Between the Lines (Ajax 'Childe' Tartaglia x Fem!Reader)

( three )

Your heart is racing somewhat erratically when you get to the restaurant only to find it completely empty. Glancing around, you feel rather nervous creeping in as you fiddled with your outfit. Of course, it's your [U/O], a dress that you could never fathom spending money on, coupled with a pair of heels that was gifted to you by Childe.

Was there something going on that you didn't know about? Did the restaurant shut down without anyone's knowledge?

Drawing a deep breath, you reach into your bag and fish out your phone. That's when the restaurant opens just as you're about to call Childe, and a waitress greets you. She's beaming at you, giving you a giant smile almost in apology. "Are you Ms. [Last Name], by chance?"

"I am," you affirm before she holds the door wider for you.

"I apologize, Mr. Ajax is waiting for you."

Still unsure what's happening, you follow her into the restaurant, still in shock to see how empty it is. You've seen pictures online of just how crowded it usually was, with lines wrapped around the block even without reservation in hopes of getting lucky.

The lights are dimmed, giving it a romantic-like atmosphere that completely steals your breath away, especially with the restaurant's interior. There is soft classical music playing, setting the mood just right as the waitress leads you to the center of the restaurant.

Immediately, Childe gets up with a boyish look on his face. He looks utterly dashing in his suit that has to be custom by the way it fits around his body. In his hands was another bouquet of your favorite flowers as he held out the chair for you.

"You got me flowers?" you ask breathlessly as he pulls the chair in for you. You take the bouquet of your favorite flowers, smelling it before your bright [E/C] finds his dark navy ones as he nods. He clears his throat, racking his hair back. You bite your lips, only causing them to become plumper as satisfaction rolls through Childe that it's not out of embarrassment you have done before when getting belittled by the disgusting small fry.

"I wanted to see your smile firsthand," he professes. "I have to say your smile is worth a million."

"A million, huh?" you giggle softly, and they are like music to Childe's ear. Then, finally, the waitress comes, pouring what appears to be a bottle of expensive and exquisite wine. She pops it open, pouring it before leaving you both to look at the menu that you finally decided to profess. "I honestly thought for a moment that the restaurant was closed."

"Oh, no," Childe shakes his head calmly. "I booked out the entire restaurant for tonight."

His proclamation makes your mouth gap open in shock. You blink a few times, completely flabbergasted at how casual it is for him to be doing this. Finally, you set the menu down just a bit to stare at him in utter shock. More than anything else, it reminds you of the stark differences between the two of you. "What?"

Just rich people things, huh?

Unconsciously, you go to touch your hair once more in a sigh of nervousness that Childe picks up for sure at this point. Then, not liking your unease, he places a hand over yours, slowly rubbing it with the pad of his thumb.

For some reason, it brings you nothing but comfort, and you didn't bother pulling away either. Your breath hitches before you go on to bite your tongue as he explains himself. "It's because I hate the paparazzi getting ahold of my location. I don't usually do this. We have a huge merge coming soon, and the last thing I needed was people bombarding me."

Technically, this also works out for you as well. If the tabloids get a picture of the both of you together, they are sure to blow it out of proportion despite this being just a dinner between two friends. "It must be tough being the CEO of the Tsaritsa Trust, huh?"