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Victor coh his again as he walks me inside

The restaurant is two stories with a balcony upstairs overlooking the bottom floor The conversation all around , but it’s not so packed that every table is full Other than the voices, it’s quiet in here with low lighting and semi-dark walls to create a tranquil atently as we follow the waiter to a circular-shaped booth with shiny black leather seats near the back I sit down first and then Victor slides in next to me

The waiter presents us with two leather-bound menus, but before he can place mine fully on the table in front ofit aith a look of boredoht so wine"

The waiter looks at theconfused

Victor gives ood one He opens hisit for a moment, hands it back to the waiter and says, "La Serena Brunello di Montalcino" The waiter nods, takes the menu, which is apparently the wine menu and I’m about to die from embarrassment, and he walks away

"Sorry," I whisper

Victor’s eyes lock on ly It takesand wipe that eainst the seat and crossing s beneath the table I setin character is stuff harder than I thought, but now that I’ve already screwed up tithin ht

In seconds, I fully become Izabel Seyfried

I reach into my purse and pull out a coin applying it at the table Imy lips

"Put the lipstick away," Victor says as the rich ahole and not the lare softly at him and do as he says, but take my time about it

The waiter comes back to our booth with a bottle of wine and with both hands puts it into Victor’s view Victor visually inspects it and then nods to the waiter, who then pulls the cork and places it on the table in front of Victor He inspects that, too, and while I’ put into this on both of their parts, I say nothing and pretend not to care The waiter pours a slass first and then takes a step back Victor swirls the wine around in the glass for a s it to his nose and sniffs it before taking a sip After Victor approves, the waiter fills lass first and then Victor’s

I don’t look the waiter in the eyes because like the valet, he’s not worthy of my precious attention

Victor declines food for the both of us and the waiter leaves our table

"I never enjoy this city when I coers delicately around the swell ofit carefully back on the table

"Well, I personally would prefer New York, or France," I say, having no idea where I’ with this

"I didn’t ask you what you’d prefer" He doesn’t look ate you in conversation" I look away, crossing ht at me "Izabel, don’t sit with your arms crossed like that It makes you look like a stubborn child"

Slowly, ether within entler tone

I slide over the few inches separating us and sit right next to hi the back of my neck as he pulls my head toward hiainst the side of my face Suddenly, I feel his other hand slip in-between hs and up my dress My breath hitches Do I part them? Do I freeze up and lock them in place? I knohat I want to do, but I don’t knohat I should do and my mind is about to run aith ht," he whispers onto s

I gasp quietly, trying not to let hih I’m positive he definitely knows

"What kind of surprise?" I ask,in his hand

Just then another couple walks up to the table, a tall blonde-haired wos and an even taller man with his hand around the back of her waist

Victor stands up to greet the in character, yet at the sa to pretend to be disappointed by their presence because I was enjoying the moment with Victor before ere interrupted; for a few otten ere even here

"Aria," the woman introduces herself

"A pleasure," I say with obvious distaste

She sits down on the other side of the rounded booth The man takes the outside seat after her, just as Victor sits

"It has been a while, Victor," the man says with an accent that I can’t place

How do they know each other?

"Yes, it has, estures for the waiter

The waiter coht over and takes the man’s wine order