April 10 2025

It was nine thrity five p.m, Anthony walked into a five-star restaurant and looked around, Waiters and waitresses greeted him as he smiled, greeting them back and continued walking. Today, Maria invited him for dinner in another restaurant, and he managed to clear up his schedule and join her for dinner.

Anthony saw Maria sitting in the chair as she looked at him with a huge smile on her face, She waved at him as Tony smiled and joined her in the table.

Maria: You arrived just in time.

Anthony: Can't keep a lady waiting.

Maria laughed as a strand of her hair fell on her face, Anthony smiled and began staring at her, His eyes sparkled by her look.

Anthony: It doesn't feel right going to another restaurant for some reason.

Maria: Why? Do you prefer Lumière?

Anthony: I think I do. The food's delicious, simple, elegant, and full of flavour. You can tell it's made with real love. But it's not just the food. . . the atmosphere, the dining, the people. Feels like more than just a restaurant.

He glanced at her with a softer smile as Maria was looking at him.

Anthony: Maybe it's also because the chef makes everything taste better.

Maria chuckled, blushing a little as she rested her elbow on the table, placing a hand on her chin.

Maria: You do realise there are more chefs in the kitchen, You visited the restaurant many times, Maybe they cooked for you once.

Anthony: I know, and they're all talented, no doubt about that. But there's something different about your food, like it was made just for me.

Her blush deepened as she laughed, trying not to smile too hard.

Maria: You're really good at this, you know that? Making a girl feel special.

Anthony: It's because you are.

He fixed his hair, smiling at her. Soon, the waitress arrived, holding a menu while giving a friendly smile.

Waitress: Hi, Can I take your order?

Maria: Sure, I'll take a grilled chicken panini with a side of sweet potato fries, please.

Waitress: *Smiles* Okay, It will be prepared soon.

She nodded, walking away as Anthony raised an eyebrow while chuckling.

Anthony: What about me?

Maria: I was about to say that.

Anthony: Wow, I guess you're stealing the spotlight then.

Maria: *Laughs* Hold on, I'll talk to her.

She noticed the waitress was walking somewhere as Marshall got up, walking towards the woman, Anthony began looking at both of them as Maria spoke softly.

Maria: Excuse me, you must have forgotten to ask him about his order.

Waitress: Oh, sorry, I thought your husband was having the same thing.

Maria: *Eyes widen* H-Husband?

Anthony had a smile on his face as the waitress laughed awkwardly.

Maria: S-Sorry, I think you got the wrong idea, He's my friend, actually.

Waitress: Oh, I'm so sorry, You two seemed like a couple.

Maria laughed as Anthony continued smiling at Maria, enjoying her flustered face. Soon, the waitress apologised and asked for his order before walking away as Maria took a seat while Crawford was smiling at her.

Anthony: Hey Wifey.

Maria: *Laughs* Stop, I can't believe she assumed that.

Anthony: Don't worry, I'm too old to be your husband.

Maria: You're not that old, Tony.

Anthony: Well, I might be getting up there in age, but I'm still young enough to steal your heart.

Maria: *Laughs* Keep telling that to yourself.

He had a huge smile on his face and laughed with her, Maria could feel a flutter in her heart as she had a thought in her head.

( (He might just be right. . . He is starting to steal my heart.)

Later on, both of them were having dinner while talking to each other, Anthony was talking about his company while Maria was listening to him.

As they continued their dinner, Anthony leaned back in his chair, giving Maria his full attention as he began talking about his business.

Anthony: I run a luxury real estate firm. We deal with exclusive properties, private islands, sky-high penthouses, massive estates. It's all about offering something no one else can.

Maria: That sounds amazing, How did you get started?

Anthony: It took time. I started small, working with luxury condos, then moved to bigger estates. It's about understanding what people want, something unique. After a while, the right connections helped things grow.

Maria: *Smiles* I really like how passionate you are about your work. It's kind of. . . adorable, actually.

Anthony: Thanks, Maria. Maybe one day, I'll show you one of those places, You deserve to see it.

Maria smiled while nodding, An hour passed, and both of them decided to leave the restaurant, Marshall saw his car which excited her again, She wanted to take another drive in the rolls royce but she didn't want to bother him.

Anthony: Should I drop you back home, sweetheart?

Maria: No thanks, Tony. I don't want to be a bother. Thanks for hanging out with me.

Anthony: Who said you're a bother? I enjoy spending time with you, Maria. Let me drop you off. It's no trouble at all.

Maria hesitated for a moment, then smiled at him, feeling a flutter in her heart.

Maria: You really are too sweet, Tony. Alright, I'll let you.

Anthony grinned, opening the car door for her with a playful wink. As Maria got in, he followed and got in the car, starting it as both of them smiled at each other before he began driving away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Steve: Alright, We should be closing up soon.

He looked at the time on his watch and gave a small smile to everyone at the kitchen, They nodded, starting to wrap things up for the night, Anne was wiping down the counter, trying to keep herself busy, but she couldn't help but feel a little distracted. Steve was acting a bit different tonight, and it was hard for her to ignore.

Steve noticed her as he stared for a moment before walking towards her.

Steve: You good, Anne?

