chapter 13
"We are here, Love!" Jinman informed her just as they reached the entrance of the restaurant.
She fell asleep even though she had tried resisting the temptation in the short fifteen minutes.
His voice woke her up, and she observed her surroundings. She had never seen such a beautiful place in her life. She couldn't prevent herself from gasping in awe.Jinman noticed.
"Beautiful place, isn't it?" he agreed with her.
"Yes! It's... stunningly beautiful!" she said while looking at the artificial fountains and the lighting effects.
"Not as beautiful as you!" he thought.
She noticed some specially designed trees. She wondered what they were.
Suddenly, her door opened, and he was standing there, opening the door for her.
"When did he come out? Is he that fast,like flash?" she thought. "Thank you," she whimpered, which came out almost as a whisper as she stepped out. She wondered why he parked the car in front of the entrance and not in a parking lot. She looked toward Jinman and saw him gesturing toward a man in a uniform. Seconds later, the parking valet came over, and Jinman gave him the keys.
"What the fuck!" he snapped angrily.
"I'm sorry, sir," the valet replied in a low tone.Jinman ignored him.
Jian found Jinman's action toward the valet rude. "What does he think of himself, a president?" she thought. "If wasn't for his gun, I would have hit him with the keys and shown him the meaning of manners! Shameless, arrogant, selfish motherfucker...
She kept daydreaming and didn't notice he was waving his hand in front of her face. She noticed his gesture and suddenly realized what was happening.
"Shall we?" he asked, his voice low and gentle.
"Yes—yes, yeah!" She followed his lead.
A lady instantly came to attend to them once they entered the restaurant.
"Jinman Karan," he informed the lady, so she could guide them to their table.
The lady's eyes widened in realization as she heard his name. "Yes, sir. Please, let me show you the way!"
"No need, just tell me the direction," he said abruptly, cutting her off.
"Okay, sir. Please go downstairs to D-30. It is reserved for you; it's easy to spot."
He nodded and gestured for her to go.
It seems like she had never seen a place like this, he thought, and smiled as he looked at Jian, who was still admiring the room.
Jokingly, he said, "You can look at the place all you want, but I am really hungry.,Love"
She took it seriously and replied almost to herself, "I'm sorry."
He started walking, and she followed him. They went downstairs as directed and reached their reserved place. Jinman opened the door for her to enter first. She walked to his side and stood there, as she didn't get the sign,she hadn't received such classy treatment before. She thought he was waiting for someone.
Jinman raised an eyebrow, wondering what was happening. "What happened?" he asked.
"Oh, nothing—I thought you were waiting for somebody," she replied without missing a beat.
The realization struck him. "Oh, shit. She doesn't understand my gesture. She has to be taught a lot of things," he thought, and smiled to himself.
"C'mon, Love. I opened the door for you; don't be too naive," he said, smiling.
"Oh, my, sorry," she said embarrassedly and entered.
She had expected a small cubicle room with a table and two chairs. But instead, it was a very big room. "Oh good golly God,My whole house would fit in this!" she gasped.
The spacious, high-ceilinged room was bathed in warm, hidden golden lights. The walls were soundproof, adorned with rich wooden paneling, and the floors were made of polished, dark hardwood. A majestic crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling cast a kaleidoscope of colors across the room. The walls were adorned with elegant, floor-to-ceiling curtains made of a rich, velvety fabric. In the middle of the vast room was an expansive, formal dining table made of the finest mahogany, surrounded by a set of exquisite, high-backed plush chairs.
Jinman guided her toward the table and pulled out a chair for her. She looked at him for a second and saw him smirking.
"What is he smirking about? Is he going to poison me? I am not beautiful, nor am I rich, and if he wants to kill me, why doesn't he use a gun and just do it? Heck, why am I here? I should have run away from the parking lot!" she thought.
His voice brought her back. "Do you always daydream?" he asked.
"Oh—no—sorry," she mumbled.
"Look, Jian. Please don't apologize again and again for every little thing. You haven't done anything wrong. I know you won't feel free to talk to me. I won't bite you," he joked, trying to ease the mood.
"You won't bite, but you will surely kill me," she thought.
"Can I ask you something?" she asked.
"I'd be honored," he smiled, realizing she had finally decided to speak.
"What... what do you want from me? I mean, why... why are you being so nice to me?" she asked praying she wouldn't get killed.
He was about to reply when the waiter arrived.
"Mr. Karan, Ma'am, your order, please." The waiter gave them both the menu while providing them with a bottled water each. Jinman ordered right away, without glancing at the menu. Jian struggled; all the dishes were foreign to her.
"What the heck is this? I should be quick , or else he will surely kill me for being late. But what should I order? Why can't they have pizza or saffron rice? And what is this: crème brûlée? Tournedos? What the fuck is Boeuf Bourguignon and Coq au Vin? How will I even eat this—are they salty? Are they sure these aren't names of places! Fuck!"
"Are you going to take forever?" Jinman asked.
She started panicking, taking what he said as another warning. "Can... you please get me... something plain? Anything will be okay," she stammered to the waiter, lowering her gaze in fear and embarrassment.
"Get her the same as mine," Jinman said, and the waiter left.
Jian took the water and started drinking desperately,like she was on fire.
"I like you," Jinman confessed out of the blue.
Hearing the three simple words, she choked and started coughing, struggling to swallow and not spill the water.
"Careful," he said,getting worried
Some seconds later, she became normal and looked at him shockingly.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yh, yes, yh."
"Did you choke because I said I like you? Why? It's not unbelievable!" he stated.
She didn't know what to do, so she nodded.
Seeing her silence, he took a sip of water, too.
"Wait, am I your lost little sister?" she asked. "Is that why you call me 'love'?"
Hearing that he choked on the water and his throat hurt more than hers, he said, "Forget it. Don't say anything, and you are not my lost nor little sister."
"Seriously, he's bipolar. She decided not to say anything anymore, thinking she should just try to act normal. He seems nice; he's just here for a little talk.she thought
The waiter came with their order. He placed the dish towards Jinman, and she placed the spoon and cutlery, too. She was very bad at using cutlery. She looked at Jinman and saw him looking intently at the waiter. "Is he gay, or bi? she wondered. She looked back at her food and suddenly—"Bang!"—a loud noise.