Beautiful Symphony

Chapter 18

Elliot left to get our drinks and I basically went into panic mode. Of all of the people, our waiter just had to be him. I didn't even know that he worked there. Sure, he seemed friendly with the staff, but they didn't seem like coworkers or anything.

A million scenarios were running through my mind. What if he tells them? What if they don't like him? What if he spills a drink on them? Oh, please don't -

"Here you go, folks. Your food will be another few minutes or so." He passed us our drinks, trying very hard to avoid my eyes. He didn't spill anything. I held my breath until he returned to the kitchen.

  Dad and Crystal didn't seem to notice our tension, and carried on with their conversation. We waited a few more minutes before our food arrived, and it looked great. Elliot saw my face light up when he sat the plate in front of me, and tried very hard not to smile.

  The food was delicious, but I had a lack of appetite. Every time he walked into the dining area, my heart went crazy. I couldn't tell if it was because I was nervous about my parents knowing who he was, or if it was the fact that I loved watching him work.

  There was something about the way he moved, and the way he talked to everyone as if he knew them personally. His smile was infectious, and it lit up the room. I must have stared at him for at least ten minutes before Dad noticed.

  "Uh, Ariette?"

  "Hm?"

  "Do you need something from the waiter?"

  "What? Oh, no." I settled back into my seat and nervously sipped my water. He eyeballed Elliot from across the room before returning to his meal.

After everyone finished eating, Elliot brought us the check. Dad took the bill up to the front and paid. He came back, and before grabbing his coat, he placed a ten dollar bill on the table. He gave me a wink and whispered,"Since you liked him so much." I blushed.

Before we went home, I ran back in to use the bathroom. After I came out, Elliot spotted me and pulled me around a corner.

"So, I'm assuming that those are your parents."

"Yeah. So you work here?"

"Since this morning. I was going to tell you later today, but I guess it's too late for that." He chuckled.

Someone wearing the same uniform as Elliot walked past us, but then came back and slapped a hand on Elliot's back.

"Hey, man! Who's this lovely lady?"

He turned to the guy and smiled. "Hey, Mark. This is my girlfriend, Ariette."

Girlfriend?

I gave Mark a smile.

"She seems great! I'll leave you two lovebirds alone, then." He said before walking away.

"Sorry about that." Elliot said, glancing in the direction Mark went.

Girlfriend.

My brain went all fuzzy. Girlfriend. He called me his girlfriend. Elliot's voice snapped me back to reality.

"Actually, I got you something." He reached for his pocket and fumbled around with it for a moment before pulling out a box with a ribbon around it. My heart leaped.

"What? You didn't have to do that."

"But I wanted to." He smiled and placed the box in my hands.

I looked down at the box for a minute before untying the ribbon and sliding the lid off. Inside was one of the bracelets from the gift shop.

"It's supposed to be a charm or something. I didn't know if you would like it or not, but if you don't that's fine. I can take it back." He scratched the back of his head nervously and looked away.

I looked over the bracelet again. It had beautiful blue beads that resembled sapphire. I picked it up out of the box and put it around my wrist. I smiled. He was glancing back at me, searching for signs of approval when I wrapped my arms around his torso.

He was startled at first, but then he wrapped his arms around me tightly. I tippy toed to reach his ear and whispered, "I love it."

He smiled at me, and whispered back, "Perfect."

We untangled ourselves and he led me back to the front door.

"Oh yeah, my Dad left you a tip."

"Really now? I guess I made a good first impression. Well, as a waiter."

We both laughed and he placed a kiss on my cheek before saying goodbye. I walked back to the car with a spring in my step.

I'm someone's girlfriend.

I glanced down at my bracelet and smiled. Maybe this vacation wasn't such a bad idea, after all.

[Hi there. I hope you enjoyed this chapter of Beautiful Symphony! Sorry it isn't very long, I'm stuck in bed with bad allergies. :/ If you have any comments or questions, feel free to let me know! Thank you all so much for reading, and have a wonderful day. :)]