5 At the Restaurant (2)

Earlier, Sebastian thought Clara looked pretty, but that was a weak word to describe her. She was nothing short of stunning. It felt like he always knew that whatever she'd wear to dinner would captivate him. She was wearing ankle-length skinny red pants that highlighted her long legs and showed off her assets, then paired it off with a silky white top that showed off her toned arms. The strappy sandals she wore gave her 3 extra inches to her height. It was really nothing special if someone else wore it, but on her, it was spectacular. She was now almost up to his eye level, and he liked the option that he could probably kiss her much easier from this height. He smiled.

Her hair was curled up to one side and held up by a big sparkly comb at her nape, which exposed her neck. 'Her neck looks very appetizing right now... Hmmm.....' He thinks, then shakes his head. These thoughts have to stop before he does something stupid.

‘Hey, do you want me to take the picture for you?’ He volunteers, smiling at all of them, his gaze lingering on Clara.

She turned around and stared at him. All her pep talk in the shower did not prepare her for what she saw. There was something different about him, and she wondered what changed from this morning that made him look more appealing.

‘He was wearing a suit this morning too, but why does he look like something changed? Is it his eyes? Are they darker? Or his mouth. Do they look softer? Fudge! What is happening to me? I have no time for this,’ she thought as she kept staring. He looked extra dangerous and extra handsome right now, and these aspects drew her to him.

Max saved her by saying, ‘Sure. Here, take my camera, take a landscape and a portrait picture, okay. Thank you!’ he pulled Clara towards him to prevent her from embarrassing herself.

‘Why did she look startled when she turned around? Is there something on my face? Why was she staring at me?’ Sebastian was thinking as he stared back.

She wasn’t into make-up and preferred to stick to the basics, eyeliner, curled lashes, a touch of mascara, and the dullest matte lipstick she owned. She didn’t want to draw too much attention tonight. After this afternoon’s exchange, she wanted to steer clear of Sebastian. But why does she feel self-conscious? Was there too much make-up on her face?

He looked at her lips and thought, ‘I wonder what those would taste like?’

-=-

Max grinned as he looked at both of them, thinking, ‘Oh ho ho, this is not a one-sided love affair after all.’ He places the camera in Sebastian’s hand to break the ice. ‘Just press the button in the middle. What am I saying? You know what to do.’

Sebastian shakes his head and walks a few steps back so he can get a better picture and include the view behind them. ‘At least she looks like she’s having fun. She’s not scowling anymore,’ he thinks.

‘Okay, here we go.. 1,2,3, smile!’ He takes a few more pictures of different positions from different locations. They were laughing by the time they took the last picture. He was a little jealous that they look like they’d known each other for a long time, and they were not afraid to express their emotions.

They intrigued him. ‘What exactly is their relationship with each other? I guess I will have to delve deeper into your life, Clara. Because I dislike the thought of you having a relationship with anybody else but me,’ he thought.

For the last picture, he switched his phone with Max’s when they weren’t looking. He wanted a souvenir of their time tonight. Even though he was not in the picture, he was content to have hers. He zoomed in on Clara and took a picture with his own camera. She had the brightest smile that reached all the way to her eyes. ‘I hope she will smile at me like that in the future, too,’ he said to himself.

‘You look absolutely beautiful tonight Clara,’ he said after they took all the pictures they could.

‘Thanks! You don’t look too bad yourself,’ she said, a little apprehensive.

She looks around, and her brothers have disappeared. ‘Those idiots! I told them not to leave me with him. I’m going to hurt both of them later,’ she vows as she purses her lips.

‘They went to get us drinks so we can hear the hostess when she calls us,’ he gave her an excuse because she looked like she wanted to bolt. He needed to change this, and he needed to do it fast. How would they get to know each other if his mere presence sent her running the other way?

‘I’m awfully sorry about this morning. You know, while you were installing your system and then again at my office...,’ he trailed, ‘I didn’t mean to sound like a pompous ass,’ he apologized.

That made her smile. ‘You were one, though, but I accept your apology,’ she said. ‘At least you know how to apologize. Plus, we still need to finish that contract and work together on other projects. Hopefully, we will pass the six-month evaluation,’ she said hopefully.

‘I won’t lie. I am very impressed with your system, which is why I signed up with you, to begin with. But I will ask the security team to test it out thoroughly. I will give you my evaluation then,’ he replied, not wanting to appear to overeager.

‘Well, let us know if we need to improve on anything or if it gives you any problems. We have a 24-hour hotline, and it is manned by highly trained and professional software engineers,’ she boasted about her staff because she was so proud of them. Most of them were still students, but they were all smart and at the top of their class. ‘Or there’s always my number, and you can call me. But I have to warn you, I only answer work-related calls and questions on my personal phone,’ she pointedly stated.

Just at that moment, Max and Jeremy arrived with drinks in hand. ‘Hey guys, they’re ready with our table,’ Jeremy said. He had passed the hostess on their way back. Earlier, he caught her eye, and she remembered his reservation so she could talk to him again, and maybe flirt with him a little.