Standing in your way

Chapter 25

Upon entering the restaurant I immediately notice how luxurious the place is, it has a very calm and peaceful air, which I really like.

As we approach the reception a waiter approaches us

"Good evening Miss. Tár, please follow me" he tells us to follow him and so he takes us to an elevator, how big is this restaurant?
As soon as we get off I notice that we are on a floor with few tables and therefore few people. The waiter takes us to ours which is in front of a large window overlooking the panorama of the city at night

"Gosh it's beautiful" I say admiring out the window, she comes closer to me, moves a lock of hair behind my ear to give me a kiss on the cheek

"Glad you like it, I chose it for you" I raise my eyebrows laughing, well now I feel indebted

"Thanks for the thought" I give her a small peck on the lips and then we sit in our seats

"Here's the menu and the wine list" places both things on the table

"Bring us the usual" Lydia says without even looking at the options of wine

"I'll be right there" the waiter quickly leaves to get that. I look at the scene in amazement

"Can I ask you a question" I rest my elbows on the table looking at her, she is leafing through the menu

"Tell me" she closes it and places it on the table placing her attention on me, I look at her hands

"How many times have you come here already? I mean, the waiters know you and know by heart what you get, so" she looks at me and narrows her eyes, then just laughs

"I know what you're thinking, no I haven't come here before with a bunch of other women. I just always come here when I have to do some work meeting" she puts her index and middle fingers on her lips caressing them while she looks at me, I I bite my lip

"Ah ok, I was starting to worry" the waiter approaches, placing the two glasses on the table, then starts pouring champagne into both, how much will this dinner cost? Probably my entire salary

"Have you chosen what to eat?" she asks, my stomach closes.
I'm looking for something on the menu that can fill me up, today I ate very little to be able to enjoy this dinner

"Do they cook meat well?" I ask looking at that section

"Excellent, but if you want to go for the best I recommend pasta" I purse my lips, absolutely no carbohydrates in the evening.

"No thanks, I'm going for a beef tartare with apple balsamic vinegar salad" I close the menu and place it on the table, decided on my choice.
Lydia looks up from her menu to look at me

"Just this? It's not much, it won't fill you up" she points out

"Don't worry, I'm not that hungry"I'm actually starving, but I don't want to let myself go, I don't want to show her how much I eat, then she will be disgusted by me.

She opens her mouth as if to speak but then immediately closes it again looking at the menu, I let out a breath happy that the conversation has ended here

"Are you ready to order?" the waiter approaches with the diary in his hand, we nod and tell him our orders, then he leaves us alone again

"So, what do I owe this dinner to?" I ask her while sipping some champagne, damn it's really good, it must cost a lot

"Can't I take you to dinner without a purpose?" she raises an eyebrow, I laugh

"You know, Francesca asked if something had happened before" I widen my eyes and she starts laughing