Chapter 325 - From Park To Dark
One of Angela's favorites they did that afternoon was when Gael brought her to the iconic stretch of The Mall in Central Park, a beautiful quarter-mile promenade flanked by American Elm trees. She'd passed by Central Park in the past but never really visited, and she'd only seen this famous path in pictures or movies. She regretted not having visited the place sooner. It was winter, and most of the trees didn't have leaves, and the grass wasn't so green, but the park was beautiful nonetheless.
Her heart swelled as Gael purposely walked her to the southern section of The Mall which was known as the Literary Walk. It featured statues of famous writers that were erected in the 19th century, namely: Fitz-Greene Halleck, Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, and William Shakespeare. She wasn't a huge fan of classical or historical writing, but walking along the path was inspiring, and she was touched that Gael was thoughtful by bringing her there.
Their promenade had to end when her feet started to sore, and the temperature got colder that she began rubbing her hands more frequently. Deciding to go back to the apartment, they stopped by a restaurant on the same block as the condominium building to order takeout for dinner. Their day out was about to come to an end, yet despite how simple it was—eating sandwiches at a park and walking around—today had been the most relaxing for Angela.
Of course, that's on top of her three-day tryst with Gael in his apartment.
There was a line outside of the casual dining restaurant called "Dario's". The restaurant was a fusion of a few cuisines from Europe which oddly worked together. It had a separate area for takeouts and dine-in, and they had to wait for twenty minutes in line. Blowing on her hands, Angela rubbed them together for heat. The temperature seemed to have lowered even more than when they left in the middle of the day.
"Why don't you go up first? I'll get us the food," Gael suggested, seeing that Angela's nose and ears were turning pink from the cold.
Angela liked the cold temperature. How nice would it be to just roll up like a burrito and stay in bed or preferably in front of a fireplace? But living all her life in Esmea, where it was mostly sunny, winter in New York was too cold for her. However, she didn't want to go up to his apartment first. "I like it here. I'll go up with you."
She was too adorable; he couldn't help but smile. "Come here." He opened his coat and invited her in.
A smile so charming that made her look like a literal angel brightened her face. She wasn't about to refuse an excuse to snuggle up with him out in public.
Gliding her arms around his torso, Angela nuzzled against his shoulder and felt him wrap his arms around her while keeping them both inside his coat. He rubbed her back and kissed the side of her head, keeping her warm and safe. There must be a few eyes looking their way, but she didn't give a rat's butt. Gael smelled so good. She was instantly warmed up.
When it was their turn to go inside, Gael let her sit at a waiting table—a diner booth closest to the door—while he got their orders from a counter. At almost six in the evening, the dine-in side of the restaurant was packed, and the staff was busy. Angela decided to check her phone while waiting and saw Nina's texts in the afternoon that she hadn't responded to yet. She'd glance up at the counter from time to time, catching Gael's gaze, and they'd smile at each other before she went back to texting.
Gael was told that his order would take a few more minutes, and he was currently waiting for the cashier to complete the transaction. He stood idle, leaning against the counter when he heard a couple of female servers near him, gushing about a male celebrity who was about to leave the restaurant. He followed their line of sight and saw three men walking towards the door—two older men and a younger man.
He wasn't familiar with the younger man, but according to the gossiping servers, his name was Ian Stefano or something. His attention for this man didn't peak, so he dropped his stare and shifted it to his Angel at the table. He straightened his back, but not because he was pulled by Angela's beauty—though she was gorgeous—but because he saw something that caught his attention, causing him to dart his eyes back to the celebrity who was now by the door.
Angela had casually glanced up when the three men passed by, and she suddenly froze in her seat, her eyes following fucking Ian. And just as Gael looked at the said man, Ian had the balls to smile and wink at Angela. Gael's shoulders squared up, and his jaw tightened at the scene while methods of torture were already playing in his head.
"Sir? Here's your receipt. Why don't you sit down first, and we'll bring your order to the waiting table?" said the cashier to him.
***
A minute ago…
Angela was engrossed exchanging texts with her best friend when some patrons walked by her table. She looked up, and instantly, her younger self forced herself out of her head. Ian Stefano. Holy Crap. She and Nina had a massive crush on this model turned actor celebrity. He was no longer active in the industry nowadays but still quite famous, but boy were their walls filled with posters of Ian when they were younger.
Ian Stefano closely resembled Chris Evans but with blond hair and pale blue eyes.
Literally starstruck, her gaze unknowingly followed the man until he reached the door. And her heart did a little flutter when Ian glanced her way, smiled, and winked. She heard a few women from the nearby tables giggling at the little action the actor just did before leaving the restaurant.
She chuckled at the crazy thing that just happened. Her first instinct was to tell Nina. She would flip!
[ Angela: 😶 Ian Stefano ]
"What the hell was that?" a deep, very familiar voice cracked above her head, and she nearly jumped in her seat. Gael sat next to her in the booth, looking vexed with his brows furrowed as he looked at her, then he glanced at the door where Ian just left.
Her heart pounded in her chest, feeling like she was caught stealing something when she thought no one was looking. "What was what?" she asked even though she already had a feeling about what he was referring to.
He opened his mouth to speak, but Angela's phone buzzed with Nina's reply, and Gael's stare shifted to her phone screen. Angela swore it was like being in the principal's office after Mrs. Jennings reported her of sharing her answers with Nina during a pop quiz when she watched Gael's brows draw even deeper.
Angela looked down at her phone, and she felt like a bucket of icy water was splashed on her face, seeing Nina's string of replies come after another. And it only got worse each time.
[ Antonina: Ian? Your vibrator? Didn't you lose it a long time ago? You found it? ]
[ Antonina: Wait. You're in NY. How could you have found Ian there? ]
[ Antonina: Oh my. Unless you're talking about the actual Ian Stefano? GTFO! ]
[ Antonina: OMFG Did you take pics? Send!!! ]
[ Antonina: SHIT Is he still there? Can you like stall for a few hours? I'll book a plane ticket right now! ]
[ Antonina: I'm losing my mind Anj! Text me back! ]
[ Antonina: Is he hot? ]
[ Antonina: Why am I even asking? Of course he's hot. We didn't name our first BOBs after him for nothing! ]
Angela was too stunned to even do anything other than wish the ground would swallow her right now. It was too late to close her phone. Gael had already seen the embarrassing texts her crazy best friend just fired at her. This wasn't the first time that Nina got Angela into trouble because of her texts.
When she heard Gael scoff next to her, she closed her phone, gripped it tightly, and slowly faced the angered man. She swallowed as she met his dark, stormy eyes. He wasn't smiling, and he looked like he was three seconds away from spanking her ass for being naughty.
Folding his arms across his chest, Gael cocked a brow, and his toneless voice made her shiver. "You named your vibrator after that man?"