After the talk with Kurt last night, Annika still feels a little hurt with what Kurt said to her. It affected her self-esteem. She was wondering if she has enough patience to deal with Kurt’s personality. Today, they are going on another date. Kurt told her that he would pick her up today. He didn’t say where they were going but he advised her to wear the black halter neck maxi dress.
Kurt, on the other hand, is feeling excited about their date today. He prepared a lot for this date. He is going to take Annika to their family restaurant. He wanted Annika to meet the people who work for them in their restaurant and at the same time, he wanted his mother to know about his girlfriend. He knew that the people from their restaurant would report this to his mother. Two birds in one stone.
Annika was preparing for their date when Kurt called her. She waited for it to finish ringing. She felt like she didn’t have energy to talk with Kurt. She knew he didn’t mean it but it was hard for her to forget what he said.
Kurt called her again but this time she answered. She composed herself before talking. “What?” Kurt chuckled. “What’s with the one, Ms. Grumpy?” She rolled her eyes. “Change of plan. I’m going to pick you up at 7pm tonight.” She answered okay before she ended the call. Annika wondered what she could do right now. She doesn’t have class and she doesn’t have anywhere else to go.
Annika decided to read a book to pass the time. She started reading It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover. She was very excited to read because she heard many good reviews about this book. She made herself coffee and sat on the couch.
She can’t help but smile when she reads the first part of the book. She was off to a good start, the characters from the book were amazing. She thought that the chemistry of the female lead, Lily and the male lead, Ryle, was undeniably great.
She nodded her head while reading. She was hooked from the book. She kept on reading until it was time for lunch. She put the book aside and went downstairs to cook herself some food. She doesn’t want to cook much because she wants to finish the book. She prepared rice, bacon and egg for lunch. After she finished washing the dishes, she got back to her room to continue reading.
She got a little suspicious with Ryle, the male lead from the book, when Ryle lashed out in rage, resulting in hurting Lily, the female lead. Ryle was a good guy from the start so she was hopeful that Ryle is not like Lily’s father. Lily’s father was physically and verbally abusive.
She relates herself to Lily and Kurt to Ryle. Although Kurt didn’t intentionally say those words to hurt her, it is still not okay. She was amazed with Lily’s patience with Ryle. But she thought she couldn't do the same. If Kurt says hurtful words again, she is ready to leave him and break the deal.
While stretching her back after reading a few chapters from the book, she noticed that the time was already 5:30pm. She got up and started to get ready for the date. She took a hot shower and tried to clear her mind. She wanted to forget what happened because of the heavy feeling in her heart. It has affected how she sees Kurt as a person.
She wore the black halter neck maxi dress just like what Kurt said. She painted her eyebrows and wore red lipstick. She composed herself before meeting Kurt. She had to be strong because the money she will get is for her sister.
“You look great.” Kurt smiled at Annika and opened the door for the passenger seat. Annika faked a smile. “Thanks,” she said. Kurt was amazed to see Annika wearing the black halter neck maxi dress he bought for her. It looked so perfect. She looked stunning and beautiful. He can’t help but stare at Annika from time to time. This made Annika feel more uncomfortable with him.
When they reached the restaurant, Annika was amazed. It was big and it looked like a five-star restaurant. The lights are glowing. Everything was made of gold. Kurt put his hand on her waist when they got inside. She felt something on her stomach when he did this. But they were already acting so she kept up with him.
“Babe, I want you to meet Francisco, he is the head chef in our restaurant. Francisco, this is Annika, my girlfriend” he smiled. Francisco offered to shake hands with Annika. “It is my pleasure to meet you, Ms. Annika.” Annika smiled and shook hands with him. Francisco is one of the most trusted employees of Kurt’s family. He has been the head chef for over seven years.
Kurt pulled out a chair for Annika but instead of facing each other, he put Annika’s chair beside him. “I want you to sit beside me, babe.” He smiled. This made Annika feel a little embarrassed. She thought it was too much. Kurt was acting like this so the people around them will believe that they are a real couple.
The waiter went to their table to present the menu for tonight. “Here’s what Head Chef Francisco will prepare for tonight. This is exclusively for Mr. Kurt & Ms. Annika.”
