Chapter 16

After a brief drive through the city, Sean pulled over, parking the car and turning off the ignition. I looked around at the darkened street, confused by the lack of any visible dining destination. The gallery and boutiques nearby were definitely not set up for entertaining as the lights were set to a low glow and the floors abandoned.

"Are we lost or something?" I asked him, with a slightly amused tone, gesturing at the closed buildings.

He laughed softly and shook his head, a mischievous grin on his face as he opened his door and hopped out of the car.

"Nope."

He walked around the front of the car, reaching my door before I even had the chance to move.

"It's just a short walk."

I scrunched my eyes. Fixing him with a questioning gaze, my curiosity levels were climbing higher at the broadening smile on his face, and seeing his enjoyment at keeping me in the dark.

"Okay," I replied, taking his offered hand and rising from my seat. "But so you know, if you're intending to kill me somewhere in the shadows, I will be a bitch of a ghost, you'll never have another minute's peace in your life."

I smirked, my sarcasm earning a hearty laugh from him whilst he shook his head, closing the car door behind me.

"Just trust me, you won't regret it."

With a light kiss to my cheek, he took hold of my hand, his fingers looping with my own, the familiar sparks from his touch emanated from my fingertips, dancing along my arm as he lead me along the street.

The night was fairly warm, a light breeze blew through my hair and the fresh air carried a crisp scent that mixed with the earthy smell of the trees, and the slightest touch of Sean's cologne. It wasn't a long walk before we stopped at a high, arched wooden gate with an electronic keypad attached. Sean reached out and dialled in a code, the gates swung open a second or two later to reveal a short pathway that was illuminated by delicately pretty little lanterns, each casting a soft beam across the pavement and the green lawn on either side. Sean lead me forwards along the path. We reached a curve at the far end, rounding it, a building came into view. A modern looking barn conversion stood ahead. Glass walls were facing us, and a soft and inviting light shone through the glass bathing the surrounding ground. Illuminated writing above the door read: Escapar. I let out a sigh of awe, and amazement.

"Wow."

A young man, dressed in formal serving attire, greeted us at the door. He gave us a welcoming smile and inclined his head upon our entry.

"Good evening Sir, Madam. Welcome to Escapar, please follow me to the table."

I was confused by his use of the word "the" at first, figuring it was just an error, I shrugged it off and began to follow him. It was then that I saw the full interior of the place and realised there was no error. The small, open plan space was perfectly laid out to accommodate one solitary dining table that was set for two. A thin, white runner carpet laid over the highly polished wooden flooring, sprinkled with rose petals, and framed by lit, standing candelabras, creating a pathway leading to the table. A bar was on the far side of the room, a thin voile curtain of shimmering gold was drawn in front of it to seperate it from site. The table itself was covered with a white cloth, a presentation box of red roses sat in the center and little tealights in small, glass holders were on either side. Decorative glass globes hung from the ceiling around the room, filled with a variety of plants and glowing fairy lights. Hushed music played softly in the background, making it the perfect accompaniment to the romantic setting. The whole vision was breathtaking. So beautiful, and intimate it was like something out of a dream. There was no way that I could never have envisioned it. I stood rooted to the spot, taking in every detail, the neatly folded napkins, the silky, sparkled ribbons that were neatly tied around the coated chairs.

"What do you think?" Sean asked. His tone was gentle, almost anxious as if my reaction could make him delighted or heartbroken. The words wouldn't come out, I felt such a surge of affection towards him. This was just incredible. I turned to face him, cupping his cheek and staring into his honey brown eyes.

"It's perfect." I whispered seeing his joy at my response. I leant forwards and brushed my lips across his own, trying to let him know just how much I meant it.

"I'll let you both get settled in." The waiter muttered from our side.

I chuckled at his awkwardness as he retreated behind the curtain, leaving us alone.

"How did you even know about this place?" I asked, stepping towards the table.

"I wanted to do something special for tonight, for you. I spent half the morning looking for the perfect thing, then I saw something about this place. 'The secret escape of London' they call it."

The fact that he put so much effort into our first date made me beam with joy, a heated flush burning over my skin.

He made a grand gesture of pulling out my chair, I raised my eyebrow in response, trying to keep a straight face at his dramatic flourish.

"Why, thank you kind Sir." I responded in the most formal voice I could manage. I saw his shoulder shake with a silent laugh whilst I sat down. He pushed my seat forwards before taking his own. The waiter reappeared at our side, a bottle of champagne in his hand and a white cloth draped over his forearm.

"May I offer you some champagne?"

Sean and I nodded, and he immediately proceeded to pop the bottle open and fill the two crystal flutes on the table. We thanked him before he left us once more, handing us each a black velvet menu with silver lettering, before disappearing behind the curtain.

There was no denying that I was hugely out of my element here. I'd never been on dates like this. It was a side effect of never being one for serious relationships. Strangely enough however, I didn't feel overwhelmed in a bad way, I wasn't uncomfortable or concerned with how to act. With Sean, I just felt calm. It felt natural and allowed me to just enjoy the moment, this wonderful moment in an incredible place, with the man that I couldn't stop thinking about. The candlelight cast Sean's face in a shimmering glow, his eyes burning a soft amber from the flames. It was such a struggle not to just get lost in them. He raised his champagne, holding it towards me.

