Embarrassing Date

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.