A Sensitive Arrangement

Chapter 5

Content Warning: Mild to Moderate depictions of coercion.

The ride to the restaurant seemed to take ages, and at the same time not nearly long enough. Olivia didn't want to drive, certain she could convince the waiters to serve us a bottle of wine, so we hired a driver to take us there. The restaurant was fancy and expensive, which didn't really surprise me. Most of the students at our school were loaded, or at least their parents were. Nick and his cousin were already waiting for us outside when we got there.

"You both look hot." Nick said when he saw us. Isn't he a charmer?

"I'm Joe. You must be Alice. I'm pleased to meet you. Incredibly so actually. " Nick's cousin spoke in an English accent, taking my hand. I'd have to be careful, this one actually was a charmer. "Shall we go in?" He asked, offering me his arm.

The restaurant looked packed. I imagined the Saturday before Christmas was one of their busiest nights. At first, the Maitre D' did not look happy to see four teenagers walk in, but the second he saw Olivia's face, his whole demeanor changed.

"Miss Callaway, so good to see you again." He gushed, as if he knew her personally and not just from photographs.

"Thank you so much, it's great to be back." She smiled. She was well versed in milking her notoriety for all that it was worth. "We have a reservation I think, I believe it's under--" She started.

"Oh no, don't worry about that, we'll give you our best table." He assured her.

"Perfect." She beamed, pulling the entire restaurant into her orbit. But of course, Joe was still staring at me, barely taking note of anything else in the room. He knew how to play the game.

"So Alice, any thoughts on what you might like to study when you go to college?" Joe asked me once we were seated and our food had been ordered.

"Not really, when I was younger I thought I might study science or medicine. Now I think I'm leaning more towards the humanities." I answered, engaging in polite conversation. I guess if he was going to make an effort there really was no need to be rude.

"Medicine is brutal, if you're not one hundred percent sure, I'd definitely advise against it. But I love every minute of it. I can't wait to be a doctor." He grinned. Of course he'd just casually throw his plans to be a doctor out there, expecting me to grab onto it as if it's a life jacket. But wait a minute--

"You're in college?" I questioned, unable to keep the surprise out of my tone.

"Yeah, I just finished my first semester. I thought Nick told you." He said, concern lacing his voice.

"No, he didn't." I replied, still unsure how I felt about this development.

"Oh, I'm sorry, is that okay?" He asked. Was it okay? Why shouldn't it be? I was having R rated dreams about Julian, and he was a junior in college. But he was also Julian.

"Yeah, it's fine." I smile, knowing it didn't quite reach my eyes. "I was just thrown for a loop, that's all."

"I promise to be the perfect gentleman." He grinned, resting his hand on my knee. Which honestly felt like it was in exact opposition to the words he was saying, but it was just my knee, right? It would be stupid to get worked up over that.

Throughout the rest of dinner, he seemed true to his word. Occasionally his hand would return to my knee when he didn't need it to eat, but it never ventured any higher than my kneecap, so I figured we were okay. As much as I hated to admit it, the attention felt good. Even if it wasn't from the person I would have liked. There was a hint of danger that was actually starting to feel almost... fun.