Ambryan lifted up his violet eyes, his lips still touching the teacup’s rim.
Evangeline held her coffee with two hands. She slipped one finger through the handle and cradled the mug near her lips. Her eyes closed as she inhaled the aroma. A satisfied moan rumbled in her throat.
“Now, this. This is good coffee,” she whispered, opening her eyes. The coffee lit up her entire face. “I think I’d come back here just to try the others.”
They just sat there for a while and enjoyed their beverages.
Ambryan enjoyed the silence. It seemed that his hunch was right. Evangeline was a woman who felt the same. She neither tried to talk to him nor created noise. This might actually be a rare peaceful lunch.
As much as he’d prefer it that way, they needed to discuss several things.
“Ms. Evangeline, if you don’t mind, I’d like to open up a topic,” he said, breaking the ice. The teacup clattered on the saucer. He patted his lips with the table napkin.
“And what would that be, Mr. Hathaway?” Evangeline kept the mug near her face. She merely raised her eyebrows at him.
“It’s regarding the next 9 months.”
No matter what his mother told him, a relationship still had a few similarities with business transactions—especially for one that wasn’t ordinary. He watched her expression carefully. He wanted to assess her reaction.
Evangeline put her coffee down, licking her lips. She took the table napkin and cleaned off the residue on her face. “About our relationship, you mean? Are we going to announce it or something? Because I would protest strongly.”
“Absolutely not,” Ambryan snapped. The frown lines between his brows deepened. “I dislike the press. I just use them whenever I need their advantage.”
He had a reason as to why he never corrected them about his dating life. It served as a hint for future dates, letting them know that it wouldn’t last for long. He only intervened if it involved irrelevant details and false assumptions.
“Do you have any demands?” He continued. It was better to make things clear from the beginning. He didn’t want unnecessary misunderstandings.
Evangeline folded her hands over the table. Her forehead creased from confusion. “Demands?”
“From the relationship.”
He heard her tongue click. Her left cheek compressed as she bit it on the inside. He watched as her eyes retreated from reality. The expression intrigued him. He clasped his hands together and waited, studying her.
She wasn’t a conversationalist. That was true.
However, she didn’t need to be. She wore her thoughts on her face.
“I only ask for what I said. That I’d be able to accept, to refuse or to argue freely.” Evangeline repeated, meeting his eyes. He did remember the message. He already agreed to it before.
Ambryan cleared his throat. He was about to respond when she cut in before he could.
“But now that I think about it…” Evangeline suddenly said. A small twinkle gleamed in her eyes. The corners of her lips curled up as she gained an idea, “There might be some things I’d like.”
Ambryan leaned back and crossed his legs. Now, this sounded much better. His demeanor switched to his business mode. He narrowed his gaze, keeping his expression neutral.
“State your terms.”
Evangeline shifted in her seat. She lifted her pinky finger and proceeded to share her conditions. Her hazel eyes turned serious.
“One, don’t contact me during working hours. I think our schedule is almost the same. If you message me during work, don’t expect that I’d reply outside of the agreed time.”
Her next finger rose up, not missing a beat. The words flowed out of her mouth without hesitation. “Two, no impromptu visits. Everything must be told beforehand. If you ever want to visit me at work or at home, give me one hour notice, at least. I will also do the same in reverse.”
“Three, don’t bring companions.” She emphasized, raising her middle finger. Her tone became crisp and clean cut. “Whenever we meet, unless circumstantial, I’d like it to be just the two of us. I heard rumors about your previous women and your secretary. I’d like to avoid it at all costs.”
Ambryan grimaced. It was subtle. Only those who knew how to look would notice. None of the tabloids ever mentioned his secretary in his love life. He pondered on where she could have heard such a thing. From his mother perhaps?
She probably heard about the breakups Eve did on his behalf.
Evangeline continued to talk, unaware of his reaction. “Four, no complaining if I can’t make it to an event. I’m not at your beck and call. I have my own life which I may or may not share with you. I won’t turn without a proper reason even if I don’t tell you what it is.”
“That’s a lot of don’ts,” he finally spoke up. Not that he had a problem with them. He found it as refreshing as her. The others clung to his contact number like parasites. They flooded his phone with attention-seeking messages.
He never replied.
“Well, here is one that’s different.” Evangeline chuckled. Her thumb rose up, completing her hand. “Five, do greet me the moment you wake up and the moment before you sleep.”
Ambryan cocked an eyebrow. “Why?”
That seemed like an odd request.
“I see it a lot.” She shrugged, lifting up her coffee mug. She smiled at her own cleverness. “Besides, your mother likes to watch over. This way we contact each other twice per day. It will satisfy her for sometime.”
She took a sip of the warm mocha. “Oh, all of these also apply to me, of course, including the last one. If I wake up first then, I’ll be the first to message. If not, I’ll greet back. Simple.”
Ambryan gritted his teeth, rubbing his chin. The five rules seemed to be reasonable enough. He also didn’t want to be disturbed while at work. Since they would only date for 9 months, it wouldn’t be necessary for her to meet people in his life.
Things were working out better than he expected.
“I agree with these terms,” he replied.
Evangeline stopped drinking and beamed. A mustache made of milk foam coated below her nose. “Great! How about you? Do you have something I should take note of?”
Ambryan held back a snort, closing his eyes. The sight reminded him of a child. It resurfaced a memory from the past. It was a time of warm milk before bed and cereal in the morning. The sun always shone brightly in those days.
It had been a while since he remembered it.
“What is it?” Evangeline frowned.
He opened his eyes and tapped a finger above his lips. An amused smirk stretched his rough lips. His chest rumbled from the quiet laughter. “You have something over here.”
The woman before him widened her eyes. She put the mug down and covered her mouth, grabbing the table napkin. Her head ducked on one side as she cleaned off the milk foam. She cursed at how much it was.
Ambryan used the time to compose himself.
The door opened and a trolley rolled inside. The waiter served their dishes while Evangeline opened a compact mirror. She inspected her mouth area as well as her cheeks, leaving no spot unturned. The reflection astonished her.
“Wow, this lipstick is amazing. It’s not even patchy yet,” she could help but say. The lip gloss wore off but the rogue color remained. It was different from the ones she owned.
The savory smell of freshly cooked food wafted in the air. The table now showcased several dishes. It had two plates of Caesar salad, two bowls of hot cream soup, two plates of salmon belly and two glasses of water with lemon slices.
“Do eat. This course meal is Stitz Bristo’s specialty. They’d appreciate any feedback,” Ambryan called out from across the table. He arranged his set of meals in order. For this occasion, he let the order of etiquette out the window.
Evangeline slipped her mirror inside the sling bag. She zipped it up and scooted the chair closer to the table. The room smelled delicious. If she wasn’t careful, she might eat something not tagged as edible.
She shook her head at the wonderful spread. “It’s like a food harem.”
“We still have somewhere to go after this,” he informed her, starting with the salmon belly dish. The knife went through in one clean cut. He dipped the piece into its sauce.
“Where are we going?” Evangeline questioned as she grabbed the salad plate. The amount of parmesan cheese had caught her attention. The lettuce was also vividly green. It crunched under her fork. The sound was music to her ears.
Ambryan bit the salmon slice and chewed. He savored the taste. The sauce oozed onto his tongue. The belly was soft and easy to eat while the skin was crispy, adding a salty tang.
He swallowed it quickly and answered her curiosity.
A smirk played on his lips as he reached for a glass of water.
“To our first date.”
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