As I prepared a small plate of antipasti in the kitchen, something nagged at me. His voice - it was familiar. Or was it something else? His mouth, maybe, or the pitch in the way he spoke? Whatever it was, I couldn’t put my finger on it, and it was bothering me. All I knew was that he had taken the news of what had happened last night with the kind of cool, calm removal that I would expect from someone who had the ability to kill two guys without thinking twice.
But why would he have come here? Maybe he was checking up on me, something like that. Maybe he expected some kind of repayment? I had kissed him, after all. Yes, it was in the heat of the moment, but perhaps he thought that I was promising him something more, and now he was here to collect. I felt a small flutter in my stomach - yes, he would have been gross to think that, and I would be disgusted if that was why he was here, but he was handsome. With no mask on, he could show off his hazel, almond-shaped eyes, his strong nose, and high cheekbones. He looked far too… refined to possibly be the kind of man who could inflict that damage on a pair of thugs. My head was spinning. I had no idea if it was him, and if it was, what the hell might he want? Or, maybe he just wanted to fuck with me. Maybe this was how he got his kicks.
Or maybe… he just wanted to see that I was alright, that the events of the previous night hadn’t shaken me too badly. Yeah, he could just as easily be here because he wanted to be certain that I hadn’t called the cops and identified him, but he seemed far too relaxed for that to be a possibility. Perhaps he was actually just a good Samaritan, come to make sure that I had made it out okay? I guess I had been burned too often in the past to think that there were actually truly decent people out there, people who would do good for no other reason that because they felt like they should. I looked down at his food absentmindedly for a second before remembering why I plated it up and shook myself out of my stupor. I couldn’t be looking at everyone who came in here sideways just because they sort of fitted the profile I’d made for the man who saved me that night. If one thing was for certain, I needed to stop overthinking this. If he turned out to be a regular customer, I’d probably scared him away by now anyway.
I cleaned the plate quickly and took it back out to the bar. It was a quiet afternoon, so I had the time to dedicate to him. I placed the food down in front of him, and he dug in, biting into the stuffed olives and washing them down with a sip of wine.
He must have known that the food was just a ploy to keep him around - he had already eaten, after all. And as soon as he walked out of that door, there was no guarantee that he would come back. I might never see him again. I, at least, needed more time to figure out what was going on, whether or not he had been the one to save me. I eyed him for a few seconds longer, wracking my brains for something to say to keep him around that wouldn’t come across as if I was flirting with him.
“A free meal,” I blurted out without thinking, and he glanced up, his mouth full. He cocked an eyebrow at me as he chewed and swallowed.
“What?”
“Um, you’ve won a free meal. Every… thousandth customer of the month gets a free meal, on the house,” I burbled, filling in the details as quickly as I could. “I just checked, and you’re our thousandth customer this month. So, uh, congratulations!”
His eyebrow remained up as he looked back at me, appearing skeptical.
“That sounds great.” He shrugged. “When do I come in to get my prize?”
“Tonight,” I replied. “By yourself. It’s only good for one person.”
“What time?”
“Midnight,” I managed. “After hours. Or else everyone will want one!”
He laughed, a pleasant, easy sound.
“I’ll be there.” His eyes flashed with amusement, and I could tell he thought he had my reasoning figured out. Well, he was in for a surprise.
Finishing off his wine, he got to his feet and stretched. I noticed for the first time the defined muscles beneath his shirt, toned and strong. I felt that flutter in my chest again but tried to ignore it.
“I guess I should take your number,” I said. “Let you know what’s happening.”
“No problem.” He pulled out a card from his pocket and slid it across the table to me. “Just call me when you need me.”
“Will do,” I breathed.
“See you later.” He flashed me a smile and turned to leave the restaurant. As soon as he was out, the kitchen door opened, and Lily came out with her hands on her hips.
“Did I just hear you offer that guy a free meal?” she asked, eyebrows raised.
“Uh, yeah.”
“Care to explain why?”
I leaned in close, making sure none of the other staff could hear us. “I think he might be the dude who saved me last night. I just need more time, that’s all.”
“So, you kissed him, and now you’re inviting him out for dinner?” She grinned, teasing me. “You’re such a romantic, Sab.”
“Oh, fuck off,” I shot back, but I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. Yeah, maybe there was still a little bit of the old romantic left in me.