NIRELLE - Chapter 41: Chapter 41

I know I lied to Cassian about the sightseeing, but everything I was seeing was different from the last time I was allowed to wander the world alone. I just searched up fun places on my phone and tried to act normal and blend in, although it was too difficult for me with all the bodyguards. So when I saw people staring, I would know that it was because of the guards and not because they knew how I was and that I was trying to end my life.
I get a call from Cassian; he tells me that it is finally time for lunch, and he has been anticipating it. I shrug off the eerie feeling that his statement creates in me, and then I ask the driver to take me for lunch. I could not have been happier at the time he called since I was starving.
I walk into the restaurant that Cassian had asked us to meet at, and I can tell that he was trying to impress me with the interior of this place. I walk in and notice that even though it is rush hour, the restaurant is empty with a few guards at the door.
"Hi," he says as I walk to him. I see him lean in for a hug, but I step away. It's nothing against him; I just don't think I am ready in any form to have anyone close to me that way.
"Hi," I respond, trying to match his energy, but everything comes out wrong. "It's nice to see you."
"And you too." He comes over, and I am afraid he will try to go in for a hug again, but he pulls my chair and waits for me. I mouth a silent oh before I slide into the chair, and he pushes me forward effortlessly. He sits in front of me and flashes me a smile. I am reminded of why all the girls had a crush on him.
Maybe we would be called superficial teenagers, but this man had the looks, the kind that made you do a double-take and bless the life of God for creating such a masterpiece. And everything about him and his life was so perfect, it was hard to understand Lucien's beef with him. I shake my head as I notice that since I had left the house, I had been thinking of Lucien a lot.
I had thought he was going to call me and get me to come back home, but he did nothing, and it made me even more annoyed.
"You look good," he said, and I wondered if he meant it, if, when he saw the bruises on my face, his words would still stay the same.
"Thank you," I push out the words from my throat, trying to act normal.
"I thought I'd see you at the reunion," he said, and I shook my head.
"I could not come; the time frame was too short for me."
"And your husband wouldn't have let you?" he asked. His tone was accusing, and it felt weird.
"Oh, no," I shake my head as I take a cup up and put it to my mouth. I sip on the water, and it feels like I have just gone into the ocean. "It's not that at all; I am free to go out as I please," I add as if I were trying to impress him. "It's lunch hour; I thought this place would be bubbling with life," I say, trying to change the subject.
The smirk on his face tells me that he gets what I am trying to do, but I don't see him doing anything about it. "I rented the entire place out," he said smugly as if he were proud of himself.
"Why would you do that?"
"We don't want any rumours now, do we?" he asked, and I understood what he meant, even though there was a bit of him trying to show off under there. I could tell that he did not want Lucien to know. I know that Lucien probably already knows, but what could he do about it? It was not like he was going to storm in here and drag me out by the hand.
"Can we order?" I ask, not wanting to go deeper into the feud between them.
"We can," he tapped on the bell on the table, and moments later, a waiter was there to take our orders.
"Welcome to La Lumiere, Mr. Wolfe." I could tell that Cassian was a regular here. If Lucien were out in the open, would he also be a regular in places like this? Would he even have tried to marry her? There would be better women to fit his standards. I trail my eyes to the waiter and see his mouth moving; I try my best to focus.
"We would have what I already preordered," Cassian told the man, and with a curt bow, he was out of our hair. "Do you drink?" he asked, and I sat frozen in my seat. I was not sure if I ever wanted to taste alcohol in life after that night. I was still racing my brain trying to figure out why Lucien had reacted the way he did after my drunk night, but maybe a glass or two won't hurt.
"You are thinking about it too much, so I am going to stick with a mocktail for you." He stands up and walks over to the counter before coming back with a tray in one hand as if he were flexing his muscles. "Here you go." He drops the cup in front of me and the tray on the floor beside him. "Try it," he says, and I sip from the straw in the cup.
"This is nice."
"It is?" he asked with surprise, and I nodded. "Mom is going to be proud."
"Mom?" I asked, trying to understand what was going on.
"My mom owns this place, and it opened up a few months ago. We are perfecting the menu, and I came up with this. This is the first time we are having someone else taste it, and if you say it is up to standard, then it is."
I want to tell him that he could not trust my taste buds because they weren't as sophisticated as he would think, but how could I tell him that? I just pull a fake smile to my face and nod vigorously. The meals began to roll out of the kitchen, and I watched how professionally the waiters acted, almost like robots; it was amazing to me.
I take a bite from the weird-looking dish in front of me; I am not even going to bother myself to try and learn what it is called. I am savouring the taste when I see a familiar figure walking towards me.
", let's go now." Each word thundered like a command, but I am not fazed.
"Can't you see she already has company?" Cassian replied, his tone calmer than Theo's, who stood there, his face scribbled with anger and his hands in a ball by his side.
"," he called, like it was a warning, one I might regret if I don't listen.
"She is having lunch with me," Cassian said as if he were trying to prove a point. I knew I had to speak now.
"I am having lunch; I will go home after lunch."