Barre

Chapter Five

We walked for at least ten minutes, making jokes occasionally. I had asked him where we were going, but he refused to answer, causing our final destination to be a surprise.

That surprise was named Aux Cerises, a restaurant that I've heard of before, but never visited.

"Gael!" A woman's voice shouts as we enter the beautifully decorated establishment.

The owner of the voice comes out from behind a counter, stretching her arms wide for a hug.

"Aunt Claire, this is Juliette, my girlfriend."

Claire beams at me for a moment, before pulling me into a similar hug she gave to Gael.

"I've heard so much about you," she boasts as she pulls away.

"You have?" I ask, turning to Gael with a smile plastered on my face.

He rubs the back of his neck and nods bashfully.

"Well I am more than delighted to serve you two brunch, have a seat wherever you like," Claire chirps.

Quickly, Gael places his hand on my lower back, causing me to jump slightly. He guides me to a small table in the back, separate from where most of the customers are seated.

Like before, he pulls my chair out for me and waits for me to sit before taking his own seat. I smile at the gesture, enjoying how much effort he's putting into this act.

"You could've told me your aunt worked here," I tease.

"Thought it would be more fun to see how you reacted to her personality."

Before I can answer, a server comes over and places two glasses of water on the table, along with two menus. I thank her and pick up the menu tenderly.

"She seems fun."

"Fun," he repeats while glancing over his own paper.

"So, what do you recommend?" I quiz.

"Mm I usually get the œufs mimosa. However, we can skip right to cheesecake."

"Both sound tempting," I groan.

The server returns, and Gael requests both dishes, in addition to a bottle of champagne. We make conversation for a while, until the food comes out and a glass of light colored champagne is placed in front of me.

"I'll admit, I'm a bit hopeful you get tipsy again," he tells me when the server leaves.

I snort and pick up the flute gracefully, bringing it to my lips for a long sip.

"I'll try my best."

As we start to eat, I can tell Gael is taking account of the amount of champagne I've consumed. Honestly, I'm beginning to be curious myself.

"What do you do for work, exactly?" I ask slowly.

He thinks for a second, probably trying to debate how much detail I can handle right now.

"Lots of money," he settles on.

"Sounds boring," I slur while stabbing our cheesecake forcefully.

He chuckles and watches me guide the bite into my mouth, in which I almost miss. "Well you're the one who decided to work for me Ette."

I shrug and finish off the contents of my bubbly drink, and reach for the bottle of champagne. Gaels firm grasp stops me, causing me to slouch in disappointment.

"I think you've had quite enough," his gaze leaves mine for a second before returning. "Baby". He adds the last part as Claire approaches our table, noticing I am visibly tipsy.

"How was the food?"

"Amazing as always, Aunt Claire. Could we have the check?" Gael replies while rubbing my hand.

"It's all taken care of, enjoy the rest of your day you two."

I notice her wink as Gael pulls out my chair and helps me stand, trying to not give away the elephant in the room.

As soon as we're outside, I start uncontrollably giggling into Gael's shoulder.

"How much champagne did you drink Ette?" he whispers in amusement.

"You were in charge of keeping track," I accuse while poking him in the chest. "This is technically all your fault."

"Oh, I see. Maybe I should watch what I request before I have a drunk girlfriend at noon."

"Girlfriend," I repeat breathlessly. "That's a funny name."

"You know, girlfriends usually sleep at their boyfriends house," he trails quietly.

I gasp and pull away from his shoulder, slapping his arm playfully.

"Are you trying to get me into bed with you Gael?"

He quickly goes red, stumbling over his words for an answer.

"No, I'm just offering. It's the polite thing to do Ette," he says like he was confident all along.

I nod in response, and we start to walk in no particular direction.

"Gael?" I ask after a few minutes of silence.

He hums and I lean up to his ear to whisper my next statement.

"I would happily let you get me into your bed."