Almost as soon as Olivia and I sat down in the restaurant, an adorable pout surfaced on her perfect lips. I’d never seen her pout like a spoiled rich kid before, but seeing her do it now was unbearably cute.
I chuckled at her, which caused the pout to deepen.
“I can’t believe this.” She muttered. “I don’t know why I couldn’t have just cooked something.”
“Maybe your dad is just giving you a day off from the cooking duties?” I suggested, lifting my shoulders lightly.
Olivia shook her head. “I doubt it.” She shifted her hair over her shoulder. “I think that if my dad doesn’t get here in fifteen minutes we should leave.”
“We can’t do that, Liv. Your dad is like a celebrity around here.” When we walked in, the wait staff had been immediately rude and claimed that every table was full. The moment Olivia told them her father’s name, we were taken to a reserved table near the back. It was obvious that her father must have been a big spender there. The waiter offered us drinks and claimed the cook could make us anything we wished regardless of whether or not it was on the menu.
Olivia ordered a glass of water and I ordered a coke. It was as if the waiter was solely working our table. He brought us drinks before we could even finish the last sip of the ones we had.
In an effort to distract Olivia, I decided to change the subject. “So,” I leaned on the table. “What is it about restaurants that you hate so much?”
Olivia drew in a deep breath. “I don’t know. I think I just much rather prefer to cook for myself, you know? I think I’m just hugely resenting the fact that this is a steak house. Who know’s what they do in that kitchen? Even if I order a salad they might accidentally put… cow brains in it or something…” She shuddered.
“Cow brains, huh?” I flipped open my menu, “I think I saw that in here…”
“Isaac!” She scolded in a hushed tone. “Stop it, you’ll make me sick.”
“Sorry.” I smirked.
“I think I might just stick to water tonight.” She mused. “I don’t see a single thing on this menu that’s vegetarian.”
“I’m sure they’ll make an exception.” I offered.
“I’m sure they will.” She mused. “I think my dad spends a small fortune here every day…”
“Speaking of a small fortune.” Her father said, suddenly appearing next to Olivia. “I’m starving. Who’s ready to order?” He asked, pulling back his chair and sitting down.
The waiter immediately arrived with a glass clinking with ice. He immediately placed it in front of Olivia’s father, right beside his left hand. It looked like Scotch on the rocks.
Olivia pursed her lips tightly and glanced at me.
I looked away from her. My mouth was watering, and I could practically taste the alcohol from across the table.
“Yeah, I guess…” I replied.
“Will you be having your usual, sir?” The waiter asked with a stiff formality that he hadn’t shown with us.
Judge James nodded. “Yes, thank you William.” He replied.
The waiter turned to Olivia with a considerable amount of disinterest.
“I’ll have a Caesar salad.” She said. “But please, please make sure there is no bacon on it. Please make sure it is prepared as far away from meat as possible, and please make sure that the person who makes it washes their hands if they’ve touched any meat products…”
I was having a hard time keeping a straight face. I found this hilarious at how picky she was being.
When Olivia finally finished delivering her long list of demands, the waiter turned to me. I simply ordered a steak, well done. He shot me an appreciative glance.
Once the waiter was out of ear shot, her father took a long sip of his scotch. “How was shopping. I see you’ve found a suit?”
I nodded, glancing down at the uncomfortable suit I was wearing. I straightened my tie out of habit and discomfort. Olivia had warned me this was a fancy restaurant, and she wasn’t wrong.
“Yes, and I found something too. I thought it was best if I looked presentable. Since I’m giving a character testimonial too.” She mused.
“Yes, but you do realize that your testimony won’t be as heavily weighted upon as his, right?” Her father mused.
“Of course.” Olivia nodded.
I swallowed roughly and reached for my glass of coke. My hands were starting to sweat at the thought of sitting in court on the witness stand and testifying against a police officer.
“Are you prepared for your testimony?” Olivia’s father asked me.
I could smell the scotch on his breath and the tangy scent of alcohol. My mouth was instantly watering again. This was the closest I’d been to someone drinking near me, and the pull of it was dragging me in.
I knew I had a problem with alcohol. There was no denying it. But I wondered if I could resist it with everything else going on at that moment. My stomach was screaming at me, my skin was on fire, and my brain was calculating ways of stealing even just a sip of Judge James’ drink. But I knew I couldn’t stop at just one sip.
I nodded. I couldn’t even remember the question any more. “Excuse me.” I pushed back my chair and stood up from the table, politely leaving the area. I found my way to the bathrooms and slipped inside the men’s room door.
I studied my reflection in the mirror, expecting to see something different—some kind of monster staring back at me—but it was just me in the mirror.
I sighed and splashed some cold water on my face. I dried my face with a towel. This restaurant was fancy enough that instead of paper towels, it had actual fluffy white towels and a laundry bin to dispose of them in.
I raked my hands through my hair and stole another glance at my reflection. I loosened my tie and the top button on my white dress shirt, trying to bring some extra air into my lungs. I was suffocating on the desire for a drink.
I paced the washroom for a few minutes. When I decided I just needed to man up and get on with it, I exited the washroom. Olivia was standing in the hallway, leaning against the wall.
“Isaac?” She asked gently. “Are you okay?”
I drew in a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah, fine. Why?”
“You kind of left quickly… I thought something might be wrong. Are you worried about Friday?” She asked. She took a step toward me and with both hands began adjusting my tie.
I sighed, and quickly kissed her.
She frowned in response, her pretty green eyes seeing right through me.
“Sorry, Liv. It’s not nerves… well, not entirely… I’m just…” I sighed. “I’m really, really craving a drink right now. It’s harder when someone around me is drinking and I can’t… It’s killing me.”
Olivia nodded. “And my dad ordered alcohol…” She mused.
I sighed again, placing my hands on her sides. I hoped she couldn’t feel my hands shaking. “It’s okay, though. It’s something I have to get over. People are going to be drinking around me all the time and I have to get used to it.”
Olivia shook her head, laying her cool hand on my cheek. “But it doesn’t have to be tonight, Isaac… do you want to switch seats?” She offered.
“That’s a little obvious, isn’t it? Your dad is a smart guy, he’ll see right through it.”
“I can go out there before you do and mention it to him. I can suggest he order something else…”
I shook my head. “Liv, I can’t do that. He’s done a lot for me…”
Olivia pursed her lips. “We don’t have to stay long. We have something to do tonight after this, so as soon as we’re done eating, we can make an excuse and leave early. Just eat quickly, okay? And if you need to, you can hold my hand.” She offered with a small smile.
I sighed. “Thanks, Liv.”
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