Learning To Love

chapter 18

"So, what are you going to eat?" I asked leaning back in my seat. Lucas rubbed his face with a cupped hand before answering.

"Can't lie, the ravioli sounds pretty fire." I smirked shaking my head. I'm way too good at reading minds.

"What?" He asked confused, opening the menu again.

"I knew you'd get it, that's all. I used to come here a lot when I was younger and it's always been their best seller." I stated and Lucas showed a brief moment of surprise.

"Oh."

He went back to having an unreadable look on his face, as always. God, why was he such a mystery?

I gave a brief and awkward smile, but for some reason this made him frown.

"You okay? You seem a little off." Sweet, loving man with a short temper and brittle feelings. Sweet, loving, lovely Lucas.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I looked down at myself, wanting to hide away. The Truth was that I wasn't ready for this, the reality that this was real. The kissing, the hugging, the teasing, it was all games but now we were sitting together, eating. Why did it feel so much more intimate than any of those other things?

I noticed my shirt was all baggy and slipping out from my jeans, I quickly started tucking it back in. I didn't want to look messy, not in front of him.

Then I suddenly felt something hit my shin. I looked up in confusion to see Lucas looking at me, his eyes seemed to have this sort of sparkle. Like stars, diamonds, glitter, or minerals shining through ore.

"Your alright," he whispered with that dazzling smile, the certain one that makes this dimple show on his left cheek, and crease lines form around his eyes.

Then, he winked at me.

I heard the click of heels from behind us and a waiter appeared with a sweet looking smile.

"Can I start you off with something to drink?" She asked cheerfully, wearing a casual but pretty black dress with an apron around it.

As soon as I opened my mouth to speak, Lucas cut me off.

"Can I get two Irish coffees?" I looked at him in shock but mainly confusion. What was he thinking?

"Okay, two Irish coffee, just the original?" She wrote on her note pad in furious scribbles. He nodded politely.

"Okay, and do we need a little more time for the menus?" She set a pair of salt and pepper shakers on the table from her apron.

"I think we're ready now, if that's okay?" He stood up straight in his seat, collecting the menus and handing them to her. For some reason I felt mesmerized watching and listening to him talk, doing absolutely normal things. But to me, for some reason, they were such more fascinating when he did them. Smiling, talking, scratching his chin.

"Sure, what may I get you?" She flipped open another page from her note pad.

"May we please have two ravioli dinners, with the small Caesar salads on the side instead of fries." She scribbled it down and smiled a wide and bright smile at him, then me.

"Okay, I'll be back with your coffee." Before walking away she gave another glance between me and him.

I didn't really know how to react, and once again before I could talk he did.

"I know you like salad, becuase you eat it all the time at the studio, and I know Caesar is your favourite becuase it smells like it for like, an hour after." He stated in a matter-of-fact manor.

I just blinked at him, aghast.

"Isn't it a little early to be drinking whiskey?" I mummbled.

"Whiskey? Oh, what the Irish coffee? Pfft, please, if you get a buzz off an Irish coffee, you shouldn't be drinking. Period. Besides, you constantly drink the non alcoholic one all the time at your work."

"Why do you know all of this?" I blurted, my heart beat was pumping fast and viciously.

"Shh..." He put his finger to his lips and smiled a wicked smile.

God, that breath taking smile tingled the nerves in my body. Yet, it pinched them at the same time.

I frowned, still confused, still blown away. What was happening? How had I lost control of this entire lunch within just a few seconds?

Lucas rolled his eyes at my frustration and sighed. "You wanted to play the game of 'how much I know about you', so I thought I'd win. That's all." He layed back in his seat. I don't know how, but he managed to look so comfortable everywhere he sat.

"Really? Well maybe you don't know that I know you love interior design, you used to paint but stopped recently becuase you haven't had the time, and you hate black coffee." I let a little smirk plaster my face. If this was a game, I was going to be sure to win.

He chuckled, but it was challenging. It said game on.

"Oh really, are you sure about that? Maybe your right that I don't like black coffee, warm. I only like it cold." His raised one eyebrow.

"Okay well, how about the fact that you want many tattoos but are too afraid to get any becuase of your job, including a sleeve full of flowers." I leaned over the table, getting excited. I was sure he was out of information on me, I practically kept everything about myself a secret.

"Aw, you really thought you had something there, didn't you? I know you hate pancakes, Infact you don't really like sweets at all unless it's chocolate. You know why? Becuase everytime I gave you my baked goods you'd give them to someone else unless they were chocolate. Now, I make you something seperate everytime. I also know that you're terrified of water, and don't like to swim. Or maybe that you love jazz music and you sing it under your breath when your upset, particularly one song, yet I can't find it anywhere."

I froze. Had he really been paying this much attention this entire time?

"Aha, checkmate. Trust me Ollie, I always win." And again I was faced with that devilish little grin. Although he thought he won, in reality, I did. Becuase the man of my dreams knew things about me that many people wouldn't have cared to have known.

I liked when my name ran off his lips, I wanted to taste them. A fire started to burn in my chest, just moments ago we were kissing in his kitchen. Now here we were.

On a date!