Chapter 5: You Again?

The man in front of her frowned.

Those eyes... Why did she look so familiar?

Before he could place her, another voice cut through his thoughts.

"Julia?"

She turned toward the voice.

A blond man stood from one of the tables near the window, smiling and waving.

It was Chris. She recognized him from his profile photos.

She waved at him and offered a small smile before turning to face the man in front of her.

"Sorry," she said quietly.

Without a word, he walked around her and left the restaurant.

In daylight, he looked even more handsome than she remembered.

She pushed the encounter to the back of her mind. She had bigger problems to worry about.

She shook her head lightly and walked up to meet her date.

Chris stood as she approached, smiling warmly.

"Good day, Julia," Chris said as he pulled out her chair.

Julia blinked in surprise. At least he had manners.

"Good day, Chris. Sorry I'm late. I was swamped with work," she said, as she took her seat.

"It's fine. You gotta do what you gotta do. So, what would you like for lunch?" he asked, browsing the menu.

For reasons he couldn't explain, the man glanced back over his shoulder.

She was already smiling politely at another man.

He paused for a brief moment, then continued toward the exit.

At the table, Julia browsed through the menu, uncertain of what she should get.

The grilled salmon with mashed potatoes and asparagus looked appetizing, but she'd rather have something less fancy.

"I'll go with the chicken wrap with fries and a vanilla milkshake," she said to him, a small laugh leaving her lips.

Chris nodded absentmindedly, his eyes still scanning the menu.

He waved the waiter over.

"One creamy chicken Alfredo for the pretty lady and ribeye steak with fries for me." he said, his eyes skimming over a section of the menu. "And, uh, one sparkling water for her, one cola for me."

Julia's brows furrowed. He hadn't ordered a single thing she'd asked for.

"I'd prefer the chicken wrap actually." Julia said.

Chris smiled. "Trust me. The Alfredo's much better."

"But I..."

"You'll thank me."

She opened her mouth to argue, then stopped. The familiar feeling of being spoken over settled heavily in her chest. She had spent years being ignored and dismissed by her family. She wasn't going to go through that in a marriage that wasn't even going to be real.

This was exactly the sort of attitude she was trying to escape. A fake marriage wasn't worth exchanging one controlling man for another.

Soon, their meals arrived. Much to Julia's annoyance, the creamy chicken Alfredo was actually delicious.

"Enjoying your meal?" Chris asked. "See? I told you. Sometimes I know what's best." he said, pointing his fork at her plate.

"So, tell me about you. I hope you're not one of those ladies looking for commitment." he laughed.

Julia raised her eyebrows.

Here she was about to tell this man to marry her, temporarily, long enough to escape the marriage her family had planned for her.

"What does that mean?" she asked.

"Come on. We're young. Why tie ourselves down? There's a whole world out there. So much to see, so many people to meet."

"Actually..." Julia took a breath. "I do want to get married. Just... temporarily."

Chris paused between bites and stared at Julia with disbelief.

"Temporarily?"

"My family is trying to force me into an arranged marriage. If I'm already legally married, they can't."

"Wait... you're serious? This isn't a joke?"

"Completely."

He laughed so hard he nearly dropped his fork.

"You've got to be kidding me. Is this some kind of social experiment?" he dabbed his mouth with a napkin. "You expect me to marry someone I just met?"

"I know it sounds crazy, but it's only a temporary arrangement."

Julia's shoulders slumped. She already knew what his answer would be before he spoke again.

"Look, I feel bad for you. I really do. But that's way too much drama for me."

Julia let out a slow breath. Of course he'd say no.

She'd barely managed to explain herself before sounding completely unhinged.

"It's alright. I appreciate your sympathy, but I don't need it."

Chris only raised his hands. "Okay, okay."

"I think we're done here. I've got work to do and a lecture to deliver." she said, glancing at her watch.

He signalled the waiter for the bill. It took longer than it should have but he eventually came.

The waiter placed the bill on the table, right in front of Chris.

"You kept us waiting. Some of us have actual jobs to attend to." he said curtly to the waiter, as he picked up the bill.

Julia only stared at him. Thank goodness that didn't work out.

"Mind if we split the bill?" Chris said to her, lowering his voice.

She couldn't believe it. After dismissing her situation, laughing at her, and choosing her meal without asking, he still expected her to split the bill.

"I'll take care of it." she said as she pulled out her credit card.

"Thank you, ma'am, sir." the waiter said, bowing politely before leaving.

Julia didn't say another word to Chris. She stood up and left the restaurant. She unmatched with Chris before she was even out the door.

On her way out, she almost bumped into another person. What was wrong with her?

"You again?"

"I'm sorry." she said, not looking directly at the person she'd almost run into.

His expression shifted with sudden recognition.

Julia reluctantly lifted her gaze. Her pulse quickened.

No.

Please don't remember.

Not here. Not now.

Of all the people she could have run into in the middle of the city, it had to be him, again.

She lowered her gaze, silently praying he'd keep walking.

Instead, he took another step toward her.

"It's you."

Her heart sank.

For the first time since leaving the hotel, Julia really looked at him.

He was impossibly handsome—tall, broad-shouldered, and dressed in a tailored charcoal suit that looked as though it had been made just for him. Even in the middle of a busy afternoon, he stood out effortlessly.

He regarded her with equal curiosity.

"You're the woman from the hotel."

Julia's pulse faltered. She didn't answer.

A slow smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "You left without even telling me your name."