"To us, our first date, and many more." He tilted to glass as I raised my own and clinked them together.

"Cheers."

We sipped the champagne, thene browsed the menu. It was a selection of delicious sounding quality dishes on offer, my mouth began to water at the very thought of them. Upon deciding our order, and on adding some cocktails to the mix, the waiter promptly appeared at the table once again to note it down.

It wasn't long before we were served with our first course and between bites of the mouthwatering, exquisite food, the conversation began to flow. After he'd caught me up on his morning, it began to turn to mine and I filled him in on the time I spent with Evan.

"You two really are close, I saw it that night at your parents. He cares about you." It wasn't said with anger, or bitterness or jealousy. Instead it was softer, as if he admired the fact.

"Yeah, we've been pretty much joined at the hip since the day we met. He was always there, no matter what, and I've been there for him too. He knows the ins and outs of my family, and he doesn't let me go through it alone."

Sean nodded, listening to me even as his jaw tightened at the mention of my family. It was becoming clearer that he didn't care for them. Something that I completely supported. Blood may bind us, but that's not what makes a family. They weren't mine in the way that counts.

"Anyway, you know about my family. What about yours?" I took a sip of my cocktail, the slight bitterness mixed perfectly with its minty freshness. "I never caught the Sean Campbell life story." I teased, placing my glass back on the table.

"Ah, but it's so boring, I'm afraid I may disappoint you." He joked, leaning back in his chair.

"Crap, you mean you're not secretly a super smooth, rich jewel thief that's been on the run for the last ten years?"

He pretended to be in thought before answering.

"Well the jewel thief on the run part, doesn't sound that familiar, however I think I have the super smooth bit down."

I laughed, seeing the cocky smirk on his face.

"I guess I can agree with you there. Seriously though, what about your family?"

He lifted his cocktail to his lips, sipping the dark liquid as he thought something over. Upon placing it back on the table he answered.

"So, I have one sister, younger, her name's Katarina, and then just my parents."

I could see Sean as the protective older brother. He had that kind of natural aura about him. One that meant you could just instantly feel safe when you were with him. The way he said his sister's name was filled with love and affection and I could tell that they were closer than me and Mel.

"She's a doctor at the hospital. My mother is an estate agent, and my father is also a lawyer, different sector though. He's a criminal lawyer."

"That's quite a variety there."

"Yeah, my parents encouraged us to choose our own paths in life. I knew from a young age that law interested me, but as I grew older, I drifted from the messy world of criminal law."

The waiter arrived to collect our now empty plates, clearing them away and relaying the table with fresh cutlery.

"Why did you drift from criminal law? I get the feeling you enjoy a challenge, wouldn't that be right up your alley?"

He bit the inside of his cheek in thought, placing his hand on the table and absentmindedly brushing his thumb over the base of his glass.

"The challenge yes, but there's too much grey area there. You can't know for sure what is truth and what is lies. There's too many areas for interpretation and I guess, for me, I couldn't make a career out of that grey area."

Sean continued to tell me about his family, things about them as individuals, as a family, some old family stories and funny memories. The more he told me the more I felt that they sounded like an incredible bunch of people. They all sounded like brilliant people and I could hear nothing but love in Sean's voice as he spoke about them. In my head, I was thinking how lovely it would be to meet them, but then I remembered that wasn't about to happen, as far as they were concerned, he was engaged to, and marrying Mel. They wouldn't be able to meet me, at least not in any other capacity than as his future sister-in-law. The thought brought another slightly unpleasant idea to the front of my mind. One that I couldn't help but speak aloud.

"What do they think of Mel?" I tried to make the comment seem nonchalant, but Sean picked up on it. Reaching across the table to clasp my hand.

"They met her briefly, about a month after we started dating, it wasn't intended on my part, not right then. My mother called me when I was at the office and Mel answered my phone. She told my mother who she was, my girlfriend, and my mother being who she is, instantly invited her to dinner."

The facts of their meeting, that he didn't seek to show her off, soothed my initial discomfort about the situation. A part of me wanted to ask more, to ask about how they took the news of the engagement, about how he felt lying to them about it, but I didn't want to ruin the night. Not when we were enjoying ourselves in this little bit of paradise.

The rest of the meal passed with no more mention of Mel, or families. Instead the conversation flowed comfortably and pleasantly over delicious and succulent dishes. The evening ended with us sharing a platter of chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate lava cake and vanilla bean gelato. Once we had finished our fill, we polished off our drinks and Sean went to settle the bill. He had refused to tell me how much the evening had cost, he wouldn't allow me to pay for anything, insisting it was his treat. I was still smiling as we began the walk, hand in hand, back along the path towards the street. When we reached the car Sean held the door open for me, I felt a slight twinge of disappointment at the knowledge that the night was coming to an end.

"You know, this night, it was perfect. I've loved every second of it." I smiled warmly at him, wanting him to know I meant every word of what I was saying. I sat in the seat and turned to face him once more as he stood there, resting his hand on the door frame. His expression turned suddenly seductive, and mischievous.

"The night's not over yet. Tell me, how do you feel about dancing?"