“Oh, yes! I am surprised,” he said, sporting a sly expression which blatantly contradicted his words. “But I hoped that you were a sensible girl...and your decision is proving that now.”
“Hmmm ...a very diplomatic answer!” I was kidding.
He leaned forward, staring at me intensely. I felt a shiver run down my spine.
“I can only give you more precise answers when you’re really prepared,” he said.
I looked away. At that moment the waiter appeared with the menus.
“Saved by the bell,” said Adrian, giving me a devilish grin as he opened his menu.
“Would you care for a drink?” asked the waiter in a professional tone.
Adrian looked at me, awaiting my reply.
“Coke, please, with ice and lemon.” As soon as I uttered my request, I took refuge behind the menu.
I heard a virile laugh.
I put down my menu and asked, “Do I look funny or something?”
He slowly lowered his menu.
“I think you are, yes! In fact, I think you’re funny, quarrelsome, indecisive...and very pretty!”
We were looking at each other. His smile grew in proportion to the heat creeping onto my face because I was embarrassed. Had he really said that I was a very pretty woman? No, he’s joking. I frowned and look down at the menu again. Only then did I realize that was not familiar with any of the dishes.
The waiter came back and respectfully waited for my order, but I didn’t know what to choose. Of course, the dishes and their garnishes were described in English, but I was still at a loss.
“May I?” Adrian volunteered.
I heard, but I hadn’t “mentally processed” his offer. I was still trying to understand what would taste best...the rosé sauce combined with.... while the waiter patiently waited for my answer. When Adrian’s question finally entered in my panicked subconscious, I opened my mouth to answer. However, I suddenly realized that he had misunderstood my long silence.
“What do you really want to ask?” Adrian wondered, using a gentle tone.
You! I would faint if those green eyes continued staring at me like that.
“For real?” I asked, uncertain.
He nodded without a trace of mockery on his face, so I decided to be honest. “A cheeseburger.”
I smiled shyly at the astonished waiter, who quickly regained control.
“Hmmm...” Adrian closed the menu and gently took my hand.
“I’m sure a six-star restaurant like this has the best cheeseburger in the country...and the best fries, too,” he said, winking at the waiter.
The waiter replied, “Certainly, sir.”
Of course it would be an insult to prepare a cheeseburger in the kitchen of an expensive restaurant like that. I didn’t want to insult anyone, so I decided to change my order, but the waiter had walked away before I could say anything.
Desolate, I stared at Adrian.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “They’ve received far more extravagant requests...like when my friend Jörg Katzen came to visit me. We were classmates in medical school. You know what he ordered? A Schwäbische Maultaschen and he wanted the dish decorated with a mini-flag of Germany. He almost drove the chef crazy.”
It was hard to control my laughter because I’d been so nervous.
“You’re making this up!” I finally managed to say, half breathless.
He laughed too. “Yeah, I am.”
We both laughed.
“But Katzen might have done such a thing. He really is a fanatic about Schwäbische Maultaschen,” he assured me with mock seriousness.
“Adrian?”
“Hmmm?”
“What is a sch...schwab...”
“A Schwäbische Maultaschen?”
“That’s it.”
“It’s just ravioli from Swabia.”
“Oh...I bet this restaurant could prepare such a dish.”
Another smile crept on his lips.
“Let’s ask,” he said, “...so we’ll know the next time we come here.”
He intended to ask me out again. My heart swelled with joy. Well, one thing was certain: Adrian had the gift to put me at ease. He was a true gentleman, something not seen very often anymore...not even in movies or television. There weren’t many guys who put the welfare of the girl above the faux pas committed. He seemed more interested in making me happy than worrying about how much I embarrassed him in front of his acquaintances...positively, a gentleman. One of the last... We might have to stuff him and place him in the museum as an example of an extinct species.
With a sigh of contentment, I relaxed for the first time. I sat back in my chair and allowed myself to enjoy the surroundings, the decor softly lit by large orange globes, providing a pleasant, constant shadow play. The lighting matched perfectly with the medieval “monastery” theme adopted by the club, but without neglecting the modern sophistication.
“Do you often come here?” I asked him.
He looked up from the wine goblet he held. I was startled to realize that another waiter had mysteriously appeared. Adrian must have called him without my realizing it. The waiter wore a black uniform and filled Adrian’s goblet with what seemed to be a full-bodied and very expensive wine, judging from the aged-looking label of the bottle. He took a sip and nodded. The waiter turned and walked away.
“No.” Adrian lingered before responding. “Only on special occasions, like that...”
I wasn’t paying attention to what he said because I had become mesmerized by the changing color of his eyes. They’d become yellow, like the last time we were conversing in the hospital cafeteria.
“Excuse me. What did you say?”
He smiled.
“Any problem, Melissa?” He gave me a curious look. His yellow eyes sparkled.
I leaned forward, checking the effects that the ambient lighting was having on his extraordinary irises—a ghostly beauty.
“None.”
Adrian laughed and shook his head in disbelief.
“There’s nothing you want to know about me?”
