No Strings attached - a Tony Stark/Iron Man Fanfiction

Part 13: No more guilt

"Tony please", Chris whined and embarrassed looked after the waitress that her dearest boyfriend just had send back into the kitchen with a new order. Since they had arrived in this restaurant, The Golden Apple, he constantly had been changing his decision what he did want to eat. He knew the head chef, had already tasted many of the offered dishes and now he simply didn't know what to pick. The poor waitress kept running back and forth between their table and the kitchen, her face a little redder with every turn. At least she didn't have to let other people wait, because there was no one else. Tony, for some reason had reserved the whole restaurant They were the only guests. Chris was neither sure why he had done it, to have no publicity, that they could be alone or simply because he could, nor what she was thinking about this. On the one side she found it kind of cute, on the other a little extravagant and simply too much. But that probably was something she needed to get used to when dating a billionaire.

"You'll understand the difficulty of this decision as soon as you're tasting it yourself", he explained while once again studying the menu. She quickly plucked it from his hands and placed it out of his reach on another table "I will never be able to if you don't give the kitchen the chance to finally start cooking", taking a sip of the excellent whine, she not so silently mumbled into her class "But it's not like I don't know you incapability to decide something".
First, he made a pouting expression but it soon turned into a warm smile and he reached across the table to take her hand and press a kiss to it. "But when I finally do, I stick to this decision". "So, that means that you will finally take the steak?", she replied teasingly, still she returned his smile and enjoyed the fluttering of her heart, that finally didn't scare her anymore. It felt good to show her feelings freely. Tony nodded "I think I will be very happy with my steak". He too felt so much lighter now that he didn't have to constantly tell himself that he wasn't in love. He was! Deeply and undeniable and to know that she wanted him too was unbelievable. A genius, billionaire, philanthropist yes, but also one with lots of problems, nightmares and a sometimes pretty stubborn mind. She had accepted all of this, though she did have any right to just turn around and run.
Christine blushed a little at his suddenly so intense gaze, wondering what he might think about, but it made her want to just laugh out happily. He, this all, it caused her to feel all bubbly and also a little drunk. "And I think your steak will be very happy with you"

Before they could go on with this shy and equivocal conversation, the waitress returned and a little embarrassed stood in front of the table. She didn't even want to ask but had to do it anyway "Any other wishes". Noticing Tony eying the menu once again, Chris quickly spoke up "No thank you. We're fine for the moment". The brunette with the curly hair couldn't hold back the relieved sigh, then realizing what she just had done in front of one of the world richest people and superhero, her face turned red and she quickly excused herself.
"Poor thing", Chris mumbled, sorry that she had to be the one to explain Tony's vacillation to the kitchen crew. He looked at her questioningly, not understanding the problem, but she waved off. Trying to explain this to the spoiled brat that he still was somewhere inside him was a useless thing.

With the waitress gone, they finally were alone. Their first date as an official couple.
She thought back at the last few month with Tony, at the ups and downs and how close they had been to end this all. She didn't want to imagine what this would have meant for her. That way she would have never know this happiness that she was feeling in this moment.
"What are you thinking about?". the question interrupted her pondering and he curiously looked in her smiling face. "About you. About us. How close we had been to crash all of this"
He shuddered at the mere thought. Before her he'd been walking along a dangerous cliff and without her holding him, he was sure he would fall down that edge quite quickly. Not to mention that he never would be able again to see her, to talk to her, to kiss and love her. His gaze fell on the marks on her neck that she had left visible following his wish and he smiled. Yes, he was allowed to love her. In so many ways. "It would have been the biggest mistake in my life". He also took her free hand and leaned a little more over the table to be closer to her. She automatically did the same and caressed his cheek when he once again kissed her digits. In this moment, she was glad that no one else was here with them and understood that this had been a present from Tony to her. He surely had paid a lot of money to be allowed to do this to repay the restaurant for what they weren't able to earn without all the other guests. "I'm glad to be here with you. I've been looking forward to this the whole day" "Me too". It had been a long time since he last had been so excited about going out with a woman. A long time it only had been a necessarily he had to get through before he could get her into bed. Today though he already was happy with to just sitting here with Chris, listen to her witty comments and forget the world.