I was looking out the window when I felt my pinky toe meet Leo’s pinky. Whether it was a shiver that coursed through my body or some other unknown force urging me mindlessly to reach my palm a bit further, I desperately resisted. But it seemed Leo didn’t, because within a few seconds, our pinkies intertwined, and a few more moments later, he gently brushed his fingertips over the back of my hand, and then I could no longer do anything about this strange feeling that wafted from my stomach to my fingers: I slightly splayed my fingers, and my hand was enveloped by warmth that simply radiated from Leo. And then his fingers gently intertwined with mine, locking our outstretched hands in place, causing butterflies to flutter in my stomach all of a sudden. Hadn’t they all died? Surprisingly, I felt very comfortable and warm from this touch and closed my eyes, leaning against the soft seat.
— Delli, — someone shook me by the shoulder, gently whispering my name in my ear. — Adele, we’ve arrived, — this someone stroked my head, and I didn’t want to do anything.
— Where have we arrived? Ella, I don’t want to go anywhere.
— Adele, wake up, I still want to eat! — what was Damiano doing here, and why didn’t he cook himself breakfast if only... oh, damn!
— Holy Merlin! — I quickly pulled away from Leo, — I’m so sorry, I apologize.
— It’s okay, the main thing is that you woke up, because I was beginning to think about carrying you to the restaurant, — he teased.
— How wonderful that you didn’t have to make that a reality, — I pushed out a smug smile and got out of the car.
— Now you are definitely awake, — Leo said, following me outside, where the others were waiting for us.
— Good morning, Delli! How did you sleep, what did you dream? — Ella mocked me.
— Don’t start, — I walked past her, rolling my eyes.
The restaurant was indeed beautiful, but I was surprised it was Georgian. At least because I adored Kartvelian cuisine, but Leo didn’t know that. More precisely, he shouldn’t have known.
The entrance was framed by an arch of red flowers resembling lilies and greenery. Inside, everything reminded me of Sakartvelo. Here and there, waiters in national costumes roamed around, and on the shelves lay khantsi—Kartvelian horns for wine, adorned with gold, silver, and copper, in various shapes and sizes. The largest one was probably over a meter long. Soft toy lambs were attached to one of the walls and the ceiling. I had never seen anything like it, but it looked intriguing. Candles burned on tables that were already occupied, while the empty ones had none.
A sweet girl approached us and asked if we had a reserved table, and when we shook our heads negatively, she led us to a table closer to the window with two chairs on each side. But the girl didn’t hesitate and pulled up another chair from a nearby table, then laid out the menus for each of us.
— I need to wash my hands, — I remembered.
We went to the bathroom with Ella and Dam.
— Who’s prettier, Nicolas or Leonardo? — unexpectedly, Ella asked Dam.
The boy laughed. I rolled my eyes.
— Neither, — Dam replied. — Neither of them is my type.
— Who is your type? — Elizabeth continued to push her line. I rolled my eyes again.
— Ted… — now I looked on with curiosity.
— Didn’t know things were serious between you.
— I didn’t know either, — Dam admitted, and the corners of his lips twitched upward.
We came back into the hall just in time to catch what was going on there: candles had already been lit on our table, Nicolas and Leo sat across from each other reading the menu when one of the waiters approached them:
— Have you and your partner decided what you’ll be having? — Ella struggled not to burst out laughing.
— We’re not a couple! — Leo protested.
— Darling, you’re breaking my heart, — Nicolas perfectly played his part: the waiter was confused and began to shift his gaze from one guy to the other. We approached the table and took our seats.
— Don’t worry, they just joke like that, — I reassured.
— Order? — the boy whispered in bewilderment.
— Yes. Greek salad and Adjarian khachapuri, — Elizabeth replied.
— The same, — even though I didn’t really like Greek salad, I didn’t want to fiddle with the menu. Damiano ordered some stewed vegetables with meat, Leo ordered skewers and Caesar, while Nick chose khinkali with cheese and cabbage a la Kartveli.
— Wine? — the waiter suggested and handed us the wine list. De Vill predictably took it for himself and ordered one of the most expensive bottles there.
When they brought us the welcome bread with butter, the guys seemed a little confused. But soon our orders started arriving, and everyone relaxed. Elizabeth started a conversation about the upcoming show, and to my surprise, even Damiano listened attentively. Meanwhile, I picked the olives I hated out of my salad.
— I’d love to see how you work, — Nick chimed in. Ella smiled.
— Maybe our boss will give you a little tour? — she turned to Leo, narrowing her eyes.
— We’ll see, — he replied ambiguously.
— He annoys me; can I throw a tomato at him? — Ella’s question was directed at everyone, but I answered:
— No, throwing food is a sin. Better grab a brick, — I continued my work with the olives.
Everyone except Leo laughed, and he grimaced, causing everyone to laugh even more. So we sat there for probably an hour, sipping wine.
— How did you find out we were here? — Dam asked, his tongue loosening just a little.
— I can’t say, — Nick replied, compressing his lips into a thin line.
— Is it Loretta? — I continued but noticed the look of surprise on the guys' faces and realized how greatly I had misjudged. They clearly had no idea she could know such a thing.
— Did my mother know? — Leo tried to hide his shock.
— She promised not to say anything… — I pointed out.
— Now it’s clear why she spoke so coldly to us, — Nick replied. I even regretted mentioning it at all, but a minute later, friendly conversations flowed again at the table.
I gazed at the raindrops streaming down the window, thinking that tomorrow I probably wouldn’t be able to swim due to the weather. I turned back to the table and noticed Leo’s gaze on me. He was looking directly into my pupils, as if deep in thought about something.