Anne looked up, catching his gaze for a moment before quickly looking away.

Anne: Yeah, just finishing up here.

Steve: *Smiles a little* Do you need any help?

Anne: No, I got it, Don't worry.

She smiled back as he nodded, fixing the coat of his suit, Winters couldn't help but admire how he looked, She still couldn't forget about the night they had and she was sure that he didn't forget about it either, But Anne doesn't know what's going on between him and Kelly so far.

Once she was done, Her friends had already left the restaurant as Winters was about to take off her apron until she heard Steve calling her name as Anne turned around, looking at him.

Steve: How are you feeling?

Anne: *Raises an eyebrow* I'm fine, actually. Why?

Steve: I mean, are you feeling tired?

Anne: Not really.

He took a deep breath before smiling at her.

Steve: Thought we could cook something and have dinner, I don't really have anyone to talk to.

Anne's eyes lit up, surprised by his request. It seemed like he wanted to hang out, maybe to get rid of the awkwardness. . . But she was a bit concerned when he said he didn't have anyone to talk too, Now thinking about Kelly boiling her blood.

Anne: *Smiles* Sure, But I'll do the cooking myself, You can just sit and relax.

Steve: Oh, but I wanted to help.

Anne: No, It's fine. I got a surprise, actually.

Steve: *Chuckles* I always look forward to your surprises.

He smiled as Anne felt her heart skip a beat before he left the kitchen as Winters took a deep breath.

(He's so handsome, Gosh, How does Kelly get "that" everyday?)

Later on, He was sitting by the chair, The dining hall was empty since they were closing up, He was tapping his finger, lost in his thoughts while fixing his hair, Eventually he saw Anne walking towards him with a plate, She placed it on the table as he smiled.

Steve: Wagyu beef, garnished with roasted root vegetables and a sprig of rosemary, This already looks amazing.

He looked at her as Anne giggled and while staring at him, For some reason, He was staring at her a lot. Mostly in silence. Steve took a bite as Anne was looking at him as his eyes lit up.

Steve: And there is some rich red wine, Fantastic.

Anne: I'm so glad you liked it.

She smiled before leaving to bring her plate as Steve continued staring at her from a distance.

Soon, both of them were eating the wagyu beef as Winters noticed he was enjoying the food, It melted her heart as she continued staring at him.

Anne: You seem like you're enjoying the meal.

Steve: Honestly, I'm more focused on how incredible you look right now than the food.

He wiped his mouth while smiling to himself as Anne's eyes lit up, caught off guard by the sudden compliment as she was slightly blushing.

Anne: Oh, wow, uh, thank you. You're. . . you're not too bad yourself.

Steve: I know, You always talk about me to your friends.

Anne's eyes widened and felt her heart racing, Has he always heard the conversations between her and her friends? Maybe Anne never realised that.

(Oh God, It was definitely the guys, They always run their mouths without me knowing! )

Anne: What?

Steve: Oh, I've heard enough to know you talk about me more than you'd like to admit. . . The way you keep mentioning how
amazing and handsome i am, It must mean something.

Anne: *Laughs nervously* What!? I don't talk about you that much!

Steve: But I'm definitely on your mind more than you'll ever admit, huh?

He smiled while chewing, clearly enjoyed the way he was teasing her, Anne was blushing but also felt her body warm up, Maybe she was enjoying this herself, The tension in the air was heating up between them.

Eventually, They were done with dinner, But Steve shared occasional eye contact with her, He was a bit silent during the whole talk, Mostly Anne was starting conversations. And none of them mentioned anything about the night.

Anne was cleaning the dishes while thinking about Steve, It made her smile, And she was a bit turned on, Just like the last time. That's when she heard footsteps and saw Steve fixing his coat while smiling.

Steve: Thanks for the delicious dinner.

Anne: *Smiles while cleaning* You're welcome, Steve.

He chuckled, walking even closer to her as he was watching her clean the dishes, Anne was focusing on her task. Suddenly, she felt a slight touch on her hip as Winters immediately looked at him.

Steve: What?

Anne: Umm, nothing.

He smirked a little as Anne continued looking at the dishes, That was until he leaned close to her ear, which made her stop for a moment.

Steve: Tell Benjamin that I liked the cookies he baked.

Anne's eyes widen as she looks at him.

Steve: I know you were just trying to impress me, Annie.

Anne's heart skipped a beat as she turned to face him, her face flushing at his closeness.

Anne: I wasn't trying to impress you. . . *Sighs* Okay, I knew i couldn't bake actually, so I asked Benjamin and Anna to do it for me.

Steve chuckled and leaned back, Anne had a smile on her face and closed the sink as Miller spoke to her.

Steve: It's adorable that you thought I wasn't going to notice.

Anne rolled her eyes and laughed a little but she felt a bit embarrassed at the same time, She thought he wasn't going to find out about it, Steve looked at the time on his watch again and noticed it was getting late.

Steve: It's getting late now, We should leave. . . Again, Thanks.

Anne smiled while nodding, Steve did a slight pat to her lower back before walking away as Anne froze for a moment before looking at him, feeling her heart race as she swallowed.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading and stay strong!!! :)