21.
When I arrived at the fountain where we had agreed to meet, Everett was already waiting.
I approached him, feeling a bit sheepish, and scanned his attire.
‘I was worried I’d be the only one who dressed up too much.’
Today, Everett wasn’t wearing his robes. It had been worth the effort of tearing apart my closet since the morning to pick out the perfect outfit. Everett’s clothes looked so neat and well-cared-for that they appeared as if he had just bought them and walked straight out of a tailor shop.
“Ms. Diaz.”
Everett, having spotted me, held out his hand.
It was a gesture inviting an escort that had become quite familiar to me. As I placed my hand in his, Everett guided me toward our destination as smoothly as a flowing stream.
“I’ve booked a restaurant. I’m not sure if it will be to your liking, though.”
The restaurant Everett had chosen was right near the fountain, our meeting spot.
“This is……”
Even I, usually oblivious to trends, knew this was the hottest place in the Capital!
“Wasn’t it difficult to get a reservation?”
I asked in a whisper while waiting for the waiter to greet us at the entrance, and Everett replied, feigning indifference.
“It wasn’t that difficult.”
“You’re lucky. I’ve wanted to come here for so long.”
When I smiled brightly, conveying my gratitude, the tips of Everett’s ears turned red.
‘Is the outfit too hot?’
The passing thought was dispersed by the waiter who approached us then.
“Sir Everett Rohas, and your companion, Ms. Carolina Diaz, is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“I will guide you to your reserved table.”
A professional-looking waiter in his thirties, who seemed to have twenty years of experience in the service industry, led us to our seats. As I sat down, menus were placed in front of each of us. When my hesitation grew due to the unexpectedly large number of menu items, the waiter, who had been waiting nearby, spoke up.
“Usually, couples who visit us order the couple’s set.”
The waiter spoke with the conviction that we were a couple. A subtle and awkward silence descended upon the table.
‘If I deny it, won’t Everett feel embarrassed?’
I just smiled silently and asked Everett, “The set composition looks good; how about we go with the recommended menu?”
Everett nodded with a somewhat dazed expression.
‘His cheeks look red; he must be sensitive to the heat.’
As if my guess were correct, when I asked the waiter to open a window, Everett’s complexion returned to normal. I had expected only awkward silence until the food arrived, but once his dazed look vanished, Everett began to lead the conversation.
Perhaps he felt a bit more comfortable since we’d met a few times; he seemed to have shed some of his reserve. As I became immersed in our conversation, the appetizer was served.
The dialogue cut off while we listened to the waiter’s explanation of the food.
“Our restaurant’s couple set is themed around the love of lovers. This appetizer captures the moment of falling in love for the first time, which is the most heart-fluttering and thrilling of them all…… adding freshness with lemon…….”
As the waiter finished serving and pushed the trolley away, the small room in the restaurant was filled with silence.
‘This is a much more literal couple’s set than I thought, isn’t it?’
Suddenly, my mind felt blank. Only after dozens of seconds passed without us even being able to meet each other’s eyes did I finally manage to come up with a topic.
“It looks delicious. It’s no wonder this is the most famous restaurant in the Capital.”
I picked up my fork, pretending to be engrossed in the food.
“Indeed.”
Everett followed suit, picking up his fork and taking a bite of his salad. The food served as a good excuse to endure the sudden silence.
‘He definitely said it was lemon dressing, but I can’t taste anything.’
I thought this as I mechanically picked up the salad and brought it to my mouth. But if I put down the fork, I’d have to say something.
‘Just, eat.’
We devoured the appetizer as if we had been starving. Fortunately, the main course, steak, arrived before our excuse—the food—completely ran out. It was perfect timing.
“It is the tenderloin steak.”
Except for the sound of cutlery, it was the first time in a while that a voice echoed in the small room. After the long explanation about the red wine sauce, boiled for hours to represent the mature love of a burning couple, and about how high-quality and delicious this heart-shaped cut of steak was, the waiter left.
This time, too, we reached for our forks and knives at the same time.
“Let’s dig in.”
“I’ll eat well.”
After the short, awkward exchange of words, for a while, only the sound of metal on porcelain could be heard, as if we were completely immersed in slicing our steaks. Though it was somewhat of an escape at first, I soon had no choice but to focus on the task.
The steak at this restaurant was unexpectedly difficult to eat.
‘The blade isn’t very sharp.’
