Scarlet

 

My next class of the day dragged on endlessly. After my coffee with Lucien, everything went downhill. Being late to my first class was nothing compared to the rest of the day. I got lost three times, and no one would help me find my way.

I ended up having to ask a professor for help, and even she looked at me like I was an idiot. By the time I made it to my last class, I was exhausted and beaten down. I didn’t know if I could handle life in New York after all.

I left class with my bag thrown over my shoulder and made my way back home. My grandmother’s house wasn’t far, but I managed to get lost five times on the way. It took me over an hour to make it, and when I did, I’d forgotten all about my date with Lucien.

He asked me to dinner earlier in the day, and I was so excited to say yes. He was my first friend at NYU, and I couldn’t wait to spend more time with him. It didn’t hurt that he was also gorgeous as hell.

When I finally made it to my grandmother’s house, there was a strange car sitting out front. I frowned and wondered if Lucien had already arrived. Checking my phone, I realized it was much later than I thought.

I sighed as I walked up to the front door and let myself inside. My head was aching, and I just wanted to fall into bed, but I knew that wasn’t an option. Lucien was already there, sitting in the kitchen beside my grandmother. It was nice to see him there. After feeling alone and lost all day, seeing a familiar face felt nice. It felt safe.

“Hi there,” I said with a smile. “I see you beat me.”

“I did,” he said. “Sorry about that.”

“No worries,” I said. “I got a little lost on the way home.”

“That can happen,” Grandmother said. “This city is a confusing one.”

“It really is,” Lucien agreed.

“You don’t have to make me feel better,” I said, chuckling. “I basically spent the entire day lost.”

“It was just the first day,” Lucien reassured me.

“How were your classes?” Grandmother asked.

I looked at her, ready to tell her the truth, but I stopped myself.  She looked so happy and excited that I didn’t want to ruin her mood. It must have felt good for her to see that I’d already made a friend.

Her only hope for me was that I did well in school and lived my life. So far, she thought I was doing just that. I didn’t need to admit that my day had been absolutely miserable. I couldn’t tell her I was questioning whether moving to New York was a good idea. Instead, I smiled widely and nodded my head with excitement.

“It was great,” I said. “All my classes are really interesting. I think this semester is going to be amazing.”

“See?” Grandmother asked. “There was no reason to be nervous.”

“Not at all,” I said, grinning. “You were right.”

“Well,” Grandmother said, turning to Lucien. “Where are you going tonight?”

“I have a couple ideas,” Lucien said slyly. “We need to introduce Scarlet to the local cuisine.”

“There’s a great sushi place down the road,” Grandmother said.

“Sakura,” Lucien nodded. “I love that place. It was definitely one of my options for tonight.”

“Well, you better get going,” Grandmother said with a meaningful look at me.

I shook my head and smiled at her. She seemed more excited about my date than I was.

“I won’t be late,” I promised, leaning over to kiss her cheek.

She shrugged. “Whatever.” 

Lucien laughed and held the front door open for me. We walked silently toward his car. The whole way there, I was acutely aware of his hand swinging just beside mine. I had a sudden urge to grab it and interlock my fingers with his, but I resisted. This was just dinner. It felt like a date, but I couldn’t be sure. He may have just been being polite, welcoming the new girl and all that.

When we reached his car, Lucien held the door open for me, and I slid inside. I was impressed by his chivalry, though I wasn’t surprised. He’d proved himself to be a gentleman when we first met in the Paris airport. Not many people would’ve jumped up to help me the way he did. I knew then that he was one of the good ones.

As we pulled away from Grandmother’s house, I felt certain I was right. He drove quickly through the streets, weaving in and out of traffic like a true New Yorker, but I wasn’t scared. His driving was superb, and I wondered if there was anything he didn’t do well.

“So, where exactly are we going?” I asked. “To that sushi place?”

“Nah,” he shook his head. “I didn’t want to say this in front of your grandma, but that place is for old people.”

“Oh, really?” I laughed.

“Definitely,” he said. “It’s good food, but not really the right atmosphere. We’re going for something a little more fun tonight.”

“Where’s that?” I asked.

“It’s a surprise,” he said, grinning. “But it is in the realm of Asian food. I’m guessing you’ve never been to Chinatown?”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “Never.”

“Excellent,” he said.

His smile was brilliant and made my stomach flutter nervously. As we drove through the city, I looked out the window to keep from staring at Lucien. I knew I would never look away from him if I could help it.

In class that morning, it took all my strength not to stare at his face during the lecture. I forced myself to stay focused on my notes, but it was impossible. I wasn’t sure I would remember a single thing the professor discussed, but I did know exactly what Lucien’s tattoo looked like.

