Strange meets weird

Chapter 16

Strange meets weird - Chapter 16

Linny stepped out of the car feeling anxious. There were some fans outside already asking Zach for some autographs. He signed a few and then took Linny's arm to go inside the restaurant. 

He had chosen a table away from the windows, and a little private, so Linny didn't feel too uncomfortable anymore. The maître and the garçons were all very nice to them. "I guess that happens when a celebrity comes", thought Linny. Still, she felt at ease, which was unexpected given the circumstance. Then again, Zach's smile was nice and genuine and she felt happy to be near him.

When she looked at the menu, she saw it filled with elegant dishes, and of course, no prices next to them. Those who went to this place obviously didn't care about the cost of what they ate.

Soon, they came to take their order. She knew what she wanted.

- Un canard à l'orange, s'il vous plaît.

- Mademoiselle parle français?

Linny blushed when asked if she spoke French, she wasn't an expert, but she remembered a little from her French lessons in high school.

- Un petit peu seulement.

The garçon smiled at her. She wasn't great, but her accent wasn't bad either, and he obviously appreciated the fact that she actually spoke in French without trying to be arrogant about it.

Zach made his order in English, and then chose the wine. Once they were alone, he started the conversation again.

- You're very sexy when you speak French. What did you order?

- Duck. And... thanks.

- Nice choice.

- Yeah, my dad liked that dish...

She looked down. It had been tough to speak about his father in past tense. "He's alive, in another dimension, but he's alive", she kept thinking, trying not to cry.

Zach noticed the sadness in her eyes and changed the subject quickly.

- So, how's Matthew?

- Sad, but he seems a little better. Not as torn as last night. He's going to stay at my mom's for some days, I think it'll be good for him... It's tough to be alone after a break-up. At my mom's he's surrounded by people, and I think he likes that. In fact, Amy and him were working on a song today.

- "Linny's song"?

- Yeah. She should really change the name.

- Nope, I disagree. I like the name.

Linny laughed.

- Anyway, it's pretty amazing. The song I mean. Not the title. Mom and I came back from the mall just in time to listen to them playing it. I'm sure Jack is right, once Lenny and you are added to the mix, the song will be a hit.

The conversation flowed well after that. They talked about their personal lives, their childhoods and so on. Linny had been a bit worried about that, since her mother's death had had such an impact in her life, her real life, so she avoided to talk about that time, and just focused on her friendship with Amy and the good times. Zach didn't pressure her into telling him more, he must have understood that talking about the death of a parent was tough. So he also focused on his childhood and then he told her about how he came to play the drumms and how happy he had been when the band signed the contract. He looked very happy when he talked about music, and that made Linny smile. His passion for music was genuine, he wasn't there just for the fame. In fact, he didn't seem to care much about being a celebrity. Sure, he was nice to the fans, after all, they were the ones that made everything possible, without their support, they woudn't have a contract and they wouldn't be able to record albums, but he remained humble, fortunately. Zach asked her about her book, but she didn't want to talk much about it. Sure, she was prepared for those questions, but they reminded her about her other life, and at that moment, sitting in front of him, she wanted to forget that she didn't belong in that universe. So she changed the subject, talking about Amy and Matthew, Lenny and Linus, about anyone or anything.