By the time Rina arrived at the diner, it was almost 9 pm. Handing her keys over to a valet, she sauntered in, the clack of her red bottoms hitting the tiles. She hadn’t wanted to waste time on choosing another pair of heels, exacerbated by the fact that Rina still thought the clothes and shoes in that room belonged to one of Zayn’s numerous women. So, she opted for a simple white dress instead that fell to the middle of her thighs and clung to her body like a second skin, accentuating her curves. The halter neck, Rina’s favorite style, was the perfect touch to the shape of her shoulders and her hair was put up, with hastily curled ringlets flowing from the bun. Her face was scrubbed clean of every makeup, leaving only glossy lips.
Rina’s outfit made her look so vulnerable that the moment Joel saw her approach, his heart did a little backflip. He had to clear his throat and get his lines right in his head as she navigated the tables, locating the booth he had picked for them at the end of the room, far from the windows and prying eyes to give them a level of privacy. Her long legs swished before her as she moved, and Joel found himself staring at them for way too long. He swallowed and raised his gaze to her white dress, unable to decide which color suited her best. Joel loved every one of her dresses on her. It was one of the allures she had to model. Everything on his line suited her so impeccably that it would have been a marketing strategy on its own if the rumors about her hadn’t resurfaced.
He flashed a smile when she arrived at the booth and slid in at the opposite end, placing her red purse gingerly on the table. Joel was about to ask if she got a new one since he knew almost all the purses she had brought to the office. But he stopped himself mid-way, knowing it would only make him look like a stalker. And besides, she was Rina Powers. She probably had more purses than she knew what to do with.
“Sorry, I’m late.” Her sultry voice sounded like his favorite music, and Joel had to remind himself to respond.
“It’s not a problem,” he said, dismissing her apology with a wave of his hand. “I only just arrived as well.” In fact, Joel had been there a whole hour before 8 pm, so anxious and at the same time eager about having dinner with Rina that he hadn’t been able to stay put at home. That meant he had waited for almost two hours. However, he decided it was worth it at the end of the day.
“Oh!” Rina looked up at him for the first time since she arrived and noted that he had changed out of his previous clothing too. He was now in a pair of black slacks and a plaid shirt, simple and soft. She couldn’t decipher the look in his eyes, but Rina decided she was just going to wait it out and see where the night led. She couldn’t keep holding out on him anymore. If they were going to work together for the short period Rina hoped they had, she wanted it to be on the same grounds and not some infatuation-induced belief.
“How was the errand you said you had to run?” He asked, waving a waiter over. “Were you able to get around to it?”
“Yeah, it was fine.” Rina nodded, not wanting to say more. “This place looks nice.” She raised her head to look around, instantly loving the black theme of the diner. It had only a few diners, and it was relatively peaceful. The French song playing from the speakers cast a very velvety feel in the air, so palpable that it could almost be touched. The lights were a streak of dim white, creating a halo on each table and booth. Encased candles were on the table, offering illumination as they ate.
“Yeah,” Joel nodded, then stopped, wondering why he had said something as basic as that. He needed to say something else to quench the awkwardness but his tongue suddenly felt tied, unable to respond to him. Thankfully, the waiter arrived with their starter Baked buffalo chicken wings with Tabasco sauce.
Rina was hungry, so she got right into it, allowing the awkward silence to build on purpose. She had things to say as well, but since Joel was the one who had asked her to have dinner with him, she wanted him to go first.
He pushed the sauce to her and shrugged. “I like it hot,” he offered as an explanation, causing Rina to chuckle.
“What?” he angled his head, relieved his tongue had decided to obey him.
“I just remembered when you invited me over to your house for dinner. The food was hot as well. What don’t you like hot?”
Joel took a moment to think about it, stroking his jaw in feigned contemplation. “Now that I think about it, I like everything hot. Even my women.”
“Of course,” Rina blurted, rolling her eyes. The appetizer was nice as well, and Rina was slowly deciding that the diner would become her favorite spot. It had little crowd as far as she could see, so she wouldn’t have to bump into her anti-fans who believed she owed them something.
“No,” he barked out a laughter. “Think about it. I love my work hot, always on the go. It’s the same with every aspect of my life.”
“Apart from a bottle of drink on a hot summer afternoon.”
He paused, seeing where the conversation was leading. It was one of the things he liked most about Rina the fact that she was smart and could communicate in every manner one could think about. Joel thought he heard what she really meant to say in those words, but after a moment, decided against it. It was probably his nerves playing some tricks on him. Why else would he…No.
“Rina,” Joel breathed. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”