“Actually, that was my parents’ job. They have opened a restaurant and, lucky for us, it was a success. There are many restaurants specialized in alendorian cuisine everywhere after we opened ours.”
“That’s great! Are you taking me to one of them?”
“Definitely not,” I answered quickly. “If any of my parents see you, they will probably want to spank you until you bleed.”
“So you’ve told them everything that happened?”
“Not everything, but I needed to tell them most of it. They thought I was dead, so I had to give them some kind of explanation.”
“I see…”
“What about Paulo? What happened to him?” I asked, curious.
“After you told me the truth, I confronted him and he confirmed everything. I admit that I wasn’t able to hold myself and I ended up beating him. Luckily, he didn’t sue me. After all, if he tried to bring me down, I would take him with me.”
“So, I assume he is not your partner anymore.”
“Of course. Soon after, we dissolved the society. He took a few factories and opened his own company. And, since he has always been a good entrepreneur, there’s no doubt that I will see his company grow even more. However, it was a huge relief to get him out of my life.”
“No doubts there.”
“What about you? Are you working in the administration of the restaurants you’ve opened with your parents?”
"No. I've been studying Psychology all this time. Actually, I've just graduated. I was at the graduation party when you called me," I told him.
“You ditched the party to come and meet me?”
“Yes, but don’t get so full of yourself because of that,” I answered, not looking away from the road.
After that, we remained in an uncomfortable silence for the rest of the way.
Luckily, it took us just a few minutes to get to a restaurant I liked. After parking, we both got out of the car and walked into it.
It was weird to have him so close to me again. I felt the urge to hug him, to kiss him and never to let him go. His power over me seemed even stronger than before.
As soon as we got in, I noticed a bit of a commotion and Oliver, the restaurant’s owner, came from the kitchen. Of course, he wouldn't lose the opportunity to welcome us in person.
“Mr. Ianto! It’s a great pleasure to have you in my restaurant again!” he greeted me.
I was glad that Oliver and my parents had never met. This way, they would hardly find out that I had met up with Eric that night.
“You know how much I love your food, Oliver. Anyway, let me introduce you to Eric Pitz. You probably have heard about him before.”
“Of course!" He shook Eric's hand, who smiled at him cordially. "Let me guide you to our best table."
“Thank you.”
We followed Oliver to a table beside an aquarium, full of fishes of every kind, from where we could see the whole restaurant.
“What would you like to eat tonight?”
“I will let you decide it, Oliver. Surprise me,” I answered.
“I will want whatever you bring to him,” Eric added.
“Leave it to me,” Oliver said with a smile and went back to the kitchen.
I turned to Eric once again and his eyes were on me. He seemed as fascinated as I was in seeing him again.
“I know I’ve already said that on the phone, but I’m going to say it again. I’ve missed you a lot, Ianto,” he pointed out.
“I’ve missed you too,” I confessed, blushing.
He smiled, satisfied.
“Bad things have happened to us, but you let quite an impression on me, Ianto. No matter how much I tried, I never stopped thinking or dreaming about you almost every night.”
“Everything was too intense…”
Eric looked into my eyes in silence.
“Are you dating someone?” he asked, a bit hesitating.
“No,” I answered shyly. “Are you?”
“Neither am I.”
“Have you dated anyone all this time?” I asked, with curiosity.
“I couldn’t. Have you?”
“I couldn’t, as well. Today, though, someone confessed to me,” I told him, which seemed to surprise Eric.
“May I know who?”
“His name is Rafael. He is my best friend.”
“Do you like him?” Before I could answer, Oliver came with our food.
“Here you have it,” he said, serving the dishes. A waiter followed him, bringing the wine. “Shrimp soup and our best wine. I hope you will enjoy!”
“Thanks, Oliver,” I said with a smile before he left us alone again.
After we both have tasted the dish, we faced each other again.
Our eyes were like magnets, always attracted to one another.
“You didn’t answer me. Do you like this Rafael guy?” Eric insisted.
“I like him a lot, but I’ve never seen him as anything but a friend. I only realized his feelings today.”
“I see… Do you know how are you going to answer?”
“Not yet. I asked him for some time to think.”
“You did well. It’s a big decision.”
“How is your business going?" I changed the subject. “I assume they are great. After all, Sarnaut won't stop growing."
