Mindful Beauty

12) Her Feelings

"I'm going to get accustomed to not cooking." Ella joked while looking at the menu. Damien had offered to take them to dinner since they had stayed late in the office. He felt guilty for working her so hard and then just letting her return home without eating.

"Have you found something you'd like?" Damien asked, looking up from his menu. The only reason he was asking was because he knew that she had never been there before, and this was a place that Damien knew well.

"Not yet," Ella chewed on her bottom lip, still flipping through the fancy booklet. "They have quite a few options."

"May I make a suggestion?" Damien asked, watching as she eagerly nodded. She was truly lost in what to order at the different options of french cuisine.

Then, just as Damien leaned over, pointing at a specific dish, a couple walked in behind their waitress.

"Honey, wait." Celeste tugged on her husband's hand, stopping her advancement to crane her neck at a familiar figure she saw in the distance.

"What is it?" Romano frowned, upon seeing his wife's weird behavior. "A moment, please." He addressed their waitress who politely nodded and stood to the side.

"Is that... it is!" Celeste squeaked, her own emerald green eyes twinkling in mischief. Then, without giving her husband a warning, she surged forward, ignoring the waitress's pleads for her to stop. After all, at the high-class restaurant, the last thing any worker wanted was to create a scene that would cause valuable customers to leave.

"Honey!" Romano paid no heed to the panicking waitress as he rushed after his crazed wife. Celeste had her eyes set on the young pair, and just as she reached the table, so did her husband.

"Mom?" Damien frowned upon seeing his parents, especially his out-of-breath dad standing before him. "What are yo-"

"I'm so sorry!" The waitress arrived, instantly spilling apology after apology while simultaneously trying to pry away the older couple from the younger and startled one.

Ella, still startled at the sudden turn of events, was watching everything quietly while smiling softly and shrinking back. She could already tell that Damien's mom was a force to be reckoned with.

"Ma'am, please. Your table has already been set up-"

"Cancel it. We'll dine here." Celeste was already reaching for another chair.

"The cancellation fee-"

"We'll pay it." Celeste wasn't backing down, and Damien breathed out harshly. The situation was getting out of hand.

"Mom, please-"

"Damien, I think I deserve to meet the reason why you ditched dinner at my place." Celeste cut him off, picking up her son's menu. "It's nice to meet you...?"

"Ella," Ella extended her hand, shaking hers and then Damien's dad.

"Good God." Damien lowly growled before taking a seat next to Ella.

"I also think I need to apologize. I wasn't aware that Damien had prior plans. Had I known, I wouldn't have accepted to having dinn-"

"Nonsense!" Celeste's smile brightened. She was beginning to like the girl.

"It's not like I was going to attend anyway." Damien murmured to Ella while his parents adjusted their seats and as the waitress took their order for drinks.

Ella smiled, looking at Damien in amusement to find his face close, but he moved back, staring at his parents. Ella fisted her hand, urging her heart to calm down quickly,