Page 99 of Until He Confesses
I leaned forward and placed a soft kiss against her cheek and made sure to look into her eyes as I spoke.
“You are breathtaking.”
She took a deep breath and then nodded.
“Thank you, and it’s okay. I’ll attend for the experience. Might be the only chance in my lifetime.”
If she remained with me, then it wouldn’t be, but there was no point in mentioning this, so I simply got out and went around to pull the door open for her.
47
CALLIE
All around us was absolute madness, and by the time the night was concluded, I was certain that we would be blind. Still, I tried to keep my eyes open through all the flashes, and in no time, we were ushered to our front-row seats. People of all calibers came over to greet Lucas, their faces full of surprise and delight as he received them with polite but curt greetings and conversations. He didn’t explicitly introduce me, but he ensured that I held onto his arm through it all.
I felt like an accessory but found that I didn't even mind. He had worked so hard for what he had become, and I wanted him to enjoy the glory and accolades that came with it. I was only too happy to share this wonder with him. I watched with pride as more and more people came up to him until eventually, he ignored them and we took our seats.
"They must hurt from standing," he said as he glanced at my feet. However, I shook my head.
"No, it's perfectly fine." I arranged my clothes and soon, the show began.
The clothing options were quite sensible, and I found them incredibly wearable. And then I saw my dress walking down the runway and couldn't help but be a little envious of the girl's extremely slim figure. The dress kind of hung off my body, but still, I needed to confirm that I wasn't just jaded, so I leaned to my personal fan for the day and asked.
"I fill it out more, don't I?" I whispered. It took him a few seconds to respond, making me almost regret that I had asked, but then he whispered into my ear, every word enunciated and backed with conviction, and I could suddenly no longer feel my legs.
"In every single fucking way," he replied, and I almost wept. I couldn't stop staring at him then, sneaking looks when he wasn't watching and mesmerized by his calm and composed demeanor.
There was an after-party we were invited to, but I'd had enough of this highbrow crowd and celebrities, I wanted to go somewhere a bit more intimate.
“I'm starving,” I said.
“So am I,” he said. “Do you have a restaurant in mind or do you want me to take you somewhere?”
I really wanted to go out again in the dress, but I was getting a bit tired and just wanted to go home. But when it occurred to me that I wouldn’t necessarily be sleeping alone that night, energy surged up from nowhere and revitalized my entire spirit.
“Let's go out,” I said, foregoing my local bistro for the high life. There would always be another day.
He took me to the Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée. I couldn’t even pronounce it when he told me where it was, and neither did he care to. He simply shrugged, and I only got to read the name when we arrived. The moment we were shown to our table, I did a quick Google search, and my mouth fell open when I realized that whatever we would be having for dinner at this apparently one of two Michelin star places in the city would start at 380 dollars per person.
I dropped my phone then and gave Lucas a wide-eyed look, and it was as though he read my mind. Unmoving, he began to look through the menu.
“It's nothing to me,” he said. “Just enjoy yourself.”
I leaned forward and lowered my tone.
“I'm supposed to be paying off my debt, not making more.”
He chuckled softly.
"I would have had dinner here alone if you didn't agree to come along," he said. "So, you are saving on your debt. I recommend the roasted pigeon and blackberry sauce, by the way. You might not like the Langoustine because of the seaweed."
He was most definitely right, as seafood was never on my list of things to enjoy. We placed our orders and were left to take in the magnificent room. It was a bit disheartening that the restaurant didn't have a view, but the room was so regal in its soft neutral colors and gold accents that I was mesmerized. It felt as though we had gone two hundred years back in time, barring electricity and all modern amenities. Given the black ties and ball gowns and glistening jewelry, I was convinced that I was just on the line of being underdressed, even with all the wealth I had been wrapped in.
Shaking my head, I sat with my back even straighter as the waiter returned and got ready to dive into foie gras with gingerbread and pear sauce. The meals came one after the other as we ate, and conversation flowed smoothly. We spoke generally of the show and outfits and whether they could actually be worn or not, but of course, didn't delve into anything too personal. We shared one dish and never took our eyes off each other, and through it all, my legs felt like they were floating above the ground.
It wasn't a real date, and yet, as I turned away in search of other diners, I couldn't recall a date when I had felt more content. By the time I was in the car, my mood had started to sour. I couldn't understand why my heart was so open to him despite what had happened, despite what I believed. It was as though it had never gotten the memo, and I was almost convinced that it never would.
As I stared out of the window, taking in the bright lights and buildings, I realized that my fixation on my reactions was going to make our agreement much more difficult than we intended. I didn't know how to stop because he was what I wanted. He was what I had always wanted, and so everything that happened between us was both sweet and bitter. I had to start asking myself for the first time if I could look past what happened to forgive him.