The Louvien was a restaurant on a strict reserve-only basis, and rumor had it that reservations are taken up to years in advance, even longer than D23. But voilá, with the snap of Nicholas Sheldon's fingers, we were in.
However, it was clear that something was off about Nicholas. He kept avoiding eye contact with people, trying not to look at the other faces. Perhaps it was because it was troubling that everything muddled into an unidentifiable mess. Every time he sensed someone watching his reaction, he tried to right himself again.
There was something about that — pretending to be okay when you weren't — that really felt familiar to me.
"Do you want your usual too, madamé?" The waiter asked. He was dressed to the nines, in a way that even made me feel bad, despite the fact that I already had such a gorgeous get-up on.
In order to play along, I nodded.
The usual. That meant that Zara had been here before, right? I wondered if she did manage to come without Cleo noticing. Otherwise, Cleo was always such a hawk, constantly around Nicholas.
After I told her where we were, she said was seconds away from marching him back to the hospital. Then, she changed her mind and told me to stall him first.
Great.
"Are they looking for me already?" He raised his eyebrows at the sight of me tapping away at the screen. "Guess they must be intimidating enough for you to get rid of your no-phones at the table policy."
"Quit bringing up the past." I scowled. I was masking the fact that internally, my heart was racing a million miles an hour. It wasn't just the fact that I was putting up an act without even knowing who I'm supposed to act as, it was because it was him in front of me.
There was something about him that was intimidating. Though I didn't usually get fearful easily, I somehow felt determined not to get caught in the act. When I signed up for this, initially I wasn't afraid of the consequences if I failed, but it worried me the longer that I stayed.
Before he could say anything else, someone came from behind him. I recognized him immediately, because Cleo had showed his face to me time and time again, nagging me to remember who he was.
He was Hunter Norris, Nicholas' best friend. The blonde hair and cheekier aura was a sign that the pair weren't actually twins, but the two were alike in other aspects.
"To think I'd see you here too." Hunter reached out for one of those bro-hug things.
I saw the confusion erupt across Nick's face. He frowned, trying to decipher the clues piece by piece, as he compliantly got pulled into that greeting.
A moment passed, and Hunter was starting to get confused too. I guessed that by now, Nicholas would have said something. That was, if he knew who he was seeing right now, in this case he didn't...
I knew I had to step in.
Jeez, why couldn't he just tell his best friend about his prosopagnosia? Why was it such a secret?
"You must be Hunter." I signalled to Nicholas in that way. Next, I extended my hand and stood up a little too suddenly.
His attention went to me next. "Oh, I assume that you're that mysterious French girl that even lover boy wouldn't talk about." He did a side-punch at Nick. I could tell that Nick was finally convinced it was Hunter, and relaxed again.
"What did you do to him, anyway? He looks so stoned." Hunter struck out a hand again, and Nick caught it without looking. He gave the side-eye.
"Just a long day, I guess." I said awkwardly, sitting back down.
Nick tipped his chair a little so he could see Hunter's table. A knowing smirk played on his lips.
"Huh. Guess you decided to go on that Tinder date after all."
"Shh!" Hunter hissed immediately, hitting Nick again. "It's not Tinder!" He shot an embarrassed look at me. "It's just a blind date."
"All the same." I chirped.
Right on cue, the dishes came. Nick swatted Hunter away, "We'll go find you guys after the food."
I thought the moment when I received the food would be heavenly. In my head I imagined the harp playing as they unraveled that delectable dish. Until I realized...
It was full of crustaceans.
Damn it, the whole thing was swimming with shrimp and shellfish and everything I was allergic to. Probably should have thought it through before I let them serve "Zara's usual".
Meanwhile, Nick got the tenderloin. I kind of assumed my dish would be steak too, because I thought it was synonymous with these restaurants. Guess Zara just had to pick the seafood, huh?
Nick saw me staring at the food, and chuckled. He chided, "Please don't make me peel the prawns. I know you can swallow like ten of those in one go."
My face paled. Swallow ten and I'll be in the hospital...
"I'm not in the mood for seafood, actually. I want whatever you're having." I said in the brattiest voice I could muster.
In my defense, I would have said I didn't want to eat anymore, but I didn't want to waste the exquisite food, and getting takeaway from the freaking Louvien was just unacceptable.
I shuffled the plate over, much to Nick's protests. "Hey." He pulled it back to himself.
Seeing that, I bit my bottom lip and quickly checked my phone underneath the table. Gosh, Cleo. When are you coming? Or do you want me to blow my cover?
I watched Nick consider and change his mind. When I glanced up again, he had all the pieces cut out neatly for me, and he swapped plates.
"Funny." He said carefully, an eyebrow raised. "You're usually vegetarian, with the exception of the seafood here."
My heart pounded faster. You should really be more thorough in your background checks, I texted Cleo under the table.
I could tell that Nicholas was beginning to feel suspicious. He was definitely the type of sceptic that wouldn't fall for things very easily. That meant I had to be on high alert, but it was hard to when you're given such a tough job.
Just as I was about to make an excuse up, my eyes went to across the room. My heart sank instantly.
Walking into the restaurant was someone I knew.
Gabrielle Leska. Let's just say she and I weren't on the best of terms, back in school.
I was very certain that the girl would call me out instantly.
One mention of "Emma", and I would be doomed.
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Misstaken ✓ | #Wattys2019
Ficção Adolescente*1ST IN WRITERS' CHOICE 2019* Emma can't stand Nick's charms. After all, the heir was a brooding boy who meant trouble. But he also meant easy money - he had lost the ability to recognize faces. All Emma had to do was pretend to be in love with him...