My breath became hard. My lungs were refusing to work normally. My heart was galloping, independent of my will. My brain wouldn’t stop emitting messages such as “Run away!” or “Danger!” I went back to gazing at those eyes which had the power to leave me paralyzed...and make me enjoy this condition!
“Are you...dangerous?” I risked asking a more pointed question.
His expression changed from indolent expectation to one of a mixture of sadness and determination. Adrian shook his head as if saying, ‘yes,’ however, his face seemed to say, ‘Yes, I understand the implication of your question.’ He reached for my hand across the table and held it tightly.
“For you, never!”
The distinction and the emphasis did not go unnoticed. It gave me chills just thinking about what he could do to anyone who stood in his way. I stared at him shyly, while I felt his thumb making smooth circles on the back of my hand.
“So, I guess I have nothing more to ask...for now...and if you ask me again, I’m liable to spank you!”
Adrian laughed in amazement. On the far side of the VIP area, feminine heads turned in our direction. I couldn’t see them very well, but I noticed that some of them gave me a quick evaluation after releasing languid glances at the back of Adrian’s head. Their faces revealed the contempt they felt. It was obvious they didn’t understand what a wonderful man like him was doing in the company of an insignificant girl like me. Sorry, ladies, but he’s with me now! I became infused with confidence. After all, some of those women were gorgeous and he hadn’t even noticed them! At least for an hour or two, I’ll pretend that I am the center of his universe.
“I’d prefer being spanked by you than being abandoned.”
I blinked a few times, taking precious seconds to understand that he was giving me a real response to my inconsequential comment.
“Hello! Earth to Melissa...” he joked when he noticed my distrac
tion.
“I heard you! So we have a deal?” I asked with feigned indifference. I could no longer turn my eyes away from his yellow eyes.
“We have,” he laughed, raising the goblet to his lips and drinking his wine with visible pleasure.
Looking at him, I was fascinated...shocked...mesmerized as I watched his sexy lips touching the edge of the goblet. It was the most erotic experience of my life. Actually, it was the first and only erotic experience I’d had so far, but I doubted that any I might have could ever overcome this one...unless my future experiences included him.
As always, when something bothers me, I end up taking an “attack” posture. I generally speak nonsense, but in this case, I needed to break the ice. I was willing to play the fool, but so what? What’s a girl to do when she reaches the point of envying a wine goblet?
“Hey!” I said. “Where are your bodyguards?”
Of course my sarcasm did not slip past him unnoticed. He pursed his lips.
“All this seems foolish to you, doesn’t it?” He asked in a sorrowful tone.
I was startled. Of course, being jealous of a goblet was absurd, but he had no way of knowing what I was thinking. It took a few seconds until I realized he was answering my question with a question —not reading my mind or something. The penny dropped and I regretted having provoked him.
“No, just...” I said, trying to fix what I’d done. “I imagine that when there’s a fortune like yours involved, it’s necessary to take certain precautions.”
He gave me a hard smile, but he didn’t respond. He looked at me and I felt awash with the impact of his irises.
“I took a break from my guardians today, but you need not worry. You’re safe with me.”
The regular waiter, not the one who wore black, arrived with my Coke. While I was mixing my drink, I tried to organize my thoughts.
“I’m not worried about my safety. After all, no self-respecting villain would waste his time threatening an insignificant person like me.”
The look he gave me was so cold that I quickly added, “But apparently, your relatives have fear what might happen to you, despite the fact that you seem to be the kind of man who doesn’t fear anyone.”
Adrian shook his head, pressing his lips together.
“You’re quick, I have to admit...” His lips twitched a little, like he was trying not to smile. “When you feel threatened, the sarcasm shoots out of your mouth like deadly arrows.”
The annoyance vanished from his face as if by magic, giving way to understanding.
“I wonder how difficult it must be for you to be in an unfamiliar place, away from everything and everyone you’ve ever known. Sometimes the best defense is to attack, but I don’t want you to feel threatened. I just want to help you, Melissa.”
Calm, compassionate...the perfect physician...a man imbued with an unwavering sense of equanimity. He made me feel immature and ashamed of myself.
“Quick, you say...” I deliberately ignored the part of the sarcasm and everything else. “Actually, if I were faster, I would have solved all your secrets.”
Mmmm...I was teasing him. What could I say in my defense? Did the Coke go straight to my brain? I’m pathetic! I couldn’t even claim the influence of alcohol.
Adrian leaned toward me, his eyes sparkling.
“Do you want to unveil my secrets?”
There it is: the fateful question.
“I don’t know...” I whispered.
He stared at me in a complicit way. I suddenly realized that his eyes were dark.
“Everything in its own time, Melissa...in its own time,” he whispered, using his mesmerizing tone. “You set the pace. I’m more than willing to follow it. Don’t be afraid of me because all I want is your wellbeing.”
We lost each other in one of those ‘eye-to-eye’ moments. His eyes were black now.
The spell was broken when the waiter arrived with our cheeseburgers. I filled my mouth with fries, eager to have something to do that would prevent me from uttering any more bullshit.
Adrian was right. Those were the best potatoes I’d ever tasted in my entire life!
