Arielle
We made our way through the university corridors, acting as professionally as we could, until we arrived at the parking lot. Then Isabelle gently nudged my arm in the direction of her car. The parking lot was relatively empty and no one seemed to pay any attention to us.
Isabelle insisted on opening my door for me and helped me put on my seat belt before walking over to the other side. I watched her with a slight blush, my mind still focused on the events that occurred in her classroom. She smirked knowingly at me, but didn't comment.
"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" I asked curiously.
"Nope." Her hand slid possessively over my upper thigh and I placed my hand over hers. Isabelle drove us out of the parking lot and exited campus after a series of turns.
She drove down the path that my bus usually took home. We drove in silence for a bit until she spoke. "So what are your plans for this weekend?" I stiffened immediately and she noticed.
I cleared my throat. "Going out with parents."
Isabelle frowned at me, but didn't call me out. "Where are you going?" She tried again.
"I-I'm not sure." I stuttered. Being in her presence had always made me slightly nervous.
She let out a sigh and didn't comment. Soon, she passed the place that my bus usually turned at and drove onto a highway. I looked at her questioningly. She smiled a little. "I thought that my favourite restaurant out of town would give us the perfect opportunity to get to know each other without having to worry about running into anyone who knows us."
I smiled at her thoughtfulness. "That sounds amazing."
She glanced at me for a second and smiled before turning her eyes back to the road. I loved watching her focused expression, just like when she was teaching. She would frown slightly while biting the corner of her lip. Still, her lipstick remained immaculate and never stained her teeth.
"What are you thinking about?"
Her question caught me off guard and I inadvertently told the truth. "Just wondering how your lipstick always stays perfect and never stains your teeth, even when you bite your lip."
Isabelle burst out laughing and my face went bright red, realizing what I had just said. "You are so weird sometimes, but I find it adorable." She teased, making me lower my head. She lifted my chin up with her finger again. "I think you have your attention in the wrong place in class."
I huffed at her, blushing furiously, as she continued to laugh. She gently dragged her nails along my cheek after a moment. "I'm just teasing." I slowly pulled her hand away from my cheek and held it in mine, causing her to smile.
Not long after, we had arrived at a quaint little French restaurant. Isabelle got out of the car and walked over to my side to help me out as well. She held my hand firmly as we entered the restaurant. The hostess' eyes widened when she saw us. "Mademoiselle Isabelle, c'est un plaisir de vous revoir."
"Same to you, Veronika. Table for two, please." Isabelle stared at the woman intently, as if they were having a nonverbal conversation. The woman jerked her head swiftly, as if to say that she understood.
"Yes, of course. This way please." She spoke in a heavy accent as she picked up two menus and guided us over to a scenic spot by the window.
"Merci." Isabelle replied and took the menus from her. We sat down as Veronika walked away.
"Do you come here often?" I say, breaking the silence between us.
She smiled at me. "Yes, it's a family favourite. Great place to get some authentic food."
"You're French?" I ask in shock. She smiled and nodded. "But Williams doesn't sound French..."
She chuckled softly. "Williams is my mother's maiden name. My father's side is French." I didn't ask why she took her mother's last name. It could have been a simple preference or something more personal.
She handed me one of the menus and I opened it. I blushed in embarrassment and tried to hide my face when I realized that it was completely in French. After a minute or two, Isabelle placed her menu down and glanced at me. "Do you know what you want to order?"
My eyes snapped up to meet hers and I nodded quickly, stifling my embarrassment. "Alright, what would you like?"
My heart raced and I immediately pointed to the first item I saw. Isabelle gave me a strange look, but didn't comment. When Veronika returned, Isabelle spoke to her in fluent French. "Je voudrais la blanquette de veau et elle voudrait les cuisses de grenouilles, s'il-vous-plaît." I shivered. Isabelle didn't have an accent when speaking English, but watching her speak fluent French was very sexy.
Veronika nodded and wrote down our orders before collecting our menus and walking off. Isabelle turned to me with a smirk as if she knew what I was thinking. "Tu es éblouissant aujourd'hui, ma cherie."
"Pardon?" I shivered softly.
She chuckled. "I said, you look dazzling today."
I blushed again. "Thank you."
She smirked. "I can tell that you like it when I speak French, Arielle." She said in an emphasized French accent, making me shiver again. "No point in trying to hide it."
My face burned bright red and I ducked my head down, hearing her soft chuckles. She lifted my hand to her lips and kissed it softly, making me look up at her again. "I'm delighted that you've agreed to join me today."
I smiled softly at her. "Me too." We held hands for awhile until our food came. Veronika placed a plate of slow-cooked beef with a variety of veggies in a sauce in front of Isabelle. Then, she placed a plate of what appeared to be the barbecued thighs of a small animal in front of me.
"Merci beaucoup." Isabelle says to Veronika, who bowed slightly and walked away. Isabelle watched me intently as if waiting for me to take a bite.
I blush heavily in embarrassment again and asked quietly: "what is this?"
Isabelle raised an eyebrow at me. "Frog legs, of course. Isn't this what you wanted to order?"
My entire face turned red and I lowered my head silently. After about five seconds, I heard soft chuckling coming from Isabelle. "You should've just told me if you couldn't read the menu, baby."
"I'm sorry." I said quietly in shame.
"I mean, I knew that you couldn't read it, but I was waiting to see if you would admit it." She smirked at me, causing me to look at her as my jaw dropped in disbelief. Before I could respond, she rolled her eyes and reached over to switch our plates. "Lucky for you, I happen to adore this dish. That's also why I didn't say anything." She giggled. "I hope you like veal."
I gave her a shy smile. "Thank you." She winked at me as we both picked up our cutlery and began eating. We played an odd version of twenty questions, but I found out that Isabelle was an only child, her favourite dessert was crème brûlée, and that she had been very close with her dad since her mother had passed.
I also opened up and spoke a little about my relationship with my sister with her, but I didn't discuss what had happened to Clara. I still felt happier being able to share some of my life with her.
After the meal, Isabelle insisted on paying and said that I could pay the next time, which I said that I would hold her word to. We said goodbye to Veronika and went back to the car. On the way home, we drove in a comfortable silence again, with one of her hands in mine.
When we were about halfway home, I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I pulled it out with my free hand and looked at the caller ID.
Trey.
I glanced at Isabelle apologetically. "I'm sorry, I have to take this. It's really important."
She simply nodded. "Go ahead, sweetheart."
I answered the call. "Yes?"
There was heavy breathing on the other line. "Is everything okay??" I asked more urgently, trying to lower my voice. Isabelle glanced at me momentarily in concern.
"Bec..." Rex's voice could barely be heard over the background noise.
"Why are you using-" I didn't finish the sentence.
"Bec," he said more urgently, "we need you here, right now. Boss' orders - it's an emergency."
I felt my blood run cold at his words. "I'll be there as soon as possible. Text me the location." I said and hung up the call. Seconds later, the address arrived via text.
216 Elmwood Dr.
Wasn't that the address to the safe house? What were they doing there? I quickly turned to Isabelle. "I'm so sorry to cut tonight short, but would you mind dropping me off at Cedarhurst Ave and 7th?" I decided to list the drop off point 9 blocks away to be safe.
"Is everything alright?" Isabelle asked in concern.
"I hope so." I looked down.
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*edited*
Hey guys,
I know - update is one day late. I've been really down recently and it's really difficult for me to focus when I fall into this depressive state. I hope you've enjoyed this chapter though!
-Cindy