“This way, please,” the waitress says as she leads us through the restaurant.
We follow, and she takes us through to an outdoor courtyard where colorful fairy lights are strung through the trees and fire lanterns are lit around the perimeter.
There is a man in the corner playing a guitar and singing.
She gestures to the table, and Nathan pulls out my chair. “Thank you.”
“Can I get you any drinks?”
Nathan gestures for me to go first. Always such good manners. I open the menu as I try to look what to get. “I’ll have a…”
“What’s a good choice?” Nathan asks as he scans the menu.
“Sangria?” she offers. “It’s our most popular cocktail.”
“Oh, sounds good.” I smile. “I’ll have a glass of that.”
“Make that two,” Nathan agrees.
“We serve it in a jug.”
“Sure, sounds great.” Nathan hands her his drinks menu, and I do the same.
“I’ll be back to take your orders soon.” She leaves us alone.
I look around in awe. “Look at this place, Nathe.” It’s alive with chatter and the guitar music creates a wonderful atmosphere. The waitress arrives back at the table with a huge jug of sangria and two glasses not long after.
Wow, that was quick. They must have this stuff on speed dial.
“Here you are.” She places them on the table, and I giggle at the size of the glasses. They look like jugs, too. She pours us two, and with another smile, she leaves us alone.
Nathan takes a sip of his drink and raises his eyebrows at the red drink in his glass. “Hmm, not bad.”
I take a tentative sip. I hope I like it. There must be ten liters here. I’m happily surprised. It’s fruity and delicious. Ten liters may not be enough.
Nathan chuckles and we clink glasses.
“I love this place,” I whisper as I look around.
“Nice, huh?” Nathan opens his menu and looks through the choices. “What are you having?”
“Hmm.” I go through the choices, too. “I think for entrée, I’m going with the pasteles de cangrejo.”
“What’s that?”
“Grilled crab cakes with mustard sauce.”
“Hmm, sounds good.” He twists his lips as he looks through the choices. “For the main, I’m going to have the Arrachera steak.”
“Hmm, yum.” I smile goofily. “I’m having so much fun in Majorca already and all I’ve done is sleep and order dinner.”
He chuckles. “Good news.”
I take a drink of my sangria. “This is so good-too good, probably, although most definitely adding to my fun. For a main course, I’m going to have the pollo al ajillo chicken.”
The waitress comes back over and we order our meals. She leaves us alone again.
Nathan refills our glasses.
“Not too many,” I say. I can feel my head getting woozy already. “This is potent.”
We fall silent and stare at each other across the table. I don’t know what he’s feeling, but I’m feeling a little starstruck.
“So…” He smiles as he takes a sip of his drink.
There’s an undercurrent of excitement buzzing in the air between us.
“So?” I beam.
“What do you normally talk about on your dates?”
I shrug. “I usually ask about forty questions so I can do an internal risk assessment.”
“Ah, the dreaded forty questions.” He raises an eyebrow.
“Why, what do you talk about on your first dates?”
“Well, this is my first one.”
I frown. “What do you mean?”
“This is my first ever first date.”
“How is that possible?”
“Well, I was too young when I met Robert, and since then…” His voice trails off, and he shrugs.
“You’ve never taken someone on a first date?” I stare at him in horror. “Like… ever?”
“Nope.” He catches his bottom lip in his teeth, as if slightly embarrassed. “Another of my firsts given to the lovely Eliza Bennet.”
“Well.” I smile proudly, happy with that answer just quietly. “I’ll have to make it memorable.”
“You already have.” His eyes hold mine.
I smile softly. Oh, this man…
“So?” He rolls his hand out. “Fire away.”
“What?”
“Ask me your date questions. I want to see if I qualify.”
“Okay.” I take a sip of my drink as I narrow my eyes while I think of one. “What makes you happy?”
“Seeing my family happy.” He pauses. “And seeing you happy.”
I swoon and take his hand over the table. “I am happy.”
He dusts his thumb over the back of my knuckles. “I know.”
Our eyes lock, and electricity passes between us. If he keeps this up, we won’t make the main course. I’ll jump him across the table.
“What’s your biggest achievement?” I ask.
“Developing the bionic heart. No brainer.”
“I’m so proud of you for that.”
He smiles, and I know he’s proud of himself, too.
“Biggest regret in life?” I ask.
“Hmm.” He frowns, falling deep into thought. “Like, ever?”
“Yes.” I smile as I sip my drink, I like this game.
“Probably waiting ten years to fall for you.”
I giggle. “Apart from that.”
“Umm.” His brow furrows. “Leaving Robert.”
What?
My alcohol high instantly dissipates. “Why is that?”
“Well,” He pauses as he gets the wording right in his head. “At the time, I demanded that Robert follow me to San Francisco. I had it in my head that if he loved me, he would follow me anywhere.”
“And he didn’t?” I have always known this story but haven’t paid it much attention before, now I need all the details.
“No.” He sips his drink. “At the time, I saw it that he wasn’t committed to me so I broke up with him.”
“But now?”
“Well, now I realize that he wasn’t ready to make that commitment to anyone. I asked him to leave all of his family and friends to be with me. He was too young.” He shrugs, as if ashamed. “I should have given him time and space. He would have come eventually. Things that are meant to be will always return.”
I stare at him as fear rolls through me like a tsunami.
“Nathan.” I frown. “Are you still in love with Robert?”
“No.” He shakes his head as if the thought is preposterous. “God, no, but as I’ve gotten older, and since being with you, I now know that I was very selfish back then. I put my needs before his, and that wasn’t fair.” He thinks on it for a moment. “It’s not something I’m proud of, that’s for sure.”
I stare at him, my mind a jumble.
“So, yeah.” He shrugs. “Breaking someone’s heart out of selfishness is my biggest regret.”
“Wow.” I sip my drink. “Well, I guess that settles it.”
“Settles what?”
“You just completely flunked the questions. Biggest regret in your life is leaving your ex. Red flag, Nathan,” I reply flatly. “Motherfucking red flag. I’m drinking this entire jug of sangria and eating my meal, and then I’m pretending to go to the bathroom and never coming back,” I reply as I try to act serious. “It was nice knowing you.”