Page 49 of Lovesick
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be so taken care of? If anything, this was an ideal date for my research. So, this was fine.
Except my throat felt a little hot.
Tyler led us farther into the dim restaurant, which smelled like a delectable mixture of gardenia and melted butter. Flickering candles danced among the low murmur of couples in dark wooden booths. The ambiance was sanguine and mellow. A violinist slowly sashayed around the tables.
Storybook romance.
He led me to a quiet corner all the way in the back, with only one table. The intimacy felt like a cocoon.
“Oh.”
The sound escaped my mouth before I could stop it. Pillar candles illuminated our closed-off space. Red rose petals scattered the tabletop and chairs. Half-full wine glasses graced both place settings, along with what appeared to be a wrapped box of chocolates in gold foil on top of one plate. Gossamer curtains could be drawn to give us more privacy.
Tyler practically vomited romance from the books and right onto the table. The meaning of the quick patter of my heart wasn’t clear even to me. Was this amazing or...
Or something.
“Dinner for two, my lady,” he murmured.
My lady?
That felt a little weird.
“Are those ... Norbert Love Signature chocolates?” I squeaked and gestured to the distinctively green box on my plate.
“Yes.” He brightened. “You know your confectionaries?”
“Something like that,” I murmured weakly. They were a mere $125 a box. I only recognized them because my roommate Aiko had bought them for her fiancée Tanesha for Valentine’s Day last year. Tanesha had eaten them so slowly they’d lasted into summer semester. She’d cut them in fourths after a bad day and shared them with both of us.
“I’m not just a romantic, but a hopeless romantic,” he admitted with a wide, unapologetic smile as we sat down.
“It’s ... impressive. I mean, I thought we were here to talk about you moving to the mountains.”
Somehow, I tacked on what I hoped was a charming smile. He returned it.
“We will definitely do that. Yes, it may seem like I’ve gone overboard, but as I said—you can’t recover from a bad first impression. Plus, this is how I show up in the world.”
He shrugged a little as he said it. His lack of apology impressed me, but I leaned back against the booth as far as I could. For some reason, I wanted a little extra space from theAcqua di Gio. It filled the booth in a choking way.
Tyler continued, “For some women, this kind of treatment is a bit too much. I understand that. I believe women should be pampered, protected, and taken care of. It so rarely happens anymore that I like to give it. As a sort of ... gift, if you will. Any woman with me is always safe.”
My internal critic immediately shrieked,Serial killer! Serial killer!
Should a man have to insist he was a safe person? Would he expect agiftin return? With a lick of my lips, I brushed it off. Ellie had clearly gotten to me with her own fears. Tyler didn’t seem like a creep. He was just ... intense.
Obviously wealthy, too, with all this extravagance for a blind date.
So, everything was fine.
But what did he mean byprotectedandpampered? His charming routine felt slightly ... sinister. Something inside of me recoiled at this situation. It felt like I was standing in a box with the walls caving in. Pressure all around me.
Instead of screaming, I managed a smile. “That’s a ... lovely sentiment.”
Tyler leaned back and spread his hands. “Lizbeth, tell me everything about you. I’ve so looked forward to getting to know you. I want to hear it all.”
“Right! You want to hear about life in the mountains.”
“Of course.”
