an Everlasting Pursuit

seventy one

They seated Asra and I in a round booth, large enough to seat six or seven people. I wasn't sure where to sit, so chose a spot that wasn't quite in the middle but wasn't quite on the end. Asra sat opposite me, his blue eyes almost black in the low lighting. The server handed our table over to a bubbling girl named Ella, who was eager to get us seated with some menus.

Ella had deep brown eyes and skin, her dark hair slick to her head. She adorned the same uniform as the woman previously, except she wore a small apron around her hips and carried a notepad. I wondered if she was human like me. The only difference I noticed between human women and wolf women was that wolf women were tall and toned. It was hard to tell with Ella; she was dressed in dark clothes and didn't seem too tall.

"Are there any drinks I can get for you before you order?" Ella smiled.

Asra's gaze never left mine as he hummed and rattled off an order that I believed to be whiskey. When she turned to me, my expression blanked and my mouth opened and closed without words.

"Instead of whiskey, bring us your best bottle of red over, will you?" Asra quirked an eyebrow.

"Of course, won't be a moment, sir." She nodded, leaving us.

I scowled at his impolite bluntness. If he wanted to make this a habit, he would have to learn some manners.

"You have never had alcohol much, have you?" He smirked.

"Darius would not let me." I pursed my lips.

His eyebrows furrowed. "Don't say his name. Don't give him the power."

A warmth in my cheeks had me dropping my gaze.

"I think you will like a red. It goes with a lot of food." He exhaled, leaning backwards just as Ella re-appeared.

I stared wide eyed as she rambled about things relating to the bottle, Asra watching her with interest. His large hands took a wineglass from the table, holding it out for her to pour into. She did so happily, and I watched with curiosity as he swirled and sipped the wine. It looked rather... unusual, to say the least.

He nodded once, and she left the bottle on the table. Asra took it, his hands taking up all the space around the top of the bottle. He poured two glasses before sliding one over to me. I took it with a small thanks, sniffing it slightly before taking a sip. The taste exploded across my tongue, a sweet, fruity flavour that lingered even after I swallowed.

Asra chuckled, gauging my expression. "You like it?"

"It's nice." I nodded, awkwardly. "Do you drink wine often?"

"You could say I was raised around wine etiquette." His nose twitched as he took a sip of his.

I cocked my head, curious. More mysterious questions burning in my mind. But before I could get the chance to ask him any, he was raising the menu to his face.

"See anything you like?" He wondered.

I cleared my throat, eyes darting down to the black book-style menu. Half of the writing was in a language I was unsure of, but the descriptions were English, so at least I wouldn't look like a total dork. My eyes scanned the various dishes before I settled on a pasta dish. One thing I loved was pasta, especially when smothered in sauce.

"I think I might just have the tag-lee-tell?" I replied, glancing up at him. "The thing with salmon and spinach."

He nodded once, smiling softly. "No starter?"

"Starter?" I frowned, flipping to the first page of the book menu. "Oh..."

"We can share if you are unsure." He suggested.