Invisible String

Chapter 30 - Jump Then Fall

We snuck by someone more famous than him and made it to the security detail. He told them his name, and as if it were a club, they looked down at a list and nodded for us to go in.

Inside, it was a completely different atmosphere. It was quiet, with a soft Italian song playing in the background. The carpet was red, the walls had an off-white wallpaper with gold vines splitting off everywhere. There were more plants inside and red drapes covered every massive window inside the restaurant.

"This is incredible," I whispered to Alex as we approached the hostess.

He smiled at me. "I'm glad you like it." He then looked up at the waitress and said, "Lehane, table for two." He pulled out a ticket from his wallet and gave it to her.

She nodded at him after checking whatever number was on it with her own. "This way, please." She pulled two menus from the side of the podium and led us away to a far off corner booth.

I tried not to look around too much. Did I really want to know who was here with us tonight? Wouldn't I be too distracted? I didn't want to be distracted from this. I wanted to experience it and love it. I wanted to appreciate everything Alex had done for me.

We sat in the expensive red-leathered seats, outlined with mahogany wood. She left us alone, and I was entranced with this beautiful palace. A large chandelier hung high from the ceiling in the middle of the room, which was nearly twenty feet away from us. Around the edges of the room, like where Alex and I were seated, there were much smaller, dimmer versions of the same chandelier.

I looked across at Alex, and he was watching me take everything in. "You seem mesmerized."

"I guess that's because I am."

"Why is that?"

"Because it never really occurred to me before just how surreal my life could be."

He smiled. "You're just now figuring that out?"

I nodded and reached out my hand for his. I needed to feel something that I knew was real. Because as great as this was, it didn't feel like it could be. This couldn't be the life that I led. It seemed too fantastical, too big. Much bigger than me.

He intertwined his fingers with mine, and I said, "I'm glad that it's with you."

"I am, too."

He partially stood and leaned over the table, very improper to most people, I'm sure, and kissed me. But I loved him for it.

He returned to the seated position, his hand still intertwined with mine. We waited for our waiter and ordered our drinks and an appetizer once he came.

"It feels like garlic might be hard to avoid while in an Italian restaurant," I joked.

"Eat whatever you want, Hannah. Nothing could keep me from those lips," he smiled, and the waiter returned with our drinks.

Our mozzarella sticks came shortly afterward, and we devoured them in less than five minutes, barely saying a word.

I had a hard time with the menu, and in the end, Alex had to translate most of it for me so that I could order. I finally settled on their special Fettuccini Alfredo Chicken dinner, and Alex got something I couldn't even pronounce. He managed to say it beautifully, though.

"I never knew you spoke Italian."

He turned away, nearly blushing, but still proud. "I've studied it for a long time."

I reached out and squeezed his hand. "You never stop surprising me."

He looked back at me, into my eyes. "Good, and I hope I never do."