madelein | ✔

fourteen

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f o u r t e e n

"Are... Are we meeting somebody today?" Sian mustered up the courage to spark the conversation with the man sitting on the other side of the table.

Duke was just looking at the menu for a few minutes, folded it, then continued to stare at her with a different glint in his eyes. She lost count of how many times she took a sip of water in the past hour.

"No," she heard him cough after, "Let's take a break from Madelein, shall we..."

Sian just gaped at him for a while, blinking. So... they were not going to meet anyone? She asked herself as she roamed her eyes around the fancy restaurant where they were both sitting in.

It has a rustic feel with the wooden floor and white brick wall. The black chandeliers bring in elegance up above them along with black and white paintings hung on the wall. She pointed out all of these while avoiding Duke's dark brown orbs.

The waiter approached them and asked for their orders then left without a word. She hoped that the waiter could've stayed longer. The silence between them was deafening.

"Tell me," this time, Duke was the one who opened up their conversation, "Are you in a relationship?"

She shook her head firmly. "I told you, sir, I am not in a relationship right now," every word that left her mouth has a weight given to it. "I don't want to repeat myself, sir."

"We're not in the workplace so why call me sir?" Duke muttered, gripping both his palms on his raised knee, "I'm just curious."

He could see a glare coming off of her eyes. Did he go too far? He can't control his mouth at times like these, when there is an unknown turmoil raging inside of him.

The thoughts of her living in with somebody, even buying his favorite stuff, it crawled into him like a nightmare at broad daylight. It wasn't bearable anymore. He needed answers.

"Curious?" he could feel her distaste, "Or being nosy? That's my private life, sir."

He closed his eyes and tried to calm down himself. While Sian clearly didn't know where she got the guts to say that out loud, Duke remained still and accepted the stabs being thrown at him.

"I... I'm sorry," Sian was the first to own up, "I took it too far. I'm so sorry..."

"No," Duke was quick to cut her off, "I'm the one who have to say sorry. The questions I gave were... too much."

The restaurant are slowly filling in with people. The noise around them were evident, adding to that are the clanks of the kitchenware. It was a busy Friday night and the last few words of his apology almost drowned.

He wasn't the person who owns up first if he knew he was in the right. In this situation, he felt that he was, that he has to know anything about his accomplice.

"It's just I don't know you," he stared at her eyes saying this statement. Their food came but both just stared at each other oblivious to what was happening around them.

Sian cocked her head to the side and looking down at her food. The pasta looked great but her stomach wasn't too pleased to eat right now.

She was supposed to leave earlier, even to deny Jennie's invite to go the hair salon, because she wanted to come home to Tyler earlier than expected. Then this happened...

True, Duke doesn't know her. Yet. If he knew she was Madelein, everything would change, even the way he looked at her would be different. It would bring tingles inside of her.