Fated Dreams (Book One In The Affinity series) (12 page)

“Are you serious? You’re taking me to his
family’s restaurant?” Emma asked. Her voice was a little loud considering we
were standing at the front entrance.

“Well, we need
to eat, and I get to sneak a peek at Lucas. Why not kill two birds with one
stone?”

She smiled.
“I’m kidding. You’re lucky to have a boyfriend with a chef as a father. My
boyfriend’s dad could do my taxes, but cooking is much cooler.”

We stepped
inside and were greeted by Lisa. “Hello, girls, table for two?” she asked with
a knowing grin. Lucas’ mom must have spilled the beans. I couldn’t picture
Lucas telling everyone we were together.

“Hi, Lisa, that
would be great.”

“Follow me.
I’ll put you in Luke’s section or he’ll kill me.” She led us to a booth. The
restaurant wasn’t that busy, but the people that were there were a tad noisy. A
big group took up two tables at the back, probably celebrating a birthday.
Presents sat on the table, and they were talking loudly.

“Thanks,” we
said in unison, sliding in on opposite sides.

“Enjoy your
meal. Lucas will probably be here as soon as he sees you.”

We laughed. She
gave us a smile then headed back to her station to greet an older couple who
had just walked in.

I saw Lucas at
a table by the window, but he was busy taking an order. When he finished, he
turned around and met my gaze. He smiled instantly, brightening his face, and
hurried over to our table. “Well, aren’t I lucky today, two beautiful girls at
my station.” He bent down for a quick kiss and then glanced around to make sure
no one was watching.

“You better be
careful, Lucas, or the rest of your customers will expect the same service,”
Emma said with laughter in her voice.

“Well, we’re
not really supposed to fraternize with the customers. But I thought I’d make
this one exception.” Emma and I laughed. “This is unexpected; I didn’t think
I’d see you until later.” He leaned against the booth beside me. “Why didn’t
you tell me that you were coming?”

“Because then
it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it?”

“No, I guess
not, and I like surprises. I’ll go get you some menus.”

I watched him
walk over to a counter where a girl in the same uniform was standing. He said
something to her that made her laugh.

I looked back
at Emma, who was grinning. “What?” I asked.

“I’m so happy
you found someone you really like, Sarah, although I’m a little surprised at
Lucas. Who knew he was this cool. What are you guys doing later?”

“We’re going to
the movies.”

“You’re hooked,
aren’t you? If he can get you to go there without a fight, you’re gone. There’s
no turning back.”

I sighed. “Yep,
I can deny him nothing.”

“Who can’t you
deny?” Lucas said, sneaking up behind me. He was holding two menus in his hand.

My cheeks
heated. “Nothing.”

“Pick whatever
you’d like, it’s on the house.” He placed the menus in front of us.

“Oh no, Lucas
we couldn’t—”

He lifted a
hand to cut me off. “My parents own the restaurant. You should have some perks
since you’re dating their son.”

Emma and I both
smiled. “Thank you.”

“I’ll be back,”
he said, before hurrying to another table.

“So what are
you going to order?” I asked, opening the menu just as a plump woman wearing a
red checkered dress walked by and bumped me in the head with her purse.

Emma laughed.
“I don’t know, what do you recommend?”

“I was only
here once with my mom, and I only had a sandwich and a salad.”

We read the
menu silently, and once we decided, Emma asked, “So how do you know the
hostess?”

“I don’t
really. She looks familiar, but I’ve never talked to her before. She’s in the
eleventh grade at our school. Lucas was telling me about her. Actually, you two
would get along great.”

She raised an
eyebrow, clearly intrigued. “Why?”

“He said if you
want information about anything, she’s the one to go to. She knew once that Logan cheated on a test; no one knows how. She told their mom, and Logan lost his phone
for a month. Friday night at his house, his mom knew about what happened with
Logan and me, but wouldn’t reveal her source.”

