The Boy In the Basement (Completed)

~Privacy Please~

Riley sat in the very back with Cameron. Their low whispers were right in my ear. Then here I was, trapped between two conflicting male figures, unsure of what to do, or say. Austen tried to strike up a conversation once or twice, which failed miserably, since Jaxon and I's awkwardness was overpowering. Just get me out of this car, and I'll be fine.

The drive was pretty short, luckily, and I was more than eager to leave the limo. It parked in front of an extremely fancy looking restaurant right on the beach. Austen hopped out and held the door open for me, then waited for everyone else to get out. I took this time to revere in the dining choice.

The place was made of castle-like stone, and had torches blazing around the entire restaurant. Two white-gloved gentleman were stationed to open the door, and once everyone exited the limo, we went inside the glass doors. Austen placed his hand on the small of my back, and I felt all jittery inside as he led me to to the front desk.

"Are you the reservation for twelve?" The lady piped, scanning her tablet. Cameron stepped forward a little, greeting her with a confident smile.

"Yeah, we have more coming. For now it's just us six." She nodded, and led us to a long white table with folded napkins and shimmering champagne glasses. It was in a more secluded area of the restaurant, next to the long glass windows that revealed the moonlit beach right outside. Classy music was playing softly in the background, with a mixture of low conversation and the clink of forks. The whole aura of the place is too fancy for my taste.

Austen pulled back a chair for me on the end near the window, while Jaxon and his date took a seat on the opposite end. I recognized her from the beach party; she was one of the girls that sneered at me when we first arrived. Blonde, tall, flirtatious, bold, and well into Mister Bennett over here. Oh boy.

The waitress handed us each a menus and took drink orders. I strained about every muscle in my back trying to sit up straight and properly, resisting the desire to slump down and stretch my legs out. I carefully opened the menu and scanned the list of bizarre dishes.

I could feel a set of eyes across the table. Feeling a tad genius, I lifted the menu to hide my face. Ha ha, you can't see me. Austen's chair made a low scraping noise as he scooted closer to me. My heartbeat increased as the warmth of his body neared.

"I think I'm gonna go with the halibut. How bout you? Anything on the menu look good?" Austen asked casually. I skimmed through the endless list of options, choosing the first familiar name.

"Filet Mignon doesn't sound half bad," I replied speedily, pretending to be educated on the dish.

"Ah. anything for my lady. You come here often? You sound very sure of your choice," Austen announced to me with a grin. I cleared my throat, setting my menu down and turning to face him.

"Why, as a matter of fact, I do. This is where I go to have tea with the queen of the Netherlands when she's in town, who also happens to be my aunt. She's planning on passing her position and estate to me when the time is right," I said with thick layers of sarcasm. Austen laughed buoyantly, his nose crinkling up all cutely.

"I didn't know you had royal blood in you!" I shrugged, staging nonchalance. Austen drew closer, more serious now, a romantic look settling on his face.

"But hey, I always knew you were something special." His low, resonant voice sent shivers up my spine and fire to my cheeks. Fingers gently brushed against my arm, tickling their way to my hand and slowly lacing through mine. The pure blue of his eyes held me captive, distance myself from the whole awkward dinner date setting. All at once, the moment was shattered by something jabbing into my leg. Hard.