His shoulders relax and a bright toothy smile spreads on his face. “Oh.”
“Come on. Let’s go inside.”
With a quick nod, he walks over to the front of the restaurant, holding the door open for me. He has some smooth moves; I have to give him that. He knows how to work his magic to seem charming. I enter, and immediately, the delicious aroma of Spanish cooking wafts over, filling up my senses. The scent of garlic being cooked has my stomach grumbling with hunger. Rose isn’t one for garlic, and even though she’s a chef, she only uses a touch of it in her cooking. It’s one reason she does most of the cooking. She thinks I’m too generous with it. I keep telling her it’s the normal amount anyone would use.
I close my eyes for a moment as I take it all in. “Are you okay?” Trevor asks. His body practically flush against my back.
“It smells amazing. I can’t wait to eat; I’ve suddenly realized how hungry I am.”
“You’re going to love it here. It’s my favorite restaurant.”
He takes my hand, leading me to the front desk, never letting it go as he talks to the hostess. His hands, just like his lips, are soft and inviting. It feels comfortable and warm and right. It feels easy and manageable. It feels as if this is how things should be. Except it’s all wrong. I think back to that day in the office. When Professor Matthews’ hand brushed against my nipple, setting my body on fire. The way my body seemed to ache for more attention, when my brain knew how wrong it was. How wrong my brain knows it is still. The power of the mind, they say. With the power of the mind, you can overcome anything. You’re not suffering from pain, you just think you are because you’ve talked yourself up that much you’ve tricked your brain into thinking you’re suffering. It isn’t all too powerful, though. It can’t seem to shut off these inappropriate feelings. The way my body instantly reacts of its own volition, to the man that has played a pivotal figure in my mind and dreams. If the power of the mind was as strong as everyone claims it to be, then it should be so easy for us to walk over to the switch and flick it off. See, the real strength in our human design, and one riddled with flaws, are our feelings and emotions. One a beautiful sister to the other. Emotions are drawn from feelings and feelings control emotions. Right now, I should be telling myself that Trevor is the kind of guy I should date—in a casual sense. He’s good looking, smart enough, and is the same age. Yet, with his light touch, I’m pulled back into the events of the past again. Where it was just the professor and me in his office. The way his breath held a steady beat. It was pummeling and intense. I’ve never felt or looked at him romantically, so to have those feelings and reactions be yanked out from deep within me was shocking.
I shake him out of my head before those memories lead down the erotic path of the dream I had of us the night before. I’m here with Trevor, who is so far nice enough to deserve all of it. His eyes shine brightly as he looks at me. We follow the hostess, as we’re shown our table on the second level of the restaurant. Through the glass doors and out onto the balcony. On this beautiful warm night, with the light breeze flowing through, lifting small strands of my hair, brushing it up against my face and tickling me. I nod my head in thanks at the hostess as she sets two menus down and walks away.
A single lit candle sits between us, creating a dim glow. “This is rather romantic, don’t you think?” I ask with a playful smirk. He rushes to pick up the candle, but I grab his wrist. “It’s okay. I like it.”
With a light chuckle, he clears his throat. “I’m glad.”
“I’m surprised it took you so long to ask me out,” I say, picking up the menu and looking through the dishes available. Instantly picking out what I want. I’m a simple person when it comes to food and am not that adventurous. You won’t ever find me eating snails, frogs legs, or haggis. I’m a meat and potatoes girl and I’m fine with being that way.
“Why?” he asks, as if it isn’t obvious.
“I know the kind of person you are. Do you really think I would have believed you when you said that you were shy?” I ask.
His eyes go wide, quickly composing himself. “I… I—”
I hold my hand up. “No need to continue on with the act. I know your reputation. I’ve seen you flirt with all the girls. The campus isn’t so big that someone with the player status such as yourself would go unnoticed.”
He gives me a genuine smile. “Can you blame me for trying?” He shrugs. Stripping himself of the character he was playing before, he sits relaxed and confident.
“No, I most certainly can’t. Tell me, why did you feel the need to pretend to be a different person? Did you not have any confidence in your ability?”
“I figured you probably heard about my reputation and thought I would change tactics, go down a different route.”
“Was it really a different route though? Or just different lyrics to the same tune? By the sounds of it, you were plagiarizing your own moves. I’ve seen you flirt, but I’ve never seen you
