Belle remained completely silent, unable to find a response to Eli's words even as they finally pulled up to the restaurant he had booked. If he considered himself selfish, then what kind of person did that make her? She was actively using him, spinning a web of lies. As Eli recounted memories she had supposedly 'forgotten' due to her 'amnesia,' a growing dread settled in her chest. She was terrified of admitting that she had never suffered from that mental affliction in the first place, but she simply couldn't find the courage to come clean and be honest with him.
"We're here," Eli said gently, noticing that Belle hadn't made a move to get out. "Let me see your face."
With her heart threatening to hammer its way out of her chest, Belle yielded, letting him lean closer. Her body temperature spiked, and she prayed desperately that the dim lighting would hide the blush blooming under his intense gaze.
"I think you look fine now. Let's go?"
