Hey guys. The much awaited dinner is here. I won't take up much of your time with introduction. Let's head to the chapter.
HAPPY READING...

FOUR POV

As the restaurant comes into view, I slow down the car and park into an empty space before getting out. I go over to her side and open the door.

"Such a gentleman," she says, grinning.

"I try to be," I say smiling. I feel happy that she's trating me just like all her other friends and not all different because of who I am.

"Shall we?" I ask, extending my hand towards her. She places her hand in mine as we walk towards the restaurant. Her hands are small and slightly cold, but it fits perfectly into mine.

I shake my head, "No Tobias. You cannot have such thoughts. You just met her," I tell myself as unwanted memories start seeping into my mind.

"Four?" A gentle tug on my hand brings me back to the present.

"You okay?" Tris asks, her beautiful grey eyes filled with concern.

"No. I will not allow those horrible memories from the past ruin this day for me," . I tell myself as I grasp her hand tighter.

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine." I say.

"Just didn't think the place would be this beautiful," I lie, looking away from her gaze. She doesn't need to know what was bothering me, not yet at least. Though I don't know what the future holds for us, I know one thing, this evening should be perfect. If this is the last time we meet, then it should be something we can always remember, something memorable.

As soon as we enter, we are escorted to a small yet comfortable area with a lovely view of the pool. The gentle sounds of the pool and the ambience of the place is really calm and beautiful. I look over to Tris to see her enjoying the beauty and atmosphere of the place. Looking at her, I am amazed at how beautiful she looks bright now. The light of the moon reflecting onto her face gives her face a glow, highlighting her light grey eyes.

"Like the place?" I ask her.

"Yea, it's really beautiful," she says, turning to face me.

"But why does it look so deserted? Does no one come to such beautiful places anymore?" she asks me.

"Of course not, people come here all the time. I rented out the restaurant for today,  that's why it's empty," I say.

Her eyes widen as she looks at me in disbelief.

"You rented out the restaurant!!!" she exclaims, her face shocked.

"Umm... yea," I say, trying to avoid eye contact. I really don't want her to think I'm trying to show off. I just wanted the peace and quiet.

"I just didn't want the paparazzi to disturb us. I wanted a nice and peaceful place and I've always loved this place," I say.

"But you didn't have to spend this much money on me," she says, looking guilty.

"Woah, don't even think about it. I did owe you one. So think of this as my apology," I say, smiling. She still seems a little hesitant.

"Normally if I want to have some peace and quiet,  I call my friends over to my house," I say, trying to lighten the mood.

"But, that is not the ideal place for a first date," I blurt out, before realizing what I am saying. Tris looks stunned as she just stares at me blankly. I feel my face becoming flustered and I'm sure my face mirrors her right now.

"I mean... umm... sorry. I didn't mean like that...," I stutter, trying to fix the situation but words refuse to come out.

"I'm really sorry. I didn't want to make you uncomfortable. I'm really really sorry," I say.

"Can we just ignore everything I just said?" I ask, rubbing the back of my neck.

She clears her throat, "Yeah. Yeah sure," she says, shaking her head.

Great. I just make everything awkward. The day was going perfectly well too. Now, what do I do? Just then the waiter comes with our food as if he read my mind.

"So, tell me about yourself," I tell her once we get started with out dinner.

She looks up at me. "Well. There isn't much to know about me. I study at the Chicago University for English Literature. I also work part time at the cafe on the weekdays and teach dance at a studio down the street on Saturdays," she says.

Wow!! She works 2 part time jobs! What about her family, is there some problem? I think to myself. Before I can stop myself, I ask her.

"What about your parents? Do you have any siblings?" I ask.

Her face falls and she looks down. She stops eating and she drops the spoon onto her plate. It's then that I notice that her hands are now shaking slightly.

"Hey, you okay??" I ask, getting worried. I reach over to grab her hand but them stop myself. I know this feeling. She need some space. Let her take the time she needs.

She sniffles and grabs a tissue, dabbing her eyes before looking up at me. The look in her eyes breaks my heart.  Her eyes are filled with so much pain and sadness that makes me want to hold her and comfort her.

"My parents are....they are not with me anymore," she says.

"They left me in a car crash. My brother and my parents, they left me. It was my fault....all my fault. Because of my stupid wish to..." she stops abruptly. She might not have meant to say so much. "I'm sorry," she says, her voice breaking. I reach over and grab her hands, not able to stop myself. I wrap both my hands around hers. Her hands are still shaking. I hold it till she calms down.

"Hey, its okay. You dont have to apologise. It's me that should do that. I'm so very sorry," I say, guilty for making her cry.

"Also, I'm sure it wasn't your fault. So don't even think like that," I say.

"It was. You don't know what happened but once you know... you will agree with me," she says, snifflling.

"Maybe one day I'll tell you," she says. Despite the situation, the fact that she thinks that she will be able to tell me one day brings a small smile out of me.

I decide not to ask her more as she was just starting to calm down.

"Well, no more talks about families. Okay?" I say, once she has completely calmed down.

"Okay," she says, a small sad smile on her face.

"Okay," I repeat, reluctantly letting go of her hand, smiling back at her. The rest of the dinner I try to be as cautious as possible and not bring up any unwanted topics into discussion. In a way, I'm glad we agreed to not talk about our families. I definitely do not want to bring up my parents into the conversation.

After the dinner, she tries a lot to pay but I don't let her. She surprises me in every way possible. Normally, all the girls I've seen wants the man to pay for the food. But she on the other hand, insisted on paying. The drive home was calm and fun. Dropping her off at home, I drive back with a content heart, hoping to see her soon.

"Your memory is a monster; you forget - it doesn't. It simply flies away. It keeps things for you or hides things from you - and summons them to your recall with a will of it's own.

You think you have a memory; but it has you."
- John Irving

And that's that. The dinner is over. I hope it matches upto your expectations. Let me know what you think. Notify me in the comments if there is any spelling or grammar mistakes. Love you guys so much. Until next Saturday...

BE BRAVE 🖤🖤