While we drove, I glanced at it again. He was still wearing the same short sleeve shirt from earlier, and it showed off his tattoo wonderfully. There was more of it tucked away beneath the fabric, but I could see most of it. I longed to reach over and trail my fingers along the ink, but I knew I shouldn’t. We barely knew each other, and random touches weren’t in our friendship description just yet. Still, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from it, and eventually, he noticed my interest.

“Do you like it?” he asked, flexing his bicep slightly.

I blushed. “I do,” I said. “It’s so intricate.”

“It took two months to complete,” he said with a serious expression. “It was miserable, but so worth it. I’m obsessed.”

“I can see why,” I said. “It’s amazing.”

“Thank you.” He turned to smile at me, and my stomach flipped again.

Every time his eyes locked on mine, I felt like I was drowning. They were such a deep, dark brown. I could’ve easily lost myself in them.

We finally made it to Chinatown, and Lucien parked quickly. He hurried around to my side of the car and held my door open again. I smiled gratefully and jumped out of the car, eagerly looking around.

Chinatown was amazing. There were people everywhere, along with vendors and shop owners. I could tell some of the people on the streets were tourists, taking a late summer vacation. I felt like one of them, unsure of where to stand or how to act.

Luckily, Lucien helped me immediately. He took my hand and led me through the crowd. We hurried down the street until we reached a tiny restaurant on the corner. Lucien pulled me inside and the noise from the street disappeared.

I glanced around and saw that we were in a typical Chinese restaurant, just like the ones back home, but it felt different. It was more authentic somehow. Lucien led me further inside, and we found an empty table to sit at. When we sat down, a waiter brought us some menus and turned away without a word.

“What is this place?” I asked.

“The best Chinese food in town,” Lucien said with authority. “It. Is. Delicious.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” I said, scanning the menu.

I was no stranger to Chinese food, and I knew exactly what I wanted. We ordered quickly, and the food arrived almost immediately. I was impressed by the second bite. It truly was amazing Chinese food.

“What do you think?” Lucien asked.

“It’s delicious,” I said, repeating his words.

He grinned and kept eating. “So, tell me,” he said. “How was the rest of your day? I didn’t believe that bullshit you fed your grandmother.”

“Was I that obvious?” I asked.

“A little,” he said. “But I don’t think she noticed.”

“It was okay,” I said, shrugging. “It kind of sucked honestly, but the day’s looking up a bit now.”

Lucien smiled at my compliment, and we spent the rest of the evening shamelessly flirting with each other. I felt hot and excited the entire time. I’d never been on a date, and I had certainly never spent this much time flirting with a man.

He was sexy and interesting, smart and kind. My mother insisted the men from my romance novels weren’t real, but I felt like Lucien was as close as they came. He reminded me so much of the heroes in my books, the men who swept innocent women like me off their feet.

As we left the restaurant, Lucien reached for my hand and held it all the way to the car. He opened my door again, and I slid inside, feeling my stomach tighten nervously. I so badly wanted him to kiss me, but I was afraid he wouldn’t. Part of me thought he was just being nice, and he wasn’t attracted to me at all. I wasn’t sure if this was a real date or just two friends hanging out. Our flirting and hand holding seemed to indicate something more, but I was so inexperienced that I couldn’t know for certain.

We drove back to my grandmother’s in silence. When Lucien pulled up in front of the house, he shut off the engine and turned to face me. He smiled and leaned closer. I could smell his scent, and it made me light-headed.

“I had so much fun,” he said softly. “Thank you for coming.”

“Thank you for dinner,” I said.

Instinctively, I leaned closer to him. My entire body longed to feel him. I’d never experienced this kind of desire before, and it was overwhelming.

When Lucien’s lips pressed against mine, a jolt of electricity shot through my body. His lips were soft and gentle against mine. He kissed me slowly, letting me get used to the sensations. As the kiss deepened, I felt myself growing more excited.

When his tongue slipped in my mouth, I moaned softly. Lucien’s hand found my thigh, and he slid his fingers up and down, making me shiver with desire. I wanted him so badly.

My nerves got the best of me, and I pulled away. My breathing was ragged, and I could feel my cheeks flush bright red. I was embarrassed, but I knew that kiss was leading somewhere intense, somewhere I wasn’t ready to go.

“You should know,” I said weakly. “I’m a virgin. I’ve never been with a man.”

I expected Lucien to become uncomfortable and leave immediately, but he didn’t. He simply smiled and rested his palm against my cheek.

“Okay,” he said. “I’m happy to take it slow.”

“Really?” I asked, snapping my head up to look into his eyes.

“Of course,” he said, laughing.

I smiled and we finished saying goodnight. He walked me to the door, and I slipped inside, unable to wipe the smile from my face. My day had been terrible, and then Lucien turned it around. I went to bed that night thinking that New York may not be half bad after all.