Forbidden Passion (Alan Rickman FF) ENGLISH VERSION

Chapter 17

Rosalyn paced nervously in her apartment. The mere thought that she was going to meet Alan tonight made her all excited. She knew it was all about work, but honestly, she was so hyped up, it was like she was on a date with the actor. What would be the appropriate attire for the occasion and what should she talk to him about? She just wanted to let it all come to her. She'd rather go take a shower now, because the cab would be waiting for her in front of her apartment in a good hour. She didn't even know where the ride would take her. She was already very curious about which restaurant he had chosen. Rosalyn was surprised that he had contacted her so spontaneously, but he had explained to her plausibly why he preferred to meet today instead of talking about it on the phone tomorrow.

In the meantime, Rosalyn sat in the cab that took her further and further outside London. By now she was wondering what neighborhood she had gotten into. But she wasn't worried, since she had known Alan long enough, he would never put her in danger. There was something mysterious and forbidden about the whole thing, she really wondered why he had nothing better to do on Sunday night than to meet with her. She wondered what his wife was doing in the meantime, or was she perhaps out and about?

After what felt like an eternity, the cab stopped in front of a small castle. Was she in the right place? The supposed restaurant looked like a private property, no conspicuous neon sign or something like that drew attention to itself. Probably the establishment was only for insiders. Tense, she got out of the car and admired the distinguished building, which stood stately in the dreamy landscape. Slowly she strode along the short gravel path and went up the few stairs that led to a large entrance portal. Even before she had to open the glass door herself, a butler came out of nowhere to hold it open for her.

Rosalyn entered the large entrance hall, she immediately felt intimidated by the classy decor. This place was definitely for rich people only. Before she could even wonder if she was in the right place, a staff member approached her. "Mister Rickman is already expecting you, I'll take you to him right away." Amazed that this man instantly knew who she was, she followed him immediately. It was probably obvious from a distance that she was not part of the usual customer base. She had never seen a restaurant like this before. As she followed the man, she heard scattered snatches of speech or laughter through several doors. Were these all separate dining rooms? Because she couldn't see any other guests.

The restaurant employee opened a nondescript door for Rosalyn to enter. She didn't have time to look around at all, because her gaze immediately lingered on Alan. The latter rose from his seated position to greet her appropriately. "Good evening. So glad you could come and see me on such short notice." He escorted her to her intended seat and pulled out her chair so she could sit down. "What can I order you to drink?" he asked her intently. "I can recommend a very good white wine, if you like."

"Yes, I'd love to," she said to Alan. She couldn't take her eyes off him, the dark red shirt and the black suit pants suited him perfectly, his silver hair shimmered delicately in the dimmed light of the chandelier. There was no way she could let her fantasies run wild, she had to concentrate on the here and now. She averted her eyes from him and rather looked at the noble room. The walls were decorated with dark green wallpaper and stucco ornaments. A bar stood at the side of the perimeter, with all sorts of alcohol bottles ready to be freely taken. The round dining table had a large golden candlestick in the center and the atmosphere looked romantic. The thought of it made Rosalyn's cheeks grow hot.

She still avoided looking Alan in the eye, although she could feel his gaze on her. Slowly she wondered what this evening would bring, it felt like a date, the actor had obviously put a lot of effort into tonight's meeting. Rosalyn now dared to look at him openly after all. Her heart beat even faster and her hands began to tremble slightly as her nervousness reached unimagined heights. Just before she could say anything to make the situation not seem strange, the waiter entered and brought the ordered bottle of white wine. The man poured the fine crystal glasses full and placed two menus on the table, then discreetly left the room.

"This restaurant must be an insider's tip," Rosalyn surmised in Alan's direction, so that the silence in the room would not last any longer.

"Yes, you're right," he replied, "the owner of the castle is a good friend of mine. I come here occasionally because there is enough privacy here. I thought it would be an ideal place to meet with you so we can discuss all the details for the future. If you want, we can look at the menu first so we can order. I can highly recommend the steak or lobster." Alan held the menu out to her so she could choose her meal.

As she flipped through the few pages, she immediately noticed that there were no prices listed. She didn't want to know at all what this evening would cost Alan. No prices on a menu never meant anything good. Usually she never frequented such places. How could she? She had absolutely no budget left for such a luxury. Overwhelmed, she looked up and glanced at her counterpart. Immediately Alan looked up from his menu and smiled at her. "Please don't worry about what it costs at all, this evening is on me. I should have invited you much earlier. You've helped me so many times already, it's the least I can do for you."

Once again he smiled lovingly in her direction. His eyes had taken on a different color in this light. They shone darkly, the glimmer in them seemed even promising. Rosalyn's stomach began to tingle, his words touched her. Had he noticed that she was doing more for him than was necessary? Still, she couldn't get the thought of his wife out of her mind, so she was eager to call him on it. "Mary doesn't mind you meeting me here tonight?" Immediately she saw in his look that she had asked a wrong question.

Alan tried to cover the awkward situation with a smile. "Don't worry about her, she doesn't know about this meeting. I wanted to see you and talk to you, she doesn't have to know about that."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked you that question, it's none of my business what you discuss or don't discuss with your wife," she said quickly in response. How could she be so foolish. Did she have to ruin this evening before it had even begun? Annoyed, she ran her hand over her forehead, she would have liked to turn back time to undo her statement.

"It's okay Rosalyn, I want to be honest with you. I didn't tell her about it because I didn't want a fight at home. You know as well as I do that Mary wouldn't like it if she knew about it. But let's not think about her anymore. Let's enjoy this evening instead. Who knows when it will come to it next." He quickly took a sip of wine, his throat suddenly dry.

His words sounded seductive to Rosalyn's ears, as if they were having an affair. As if they were two lovers who had to meet secretly to see each other. The thought felt good and yet so infinitely wrong. When she unexpectedly felt Alan's hand on hers, she pulled herself up from her questionable train of thought and looked toward him in surprise.

"It's all right," he assured her, "you needn't be afraid of Mary. I won't let her get you down in the future. Now let's talk about less serious subjects. Let's order our food instead, whatever you feel like today, order it."

In fact, Rosalyn felt like something completely different, and his words caused even greater feelings in her than she already felt for the actor. She loved the man sitting across from her. When he looked at her as he did now, she could almost imagine that he felt something for her as well. When the two of them had chosen their dishes, Alan pressed an unobtrusive button on the wall. A short time later, the waiter entered to take their order. Again he put his hand on hers and said, "Let's talk about everything."