Closer (Completed) Dark Romance

Chapter 4

"What are you doing?" I asked as my eyes met his sea-green ones.

"Putting on your seatbelt." He complacently smiled, the kind that made your heart skip a beat. He grabbed my seatbelt and clicked it into place. "Is there a particular place you would like to eat at?"

"Anywhere is okay with me," I said, keeping his gaze locked on mine. I was afraid if he looked down he would notice how shaky my hands were right now.

Henry took me to a restaurant near downtown Chicago called Aleena. The atmosphere and design of the restaurant was elegant and classy, similarly to Pearce Hotel. I wished he would have informed me to dress better because I was way too underdressed compared to everyone else tonight. Skinny jeans, a plaid button-up shirt, and black Converse shoes weren't exactly the definition of sophistication.

I thought we needed a reservation, but as soon as we walked in, a lanky waiter was already waiting for us. He led us up the spiral carpeted stairs to a secluded room on the second floor, but I didn't take any notice of where my feet were taking me because all I could feel was Henry's right hand resting softly at the bottom of my back.

After opening the menu, I wasn't surprised by the prices of the entrees. One dish cost nearly half a week's worth of my income. How was I ever going to afford this?

"This is one of my favorite restaurants in Chicago," Henry said, interrupting my thoughts. "They're known worldwide for their cuisines."

"Really? That's amazing." I scanned the menu for their most affordable item.

Henry watched me pouring over the menu with a hint of amusement. "Order whatever you like, Ally. It's on me today."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. It's my way of apologizing to you that day I didn't show up."

"That was nothing. You had something more important."

"Don't worry about it. You can treat next time," he reassured me with a genuine smile.

"Okay," I replied. "But next time, it's on me for sure."

Even though Henry was paying, I still didn't know what to order, so I asked him for some recommendations. He selected the lamb for me and lobster for himself.

I took a sip of water from the glass to calm my nerves after the waiter left with our orders, leaving the two of us alone. The classical music helped a little, but it wasn't enough to distract me from the man sitting across the table.

"So where did you grow up?" I asked bravely.

"I grew up here in Chicago, actually."

"Ah, so this is home for you too."

"Yeah." He chuckled wryly. "But sadly, it doesn't feel like home."

"Why's that?"

"After graduating from college, my grandfather wanted me to take over the family business, so I've been all over the world. I really haven't had a chance to settle down in just one place."

"Oh, I see," I said while my hands played with the napkin. "How about your family?"

"My parents were killed in a car crash before my sister died and my grandparents passed away with old age."

I sensed the same sadness in his voice as before. "I'm so sorry."

"You don't have to apologize every time, Ally," Henry said. He took a sip of his water. "How about you? Tell me a little bit about yourself."

"Well... I'm also from Chicago. I like to read and scrapbook in my spare time. I like to ..." I managed to trail off countless things about myself. Oddly, it felt weird telling Henry about me. I didn't know how he would find this interesting at all, but when I looked at him, he had the most attentive gaze on.