The waiter continued, “For the salad, we have Macho Salad with r****h and smoked mozzarella paired with Bianco Toscana IGT-Ceppaiano. For the main course, we prepared Ricotta Gnocchi with fresh tomato and basil paired with Chianti DOCG - Ceppaiano and Seafood Bouillabaisse paired with Alle Viole Toscana IGT - Ceppaiano. And for dessert Torta Caprese and Flour less chocolate cake with coffee gelato paired with Selezione Violetta Toscano IGT - Ceppaiano.”
Kurt smiled. “Thank you. The dessert seems interesting but I prefer my girlfriend’s kiss for my dessert.” He winked at Annika. This made Annika feel more embarrassed. Her face turned red.
It was too much for her to handle. She maintained her composure. She didn’t want the workers to feel that she is a cheap woman. Kurt’s actions made her feel like that. ‘Fake it til’ you make it.’ She said to herself.
When the appetizer arrived, Kurt took one of the biscuits and tried to feed it to Annika. “For you, babe.” He leaned towards her. ‘Disgusting.’ She thought. She faked a smile and ate the biscuit from Kurt. This is getting more embarrassing. Kurt enjoyed teasing Annika and felt accomplished because his plan worked. She felt a sense of relief when Kurt went to the bathroom.
“How’s the food, babe?” Kurt asked when he got back from the bathroom. “Great. Francisco is an excellent chef.” She said sincerely. She enjoyed every single bite of her food. She tried her best to keep up with Kurt’s embarrassing actions. ‘Thank God the food is great.’ She said to herself.
A band consisting of a pianist, violinist, and a singer came out to sing for them to keep them entertained. The first song they played was Love Me Like You Do.
Kurt stood up and offered his hand to Annika. “May I have this dance with you?” Annika was hesitant at first but she didn’t want to ruin the plan. She put her hands on Kurt’s shoulder and he put his hands around her waist.
Kurt’s eyes were fixed on Annika. He knew the people from their restaurant were watching them. ‘My plan is working.’ He said at the back of his mind. He decided to pull another stunt. He turned her around and pulled her closer. “You look beautiful, babe.” Instead of feeling butterflies, Annika felt more embarrassed. All eyes are on them. They were the only guests in this big restaurant because Kurt had it reserved for them.
Kurt was looking at her lips and she got nervous. ‘Oh no. What is he doing? This is not part of the contract. Moron.’ She said at the back of her head. It looked like Kurt’s face was getting closer and closer to her, she was panicking, and then... BAM! She slapped him. Kurt was stunned for a moment. Annika apologized immediately. “Why did you slap me? What’s wrong?” Annika whispered. “What are you doing? It’s not part of the deal.” Kurt got confused. “What do you mean? There was something on your face. I had to look closely to remove it.” He explained. Annika was wrong. This made Kurt laugh. “Wait.. you thought I was going to kiss you?” he whispered. Annika was too embarrassed to respond. Her face turned red.
