What about you?

Part Six

Despite it being a fairly unassuming pub, no sooner had they sat than a young boy who could only have been in his late teens, appeared at their table with a note pad, and glanced at them from under his jet black asymmetrical hair.

                “Can I get you anything?”

Mason smiled, pleased that waiter service prevented them from being separated whilst he ordered drinks, he had the idea that Kate would leave if she got half a chance. “A bottle of red wine, Rioja I think, and food menus?”

The boy nodded and disappeared.

Kate was surprisingly flattered by his ‘alpha male’ approach to ordering. She thought she’d have lashed out, been angry, but it had been a long long time since anyone had taken control and done things for her and she felt for a moment like a princess, protected and cared for, rather than the anger she’d imagined she’d feel.

Sighing she relaxed into the chair and watched Mason as he poured the wine then handed her both a glass and a menu. This was his idea, so she’d leave the conversation to him. Sipping the wine she murmured in appreciation, it was rich and fruity without being too heavy or overpowering, he’d definitely hit home with a Spanish red.

Mason was struggling to concentrate around her, every inch of his body was aware of every inch of hers. The little things she did, her fingers tucking stray hair behind her ear, the way she bit her bottom lip nervously, all dragged up erotic memories of that night weeks ago, the night that had become the bench mark for all others.

He’d been devastated when he woke to an empty room. The empty thud in his chest had remained since that moment. Asleep with her in his arms he’d made so many plans. He’d been in Dubai for years, made more than a success of his life, his mother had been nagging him to come home since her husband had died, and with him the animosity and anger towards Mason. He’d been swayed a little by the sight of his aging mother, and that explosive night with Kate had only added to that. He’d woken so full of optimism, thinking of new times, a change, only to find it crash around his ears within a second.

He’d returned to his home, to the plush lifestyle that he couldn’t imagine leaving until the second he set eyes on her, and it wasn’t enough. He wasn’t satisfied.

Seeing her again made him realise that it wasn’t JUST good sex. He’d connected with her in a way he hadn’t before, and as he sat across the table from the silent Kate, he didn’t know how to express how devastating his life was without her in it.

The silence continued as they perused the menu and sipped at the wine. Mason waved the young waiter away as they were still yet to decide, then finally looked at her.

                “Kate, I don’t want this to end now, I want to see you again. I don’t know why you ran away or why you’re so desperate to push me away, but I can’t just roll over and accept that. I know you feel the same!”

He reached for her hand and she flinched snatching it free of him. He wasn’t sure whether she was offended, or as affected by the contact as he was, either way she was anything but immune to him. He took that as a good sign.

As a response she shook her head, “it was fun. You’re a nice guy, but sorry, there’s no life left in this.”

The waiter disturbed the tension and took their orders, Mason couldn’t think of eating anything, but he did choose a steak sandwich, then watched in amazement as Kate ordered fish and chips. He wasn’t sure if it was her appetite in the middle of so much tension that astounded him, or the fact that she actually ate normal food. The women he’d dated albeit briefly in Dubai were about as likely to refuse a gift as they were to actually eat food in front of him.