Page 5 of Moonstruck at Midnight
Suddenly, I wanted to show Caleb that I could be more than a frightened girl locked up in her room reading. I knew we were in the middle of dinner, but I needed to do this.
I asked Sophie and Cecile if they wouldn’t mind if I made a quick call. They didn’t. I was determined to call my father but unsure if he would pick up.
“Dad?Hi,yes,everything’s okay…Uh-huh—yes, I know you’re busy.I just wanted to ask you if it’s okay if I go with Sophie and Cecile to a bar after dinner.It’s sort of a farewell party kind of situation…Yes—well,we’re leaving soon.They want to bid me farewell properly.”
Sophie gawked at me with shock-filled eyes. Cecile’s face was somewhat similar to Sophie’s.
“Yes,I’ll let Aaron and Caleb know,one a.m.…Thanks, Dad…Love you too, ba-bye.”
This made me wonder how much of me not going out relied on my father, rather than not wanting to go out myself. Perhaps I caught him off guard as he was busy with the event he was hosting, and I didn’t give him enough time to process what I asked of him entirely. But he agreed, and I intended to go.
Sophie squealed as I tucked my phone back into my purse. A few people stared at us. Caleb and Aaron must’ve heard it too, as they were both looking in our direction. I nodded, letting them know everything was fine.
“What’s gotten into you?” Cecile asked, sipping on her wine afterward, scanning my face for clues, I guess.
“I can’t leave without a proper farewell, can I?”
“I still can’t believe you’re leaving in less than a month,” Sophie said with a pouty face.
“I know. We’re going to miss you so much,” Cecile added.
“Don’t even get me started. I’m going to miss you both like crazy, and youhaveto come to visit.” I felt all mushy and teary-eyed all of a sudden.
“Okay, enough with the moping. Tonight, we celebrate!” Sophie yelled—again. “We are going to have so much fun!”
I glanced outside for the millionth time, looking for Caleb’s attention, and signaled him to come inside. He rushed to our table gracefully—his long, black coat floating through the restaurant with ease.
“Yes, Miss Murphy?” His thick, sexy accent sent chills down my spine. I’ve heard him speak for years, but something about the day’s events triggered a latent awareness in the back of my mind.
“I just spoke to my father. He agreed to let me go to a bar after dinner with my friends.” His hazel eyes widened for a second, giving away his astonishment. “There’s a one a.m. curfew, though.”
“Yes, Miss Murphy, I’ll inform Aaron and take care of any necessary details.” He still looked shocked. I thanked him with a sincere smile, and he walked back outside into the chilly evening.
“Paul and a few of his friends are going to be at the bar in Hôtel Costes—we could go there, it’s a few blocks away from your home,” Cecile suggested.
Veryconvenient.
We finished our dinner, paid the check, and left the restaurant. Aaron had the car ready and waiting on the curbside. Caleb walked ahead as he raced to open the door for us.
I climbed into the car, sensing a certain wariness from him when he closed the door behind me. He jumped in the front seat next to Aaron, and off we went. Even though it was the first time I would go to a place like this, I knew it was nothing both Aaron and Caleb couldn’t handle.
My phone buzzed.
Caleb:I know your father said yes, but there’s a bunch of creeps at bars. If you’re planning on drinking, make sure to watch your wineglass. Someone could easily slip something into it. I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen anyway.
Here we go.
I’M PLEASED TO INTRODUCEto you the other side of Caleb. The one that’s overprotective and worries too much. But I knew how to handle him. I was sitting right behind him in the car, and I could see him fidgeting in his seat as he waited for my reply.
Me:Caleb, I’m turning 20 in a few weeks. I’ll survive. And I wouldn’t mind if you could at least pretend to trust me and give me a bit of breathing space while we’re there.
I placed my phone back in my purse because this conversation could’ve quickly turned into an argument. I could also see myself at the bar texting Caleb all night about this instead of doing what I intended to do, which was … stop thinking about him.
We arrived at our destination, and a surge of cold air slammed my face as we stepped out of the car. A driver from the Embassy was waiting to take the vehicle’s keys so both Aaron and Caleb could come inside with us.
“The music here is amazing!” Sophie said as we walked toward the entrance. “You’re going to love it.”
Two theatrically gigantic men wearing all black stood behind a red velvet rope, evaluating the people who waited to be selected by them. They all looked like decent people. I wondered what it took to get inside a place like this.