14
PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE
As we drove through the streets of Hadrian’s Wall, Adrian didn’t say a word but the atmosphere between us was still enjoyable. Occasionally, I looked down at the gifts that lay in my lap. I was still baffled. I never would have thought that he’d do something like that—celebrate my birthday after it was past. He did it because of a comment I’d made when we talked in the hospital’s cafeteria. He had memorized my words. Now, my heart was overflowing with emotion, but at the time, it was not so. At that moment I’d wished for the floor to open beneath my feet and swallow me.
The scene came back to my mind. We were sitting at the restaurant table in the club. As soon as he revealed his intention, I told him that celebrating my past birthday was an absurd idea.
Adrian replied, “A very special moment cannot go unchallenged.”
I really didn’t understand the magnitude of the situation until I saw the lighted candles coming from the other side of the VIP section’s folding screen. I didn’t need to count to know there were eighteen candles.
The head waiter brought the cart in person. As he approached, the house lights were dimmed to highlight the flickering candles neatly arranged on a huge, white, decorated cake.
“I can’t believe it!” I said. Adrian was already standing beside me.
“Happy Birthday, Melissa! Now make a wish and blow out the candles.”
I took a deep breath. Make a wish...what could I wish for? Going to college? Doing a good job for his father? Making new friends...or rather making true friends? Capture the heart of Adrian Cahill...or at least secure his friendship? What could I possibly ask for anyway?
Then one desire starting taking shape in my mind: I wanted to be happy...and, if possible, beside him.
Once I blew out the candles, the smiling head waiter cut a generous piece of cake for me and one for Adrian. Instead of tasting the cake, I watched while he tasted his piece. Until now, I’d seen him eat only very little − as if he had no appetite. It was hard to imagine how he could keep his athletic body so fit, given than he ate less than an anorexic supermodel. As I expected, Adrian’s smile was more like a grimace of disgust − as if he was being forced to eat camel dung.
“Tell Edgar this is excellent!” he told the head waiter, who was standing by, anxious for a comment.
Edgar was obviously the restaurant’s chef. I tasted my piece and closed my eyes. The cake was absolutely delicious. I was ecstatic.
I heard someone clear his throat and looked to the side. The head waiter remained standing near the cart. What else did he want? I looked questioningly at Adrian.
“Your things are disturbing him,” Adrian informed me.
What things?
When I failed to respond, Adrian added, “He wants you to take the packages from the cart.” He sighed. His expression remained indifferent, except for the glow in his playful green eyes.
I looked at the cart and it was then that I saw two small, gift-wrapped packages hidden behind the cake.
“For me?”
Adrian nodded, the look on his face pretending boredom.
I picked up the packages. “I can’t believe this,” I mumbled.
I noticed that some people were watching us, whispering among themselves. Obviously, they’d deduced that it was a birthday celebration. That sucks! I hated being the center of attention.
“What an exaggeration!” I mumbled again, sitting down again.
Adrian gave a sardonic chuckle. You ain’t seen nothing yet!” he said.
He sat next to me, watching me awkwardly rip off the wrapping paper. I wondered what was inside the packages, however, I was already anticipating a polite way to refuse them. I was surprised. The two objects were strange—a kind of calculator and a magnetic card.
I sat back and looked at the things without understanding w
hat they meant.
Embossed on the card was my name and the name of a bank. No, not a bank...a store. Wait! Not a store...a video rental store.
“You would have accepted a fur coat?” Adrian inquired derisively, resting his chin on his hands.
“Never!”
“Because you would be embarrassed if I gave you a gift that most people think is expensive,” he deduced, smiling at me.
“No,” I frowned, “because I abhor any kind of killing−especially of animals. Humans are able to defend themselves. Most animals cannot.”
He seemed perplexed. I could tell by the peculiar way he tilted his head.
“Hmmm... Some animals are predators...and they kill their prey.”
“Animals kill to survive. Humans are the only animals I know of that kill for other reasons, sometimes for no reason...” I shook my index finger at him without realizing it.
Adrian laughed, making me realize how much I was acting like a quarrelsome child when the subject was protecting wildlife. He put his hands up—gesturing surrender. “But you just ate a cheeseburger!” His lips curved into a mocking grin.
I stared at him, embarrassed. With eyebrows raised, he waited for my reply.
“I’m working on this...”
The way you devoured it, I suggest you intensify your efforts,” he replied.
“I know it seems a bit hypocritical, but I think dinosaurs did not eat meat because they deliberately wanted to kill other animals. They did so because they needed to eat. I’m having some difficulty with that. I’m a dinosaur trying to become one hundred percent vegetarian. I just need to convince my stomach.”
I thought he’d laugh at my witty response, but his expression suddenly became somber.
“You and the dinosaurs are not alone.” He lowered his eyes, staring at his plate for a long time. When he looked up again, his face was controlled.
“Suppose that a predator is forced to kill another predator to save a helpless creature, could you forgive him?”
Why did I have the impression that we were no longer discussing the protection of animals?
“Well, if there was no other way...if it was in self-defense or a matter of survival, I guess I could not convict him.”
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