Until You Found Me

Dinner With A stranger

Hazel's POV

"Okay," he said, and I hadn't expected him to agree. A wave of excitement washed over me. "Awesome!" I beamed at him. He seemed surprised, lost in his thoughts for a moment. "Earth to you, stranger," I chimed, trying to pull him back to reality. I didn’t even know his name.

"Oh, right. Let’s start with that. I'm Hazel, Hazel Smith,” I introduced myself with a small smile, stretching out my right hand for a handshake. He took it gently, but his gaze lingered on me a moment too long, making my cheeks feel warm.

I raised my eyebrows, breaking the silence. "And you are?" I asked, chuckling lightly to ease the tension. "Uhh, Jack. Jack Alfred," he finally replied, releasing my hand. Cool name, I thought. "Nice to meet you, Jack. Now, where to? The hotel restaurant or somewhere else?" I leaned forward a bit, eager to decide.

Jack glanced down at himself, and I followed his gaze. He was dressed casually in a fitted shirt, trousers, and polished shoes. He looked effortlessly handsome. No jacket or tie like earlier, but he pulled off the look well. I couldn't help but scan him from head to toe. Just as I looked up, our eyes met, sending an unexpected flutter through me. I quickly looked away, feeling a blush creep onto my cheeks. Damn, he was attractive.

“Okay, let’s eat here, then,” I said and hurriedly started walking away. He followed, but I noticed his steps slowed behind me. I turned to see him rifling through his wallet. I hadn't even bothered to look in it. Is this when he would've noticed if something was missing? I scoffed internally.

"So, is it a habit?" I asked, waiting for him. "What?" He responded as he caught up.

"Being careless."

He sighed, and I smirked.

"No. Of course not. I am not careless. Just… I don't know how that happened. You could’ve stolen it," he countered.

“And then return it to you, why?” I asked, amused by his logic.

“I don’t know. I…” He stammered, looking away. I couldn’t help but smile.

Once we reached the restaurant, we slid into our seats opposite each other at a small table, the waiter swiftly bringing over menus. As I looked through the options, a thought struck me. I had essentially dragged a stranger into paying for my dinner.

I glanced up at Jack. “You don’t have to pay for it, you know. I just didn’t want to eat alone,” I offered. He glanced back at me for a moment, his expression unreadable. “No, no. That’s not it. I’d just rather eat alone,” he replied, his voice steady. “Oh.” My stomach dropped. “I’m sorry. I can sit at another table then.” I started to rise, feeling awkward.

“No, no. This is fine,” he said quickly, stopping me with a firm gaze.

“Are you sure?” I asked, hesitating.

“Yes,” he confirmed. I sat back down just as the waiter returned to take our orders.

Dinner was… well, it was okay, definitely not the worst, but pretty quiet. We ate in silence, stealing glances at one another across the table. I decided to let him be. He seemed like the quiet type, and my instincts were right.

After we finished, he paid the bill, and I simply said, “Thank you” as we stood to leave. He nodded in response, his demeanour still reserved. We stepped into the elevator together, the doors sliding shut as I pressed the button for the eighth floor. Jack pressed PH1 and used a keycard. Wasn’t that the penthouse?

“Ooh, the penthouse,” I teased lightly, unable to hide my curiosity. He muttered a “yeah,” hardly meeting my eyes. He must be rich, I thought. That explained his calm, mysterious vibe. We went back to silence until we reached my floor. "Goodnight," I said brightly as I stepped off. What an encounter. I smiled to myself as I walked away.

———

~ The next day ~

“Just as expected of you, Hazel,” I said to myself, feeling proud. I had wrapped up my assignment ahead of the three-day deadline. Now, all that remained was writing the article and that wouldn't be a problem.

As I returned to my room, my thoughts drifted to lunch. I remembered Jack. I’d never seen someone look so effortlessly handsome in a suit, even without the jacket and tie. His poker face made him look even cooler. I admired how he acted like a gentleman, letting me step into the elevator first, even paying for dinner in this modern world filled with 50/50 men. He was even so casual about it. I kicked myself for not snagging his business card earlier!

Suddenly, a tall man in a sleek suit caught my eye, standing confidently by the elevator with his hands in his pockets. "Sure you haven’t dropped your wallet again?" I called out once I got closer. He turned, instinctively looking at the floor.

I laughed, but he didn't, just as I’d expected. Clearing my throat, I turned to face the elevator doors. Just as it dinged open, I shot him a playful look.

“Wanna go for lunch?”