Her eyes
brightened. “Lisa? I like her. Is Logan in trouble for what he did to you?”

I groaned.
“Yeah, he lost his car for two weeks, and he thinks one of us told his mom. So
he tried to pick a fight with Lucas.”

“Like a fist
fight?

“Yes, it’s
happened before. Logan punched Lucas, but it was Lucas that gave him a black
eye.”

She scrunched
her eyebrows. “Lucas, really, who knew?”

“Hey, what’s
that supposed to mean?” my boyfriend asked, walking up to our table. We both
looked up at him. God, he was so cute.

“I’m a little
surprised, that’s all. You seem more like the book reading type than a
fighter,” Emma explained.

Lucas scoffed.
“Hey, I don’t fight, I defend myself, he came after me. And what do you mean,
the book reading type?”

“Nothing,
Lucas, you’re a big strong guy,” I said, grinning at him.

He ignored the
obvious sarcasm in my voice. “Thank you. Now what do you want for lunch?” He
took out a notepad and pen.

“I’ll have the
chicken caesar salad, please, with a diet cola.”

“I’ll have the
same,” Emma said, when Lucas glanced at her.

“You guys are
boring,” he said, shaking his head, shoving the notepad in his pocket without
using it. He picked up our menus and walked away.

Emma started
telling me about a trip she and Derrick were planning. They wanted to go see
The Pink Ladies and Monster Ball. They were playing in a concert in Burlington, which was three hours away. That meant spending the night.

Her parents
were concerned about the sleeping over part. “So I was thinking, you and Lucas
could go with us. We could share a room, and the guys could share one. My
parents said I could go if you went, so please, it will be so much fun, and the
two of you will get to see a great concert. Everybody wins.”

I thought about
my father’s reaction to us watching a movie together in my room. “I doubt my
dad would go for that, but we’ll think about it. When is it?”

She averted her
eyes, and started to fidget with the buttons on her blouse. “Friday night. We’d
have to leave right after school, and we’d have to buy our tickets today, or
there might not be any left.”

I sighed,
knowing that the chances of me going were very slim. “Fine, I’ll talk to Lucas
when he comes back and my parents when we get home.”

“Awesome. Do
you work Friday?” she asked absently, turning her head as a woman passed
holding a screaming baby.

“Not until
Saturday at three o’clock. Would we be back by then?”

“Yes, I think
so.”

Lucas came with
our lunch. His sweet and spicy scent smelled better than the food.

“Hey, what do
you say about going to a concert in Burlington with Derrick and Emma? Emma’s
parents don’t want her to do an overnighter alone with her boyfriend. So she
thought we could go, to appease her parents. What do you think?” I asked him.

Of course he
smiled. What teenage male would turn down an overnight trip with his
girlfriend?

“Sounds fun,
when?”

“Friday after
school, but we’d be back by Saturday afternoon. The catch is we’d have to buy
the tickets today, so we have to ask our parents as soon as possible.”

“My parents
won’t care, and I can get Saturday off. I can’t see your dad agreeing though,”
Lucas said, his smile fading.

“Well, ask him
anyway, maybe your mom could convince him,” Emma suggested hopefully. “Let me
know so I can order the tickets online and book a hotel room.”

“I’ll go ask my
parents right now. Eat,” he said, pointing at my food. “When you’re finished, I
want to show you the kitchen, and you can meet my dad.” He turned around and
walked through a door that must lead to the kitchen.

I took a bite
of my salad. “Mmm. That’s good.”

“Isn’t it? It’s
just a caesar salad, but I think it’s the best I’ve ever tasted,” Emma said,
shoving another bite into her mouth. “So why don’t you call your mom and ask
her now, we’re running out of time.”

I scowled at
her, not looking forward to asking my parents’ permission for something like
this. My dad was just getting used to Lucas and me dating. I had a feeling he
wouldn’t be happy with us going away together so soon.

