<b>Chapter 28 </b>
E
Thirty minutester, we were walking into a quaint cafe in town that I’d been frequenting with Lilith for the past couple of years.
The ce was cozy, with warm wooden tables, hanging nts, andrge windows that let in plenty of natural light. On nice days like today<b>, </b>they would open the front to let in the spring breeze. It was already packed for lunch, but the hostess beamed as soon as she saw meing.
(
“Luna E!” she eximed, running over. “It’s been weeks! We missed you! Where have you been?”
“I’ve been busy,” I replied, which wasn’t technically untrue. I was sure she had seen the news.
The hostess’s eyes widened slightly when she saw mypanion walk in behind me. Not Lilith<b>, </b>who I normally enjoyeding here with, but <b>Alexander</b>.
He had nevere here with me in all the years I had been dining here.
In fact, he had never eaten a meal with me at all–in a restaurant or at home.
“Alpha Alexander,” the hostess said, bowing her head respectfully as he approached. “It’s an honor to have you at our establishment.”
Alexander nodded in response, then looked around. “Is there going to be a wait time? It looks like you’re all full.”
Shaking her head, the hostess led us to a table on the street, which was my favorite ce to sit in the nice weather. A little “reserved” card was sitting on top of it.
“We always keep your table reserved for you, just in case<i>,</i>” the hostess said, gesturing to the little wrought iron table with two seats and an umbre.
Alexander blinked, looking surprised. I smiled and thanked the hostess. Alexander pulled my seat out for me, but I knew it was more for the sake of those watching us than the fact that he actually wanted to.
We took our seats and the space between us fell silent for a while. Alexander picked his menu up and studied it without a word.
“The turkey club is good,” I offered, trying to break the silence. “Or the Cobb sd.”
Alexander nodded without looking up. “Okay. Thanks.”
More silence. I sipped my water, ncing around the cafe. It was busier than usual for a weekday, probably because of the nice weather. Several young couples were sitting at nearby tables, talking andughing, some holding hands across the table.
I’d seen them before–well, not these specific couples, but ones just like them. Every time I came here with Lilith, I would watch them.
The way they leaned toward each other, the casual touches, the sharedughter… all the things I’d always wanted, but never got to experience with
Alexander.
I’d imagined it, though. Goddess knew I’d spent enough time during the early days of our marriage daydreaming about what it would be like <b>if </b>Alexa took me out like this.
If we sat across from each other at a sunny cafe table, talking about our days, making ns for the weekend, just… being together. Like a <b>normal</b><b>, </b><b>happy </b>
couple.
It was pathetic of me to daydream like that, really. But I couldn’t help it. All I had ever wanted was for my fated mate to <b>finally </b>treat <b>me </b>like <b>his </b><b>mate </b><b>and </b>not <b>a </b>stranger.
Finally, the waiter came over to take our orders<b>. </b>“Luna E,” he said, smiling <b>warmly </b>as he approached, “it’s wonderful <b>to </b><b>see </b><b>you</b>. <b>Will </b><b>you </b><b>be </b><b>having </b><b>your </b>usual?”
<b>I </b>nodded. “Yes, please. The turkey club and <b>a </btte.”
<b>1/3 </b>
<b>08:36 </b>Tue, <b>19 </b>Aug
The waiter beamed. “I’ll make sure you get extra avocado this time
“You know me so well.”
After that, Alexander ordered a sd and a water. When the waiter left, wepsed back!
into silence for several long minutes
“They seem to know you well,” he finally said. His voice was so low I almost didn’t hear it.
“Well, I’ve beening here at least once a week for a couple of years now.”
Alexander’s brow furrowed slightly. “Oh. I didn’t realize.”
I almostughed at that. Of course he didn’t. Why would he? He’d never asked where I went during the day, what I did with my time, who spoke to Fe all he knew, I just sat in my room all day, staring at the walls. Maybe he would have preferred that.
“There’s a lot you don’t realize,” I said, then immediately regretted it as a nearby couple nced our way. We were supposed to be ying the happy couple, not bickering in public. I forced a smile and pretended that I hadn’t said it at all.
Alexander didn’t respond to that, not that he had time to. The waiter returned a momentter and set our tes down with a smile.
“One turkey club for my favorite Luna,” he said with a wink. “And a chicken sd for the Alpha. Can I get you anything else? More water? Another napkint A smile, perhaps?” Thest was directed at Alexander, who looked like he was busy chewing on a piece of ss.
“We’re fine, thank you,” Alexander said stiffly.
The waiter raised an eyebrow at me, and I gave him a small smile that I hoped conveyed both apology and gratitude. He nodded slightly before heading off to another table.
“Your waiter is awfully familiar,” Alexander said once he was out of earshot.
I picked up my sandwich. “He’s friendly to everyone.”
“He called you his favorite Luna.”
“It’s just how he talks.” I took a bite of my sandwich, the familiar vors of turkey, bacon, and avocado a weefort. “The food here is really good. Better than a gran bar, right?”
Alexander took a bite of his food. His mouth twitched, almost forming a smile before he caught himself. “It’s eptable,” he muttered. I resisted the urge
to roll my eyes.
?????????????? ??
We ate in silence for a while. I tried <i>not </i>to stare as Alexander methodically worked his way through his sd, making sure each bite had the perfect ratio of lettuce, chicken, and dressing.
Had he always eaten like that? So… carefully?
He probably had. I’d never really seen him eat before. Even at banquets, he wouldn’t really enjoy the food. He was always too busy mingling while I would sit alone at our table.
Five years of marriage, and this was our first lunch date. The thought made my chest constrict painfully.
Around us, the cafe continued to buzz with conversation andughter. A couple at the table next to ours fed each other bites <b>of </b>chocte cake<b>, </b>giggling between kisses. I looked away, focusing on my sandwich instead of the pain in my heart.
As we ate, I tried to think of something to say, some topic of conversation that wouldn’t lead to an argument or more awkward silence, <b>but </b><b>my </b><b>mind </b>was nk. I didn’t even know where to begin, or if it was even possible to elicit the same smites andughter that the other women coaxed from <b>their </b>partners.
Maybe this had been a mistake. I’d thought lunch in a real restaurant would be better than eating gran bars in the woods, <b>but </b><b>at </b><b>least </b><b>out </b><b>there</b><b>, </b><b>we’d </b>had the patrol to focus on. Here, there was nothing but us and the empty space between us.
<b>08:36 </b><b>Tue</b><b>, </b><b>19 </b>Aug 1
Suddenly, I felt my neck prickle. I nced out the window, wondering if the paparazzi had followed us here.
Sure enough, I spotted a man with a camera partially hidden behind a newspaper at an outdoor table across the street. He was <b>trying </b>to be subtle, <b>but </b><b>i </b>spotted him right away.
Great. So not only was this lunch painfully awkward, but it was going to be documented for all the world to see. “Alpha and Luna’s Disastrous Date would probably be the headline tomorrow.
Unless…
I nced back at Alexander, who was still eating with that precise, methodical approach. The cafe was full of couples being, well, couple–y. Holding hands, sharing food,ughing together. And there we were, sitting in utter silence like strangers who had been forced to share a table.
No wonder the paparazzi was interested. We weren’t doing a very good job of appearing <i>in </i>love.
I needed to do something. Something that would look good in photos, something that would support the narrative we were trying to create. Something that would make us look like a real couple.
Before I could talk myself out of it, I speared a pickle from my te with my fork and held it out to him. “Open wide…”
<b>AD </b>
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