Severing Ties (Book 2. Ties)

14. Life After Levi

There was a beautiful and shiny yacht awaiting us in the water. A man by the name of Xavier received us with a woman who was slightly taller than me and about twenty years older. "Would you like me to lead you to the table we set up," the short woman asked.

Tamonash turned his head to look at me. "Do you want to eat first? I can show you around afterwards."

I shrugged my shoulders. "That's fine with me," I answered.

He nodded his head so the lady could show us to our table. She took us through a door and walked to the end of the room that appeared to be a living room. There was a light wooden table illuminated by the sun's rays that were showering the surfaces through the walls made out of glass. Like the gentleman that he was, Tamonash pulled out my chair, and I sat. The woman grabbed a bottle of wine that had been chilling in ice. She began to pour the white liquid into two glasses, and before I could protest, she was gone. "I can't drink it," I told Tamonash.

He picked up his glass and looked at me with a crease on his forehead. "Why?"

"I'm not old enough."

He smiled. "No one that could get you in trouble is here, Mackenzie."

I shook my head. "I shouldn't get drunk," I protested.

Tamonash began to laugh. "You are not going to get inebriated with one glass of wine." He grabbed my hand that had been lying on the table. His gesture was like him silently telling me that I was being silly. "Did you have a bad first experience getting drunk," he asked me.

I stared at him in shock. "How did you know?"

"Lucky guess, I suppose." He looked uncomfortable for a second and then took a sip from his glass, but I ignored his expression.

"Yeah it wasn't the most pleasurable thing in the world."

He pulled his hand away. "Well you don't have to drink if that's what you prefer. But I promise that one glass won't get you drunk, and I would not let anything happen to you." His eyes were filled with sincerity.

I didn't want to seem rude by not drinking it, so I decided that one would be okay. "Okay, just one glass." I smiled.

The woman came back with two asparagus soups and bread rolls. She placed them in front of us and told us to enjoy. Tamonash and I began to eat our creamy soups. I had to say that it was one of the better asparagus soups I had ever had.

I gained the courage to ask him a question after a couple of minutes of sitting in silence. "How old are you, Tamonash?"

He glanced up at me and cocked his mouth. "Twenty-four; does that discourage you from seeing me again?"

My face was serious for a second before I broke into a case of giggles. "No. Does it discourage you that I'm nineteen?"

He shook his head. "Not at all."

"Does it discourage you that I am not wearing make-up? Can I have more wine," I asked. The wine was light, so I had drank the first glass easily.

"Sure," he said and poured wine into my glass. "And to answer your first question, no I don't mind it. I like that actually. That just shows that you are comfortable in your own skin."

I wanted to laugh at his comment. The truth was that I was lazy. I wasn't confident; I just didn't care if people thought I was unattractive. Instead of laughing, I smiled and continued eating.

My mind went back to the age thing. "So it really doesn't disappoint you that I can't do things that people twenty-one and over can do?"

"Taking the time to know you is enough. The location is the least of my cares."