18+| Warning: Explicit sexual contents and mature language.
All that Claire needs is an adventure of a lifetime. Being a Rapunzel in the castle, surrounded with all lavish one could possibly need, she was still deprived of something very essential;...
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Bruno led her to an outdoor restaurant perched upon the beachside. A gentle breeze shuffled the palm trees, and tiny bulbs, although unlit at the moment, festooned the branches. Claire could imagine the exotic ambiance, how it'd look at night when they're beaming in light, and a smile escaped her.
"Didn't expect to see you so soon," said a young waitress with a tray of drinks, her bleached hair styled into bouncing pigtails.
Given her blushing smile, it took even the densest head to understand she was talking to Bruno, whose attention wasn't on her until later when Claire wrenched her eyebrows pointedly at Miss Pigtails.
"Oh, hi there," Bruno greeted the waitress, giving her his casual yet winsome smile.
"Hello!" Miss Pigtails smiled back with a hint of amusement regarding Bruno's companion.
Typical playboy. Claire brushed it off as the waitress walked by, not giving her so much as a glance despite the smile lingering on her face. She sat across from Bruno, looking like a couple on a lunch date.
Their table was near some railings set between the seashores and the restaurant. The view was perfect: turquoise blue water, golden sand, and seagulls floating in the azure sky with a song familiar to the townsfolks.
Bruno snapped a finger, and another waiter made his way toward their table quicker than usual. It was a guy this time, and just like Miss Pigtails, this young man in black jeans and a polo shirt wore his smile like a crown.
"You seem very popular here," Claire made a casual remark upon the gesture.
Bruno smiled and said, "That I am."
"Oh, and what do you do around here? Photography?" Claire went on curiously, recalling the vintage camera he'd left in the car.
Bruno propped himself up and pulled his chair closer to the table as he replied, "It's my restaurant, so that makes it my... workplace?"
Claire hadn't seen this coming. Well, he isn't a weirdo, after all, and downright not a ghost since everyone can see him. A foolish smile crept on her face.
"Something funny?" Bruno teased, plopping back on his seat with a grin.
"Um, nothing. Congratulations. This place is terrific," Claire confessed.
"Thanks." His smile was modest.
Chicken casserole was Claire's choice from the menu, feeling a bit in the mood for a good meal that didn't include mere grass and leaves. The smiling waiter faced Bruno and asked if he'd made his choice.
"I'll have the same," he said and then faced Claire. "Care for a drink? The cocktails here are to die for; not that I'm bragging."
Claire rolled her eyes at him.
She tilted her head slightly toward the waiter. "I know he's your boss, but I'm the customer here, and a customer is the King... No, the Queen, in my case! So, the truth, please. If he's lying, just blink once and I'll understand. Cross my heart, I won't hold a grudge against him," she joked, the reserved girl in her shut deep within.
