Paired With Fate

Chapter Eleven

The restaurant was not actually what Ichiro expected; a fine dining one like that which he had visited many times with the women he'd 'dated'.  This place was actually a pub with its own dining space.  It was an old pub as well, with sturdy oak beams varnished with dark lacquer, an open fire place in a reception area where its patrons could relax with a drink in hand rather than sit in the bar area.  The dining space was a large sunroom attached to the rear of the building, looking out onto a landscaped garden area.  Were it a summer's day, Ichiro would have seen that this garden had areas of wildflowers mixed in with green foliage, but for now he could just about see the dimly lit fountain set in a block paved patio.

Upon the table was a crisp, white table cloth and a small fishbowl-shaped candle holder with lit tealight at its centre.  The salt and pepper pots were slightly rustic and made of wood as was that which held the drinks menu.  The options of food were hearty and simple, filling favourites of old with no major attempts at being something they were not, such as unnecessary extra ingredients nor decorative fanfare.  With an assortment of wood-framed photographs decorating the wall and a clearly more modern, but fitting cast iron wood burner to one side of the brick-built conservatory, the pub restaurant was homely and warm.  Partially due to this and partially due to the difference between this date and the dates with the women, Ichiro felt himself instantly relax in the curved back dining chair, only tensing slightly as Zandre took his seat opposite him.  He was still struggling to look at the man without his body reacting against his will.

"I hope you don't mind this place," Zandre said as he took off his coat and draped it over the back of his chair.  He couldn't help but stare at the Omega whose eyes were fixed upon the dim, though pleasant view outside of the window.  "It's no five star restaurant after all..."

"No, this is nice," Ichiro admitted, lightening the worries on the Alpha's shoulders unknowingly. 

Although he hadn't shown it, Zandre had been a bundle of nerves about this date, worrying that it might be his one and only chance to impress the skittish Omega.  He had thought about booking a table at an expensive, five star restaurant, about wining and dining this man, but he had paused mid-dial.  He'd been about to call 'Lani's favourite place to eat.  Ending the unconnected call, he had leaned back in his chair and reconsidered things.  He, himself, wasn't actually keen on those places with their tailored menus offering exquisite, but small portions of food using quality or unusual ingredients.  Wasn't it too pretentious to reveal to Ichiro a person that he was not?  Sure he wanted to impress him sure, but he wanted Ichiro to accept the person he really was.

This pub, when he was a teenager, he'd come here with his old man, brothers and older sister.  It had been during rugby season.  They'd watched a match here as the owner at that time had been a fan and so had got a licence in order for his patrons to be able to enjoy watching a game while having a drink.  The team that they supported had won and the atmosphere had been electric.  The owner's wife had cooked some mini-beef pies and had given them out for free.  They'd been delicious.  Now his daughter owned the pub and had expanded it, adding on the restaurant and using her mother's recipes as part of her catering menu.  So he'd booked a table here, on a whim, hoping to share this part of himself with Ichiro. 

He glanced at the Omega, who was quietly sipping at his soft drink, while reading the food menu.  The urge to tell him to pay attention not to the menu nor to the drink nor their surroundings, but to him was welling in his gut.  He was not usually one to throw his weight around and be demanding, unless he was on the field of course, but when it came to Ichiro, he really couldn't help himself.  He instinctively knew that he had to tie this man down with both word and deed, which had made him demand Ichiro present himself in a limited time earlier, when he sensed that the Omega wanted to flee and while waiting, he'd prepared himself for a drawn out battle.  The fact that Ichiro had been obedient was both satisfying and, in a contradicting way, frustrating!  Ichiro had already proved he was not that meek and would not succumb to him easily, so this behaviour was unbalancing him, worrying him once more.