Page 103 of The Charmer

"See you around, Oliver," Julian said as he took my hand and led me out of The Apothecary. The restaurant was completely full now.

Once we were outside, I told him, "I'm never trusting you again. Why did you tell the poor man we're having beignets?"

"I know Oliver. If we told him that we ate too much, he would insist on us having at least a small dessert. Next thing you know, he'd bring us a selection of everything. It's happened to me several times. I learned not to fall for his tricks."

I giggled. "Oliver sounds a lot like my nana. She never understood when people told her that they were too full. She seemed to take it as a big compliment, so she just piled on more."

The street was a bit more crowded than when we came to the restaurant.

"So, about that stroll...," he said, eyes glinting.

It had seemed like a good idea while he walked me to the bus station. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why I even thought I’d want to now, but oh well.

"Yes, of course. What direction do you have in mind?"

He tilted his head, looking at me playfully. "At the end of it, I was going to invite you for a nightcap at my house."

"Is that so? So you could—how did I phrase it before?—take advantage of me?"

"That might be my plan, yes." His blue eyes seemed to pop even more against the dark, the only light coming from the windows and the occasional lamppost.

"Where is your house?"

"Right at the very edge of the French Quarter, three blocks away from the bar. I didn't want to be too close to the hustle and bustle."

I nodded. "That makes sense."

"So, my suggestion is to stroll toward my place and explore what's on the way."

I threw my head back, laughing. "I see. As opposed to what? Doing a sprint toward your house?"

He chuckled. "That is the only other remaining option."

"I'm totally on board. Besides, in all of these years, I haven't even explored the quieter part of the French Quarter."

“Then we have a deal.”

He stepped closer, and we walked arm in arm down the street.

"You want to stop by the bar too?" I asked him. "You always go on Saturday evenings, right?”

"Nah, this night is for us. I want you all for me."

I grinned. “Okay.”

We strolled down the cobblestone street at a lazy pace... right until Julian straightened up and groaned. I didn't realize why until he reached out his hand.

"Robert, good evening."

I immediately tensed too. I felt as if we'd been caught doing something wrong, which was ridiculous.

"Hey! I can't believe I'm running into you two," Robert said. "How's it going?"

Julian immediately interlaced our fingers, bringing the back of my hand to his mouth and kissing it.

Was this for Robert's benefit? Or was this a way of reassuring me? "We're good. It’s date night."

"It's good that you youngsters call this a date even after being together for some time."

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