CHAPTER (VII)

He had promised they would have dinner once he was back from DC, it was only fair that he honors that promise. He called her on his way home from the office. "How is tomorrow?" He asked her as he looked at the countless raindrops that cling to the window distorting the outside world to a blur.

"Umm, can we do Saturday? I had plans with Lyra for tomorrow evening." She replied.

"I wanna tag along." He teased. He smiled at the sound of her soft laugh from the other side of the phone. Oh, what a beautiful laugh she had.

She mumbled something and broke into another soft laugh. "How's Saturday?" She asked after regaining her composure.

"Saturday works." He confirmed.

The call went on till he got home, they only ended it because she had work to do, otherwise it would have gone on for longer. They never admitted to each other but they really enjoyed those little calls, majorly because they had unknowingly turned into each other's safe space. They had made each other feel comfortable sharing things they wouldn't normally tell. He liked how things had been going and so did she.

Kian spent the entire Saturday morning trying to find the best place to take her, somewhere that stood out, somewhere that she would see he made effort finding, not some washed up place she had probably been a couple of times. He recalled hearing someone at the office mention a new restaurant that had just opened, he looked it up and was impressed, to his surprise, it was just down the street. He wasn't too thrilled by that fact but he convinced himself that it was about the time they would spend together and not the distance. He picked up the phone and dialed, he was on hold for an awfully long minute but was finally able to talk to someone.

"Hello good morning?" A soft but firm voice greeted.

"Hello, is this De…Délice My… Délice Mystique?" He struggled to say the name.

"Yes, it is, my name is Conner, how may I be of help?"

"I would like to make a reservation, table for two please." Kian requested.

"Just a minute, let me just look that up" Conner said as he clicked on his computer. "When would you like the reservation for?"

"Tonight." Kian answered.

"We are fully booked for tonight, the next available table is Thursday, should I make a reservation for then?" Conner asked.

"No, I need it for tonight, it's very important." Kian informed him.

"I'm sorry but there's nothing I can do." Conner said. "It's short notice."

"Come on Conner, surely there's something you can do, help me out here man." He was almost begging.

"There's usually so little we can do with short notice requests."

"What's that 'little' that you can do?" Kian was a man on a mission.

"We put that reservation on standby. Sometimes people cancel their reservations and we end up with free tables that we allocate to requests under standby." He explained.

"How often do people cancel?"

"It's a fifty-fifty chance." Conner answered.

He made the request and hoped against hope that he gets a table. He made another reservation as backup just in case his first plan didn't materialize.

***

Kian stepped into the ritzy restaurant a few minutes to eight and was greeted by a warm ambient glow of dimmed lights that created an intimate atmosphere, the air was filled with inviting scents of delicious dishes.

A well poised garçon greeted him with a warm smile. "Good evening sir, welcome to the Délice Mystique, you have a reservation?"

"Umm…yeah, Kian Brooks." He told her.

She went through her reservation list on the tablet she was holding but couldn't get his name. She checked again but still couldn't find it. "I'm afraid there is no reservation under that name. Are you sure you made a reservation for tonight?" She asked.

"I spoke to Conner, it was an emergency request, he mentioned something about a standby reservation." He explained.

"Oh, that would explain why I couldn't find your name. Did you receive a call to confirm the availability of a table?" She inquired.

"A call?" He asked, a little puzzled.

"Yes, we usually call to confirm if we got a table for you, if you didn't get a call then it means there were no cancelations." She elaborated.

"Is there a-"

"We don't got all day buddy, move along." The man behind him cried.

"Let me just get you Conner, he is better positioned to clarify, kindly wait over there." She told him showing him to a waiting lounge.

Kian walked into the empty lounge and sat. A minute later, a young man, probably in his early twenties walked in.

"Hey, I'm Conner." He started as Kian rose to his feet. "You are lucky we got a last-minute cancelation. I'll show you to your table."

Kian followed him, thanking the gods. He had taken a leap of faith and hoped for the best, and here he was walking to his table. A mixture of appreciation and bewilderment overcame Kian as he took his seat at the table by the wide, arched windows that overlooked the city skyline. The ambiance of the restaurant, the soft lighting, the hushed conversations around him - everything seemed surreal. The table he got was perfect, it was at a cozy corner with dimmed lights, fresh flowers, and a cityscape view.

Kaida arrived less than ten minutes later, she was in an elegant evening dress that only made her more stunning. Their eyes had met as she walked to the table, forming a wordless connection. A soft smile played on his lips. As she approached, he stood up, captivated by her elegance in the evening dress.

"You look very beautiful." He said to her as he settled into seat after pulling back the chair for her. He watched with a smile as her face turned pink with blush.

"Thank you," she replied softly trying her best to avoid his eyes.

With smiles and warm hellos, they exchanged pleasantries, their eyes dancing with joy, setting the tone for a delightful encounter.

A waiter had taken their orders a few minutes after he brought them the menus.

"Word around town is, it's mad crazy to get a table here and yet here we are. Show me your ways." She prompted.

He laughed.

"A magician never tells his secrets." He teased.

"It's really good to have you back Kian." She admitted, her eyes sparkling under the dim lights.

He didn't mention it to her but he appreciated how genuine that was, it meant the world to him. At least he was sure he wasn't the only one who had been eager to meet.

"So how was New York?" She inquired as the waiter set their food on the table.

"Business has its ups and downs, you learn to take all the wins and losses that come your way. New York just happened to be one of the losses."

"I'm sorry about that, I am positive that you will move past that, you are a brilliant person, I believe in you."

He took a minute to recover from that, he hadn't expected that. "Thank you Kaida, that means a lot."

The dinner had been a great symphony of flavors, filled with a diverse and harmonious blend of delicious tastes. They relished each other's presence, laughter resonating in between their chats. Time seemed to slow as they savored each and every moment of the night, basking in the joy of each other's company. As they were having dessert, she caught him staring at her. "Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked with a subtle touch of blush.

"Nothing," he answered smiling. "It's just that you are so gorgeous I could look at you all day."

Her heart soared with ecstasy, a soft flush gracing her cheeks. His heartfelt complement making her feel cherished and appreciated, filling her stomach with butterflies. She managed to mumble a 'thank you'. She looked up and found him staring outside, probably admiring the iconic blend of city lights that colored the outside. She let her mind wonder about this man, but not too far. She feared wondering too far into it and end up having unrealistically high expectations only to be disappointed later on. In that moment, all she yearned for was a mutual connection, hoping he shared the same affinity. The thought of unrequited emotions was daunting.