Love You Always

“I texted Francesco about a table.”

Her eyes flick over to me. “What’s the special occasion? A business meeting?” Of course that’s what she would think this is. I am not dressed for a meeting with someone like Sean, let alone a restaurant like this one.

“No, this is my fiancée. She got off work early and wanted something to eat. So I thought I’d take her to the best restaurant in town.”

The woman looks over to me again, taking in my appearance. The disbelief is clear on her face. “You’re engaged?” She half shouts. Her eyes go back to Sean.

I look up at Sean, having no idea what he's talking about. We are so not engaged. I'm pretty sure this is our first date. Wait, it’s not even a date. It’s only dinner.

Well, at least that's what I’ve been telling myself anyway. It is two friends going out for a casual bite to eat at a very fancy, exclusive restaurant. No big deal and definitely not a date.

“She’s the girl from the paper.” The woman looks at me again. My whole face flushes, feeling a little embarrassed that my first kiss was all over the gossip blogs in our city.

“Marol. Can you show us to our table?” He cuts her off, clearly done with the conversation. She hands us the menu, turning and half stomping off before Sean can finish his sentence.

“See? Every girl is trying to get your attention. I’m going to be honest with you, Sean. I’m not sure I can handle that. I think I might be the jealous type. I kind of wanted to smack her and I’m not a violent person usually.”

“I can promise you that you’re the only woman I want. Didn't you see how shocked she was that I brought a woman with me? That’s because I don’t date. You’re different. You’re mine.”

“You told her we’re engaged,” I whisper, reminding him of what he’d said.

“Yes, I can see the female attention I get sometimes bothers you. If I’m engaged it’s clear that I’m off the market. I promise you, cupcake, that I do not like the attention. I only want yours. If you give me a chance and time, I'm going to prove that to you.”

“I don’t like being in the spotlight. It makes me anxious. It’s why I don’t even work in the front of the store. I stay in the back just baking. And now my picture is splashed all over the papers.”

“Mr. King. It’s a pleasure to have you here.” A man in a suit comes over to our table. The whole place is empty. I look down at the menu, not sure where to even start.

“I wanted to take my girl to the best steakhouse in the city.”

“Then you’ve come to the right place.” The man smiles. He looks old enough to be my grandpa.

“You want something to drink, cupcake?”

“Water is fine with me.”

“I’ll have the same. Are you still feeling those drinks from the other night?” He says it with a smile on his face.

“No, but I do realize that when I drink I blurt out things I shouldn't. So water it is tonight. Need to make sure I don’t give away all of my secrets.” I send a small smile his way.

“You can say anything to me, Alyssa. I promise you it’s not going to scare me off. I find your openness refreshing. You’re not trying to play a game. You’re just being you and that’s what I want.” I almost melt into a pile of mush at his sweet words.

“How about you do some talking? I don’t know much about you except what I’ve read in the papers.” I take a sip of my water that Francesco sets down.

“Do you mind if I order for us?”

I close my menu. “That actually sounds kind of fun.” Not knowing what I’ll be getting sounds interesting. Sean rambles off a giant list of things I can’t keep up with.

“I don’t think I can eat that much.” I laugh.

“I want you to get a taste of all of my favorites.” I take another sip of my water, not sure what to say next. Maybe I should have gone with the wine to loosen me up some.

“I went to Princeton and got a master’s in business. I was trying to prove to my brother that I was serious about going into business. I think he thought I was going to come work for him but I needed something on my own.”

“So how did you decide on opening a nightclub?”

“It was a fluke really. I saw one going under and I thought I could take it over. That I could bring it back to life. I asked Ethan for a loan to see if he’d help me get off my feet. He gave it to me without question. I worked my ass off to prove to him that I knew what I was doing. Then one club turned into another and so on. It was with pride that I got to pay my brother back every penny he gave me. He’s always been more like a father to me.”