AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“In a manner, yes, I suppose I did.”
I took a drink of wine, finding it a little dry for my preferences, but the taste was still sweet and burst over my tongue. “But you’re not one.”
He tilted his head slightly. “Oh? Then what am I?”
“Someone, who certainly enjoys hearing themselves described by other people,” I said, hoping my chuckle eased the potential bite of my words. “You just like experiences and your freedom. Two things you’re trying to give to me tonight, right?”
“I find it a perfectly fair trade for all the new experiences you’ve helped me with,” he said, raising the glass of wine.
“Wha-oh, right,” I said, shaking my head. “I’d completely forgotten you started this whole thing being straight.”
“I think it’s safe to say the straight line has a bit of a curve to it now,” he said, looking me over. “Particularly where you’re involved.”
I didn’t know if it was meant as a compliment, but I felt a rush of gratitude all the same. “You trying to make me feel special?”
Emotions flashed over his face rapidly, and I found myself fighting to understand what I was seeing. It was telling enough that the mask he was so fond of and comfortable wearing had dropped at that moment, but it was the rest of his body language that threw me off. The hand holding the glass of wine sank a few inches, and I saw the way his shoulders sagged as well. It wasn’t until the door to our private room opened that I belatedly wondered if I had just seen Shane worried for the first time since I’d met him.
“Good evening,” a soft voice interrupted, and I turned to see the woman from before. She was flanked by the two men I’d seen earlier, each bearing a tray. Each tray had the same plain, simple plates, each holding what looked like cuts of fish.
As quickly as one flips on a light, Shane immediately straightened and smiled benignly at the employees. He didn’t glance my way, but I sensed his attention wavering between the interruption and keeping an eye on me. I said nothing, however, as they entered the dining room with precision and synchronicity that was still eerie but impressive and beautiful in its own way.
They disappeared with as little fanfare as they appeared, and I stared down at the tray. It was identical to the one Shane had. The plates held plain, light-colored fish to the left and bolder fish on rice to the right.
“Left to right then?” I asked, peering at the collection.
“Seems that way. It seems they’re starting us off with milder fish sashimi,” he said, then gestured toward the darker fish and rice. “And then onto heavier flavored nigiri.”
“I’m guessing the rice makes the difference between sashimi and nigiri,” I said, looking around for utensils.
“Rice with vinegar,” he clarified, then reached down and plucked a piece of fish from the left. “And you work with what they give you.”
“Ah, fancy finger food, you do know how to spoil someone,” I said with a chuckle, mimicking his action. The fish was mild, and I chewed through it, surprised at how soft and smooth the meat was. For the second piece on the plate, I decided to try it with the soy sauce and a dash of what had to be the strongest smelling wasabi I’d ever had in my life. “Okay, this is…actually really good. Already beats the sushi I’ve had before.”
“The owner and main chef of this establishment spent many years training all over the globe with different cuisines,” Shane said, watching as I moved onto another plate.
“Which is your way of telling me he’s spent a lot of time learning to make food better than any cheap sushi place I’ve been to,” I said wryly, popping the next fish dish into my mouth.
“You get what you pay for, especially when it comes to well-trained, highly experienced chefs.”
“And you get a pretentious setup for your meal,” I said, gesturing around us.
A crease formed on his brow. “It’s meant to be an experience, not just a meal.”
I smiled at him. “I know. And don’t think I’m not grateful for the opportunity. It’s just…”
I stopped as the door opened again, and the woman stepped in, smiling as she gathered up the plates to stack on one tray, then grabbed both trays before stepping out. As soon as she was gone, both men from earlier appeared with more trays. This time there were bowls with a little flourish of color and small painted bases, three filled with different soups, and three with salad. They bowed before leaving, closing the door quietly behind them.
“A bit much,” I finished, raising a brow.
“You know,” Shane began, taking another drink of his wine, “I felt like that a great deal growing up. And I still feel that way when I’m dragged to one of my mother’s dinners, galas, or charity auctions.”
I raised a brow, picking a soup with a light clear color and finding it reminded me of a miso soup I’d had once, but with a far cleaner, fresher taste. “I would have thought that’s exactly where you excelled.”
“I excel at entertaining because I’m very good at being entertaining. That’s not quite the same thing as being entertained.”
“Is that why you live your life doing whatever you want? As a sort of balance to the crap you’ve had to put up with?”
“Oh, I’m sure anyone with a costly degree and hours upon hours of training would say just that,” Shane said with a chuckle, choosing the same soup I had. “And they’d probably be right. However, that doesn’t help me much when I’m stuck in those god-awful moments where I wonder if it’s physically possible to die from boredom.”
