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Authors: Lucie Whitehouse
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itself was at the bottom of a long flight of stairs. It had clearly been a cellar of some sort originally; the room consisted of small alcoves serviced by a central hub from which the waiting staff operated. The murmur of voices and some gentle oriental music were the only things I could hear. It was a classic seduction venue and the thought both horrified and thrilled me.
I was shown over to an alcove in the corner. Lucas was waiting for me, his dark head bent over the wine list. He had come straight from work and was wearing a suit, a look that I liked on him, although it impressed me less on other men. Lucas looked as if he had just come out of a successful meeting. Danny, on the other hand, who wore anything else with panache, always looked like a young offender before a court appearance if he wore a suit. Lucas stood as he saw me, smiled and gave me an ambiguous kiss close to my mouth. I made to sit on the couch opposite but he moved along and indicated that I should sit next to him. I lowered myself down carefully.
We made small talk in a way that I couldn't remember us ever having done before. Scrutinising the handwritten menu self-consciously, I felt a twinge as I realised the prices weren't included on it, then made a decision just to enjoy it and eat toast for the rest of the month if necessary.
'What do you think of it?' he asked, as our waiter silently retreated, having taken the order that Lucas, as the knowledgeable one, had given him.
'The restaurant? Wonderful - it's like having supper in a shrine.'
He picked up his napkin and pulled it out of its ring of woven reed. 'I came here with Danny once, a few years ago.'
'Danny?'
'You know what he's like. It was when I was at law school and really strapped. He'd just got that massive pay rise, do you remember, a couple of months after the vodka campaign? He used to take me to all sorts of crazily expensive places.'
'He's such a show-off,' I said. I had my own views on why Danny was so lavish towards Lucas. He'd once even taken him to Barcelona for a week. While I didn't doubt that he meant to be generous, I also suspected that he used his money as another way to promote his role as the senior partner in their relationship. I knew I did something similar with my younger brothers, albeit on a much smaller scale. While it was lovely to be able to treat them occasionally, it also made me feel good that I was in a position to do so.
'He's just over-generous. Now he won't have to be generous with me any more. But I'm glad he brought me here. Otherwise I wouldn't have known about it and I've had this fantasy since about coming here with a woman I was in love with.'
'So are you a regular?' I said, hoping that the jokiness of my tone would mask the seriousness of the question. It was a risk but I had to be sure.
'No.' If I hadn't known better, I would have described the expression that ran across his face as disappointed. 'This is the first time.'
'Flatterer,' I said, in my relief.
'That's not flattery.' He fixed me with one of his candid looks. I stared at him, unable to break eye contact. I was beginning to feel as if I were being fitted for new contacts, an optician dropping different lenses in front of my eyes every two seconds. Whenever I was getting used to the situation, Lucas upped the stakes. I wasn't sure how it worked, getting together with someone whom you'd been close to for a long time. Could you say straight away that you were in love?
'Jo.' He took my hand. 'I know this is all happening very quickly and I don't expect you to tell me that you love me but do you think you could fall in love with me?'
I looked at his large honest eyes and saw the entreaty in them. I thought of his kindness and his warmth and how much I had wanted him. 'Yes,' I said. 'I do.' A huge smile lit up his face.
The waiter brought over the first of our dishes, tiny spring rolls and dumplings like purses tied up with chives. I took a spoonful of the sweet chilli sauce.
'Can
I was shown over to an alcove in the corner. Lucas was waiting for me, his dark head bent over the wine list. He had come straight from work and was wearing a suit, a look that I liked on him, although it impressed me less on other men. Lucas looked as if he had just come out of a successful meeting. Danny, on the other hand, who wore anything else with panache, always looked like a young offender before a court appearance if he wore a suit. Lucas stood as he saw me, smiled and gave me an ambiguous kiss close to my mouth. I made to sit on the couch opposite but he moved along and indicated that I should sit next to him. I lowered myself down carefully.
We made small talk in a way that I couldn't remember us ever having done before. Scrutinising the handwritten menu self-consciously, I felt a twinge as I realised the prices weren't included on it, then made a decision just to enjoy it and eat toast for the rest of the month if necessary.
'What do you think of it?' he asked, as our waiter silently retreated, having taken the order that Lucas, as the knowledgeable one, had given him.
'The restaurant? Wonderful - it's like having supper in a shrine.'
He picked up his napkin and pulled it out of its ring of woven reed. 'I came here with Danny once, a few years ago.'
'Danny?'
'You know what he's like. It was when I was at law school and really strapped. He'd just got that massive pay rise, do you remember, a couple of months after the vodka campaign? He used to take me to all sorts of crazily expensive places.'
'He's such a show-off,' I said. I had my own views on why Danny was so lavish towards Lucas. He'd once even taken him to Barcelona for a week. While I didn't doubt that he meant to be generous, I also suspected that he used his money as another way to promote his role as the senior partner in their relationship. I knew I did something similar with my younger brothers, albeit on a much smaller scale. While it was lovely to be able to treat them occasionally, it also made me feel good that I was in a position to do so.
'He's just over-generous. Now he won't have to be generous with me any more. But I'm glad he brought me here. Otherwise I wouldn't have known about it and I've had this fantasy since about coming here with a woman I was in love with.'
'So are you a regular?' I said, hoping that the jokiness of my tone would mask the seriousness of the question. It was a risk but I had to be sure.
'No.' If I hadn't known better, I would have described the expression that ran across his face as disappointed. 'This is the first time.'
'Flatterer,' I said, in my relief.
'That's not flattery.' He fixed me with one of his candid looks. I stared at him, unable to break eye contact. I was beginning to feel as if I were being fitted for new contacts, an optician dropping different lenses in front of my eyes every two seconds. Whenever I was getting used to the situation, Lucas upped the stakes. I wasn't sure how it worked, getting together with someone whom you'd been close to for a long time. Could you say straight away that you were in love?
'Jo.' He took my hand. 'I know this is all happening very quickly and I don't expect you to tell me that you love me but do you think you could fall in love with me?'
I looked at his large honest eyes and saw the entreaty in them. I thought of his kindness and his warmth and how much I had wanted him. 'Yes,' I said. 'I do.' A huge smile lit up his face.
The waiter brought over the first of our dishes, tiny spring rolls and dumplings like purses tied up with chives. I took a spoonful of the sweet chilli sauce.
'Can
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