Arthur wanted to hide his laughing, completely uncomposed face from Natalia's eyes, but there wasn't even a menu on the table he could hide behind.
Which was, frankly, unacceptable.
'One star deducted.
What kind of restaurant didn't place menus on the table beforehand?'
He tried to compose himself, pressing his lips together, but the smile kept breaking through anyway, stubborn and traitorous, tugging at the corners of his mouth like it had a mind of its own. Every time he thought he had it under control, something about Natalia, sitting right across from him, calm, elegant, completely unbothered, made it worse again.
"You like spicy food, right?" Natalia said, her voice smooth, casual, as if she hadn't already noticed the way he was falling apart internally. "The reviews said their spicy dishes are really good here. Order as much as you want. It's all on me."
Arthur glanced at her, just a quick look which he thought it was but it lingered longer than he intended.
