HIS POSSESSION a mafia bl romance

THE EMPTY CHAIR🙁

HIS POSSESSION

Chapter Twenty-Five: THE EMPTY CHAIR

Saturday evenings were always the busiest.

Le Château hummed with life from the moment its doors opened.

Reservations filled every table.

The kitchen worked with practiced precision.

Laughter and conversation blended with the soft notes of the piano.

To anyone else…

It was simply another successful evening.

To Ethan…

Something felt strangely unfinished.

He checked the clock.

7:55 p.m.

Five more minutes.

Noah noticed.

“Waiting for someone?”

Ethan looked up.

“What?”

“You’ve looked at the entrance three times.”

“I have not.”

“You’ve looked four now.”

Ethan sighed.

“I’m checking the time.”

“Of course you are.”

Noah grinned before disappearing toward another table.

Eight o’clock came.

The doors opened.

A family of four entered.

The hostess welcomed them warmly.

Table nine remained empty.

8:05.

Still empty.

Ethan told himself not to think about it.

Mr. De Luca was a busy man.

Meetings ran late.

Flights were delayed.

Life happened.

Still…

His eyes drifted toward the entrance every few minutes.

Chef Marcel noticed.

“Has table nine been cancelled?”

“No.”

“Then stop staring at the door.”

“I wasn’t staring.”

“You’ve polished the same wine glass twice.”

Ethan looked down.

He had.

“I suppose I have.”

Chef Marcel smiled to himself and returned to the kitchen.

At 8:12 p.m., the restaurant phone rang.

The hostess answered.

“Good evening, Le Château.”

She listened for a moment before smiling.

“Of course, Mr. De Luca.”

“I’ll let them know.”

She replaced the receiver and turned toward Ethan.

“Traffic.”

Ethan looked up.

“He’s on his way.”

Relief crossed his face before he could hide it.

The hostess laughed softly.

“I thought you’d like to know.”

Exactly as promised…

At 8:25 p.m., the entrance doors opened.

A cool breeze slipped inside as Adrian stepped into the restaurant.

“I’m sorry I’m late.”

The hostess smiled.

“There’s no need to apologize.”

“We kept your table.”

Adrian’s eyes drifted toward table nine.

Untouched.

Waiting.

Just as Ethan had promised.

As Ethan approached, he smiled warmly.

“Good evening.”

“Good evening.”

“I owe you an apology.”

“You called.”

“I did.”

“And we kept our promise.”

For a moment…

Neither said anything.

The words were simple.

But both remembered exactly when that promise had been made.

Dinner began a little later than usual.

The rhythm felt familiar again.

Almost as though something had quietly returned to its proper place.

During the main course, Adrian noticed Ethan suppressing a yawn.

“You look tired.”

Ethan laughed softly.

“I’ll blame the weekend.”

“That’s probably wise.”

“I slept well.”

“I’m glad.”

“So did you.”

Adrian looked mildly surprised.

“What makes you think that?”

“You’ve looked more rested all evening.”

A faint smile appeared on Adrian’s face.

“I suppose I have.”

Later, Noah walked past with a tray of desserts.

“I thought table nine looked lonely tonight.”

Adrian raised an eyebrow.

“Lonely?”

“It doesn’t suit being empty.”

Ethan shook his head with a smile.

“Ignore him.”

“I usually do.”

Noah pretended to look offended.

“I have excellent observations.”

“You have excellent timing.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

The three shared a quiet laugh before Noah continued on his way.

Near closing time, Adrian reached into the inside pocket of his jacket.

He removed the folded thank-you note the staff had given him two evenings earlier.

“I wanted to return this.”

Ethan looked surprised.

“You didn’t like it?”

“I did.”

“Then why?”

Adrian unfolded it carefully.

“I don’t want it to stay in a drawer.”

He handed it back.

“I think it belongs here.”

Ethan read the note again.

Then looked around the restaurant.

Without a word, he walked to the small staff noticeboard near the kitchen.

Using a single pin…

He fastened the note neatly among photographs, staff announcements, and holiday cards.

Chef Marcel emerged just in time to see it.

“You kept it.”

Ethan smiled.

“It belongs with the people who wrote it.”

Chef Marcel looked at Adrian.

“I believe…”

“…that’s exactly where it belongs.”

As Adrian prepared to leave, Ethan handed him his coat.

“I was glad you called.”

Adrian paused.

“I didn’t want you wondering.”

The words escaped before either of them realized what they meant.

A brief silence followed.

Then Ethan smiled.

“I probably would have.”

Adrian met his eyes.

“I know.”

Outside, Luca opened the car door.

“You remembered to call.”

“I gave my word.”

Luca nodded.

“You don’t break promises.”

“No.”

Adrian glanced back through the restaurant window.

“…Neither does Ethan.”

After the last guest had gone, Noah looked toward the empty table.

“Everything feels normal again.”

Ethan smiled while extinguishing the candle at table nine.

“It does.”

He paused.

Then quietly straightened one final chair.

Not because it needed adjusting.

But because, somehow…

Seeing it occupied each evening had become part of the rhythm of his own life.

Neither of them had planned for it.

Neither had spoken about it.

Yet somewhere between shared dinners, quiet conversations, and promises kept…

Their presence had become part of each other’s ordinary.

And sometimes…

That was where the most extraordinary relationships began.

End of Chapter 25 🖤