Restart

Chapter 44. Romantic night

We reach a skyscraper somewhere mid town and we take the glass elevator going all the way up to the roof.
When the elevator door slides open, I see something that looks like a magical place to me. It's a roof garden restaurant, with so many plants and trees, full of candle lights and a man playing the guitar live. I wouldn't be surprised if real fairies showed up at this point, flying around leaving their pixie dust behind.
The roof had only eight tables and they were all full. Then two men approach us holding a table and another two holding two chairs. They help us settle down and wish us to have a great evening before walking away.
"I am sorry to keep you waiting Mr. Anderson. Please accept my finest champagne as an apology." He says while a waiter pops open the champagne bottle pouring it in his glass first and after taking a sip, assuring him it's good, only then he pours some into my glass too.
"That's rude and discriminatory towards me. As a lady, it's me who should be tasting the wine first." I complain as soon as the waiter leaves.
"No it's not. I made the reservation, so it's me they are serving. I called them twenty minutes ago and they should have been ready, so this is a good apology from them, as this is an expensive bottle of champagne. Besides, they didn't have a table so they kind of made an exceptional addition only for us." He smugly smiles.
"Anyway, what do you think?" He asks me, while pulling his chair closer to me.
"This place is actually amazing. I wonder how much the food costs, for them to give you a champagne for free."
"It doesn't matter. I am not trying to impress you with my money, as I know that doesn't work for you, but I do want to offer you the best and this is it. My favorite restaurant in this city, where food is art and the different tastes will be teasing your senses, leaving your taste buds with a tingling sensation."
"Well, thank you. This is indeed so beautiful and exclusive. It looks nothing like anything I've ever been to before."
"So, how was your dinner yesterday?"
And there it goes. I was wondering when he would bring that up, as I was only sure he would.
"Is that what this is all about? Is this why you brought me here, to compare my dinner with Paul with tonight's extravagant restaurant?"
"No, of course not. Claire, please stop offending me. I just wanted to talk about how our time apart was for you and I am sincerely hoping it was good and fun. I am not jealous and please stop ruining the mood. I know you've been through a lot but I am not Michael." I see the regret in his eyes the minute he mentions Michael's name.
I look away and I am trying hard not to cry, but I can't hold my tears.
"Fuck! What's wrong with me?" He says hitting the table with his fist, spilling my glass of champagne on the table.
"Listen I am so sorry, I am a complete idiot. Please forgive me. Please!"

Alexander's p.o.v.
Why? Why was I acting like a complete jerk? At that point, I remembered her telling me Michael was a nice guy, but his main problem was his jealousy and his name just sort of slipped out of my mouth. I am begging her to forgive me and I promise to make it up to her, but I realize I do this too often.
"Claire? Please look at me. I am sincerely sorry. Please!" I say while kissing her moist from tears lips, feeling even more guilty that before.
That man playing the guitar approaches us, as he sees the kiss, not knowing the rest of it and sits close to the towers edge playing a soft tune, smiling at us. I grab her face in my hands and I kiss her eyes, then her nose and then again her lips.
"He thinks, we were being romantic." I whisper in her ear so he doesn't hear us.
"Let's pretend this never happened, can we please rewind?" And she smiles. Finally she smiles!

