SPITEFUL CHARADES - BOOK V

- Chapter 9 -

There was a difference between feeling sorry for oneself, and following one's gut on path of determination. Gunay loathed the first. And he loved the latter. He didn't just love it, he lived for it. The thrill. The adrenaline. The sheer conviction in his own ability to succeed. To succeed in the most suave and sophisticated manner.

Sitting once more at the restaurant he swore at in his mind the last time, Gunay relaxed in the corner of the lounge area. The dimmed light, the black leather seating, the dark colors of the tapestry bringing out the inspiration of the pungent coffee bean, the golden sleek and modern fixtures offered the perfect backdrop for what he set out to do.

Could he ever admit that he had come unprepared to the restaurant before? He would never have admitted it. He came prepared, but with the information he was aware of - both in terms of the woman he intended to look out for and in terms of his feelings for her. Or rather... unresolved feelings.

Today was different, though.
Today he knew she was, in fact, a patron of the restaurant.
Today, he knew for a fact, he would be prepared for her.

And today, if nothing more, he would confirm whether Iuliana Selenio, the woman who walked all over his heart, got married...

"Good evening, Sir. What can I offer You today?" The same waitress from his last visit greeted him with a smile.

"Coffee, dark and strong. No cream, no sugar." Gunay ordered his choice of beverage, offering the waitress the same rehearsed smug smirk.

"Yes, Sir," the waitress tilted her head. "Should I set another set of utensils for Your guest?"

"My guest?" He cocked an eyebrow, surprised by the question.

"Your companion?"

"I am afraid I do not know what You mean?"

"Senhora Chiaromonte? She does come here on occasion," the waitress explained.

"I do not anticipate running into her anytime soon," he retorted, feeling uneasy at the waitress's implication. "We are not on a companion basis."

"My apologies, Sir," the waitress inclined her head and walked away. She returned moments later with his order.

He sat in the restaurant for a good hour. Iuliana did not make an appearance. He sat for another hour, eventually ordering one of the appetizers, aware he would all but nibble on it in order not to attract attention. He was about to call in the night and leave, when he heard a familiar tone of voice coming from the direction of the maître d' near the entrance.

'What is he doing here again...?'

He reached for the saucer, now all but empty and filled with the last bits of coffee that had gone cold long ago. He smiled to himself, covering the grin behind the saucer. Since he heard Iuliana's thoughts, it became evident she saw him. He would not surrender the benefit of surprise to her. After all, he based his plan on ensuring she would not suspect him returning to the restaurant because of her.

He signaled for the waitress to return to his table. He asked, in a suave and alluring manner full of charm and charisma, that he would like to order whiskey on ice. She smiled, collected the empty coffee saucer along with the empty appetizer plate, and advised him she would soon return with his order.

"Still the charmer, aren't You?" Iuliana greeted him in a dry tone of voice once she made her way slowly to his table.

"What are You doing here?" His words raised her temper, and Gunay could see it clearly, even in the dimmed light. What she did not see, and he ensured of it, was the rush of adrenaline he could not deny as he watched her walk toward him. He swore inside because she still held that invisible power of desire over him. "Don't tell me You were naive enough to want to see me again?"