Page 26 of Poisoned Promise
It’s not found on any map due to the short nature of its lifespan when it was in full business under its last owner, but it remained a core spot for Dove and I when we were sneaking out.
Time and time again, coded text messages would result in one of us turning up here and waiting only twenty minutes for the other to appear.
After Nico and Dove’s deaths, this place was due to shut down, but I couldn’t bear to lose another thing I adored.
I became the new owner and this became a secluded space for me to spend time.
Now it’s back to its former restaurant glory with soft, low lighting from delicate candles flickering atop every table, deep red curtains pulled across the windows to keep out the world,soft jazz in the air, and the mouthwatering scent of pasta and garlic wafting from the kitchen.
It feels like home.
But not as much as watching Dove walk through that front door.
As soon as I catch sight of her, I’m utterly transfixed.
The years had turned Dove into a truly stunning woman.
Every curve is perfectly hugged in a strapless black dress that pours down her body like the caress of a shadow, her legs shimmer in the low light from stockings, miles of red waves caress her cheeks and neck, and the dark curve of her lips when she smiles politely at Toph is like an arrow to the heart.
I’m in love.
I never stopped being in love.
Even the anger at finding her alive, and the shock at seeing her living a completely different life isn’t enough to quell the flames I’ve held for her all these years.
“Thank you,” Dove says while Toph pulls out her chair for her and suddenly she’s seated in front of me before I even get a chance to stand and welcome her.
Great first impression, dickhead.
“Dove,” I say and her name weighs heavily on my tongue, like it’s been resting in the back of my throat for the past fifteen years.
“Let’s get straight to it,” she says briskly, adjusting herself in her seat and setting her silver bag to the side of her plate.
“Can I at least tell you how beautiful you look?”
She hesitates slightly, her lips parted just a fraction.
Warmth curls in my gut at the thought of kissing her and once that thought ignites, it doesn’t fade.
It’s like no time at all has passed between us even though we’re so clearly different people now.
“Fine,” she sighs. “Say what you want.”
A small lump forms at the roof of my throat and catches on the back of my tongue as I sift through a thousand things I want to say.
In the end, I settle for the truth.
“You look as beautiful as the last day I saw you.”
Dove’s light brows twitch faintly. “You remember that?”
“How could I ever forget? We were here. We shared a bottle of wine. I told you I was going to marry you and you told me that I was an incredible fool and we’d never get a chance to be that happy.”
Dove’s eyes fall to the napkins threaded through gold ribbon.
“A week later, you were dead.”
Tension ripples across her bare shoulders and her dark lips press into a firm line.