Claire's p.o.v.
I smile, but only thinking of Paul's rewind on that kiss he gave me before getting out of his car. Oh my! Am I with Alexander and thinking about Paul?
"I want to meet him." He claims.
"Who?" I nervously ask.
"That psychologist of yours, as he is truly helping you progress. You are not drown into darkness like those other times when anything would easily trigger your past and although I stupidly mentioned the devil's name you were only sad for like a minute. I am so proud of your progress and I promise you, it will only get better from now on. I know I disapproved him at first, but I was too quick to judge him and I should be trusting you more with your choices. I am ready to take this as slow as you need me to Claire, just don't cut me off completely, as I will suffocate. "He says in honesty. "You are my oxygen." He continues, kissing the top of my hand like the true gentleman he is.
"Well, I have a long way to go yet." I say looking as blushed as ever, as he doesn't know that the reason I smiled earlier wasn't his attempt to lighten up the mood with that guitarist, but the memory of that funny moment with Paul yesterday. If it hadn't been for Paul, then maybe I wouldn't have gotten out of my bad mood so easily.
"Also, I want to congratulate that gym you are going to. Maybe I should consider registering there myself. As I told you earlier in the car, your body is now as hot as hell! I thought it was funny when you said you would go to a gym to gain weight, but I was again so wrong. You look like a playboy model and you are messing with my mind." He admits while grabbing my inner thigh under the table and biting his lower lip, earning himself a short soft moan from me.
I remove his hand but I am smiling, so he doesn't get this the wrong way.
"You are not allowed to come to my gym. Did I come to yours? You'd be too much of a distraction and no work would be done. Luke is very strict with my fitness schedule and he won't like you staring or molesting me while trying to work out, which I know you will."
"Luke?" He questions me.
"My personal trainer. He is absolutely fantastic and he makes me laugh so much it hurts. I think he likes me, I don't mean as a woman, but as a person. Today, he offered me free self defense lessons, so I'll be going there daily from now on."
"That's great! I'd feel much better knowing you can defend yourself if you ever had to. Also, who wouldn't like you? And I don't mean only as a person, but what really matters is who you like back." He says kissing me.
The rest of the night was so beautiful, with the food tasting even better than what I imagined it would. That second bottle of champagne made me dizzy but I was happy, so happy and so in love. He could make my heart go faster every time he looked into my eyes and all I could think of is that he was holding my hand the whole time, kissing it from time to time and saying the sweetest things to me. Who? Alexander. A man that hated public display of affection and appeared to be no better than a playboy when we first met.
We talked about my past, but only the happy moments, as he wanted to learn more about me and then we made fun of all the nasty women from the office that were so jealous of me and were miserably trying to make me look bad, as Alexander wasn't hiding our... relationship? I don't know what to call it, but I didn't like labels either.
"Will you be leaving for Christmas?" He asks.
"I don't know, I haven't thought of it yet."
"Please don't. I'll pay for your mom's ticket to visit you here, if you want to spend time with her during holidays. I would also like to meet her."
"Firstly I don't need you to pay for anything and secondly, really? I didn't think of you as the type that likes to meet parents and all. We are not even in a relationship yet."
"We are not?" He asks looking as disturbed as well as surprised.
"Are we?"
"Well that's what I thought." He says looking offended.
"I don't know, are we?" I ask again only looking for a firm confirmation and to hear the words coming out from his mouth.
"Yes Claire. We are in a relationship, an exclusive relationship that is the most important thing in my life at the moment. You are the most important person in my life at the moment." He says in much determination.
I guess I wanted to hear the label after all, as my heart was now out of my chest and in his plate.
"Ok, then I guess we are." I say shyly.
"I bought you something." He picks up a little box from his pocket and opens it.
"It's beautiful! But please don't buy me things." It was a chic platinum bracelet with a red rock in the shape of a heart hanging from it.
"To be honest I didn't exactly buy this, I had Alicia choose a welcome gift for you joining our company, but I hadn't given it to you yet because with everything that was going back then, I simply didn't find the right time. Anyway I took that plain bracelet she had chosen for you back to that jewelry store and I added the ruby heart, as I felt like it was missing something."
I smile and I thank him with a soft quick peck on the lips, after he helps me put it on.
"Please don't go buying me anymore gifts. I am not comfortable with that." I tell him again.
"Ok, I won't." He softly assures me.
"Now, about Christmas, I want to make some plans, so I need one week from you. I'll be taking you somewhere, just the two of us."
"That's in more than a month from now."
"Well, I just need time to plan everything and I also have to visit my grandparents for a couple of days, but they already want to know when I am going, so let me know whenever you know."
"Ok, I am going to have to speak to my boss about that first." I say playfully!
"I love your smile, you don't even know how much it pleases me to see you carefree and joyful." He says while stroking my face.
"I owe it to you. I thought I lost it forever and then you came into my life."