The Stranger / Chris Evans x OC

Chapter 65: Blossom

AMELIA

After spending way too much, and yet not enough, time in the forest space, Chris and I finally manage to break out of the calming daze the atmosphere had managed to put us in. 

We walk back out to Tamara, who's standing on the path, checking her phone, and once she hears us coming back she smiles politely. 

"Well," she says as she puts her phone in her pocket, "This is technically the official end of the tour, but I understand that you have also booked a reservation at Longleaf? Do you still wish to go there?" 

I furrow my brows in confusion and I'm about to ask what that is, when Chris says, "Yes, we'd love to." 

"Alright, follow me then," Tamara says as she gestures for us to follow her, walking onto a new path, leading us into a different part of the garden. 

Chris and I walk behind her and I look up at him as I ask, "What's Longleaf?"

"Their restaurant," he replies, smiling down at me, "You didn't really think I would take you out on a date and then not feed you, did you?" 

I laugh as I shake my head, "No, that would be very un-gentlemanly of you." 

"Exactly," he says with a smirk, "So I booked a reservation, figured we could eat lunch there and then we'll see what we want to do after. I have some options for us." 

I smile as I nod up at him before turning my sights back to where Tamara is leading us. 

It's very impressive that he's planned all of this and it's even more impressive that he actually planned in options for us. I'm going to have to show him just how much I appreciate all of his hard work, later. 

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Tamara walks us to the restaurant, placed in a huge space in the garden, before she says goodbye. 

The second she's out of our vicinity I can tell that Chris is instantly more relaxed, and he guides me into the restaurant with a hand on the small of my back. 

When we enter, the restaurant is empty, except for the row of waiters standing in front of the bar, welcoming us. 

Chris greets them as we walk past and I smile politely, my nerves a little on edge due to the intensity of this experience. 

I've never been in an empty restaurant, like this, before. And I've never had so many people staring at me.

Well.. I guess they're not technically staring at me, but still. 

The host shows us to our table and Chris pulls my chair out, letting me sit down before he takes a seat opposite me. 

Once we're both seated, the host comes back to our table, handing us a set of menus as he speaks, "Welcome to Longleaf. It's a pleasure to have you both." 

He gives Chris a wide smile and Chris reciprocates before he opens the menu, looking through it. 

"We have a set menu," the host says as he points to some different choices on my menu, "But we also have different courses down here. If there's anything in particular you'd like, that isn't on the menu, please feel free to let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you. I will be back in a few minutes to take your drink orders." 

I thank the host before he walks off and then I look back down at my menu. 

"What are you in the mood for, baby?" Chris asks as he glances from the menu up at me, "Anything on here that sounds good?" 

"Yeah," I say as I look through it, "All of it, basically." 

Chris chuckles, "If you want all of it, you can have all of it." 

"No," I quickly say, darting my eyes up at him, "We are not doing mixed plates here, Evans. You know I can barely eat half of the food whenever we do that. Besides, it would be rude." 

He smirks, giving me a teasing smile before nodding, "Alright, fine. But still, you can have whatever you want." 

"There are too many choices," I mumble as I look back down at the menu. 

Chris hums, flipping the pages as he looks through the options, and I start unconsciously biting my bottom lip as I look over the different dishes. 

They have chicken, steak, fish, soup, pasta... The list goes on and on, and to be honest, it all sounds delicious. 

I keep chewing on my bottom lip nervously as I try to decide what I would like the most but it's becoming harder and harder for every page I turn. 

I don't even realize I'm doing it until Chris speaks. 

"Stop that," he suddenly says, his voice low and a little stern, "Unless you want me to fuck you up against the sink in the bathroom." 

I stiffen in my seat, looking up at him with wide eyes before releasing my bottom lip from the hold my teeth had it in. 

Chris smiles and nods approvingly, his eyes dropping back down to his menu as he whispers, "Good girl." 

That bastard. 

My thighs clench at his words and I narrow my eyes at him, watching as he nonchalantly looks through his menu. 

"Christopher," I whisper harshly, "Don't." 

"Don't, what?" He asks innocently as he doesn't look up at me, keeping his eyes on the menu, "I'm not doing anything." 

I scoff before whispering, "You know exactly what you're doing and you can't do it to me in a public space like this, I don't know how to handle it." 

That makes Chris look up at me from his menu. His hand reaches across the table, taking mine as his thumb strokes my knuckles. 

"I'm sorry," he says earnestly, "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I was just teasing." 

I smile as I sigh, taking his hand more firmly in my own, "I know, I'm sorry, I'm not uncomfortable.. Well, I mean, it would be, I think, but I also know you didn't do it intentionally. I just.. It's very new to me. I'm not used to slipping into that space. And you calling me that on top of me having to make a damn near impossible decision is not helping."

Chris chuckles softly as he smiles, "Choosing your food is a damn near impossible decision?"

"Yes," I breathe out, my brows furrowing when I look back down at the pages in front of me, "I can't decide.." 

"Okay," he says, squeezing my hand gently, "How about this.. I choose for the both of us and then if you end up with something you don't like, you'll just have mine. Does that work?" 

I dart my eyes back up at him, a smile forming on my lips before I nod and whisper, "Yeah. That works." 

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