Kurt was laughing so much it almost brought tears to his eyes. ‘What was she thinking?’ The thought of Annika expecting him to kiss her was too funny for him. This is making Annika more uncomfortable and embarrassed. Kurt was being insensitive. “Kurt, please stop. They are looking at us.” She whispered.Kurt composed himself and tried to stop laughing. “Let’s sit down for a while.” Annika went to the restroom because she was on the verge of crying. ‘This is so embarrassing’ she said to herself. She washed her face and looked in the mirror. Someone knocked on the door and when she turned, she was shocked to see Kurt in the girl’s restroom. “What the hell, Kurt?&rdqu
Annika woke up with a headache. She wasn’t able to get up yet. She thought about what happened last night. That was her last straw. Yes, she needed the money but she knew she didn’t deserve that kind of treatment. She knew that she deserved more. She knew when to walk away. And besides, there are many companies out there where she can apply.“It’ll be a long day.” She sighed. She looked at herself in the mirror. She looked like a huge mess. Her mascara was all over her face. She cried a lot, she cried herself to sleep. She also didn’t have the chance to change her outfit. She was tired physically and mentally.Even though she has a hangover, her agenda was to look for jobs today. She didn’t want to waste time. She took a shower, brushed her teeth and wore semi-formal clothes. “I am ready.” She told herself w
Annika went home happily. She was feeling confident about the interview. She knew she answered every question sincerely. She was excited and hopeful. She really needed this job since she terminated the contract with Kurt. She sighed when she remembered Kurt. She was still hurt by his words.She took a shower and went to bed. She suddenly received a text message from an unknown number.‘Hi, Annika! This is Noah. I have news for you. Can I call?’Annika jumped out of her bed feeling nervous and excited. She whispered. ‘I hope this is good news. Please.’ Noah started to call after she replied. “Good evening, Annika.” Noah proceeded to tell the news. “First of all, I think you are ver
Kurt and Clyde decided to stay with Annika for the night just to make sure she was gonna be okay. Annika gave them pillows and a blanket. “Thank you for saving me tonight. I’m sorry about my place, I don’t have enough room here.” This was the first time that Kurt will sleep on a sofa. He had never done this before. He was used to sleeping in a big and comfortable bed. But he didn’t complain, he wanted to be here for the safety of Annika. “It’s okay, Annika. Don’t mind us. Sleep comfortably tonight. We are here. Don’t be scared.” Kurt reassured Annika. This made Annika smile. She noticed a little change with the way Kurt talked. It was different. He sounded sincere. “Good night, Kurt.” she whispered. “Good night, Clyde.” Then she turned off the lights.When Annika went to bed, she couldn’t sleep. She was
Annika and Kurt were having a great time. Kurt was open about his life more than before. He didn’t know why, but it made him happy that he had someone to talk to other than Clyde. Annika couldn’t believe the sad and rough childhood that Kurt went through. She couldn’t imagine having to go through that because she had a great childhood with her sister.She suddenly missed her sister. They used to do a lot of things together. Shopping, painting each other’s nails, and so much more. She looked outside the window and sighed. Kurt noticed the sudden changes with her expression. “What’s wrong Annika?” Annika composed herself before turning around. She faked a smile. “I’m just hungry.” Kurt wasn’t convinced with her answer. “Annika, tell me what’s wrong.” Annika sat down and started opening up about her sister. &ldqu
“You didn’t tell me you have a brother.” Annika was curious about Kurt’s brother because Kurt never mentioned it to her before. Kurt’s brother was not included in the childhood memories that Kurt told Annika about. Is he dead? Are they not on good terms? Annika’s head was full of questions. Kurt didn’t bother to tell Annika about his brother. They used to have a good relationship. They had some good memories together but when they grew older, his brother focused his time on his friends and work. Kurt’s brother wasn’t able to spend time with him anymore so he held a little grudge against him.Liam was the name of Kurt’s brother. He was older and taller than Kurt. He had the same blue eyes as him. Kurt looked up to him a lot when they were kids. But
Kurt was nervous about the idea of Annika living in his house for the meantime because that means they will have to act as a fake couple for almost every day. Annika was both shy and nervous. She didn’t think this was a good idea but she had no other choice. “I’ll already call the helpers. They will prepare the room for you.” Annika insisted that she would sleep on the sofa instead but Kurt didn’t listen to her. “Kurt, this is too much.” Kurt told her they would talk later after their dinner. They stepped outside the car. “What do we have for dinner today, Chef Joshua?” Kurt asked as soon as they got home. He was hungry because he waited for Annika’s shift for almost six hours. Annika was also hungry but she was thinking about too many things and it made her lose her appetite. The house chef, Joshua, prepared Chinese food for dinner because this was Kurt’s request the other day. “Tonight, we have shredded
It was finally time for the fake couple to sleep, and all of their agreements were to go into effect right away. This will be their first time sleeping in the same room, and even though they will not be in the same bed, they both still felt very awkward and nervous. But now that they're in Kurt's room, they can act normally. Annika was especially grateful that Kurt let her stay and thanked him for being a gentleman at the time.“Kurt, are you sure that you’re really not afraid of the dark?” She suddenly asked him while smiling.“O-of course! Why would I be? I'm just not used to sleeping when it's turned off… that’s all.” Kurt said defensively while seeing Annika smirking.“Yeah… sure you are… maybe you’re just afraid of the monsters under your bed.