I took my phone
out of my bag and dialed my home number.

“Hello,” my mom
answered, after it rang once.

“Hey, Mom, what
are you doing?”

“Just doing
some laundry, how’s lunch?”

“Very good.
Listen, I have something to ask you, and I want you to remember that you said
you trust me.”

She sighed on
the other end. “What is it?”

I went into the
whole thing about Emma and Derrick, and how she wanted us to come, and we
thought it sounded fun. I also pointed out that I was very trustworthy and
never got into trouble. When I was finished speaking, she paused briefly,
thinking about my question. I looked at Emma as I was waiting for my mom to
speak. She was staring at me, holding her breath.

“I’ll talk to
your dad. I’ll call you back soon.”

“Thanks, Mom,”
I said as I hung up. “She’s going to talk to my dad, but she’s okay with it.”

Emma squealed.
“That usually means yes. Your dad is more of a pushover than your mom.”

I laughed; she
hadn’t seen him since I started dating Lucas. “Usually, but since I have a
boyfriend he’s more protective.”

“I can vouch
for that, he was going to kick my ass last night,” Lucas said, appearing in
front of us.

Emma glanced up
at him, curiosity burning in her eyes. “Why, what did you do?”

“Nothing, she’s
the one that shut the door to her bedroom when we were watching a movie.” He
pointed at me accusingly.

“Yeah, but it
didn’t help that you fell asleep, and didn’t leave until three a.m.”

“I think you
have some gossip for me, but first, Lucas, what did your parents say?” Emma
asked.

He smiled,
showing perfect white teeth. “No problem, like I said.”

Now that I was
the only unsure one, I really wanted to go, although I knew my dad wouldn’t let
me. My phone rang, making my heart speed up. “Well, I guess I’m about to get my
answer.”

They both
stared at me, their faces holding matching nervous expressions. I answered and
listened to what my mother had to say. After I hung up, I scowled.

“I knew your
dad wouldn’t let you. Maybe if I don’t go, he’ll change his mind.” Lucas was
trying to be positive, but his eyes showed his disappointment.

“Sure, but
you’re going to miss a great time, I’ll miss you,” I said, smiling.

“You can go?”
they both asked.

“Yes.” My
cheeks hurt from the wide grin on my face

Lucas leaned in
to kiss me quickly, and then pulled away. “I’d better get back to work before
they fire me.” He rushed off, disappearing through a door in the back.

“Yeah! I have
to call Derrick.” Emma took out her phone and dialed.

Ignoring her as
she rambled into her phone, I ate my salad quickly. When I finished, I stood up
from the table. “I’ll be back in a minute,” I told her. She nodded, but kept
talking to Derrick as she picked at her salad with her fork.

I approached
the door that Lucas had entered and was about to push it open when I heard a
voice. “I’m sorry, miss, staff only through that door. Are you looking for the
restrooms?”

I turned to see
a waiter standing in front of me, holding an empty tray. He was tall, with
shoulder-length black hair, a crooked nose, and a large scar over his right
eyebrow. He looked older than me, about twenty. I was about to tell him that I
was searching for Luke when the door opened and Lucas almost ran into me.

“Hey.” He
smiled. “Are you finished?”

“Yeah, Emma’s
on the phone, I thought I’d come find you.”

The waiter
cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize she was with you.” That was
all he said before he walked away.

Lucas stared after
him then turned to me for an explanation.

“I was about to
go in there and look for you, but he stopped me.”

“That’s Mark,”
he said, taking my hand to lead me into the kitchen.

It was huge,
with industrial-size stainless steel appliances against the back wall, and a
big counter in the center for food preparation. His mother was off to the side
against another wall making salads. It was loud and confusing, with about four
people making different dishes. Pots simmered on the stove with yummy smells seeping
out of them. A variety of meats sizzled on a large grill. The scent of melted
butter and onions drifted from a frying pan, making my stomach think it was
hungry again.