The Ruel's That I Break

lunch

The limousine pulls to a stop, and Ruel hops out quickly to run around to the other side of the vehicle and open the door for me.
"How very gentleman-like of you," I say, in a posh accent. He blushes and bows jokingly.
I look up at the skyscraper towering over us that we are parked beside. It's very modern, but not in the flashy, bland, look-at-me-I-built-a-skyscraper type way, more in a sleek and tasteful style, that blends into the street but also drops your jaw slightly when you look closer at it. Already I'm impressed. This guy has good taste.
"Close your eyes," he says.
"What?" I question, feeling myself raise an eyebrow, a habit of mine.
"Close your eyes," he repeats, "I'll guide you. Just trust me."
"Okay," I say. As I do so Ruel's hand brushes against mine. I don't know if I'm imagining or if I'm just nervous, but I think I feel a spark pass between us. Ruel grabs my hand and I bite my bottom lip to stop myself from grinning.

He leads me through what I think is multiple sets of doors and maybe up an elevator, until he stops. His hand leaves mine and drifts up my arm until it finds my shoulder. He gently angles me in a slightly different direction. As he lets go of me his fingers brush my lower spine, and this time I'm certain there's a spark.
"Alright," he says, his voice ever so soft, "Open."
As I do, I feel my jaw drop. Floor to ceiling windows line two walls, displaying breathtaking views of NYC. I notice the window is tinted, meaning we can see out but others can't see in, so we have lots of privacy, which makes me feel more comfortable. The only objects in the room are a little round table with two dark blue chairs and fancy cutlery and napkins on the table.
"Wow," I say, because it's the only word running through my mind. I can barely speak I am so stunned.
"Do you like it?" He asks humbly, his eyes wide with uncertainty, innocence and anxiety.
I want to tell him how much I adore it, but instead I find myself leaning in to plant a soft kiss on his cheek. It feels like my heart stops beating. His skin is soft and he smells so so good.
"Yes," I say, almost in a whisper, "Thank you, Ruel."
He is blushing from the kiss and doesn't meet my eyes, but he is smiling. We sit down and neither of us speak as we read the menus. It's not awkward though, it's a peaceful silence. As my eyes drift through all of the names of the dishes I can barely understand, I spot one that makes me laugh.
"Look," I say, "They have the same type of caviar as last night!"
Ruel laughs, and then shrugs while saying; "I guess this is meant to be."

"So," he says, after we have ordered our lunch, "Tell me about you."
"What about me?" I ask, panicking a little on the inside because I have no idea how I am going to answer his question.
"I don't mind. Everything."
"Well," I say, thinking for a few seconds, "I was born here in the United States. Grew up in California. It was my mother who got me into modeling, when I was pretty young. I guess you can call me a dropout, I left school when I was twelve and started homeschooling and tutoring so I could go to all of the pageants and events. I didn't really want to dropout of school though, because I loved soccer. I wanted to keep doing it but my mother said that a model didn't need to be able to kick a ball into a net. Besides, my legs were getting too muscly. But I wish I did keep doing it. It was kind of my passion, you know. Looking back at my childhood it seems pretty lonely. I didn't really feel it then because it was all I ever knew but I never really had any time to make friends, and if I did, they would all just turn out to be fake. Most of the time it was just me and mum. My dad and my brother were in a car accident when I was eight," I pause. I never talk about it because it hurts, so I'm surprised with myself that I brought it up. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to kill the mood. I don't know why I said that."
"Don't say that. I can't imagine what it would be like to lose them."
"It sucks," I say, looking down.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not right now. Tell me about you."
"Well, I've was born in London and lived there for a few years of my early childhood. Then my family moved to Australia. I've always been into music, but in the last few years I've managed to turn it into a career. I also love basketball, but I haven't been able to play much recently because I have been super busy. I really miss my mates back home." Ruel looks sad when he says this, which makes me sad. But then he perks up and starts telling me all about his two sisters, Sylvie and Coco, and his parents.
Unsurprisingly the lunch flies by. Ruel and I give each other our phone numbers, and Ruel tells me he'll call me later. We're just about to leave so we stand up from our seats and start walking, but I pause before we make it to the door, because there's just one thing I want to do.
"Ruel?" I say.
"Yes?" he replies.
"Thank you so much. Today was amazing. I had a really good time."
"Oh, it's nothing," he says, and then a wide grin spreads across his face, "Nothing compared to you."
I cringe slightly, but not in a bad way, and take his hand and give it a kiss.
Ruel smiles, but has a playful glint in his eye, "Is that all I get?" he asks.
"Yep," I reply, matching his cheeky energy while attempting to hide my grin. I turn and reach to open the door but Ruel grabs my hand and spins me around so I'm facing him once more. Then he grabs my waist and pulls me closer to him, so close I can feel his warm breath on my face. His green eyes look so deeply into mine, and any joking or childish tone in the atmosphere is replaced with intensity and desire. Ruel looks down at my lips, then back into my eyes, then down at my lips again, and then finally, breaking the suspense, kisses me passionately.