The meat itself was tender, but my knife seemed a bit dull. Seeing the steak being crushed as I cut it and the precious juices leaking out, I tried to reach for the bell to ask for a new knife.
“Would you like me to slice it for you, if it’s difficult?”
Everett offered, as if he had been watching me struggle. After hesitating for a moment, I entrusted my plate to him.
“Thank you.”
As I offered a small word of gratitude, Everett replied with a blunt smile. The knife, which had become slightly lukewarm from my body temperature, was gripped in Everett’s hand. He was more adept than I was, but a dull knife would not suddenly become sharp. It was much better than my attempt, but it still didn’t cut cleanly.
‘It’s not working.’
Everett didn’t seem to have any special trick up his sleeve, either.
‘I should just ask for a new knife.’
It was the moment I reached out my hand toward the service bell again. The knife suddenly glimmered with a golden light, as if reflecting the sunlight. The light, which had been bright enough to be blinding, gradually faded, and Everett began to slice the steak with ease.
‘Oh, it works.’
The cross-section of the steak was as straight as if it had been cut with a ruler.
“Sir Rohas, you really are good with a knife.”
I clapped my hands, looking back and forth between Everett and the knife. It was like my reaction after watching a marvelous magic trick. The blush on Everett’s face, which had subsided a little after he opened the door, rose softly again.
‘He must have used a lot of strength to do the cutting.’
Well, he would have needed to use several times more force to slice it that straight with a dull knife. As Sir Rohas cleared his throat a few times, the golden light that had made the knife glow faintly dimmed and then vanished completely.
“It’s nothing…….”
*Crack.*
Since he had spoken in such a dismissive tone, I might have just moved on, thinking *so it is*, if the plate hadn’t split in half while he was pronouncing ‘nothing.’
‘So that’s the sound a plate makes when it splits.’
As if it had been intentionally cut with a diamond blade, the plate cleaved clean in two, and the well-sliced steak slid off. Everett’s pupils trembled as if hit by an earthquake. I, who had made eye contact with Everett immediately after being surprised by the loud noise, witnessed the earthquake in his pupils and burst out laughing.
“You didn’t have to cut the plate, too.”
I said playfully, wiping away the tears that had gathered in the corners of my eyes from laughing too hard.
“The plate was flimsy.”
Everett grumbled in excuse, avoiding my eyes.
“Let’s go with that.”
I generously accepted his excuse. After laughing to my heart’s content until my stomach ached, I rang the service bell to reorder the steak. While the food was being served again, I teased Everett relentlessly. His reaction—a man one would never expect to be teased—had a fresh appeal to it.
The atmosphere loosened up in an instant, to the point where I didn’t even know when the awkward silence had lingered between us. In the thoroughly softened air, we finished our meal, ate our dessert diligently, and left the restaurant feeling a little closer.
Because it was an early afternoon appointment, it was still bright outside.
‘Should I offer to treat him to tea in return?’
But that felt too much like a textbook date course. Suddenly, I thought of Connie, who had been excitedly pairing me with Everett. I shook my head secretly to clear away the stray thoughts.
Timing it perfectly, Everett asked, “Do you have any more plans for the rest of the day?”
“No, not really.”
I answered honestly.
“Then I’ll see you home.”
Everett held out his hand.
‘Now that I think about it, this pattern is so familiar!’
I laughed softly to myself at his behavior, which was like a textbook of etiquette.
‘Not that I’m going to refuse, though.’
I gladly accepted his escort. After the tension had lowered due to the plate incident, the conversation flowed smoothly on the way back. As we walked while sharing small talk, the green roof of the apartment building where I lived began to appear, as if someone had fast-forwarded time.
Everett stopped at the alleyway near the house where I had said goodbye to him last time.
“There’s no sign of anyone this time either, but don’t wander off anywhere else and go straight inside, Ms. Diaz.”
With that, he turned around immediately after offering his farewell. It was out of consideration for my desire to head home comfortably.
‘I thought he was just a blunt man.’
The awkwardness had only been for a moment. The conversation was enjoyable, and the time we spent together was comfortable. I watched Everett’s retreating back for a moment and then called out to him.
“Excuse me, Sir Rohas.”
Everett hesitated and then turned back toward me. I kicked the ground with the toe of my shoe and muttered.
“I did bring back the handkerchief I borrowed last time.”
I carefully took out the neatly folded handkerchief from the pocket of my outing dress.
“But I’ll return it next time.”
For some reason, it felt like that was what I should do.