The Royal Contract

She had fought hard to escape her past, but why did it start chasing her again? Why did she have to see him again? Why now? She only hoped that this was an isolated case. That after this trip, she would never see him again.

She finally saw the diner outside her window and remembered his offer to take her to dinner. At least this was far from the hotel. She doubted that her ex would even think of looking for her here.

“What are we waiting for?” Ria asked, unbuckling her seat and exiting the car, not waiting for him to ask questions. “I am famished.”

She noticed how he was looking at her with concern. But she was not about to feed his curiosity by behaving weirdly. So, she decided to act normal, like nothing was wrong. At least, she would try.

Zach immediately followed her inside the small establishment, where they sat in the corner. At least in this position, she could easily see the people going in and out of the diner without being too obvious.

“I will have a burger, fries, and that ice cream combo.” She pointed at the dessert special.

Suddenly, she felt hungry since she hardly ate anything much. Although lunch with Jay was delicious, she hardly ate much since she was too busy worrying about her client, only to realize that he was not like the men she knew. He seemed to be a genuinely friendly guy.

“I think I will have the same one.” Zach did not even look at the menu as he smiled at the waitress, which seemed to like the attention she got from him, even though it was just a simple smile.

.....

“I don’t see you as the burger type of man.” She suddenly uttered, not realizing that she had voiced out her thoughts. Her hands automatically went to her lips, but it was too late.

Honestly, she was confused about him. From the first time she bumped into him, she was positive he was a spoiled rich boy who had everything handed to him. She believed he had never worked hard in his life.

But then again, she found him working, or slaving away, in the mail room, acting like he was one of them. He did not behave like the rich guy she had associated him with before.

But there were times he seemed more than what he appeared to be. As if he was hiding some big secret from everyone. But she could never confirm what it was.

“What type of man do you think I am?” He suddenly asked, as his attention turned to her, looking fascinated with her statement.

She did not know how to answer him. She could not just blurt out her speculations. It would appear like she was interested in him because partly that was the truth, but she would never admit that to him.

“Well, I just don’t see someone like you eating a burger,” Ria said as if that made any sense, but she had to say something before he thought she was hiding something.

“Ok. What sort of food do you think someone like me would eat?” Zach asked, smiling like he was enjoying this moment. He could probably sense her discomfort about the situation she had placed herself into, blaming only herself.

“Oh, ok.” She decided to play the part since she had no more options left.

She hummed while she thought about it, tapping her fingers at the table underneath her fingertips. Then, she looked at the man opposite her, finalizing her analysis of his food choice.

“I think you are the kind of man who would prefer real meat over extenders. So, prime rib, a quality roasted steak, or lamb chop would be your preferred meat.” She gave her verdict as she thought of how she saw him.

“That is a good guess, and I can say you have a good eye. What about you? Can I also guess what food you like?” He countered, seemingly enjoying this little game going on between them.

“Fine.” She challenged him, allowing this little activity to distract her from her other thoughts.

“Let me see.” He seemed to ponder deeply about it as he rubbed his fingers underneath his chin before he leaned backward, settling his body on the chair as if getting more comfortable. Then, he crossed his arms across his chest, letting his bulging biceps go on display before her.

She quickly pretended to look at the noise from her right as some silly kids started fighting over a bottle of ketchup. It was not out of the ordinary since young toddlers could do far worse. She would know.

In truth, she only wanted to avoid ogling at his body since it was doing something funny inside her. She had avoided this feeling for far too long, but the longer she spent time with him, it seemed it only intensified.

“I...” But he had to stop as the waitress returned with their order and started flirting with him.

She did not want to interrupt, so she fixed her food and started with a big bite of her burger before she proceeded with her fries. After all, it was not like she owned this man. She had no right to stop him from picking up girls.

But he only entertained the girl’s question but did not seem to encourage her. Then, the woman must have taken the hint that he was not interested and left but not without leaving a napkin with a number on it. She saluted the woman for her efforts.

“Where were we?” He asked as he focused his eyes on her. “Ah yes, your favorite food.”

She only smiled at him, marveling that he remembered. She thought that they were passed that and had moved on. Anyway, she waited for his conclusion.

“I think you like burgers, fries, and ice cream for dessert.” He seemed satisfied with his answer as he also munched on his food.

Then, he leaned over toward her and extended his hand. It happened so fast that she barely had time to react to his action. His finger suddenly glided just beneath the corner of her lips.

“You have some sauce.” He pointed, showing his finger glistening with the mayonnaise and ketchup that must have dripped from the burger.

Then, he grabbed several pieces of her fries and shoved them into his mouth.

“Hey, that is mine.” She protested, pouting her lips at him.

“You see. That proves my point about how much you love your fries.” He teased her. Then, he picked several pieces of his and moved them toward her lips. “Come on, let me replace them.” He offered. “Open up.” He played with her like she was a child.

“Stop that.” She said, suddenly wondering if other people were watching his foolishness.

“Not until you open your mouth and accept my apology.” He continued, still holding the fries close to her face.

“Fine.” She took a big bite, mildly hitting the tip of his fingers.

“Hey, that hurts.” He playfully complained, but they both knew it did not.

Soon, they were throwing fries at each other, acting like children.