Chapter 9 – Dinner Invitation
678 Words
Lucien POV
She avoided me for three days.
Not completely.
Aria still served our table because her manager assigned her there, but the easy softness between us had disappeared. She became careful again.
Guarded.
Every time our eyes met, she looked away too quickly.
I hated it more than I should have.
“She’s pulling back,” Theo observed while sipping coffee.
“I noticed.”
Damien smirked. “Congratulations. You scared the poor girl.”
I leaned back silently, watching Aria place desserts at another table.
After what happened with those girls, I understood why she was distancing herself.
People around me were ruthless.
Everything became gossip.
And Aria clearly hated attention.
But instead of making me lose interest, it only made me more certain about one thing.
She was nothing like the women I grew up around.
No manipulation.
No performance.
No pretending.
Just honesty.
And somehow, honesty felt addictive.
“Lucien.”
I looked up.
Aria stood beside our table holding a tray, though her fingers tightened nervously around it.
“Your order.”
“Sit with us for five minutes,” Damien said suddenly.
Her eyes widened instantly. “What?”
“Damien,” Xavier muttered.
“What? We see her more than our own families at this point.”
Aria looked trapped.
Cute.
“I still have work,” she answered quickly.
“You haven’t taken a break in hours,” I said calmly.
Her lips parted slightly.
I had been watching.
Of course I noticed.
Aria glanced around the restaurant uncertainly before finally sighing softly.
“One minute.”
She sat carefully at the edge of the booth like she was prepared to run at any second.
Damien grinned. “See? We’re not dangerous.”
“Theo looks dangerous,” she replied before thinking.
Theo nearly choked on his drink while the rest of us laughed.
Interesting.
Aria became unexpectedly bold whenever she forgot to be nervous.
“I knew I shouldn’t trust her,” Theo said dryly.
For the first time all evening, Aria smiled genuinely.
The sight hit me harder than expected.
Beautiful.
Not polished beauty.
Not artificial perfection.
Something warmer.
Something real.
“What?” she asked quietly after noticing me staring again.
I didn’t look away.
“You should smile more.”
Her cheeks turned pink immediately.
Damien looked physically exhausted. “Please stop staring at each other before I lose my appetite.”
Aria laughed softly before quickly covering her mouth like she didn’t mean to.
That sound settled somewhere dangerous inside my chest.
I wanted to hear it again.
More often.
Without hesitation.
Without sadness hiding behind it.
The realization should have concerned me.
Instead, I made a decision.
“What are you doing tomorrow night?” I asked her suddenly.
Aria blinked.
“Working.”
“After work.”
Suspicion filled her expression instantly. “Why?”
“Dinner.”
The entire table went silent.
Even Damien looked surprised.
Aria stared at me like I had spoken another language.
“You’re inviting me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
The question irritated me slightly.
Because she genuinely didn’t understand.
“You interest me.”
Her breath caught faintly.
The honesty between us felt dangerous again.
Aria looked down at her hands nervously. “Lucien…”
“You can say no,” I added calmly. “I’m not forcing you.”
She stayed quiet for several seconds.
Thinking.
Overthinking.
Probably imagining all the reasons this was a bad idea.
Maybe she was right.
But I still wanted her to say yes.
Finally, she looked back at me.
“Just dinner?”
A smile almost appeared on my face again.
“Just dinner.”
Another pause.
Then softly—
“…Okay.”
Something victorious settled inside me immediately.
Damien stared between us dramatically. “I just witnessed the downfall of Lucien Devereux.”
I ignored him completely.
Because all I could focus on was Aria sitting across from me looking nervous, beautiful, and completely unaware that agreeing to dinner had already changed something between us forever.
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