Seat disposition

Deciding how to set the table had been a tough decision. Nate had thought about all the combinations, but he couldn't find one that allowed him to sit next to Lara.

Wherever he left the plates, the pups would have disrupted his plan.

Then, there was another hassle: his table was big! It was intended for eight people, so he couldn't allow Lara to sit at one end. In that case, he would have to sit next to one of the pups or on the other side, too far from her.

In the end, he did find a suitable combination.

Since it was impossible to make the pups stay far from her, and since they were two, he had three plates on the same side. They could comfortably sit there, one on each side of Lara.

Nate's plate was on the other long side, in the centre.

That way, he couldn't be as close to Lara as to touch her, but he could stare for the whole time and hear what she would say.

When he saw the family conveniently following his plan, he smiled to himself, happily. Even if Lara were to shift her attention to the kids, he would have been able to look at her.

It was enough for the first date. She was working in his company, and they agreed to share the pups. There would have been plenty of occasions to make a move or invite her again.

«Shall I help you?» Lara asked, turning to him.

«You just relax,» he replied, disappearing into the kitchen.

He knew that she didn't like rare meat, so there wasn't much of it. Only some for the pups.

He made sure the chef prepared many kinds of side dishes, starting from vegetarian pies and salads to a crazy amount of sweets for dessert.

He took out the appetisers from the fridge and strictly followed the order the cook had written on paper on the dishwasher.

Thankfully, the chef knew Nate would not be able to pull it off without help, so he wrote numbers on small pieces of paper he left on or next to the plates, leaving what needed to be eaten warm in the oven and the rest on a table or in the fridge.

As Nate brought the platter to the dining room, he caught a bottle of sparkly red wine on the way. Red wine was better with meat, so he had many kinds of it. He had fewer bottles of white wine, but he decided he would buy some if Lara preferred that one. There was a shop with the best varieties of the year, always replenished with new bottles...

He leaned the bottle on the corner, close to his seat, and left the plate in the centre. As soon as they saw food, the pups stopped complaining about being there.

Lara filled their plates, knowing what each of them liked more, and they finished till the last bite.

«This is just the beginning,» Nate said. «Don't fill your tummies with this cold plate. I have roasted meat ready.»

At the word roast, the pups slowed down and stopped craving the high-end ham on the platter.

«You eat too fast,» he commented. He didn't have time to open the wine yet!

But he couldn't complain too much about that. He himself was fast when eating.

The pups had finished already while Lara hadn't even started. Her plate was empty, and she didn't seem to be intending to try the ham.

Nate could not think of conquering her through food if she didn't eat. As such, he used his clean fork to pick up a slice and place it on her plate.

«Try this!» he offered, smiling as innocently as he could.

He then stopped staring to let her eat in peace. He devoted his attention to the wine. He opened the bottle and poured a few drops into his glass. After checking the wine was still good, he reached out to Lara's wine glass.

«Wait, I don't drink!» she exclaimed before he could proceed. «Only water.»

«How so?» he murmured. He clearly remembered she had a cocktail drink in her hand when they met for the first time.

It was the only clue he had about her, so he asked the cook to make an orange cake.

Also, he had smelt alcohol when they kissed, six years before. That drink was not non-alcoholic. Lara wasn't drunk that time, as she had sipped just half of it...

«I have to stay proper to take care of my children,» she replied. «I really can't stand alcohol. I lose control after a few sips.»

In the end, that one drink had stayed unfinished. Was it because she knew her limits?

When their eyes met, in that noisy club, she had left the drink on the table and completely forgot about it. But she wasn't affected by it, Nate was sure.

She was in complete control when they talked. It was a very short conversation, actually. Just a few words were exchanged while staring at each other in awe.

Then, after reaching the bedroom, they hadn't had any more time to talk.

«Oh, but you know that already,» she chuckled, slightly embarrassed.

What was she talking about?

Oh, it couldn't be... Didn't she know about the bond between mates? How could she confuse that invincible attraction with the effects of alcohol?

«I don't want to be like that,» she continued, seeing his blank face.

He gulped with difficulty, almost choking on his saliva. His heart started aching like the day when she had left.

She didn't want to repeat that? Was he too fierce?

He did pay attention to her, for he knew humans were easy to hurt. But it seemed like it wasn't enough.

Or maybe, she just didn't like it. But her sighs, the scratches of her nails on his back... It all made him believe she liked their night together.

But not enough to stay.

He bowed his head and hid his eyes.

«We have a lot to talk about,» he said. «But later. Let's not disturb dinner, okay?»

«Sure,» she said, confused about his behaviour.

She couldn't know Nate was cursing himself for being selfish. If he had done more, even if he wasn't sure what else he could do, he might have convinced her to stay with him...