay. That explains it." I shyly reply under my breath.
"So Julian,are you in a relationship?" I choke on my saliva. Coughing up a fit to regain my composure. Goodness lord,where did that come from?
Adrien apologizes while rubbing my back gently. He offers me a glass of water,which I take and gulp down in one go. After I'm better,I sit upright and clear my throat. Why did I even overreact?
"Not anymore. I broke up with my ex-girlfriend almost two months ago." I reply. I'm not going into detail on what or how exactly it happened.
"Oh,alright. I was just asking. I'm sorry it caught you off guard or if I offended you." Adrien replies. He pulls away his warm hand from my back,I had even forgotten it was there in the first place.
I shiver slightly at the loss of contact. I don't know what it is, but my body reacts differently whenever I am around Adrien. It is not a bad kind of different,but I won't admit that I sort of like it.
"I wouldn't have answered if I had been offended. It's alright,really." I reply with a warm smile. I don't want him stressing himself out or misunderstanding my reaction. Even I don't know why I reacted that way. Maybe it's because I wasn't expecting it from him.
The waiter returned with a trolley of food and placed all the various gourmet dishes and wine on the table.
He served us the most exquisite vegan meals ever made like spanakopita,ratatouille,trofie El pesto, and many other delicacies. Served with tropical fruit juice,I could have sworn that this was the best meal I have had in a while.
I had red wine and Adrien white wine after clearing the table. While having small talk. Then, lastly,we had ice cream,as requested. I will never admit aloud that I enjoy having ice cream,and it's my fave dessert. Milkshakes or hors douvres and pudding could wait.
We dined,talking and joking about everything. Literally. The food was just as good as it looked,I love restaurants that are mindful of vegetarians and vegans.
By the time we left the hotel,it was already later in the night,a little after midnight. I had learned some fre things from Adrien,like he was single. I was taken back a bit,how could such a good-looking man be single. I expected him to have women worshipping the ground he walked on. But no, not even a single fling.
Also,Adrien told me that he is Forty Three. If you looked at him,you would never be able to tell that that's his age.At Forty Three,he looked so youthful. Hell,he even looked better than me, who is just Twenty Nine.
Whatever kept him from being in relationships,I wonder. Most men at that age have at least a wife, or,and children. That is the typical social standard for men his age. Everyone believes that you are supposed to have sorted everything out and looking forward to getting grandchildren to run their empires.
We also learned a lot of things about each other, and we plan on meeting again sometime soon.
Like the gentleman he is,Adrien walked me to my car and made sure I was buckled up before he said his farewells.
I drive back home,all giddy, that my first attempt at making friends didn't go as bad as I had feared it would.
When I got home,I made sure to water my potted plants,check the windows and doors, and went ahead to check on the security cameras.
There is a crazy bitch on lose. I can't be carried away by the bliss I'm living in. I know how crazy she can get,so better prepared.
I get into my bed,saying my nightly prayer before I drifted off into the abyss,called sleep. With a promise of an even better day ahead.