Love In Between
Chapter 26

**The most interesting dinner of my life for sure. One where unexpected things would happen and I would feel like the most vulnerable person in the world, that was the dinner with Gael in that restaurant and there was no way it wasn’t him that I felt that way about.

I still can’t believe that he brought me here… The Volvoreta restaurant at the Eurostars, it’s amazing. The woman dressed completely in black guides us to our table and now she has really surprised me in a way that no one has ever done before. It’s not just any table, it’s a table located inside a private room and it’s next to the glass that makes up the wall of the place. You can see all of Madrid from up here, and if you add to that the fact that it’s night time, the view is magical.

She leaves, letting us know that the waiter will be here soon. After taking off my coat, I sit down on one side of the table, and Gael does the same on the opposite side. -Wow, you’ve surprised me, this place is beautiful,” I comment and his smile answers for him.

-You know, I kept asking myself where I could take a woman like you for dinner, and I thought this was the best place,” he says as he hands me the wine list with the intention of letting me choose.

-Better you choose…” I ask him and refuse the menu -and tell me… How is it that she is a woman like me? – I ask with great interest and he smiles, looking away from the letter and staring at me.

-What, what are you like?” he asks me with a half smile.

-Yeah, I don’t know… you’ve painted me as complicated. – I try to joke and he smiles.

-Let’s say you’re not a normal woman…” he answers naturally.

-Oh no?” I ask, pretending to be offended.

-No,” he says and laughs. -You’re very beautiful, the most beautiful I’ve ever seen in my life, I’d say. You’re sophisticated, intelligent, funny, sensual… too much for my own bad. You’re basically perfect, and to tell you the truth I didn’t know what to do, what to say, or where to take you so I could impress you. – You let me know and I don’t even know what to say.

I try to make my mind think fast on what to say and I almost force myself to speak -First of all, I’m not perfect, I’m far from it, and secondly, I’m a normal woman who is surprised by very simple things, although I’m very grateful that you did all this, it’s very beautiful. – I manage to say and he gives me one of those smiles he gets when I was taking his pictures and makes me die here for him.

The waiter bursts into our conversation introducing himself and taking our drink order from Gael’s wine expertise and then looks at me giving me a smile.

-He probably doesn’t even remember what I ordered. – He comments and I look at him in confusion. -He got lost in your eyes. – He finally explains and I deny.

-You’re very exaggerated,” I say with a chuckle.

-I’m not, you have no idea what you provoke in the people who look at you. – He says staring at me and I have to take a deep breath.

I can’t help it, I need to close the distance with him. I lean my body just a little towards the table and look up at him, “What do you want with me, Gael? I don’t understand all this gallantry of yours. You’re not like that,” I venture to say, and he moves his lips as if he’s having second thoughts.

-Okay, maybe I’m not usually so cheesy, but I’m not the guy I was with you when we were in Malaga or that time at your house,” he explains and I look at him smiling.

-I ask trying not to laugh too much, but he’s the one who laughs.

-Serena, I’m not going to lie to you… let’s say that I am quite s****l; especially with a woman like you, but it’s not the only thing that interests me; that’s what I made you see those times. I’m not like that, I don’t usually just have s*x in a wild way and without any kind of feelings,” he explains.

-Gael…” I interrupt him as if asking him not to lie to me.

-Okay, yes I have. Of course I have, but not like it was with you,” he finally confesses, and there’s more truth in it.

-Now I do,” I say, smiling.

-I didn’t like the way it was with you, I couldn’t be such an a*****e, I couldn’t get lost in every detail of you and then go back to her and in that instant I realised that something in me had changed. – He confesses and I notice the anguish in his voice.

-Don’t take all the blame on yourself either, I proposed that it should be like that too…” I add.

-I know, but I don’t know, I didn’t like treating you the way I treated you when I saw you at the campaign launch, things got out of hand,” he confesses and falls silent as the waiter arrives with the bottle of wine and the hors d’oeuvre Gael ordered.

Quickly, we order our plates for him to leave, and then it’s me who stares at Gael.

-That’s it, Gael, let’s leave all that behind, it’s for the best,” I propose and take a sip of wine, which is exquisite.

-Shall we start again?” he asks, taking me by surprise and I don’t know how to interpret his proposal.

-And that would be?” I ask with great curiosity.

-Will you let me win you over properly? I want you to get to know me as I really am,” he proposes, and he’s not exactly expecting that question.

-Wow, you’ve slowed down considerably,” I joke and we both laugh.

-Okay, well, if you want to spend a night of debauchery between the sheets, I won’t object either…” he laughs, and I can only laugh with him.

I bite my lips just imagining myself with him between the sheets and sigh. -As tempting as that second proposal sounds, I think I’ll take the first option. I really like the idea of knowing how you can win me over. – I comment, pretending to be interesting.

Suddenly, he takes my hand across the table. -You know I have to go on a trip, but I can still do things to make you realise who I really am before you agree to have a relationship with me,” he says, freezing me out.

-What did you say? A relationship? Me with you? – I look like an idiot for asking the choppy questions, but I definitely wasn’t expecting this.

-I’m not playing the game of wooing you and then putting you aside thinking about me. I want to win you over so you can be sure you want to be in a relationship with me Serena,” he says and I feel like I’m on fire….

“They should turn down the heat in this place…”

-I’m speechless, but… I guess that’s a good thing. – I manage to say and he nods.

-I guess so… leaving you speechless is hard, but I like the way it feels – he says mischievously and I don’t think he needs to try to win me over because he’s already done that, however, we’ll make things right.

**It was a new beginning. One where I felt special, but how could I not when he talked to me like that? His words rang true and I honestly wanted to believe him. I needed to. His eyes didn’t lie to me.