“No doubt, that’s why I’m here. I’m moving here for good,” he said.
I didn’t say anything, completely surprised.
“You didn’t like to hear that?” Eric asked me.
“I’m not sure.”
“Why not?”
“The truth is I was about to accept Rafael’s feelings and try to get rid of my past. However, before I managed to do that, you called and, with you leaving here, it will be almost impossible for me to forget everything.”
“We don’t have to forget, Ianto. Five years have passed; I believe we have both grown up a lot in this time. And, I won’t lie to you: I want you back in my life!”
“I don’t know if this is a good idea…” I said, feeling a bit uncomfortable.
“Things have changed. I would never do anything like what I did when I bought you. You were right; it was unfair. Please, Ianto, give me one more chance. I can’t take you out of my mind,” Eric insisted, taking my hand.
“I need time to consider this too.”
“I will wait as much as I need for you.”
I offered Eric a forced smile.
That was a request for me to restart from where we stopped in the past. Even if, as he said, things were different, it was a strange idea. I was about to try to forget him and there we were, opening ourselves and dying for a kiss.
It was as if nothing in our feelings had changed after all that time apart.
We had dinner while chatting about random subjects. He was as curious as I was to know about what happened in all those years.
Even though we had struggled to forget everything and move on, our feelings were stronger and more intense than our will. Maybe, there was no way to forget.
Many bad things had happened to us, but we had a deep bond that was abruptly disrupted. I had to fight with all my strength to leave him, but I didn’t regret it. I needed to move away from him and that distance had been good to me and to my family.
However, we now had the chance to start again in a more balanced way and that idea seemed too good for me to deny it.
When we finished eating, I tried to pay the bill, but Eric prevented me from doing so, saying that it was his pleasure. I felt a bit uncomfortable about that, but I ignored it.
“So, what now?” he asked when we left the restaurant.
“I don’t know…” I looked at the starry sky.
“You seem to be full of doubts,” Eric remarked.
“Yes, I am. I can’t help it.” I faced him again. “Today, I’ve completed another phase in my life, I’m about to start another one and I really want to be happy again. Rafael asked me to date him and now you are back. I don’t know what to d
o, Eric.”
“Follow your heart.”
“I’ve done this before and my choices weren’t the best ones.”
"You are all grown up and mature now. What's the point of doing what your mind tells you to do if it will make you feel incomplete? I know that this is how you feel because every day I feel this emptiness inside of me as well as if there was an important part of me missing. That is you, Ianto. I love you! I’ve always loved you and I always will. It’s frightening to say this, but it’s true.”
I didn’t say anything, holding my urge to cry.
“Do you still love me, Ianto?” Eric asked, getting closer to me.
“Yes, but I don’t want to. It’s too scary, Eric! No matter how much I try to forget you, my feelings never cease or diminish. Of course, I still love you," I admitted, making him open a huge smile.
"So let's get back to what we interrupted five years ago."
“I need some time,” I said, moving away from him.
“I’ve told you that I will wait as long as it takes for you to decide.”
“That's not what I mean,” I cut him.
“Then, what are you talking about?
“I want you back in my life, but I need some time to organize my feelings, my thoughts and my goals. I don’t want things to be as before, so we have to make it right this time around.”
“Well... how can we make it right?” Eric asked, getting close to me again, about to kiss me.
"Let's take it slow," I answered, pushing him softly. "We need to get to know each other better, once many things have changed for both of us. There are a lot of that old Ianto in me, but I had to get rid of a few things in order to move on. I also want to get to know the new Eric, for the old one has made a few bad things to me.”
“I see. You don’t want to get back to me. You'd rather start over.”
“Exactly. I need things to be like this.”
“Sounds perfect to me,” said Eric and I smiled sincerely at him.
I knew that I could be making a huge mistake, but I would never forgive myself if I didn’t try. I still loved him too much to give up.
“I will need to tell Rafael that we won’t be able to start anything now. I just hope he won’t freak out and become some kind of Paulo.”
“Let's hope not,” Eric agreed and joined me in a laughter.
After that, we got into my car and, as soon as we arrived at his hotel, we both got out of the car to say goodbye.
“So, when will I see you again?” he asked anxiously.
“I don't know. I will call you when I make a decision. I have lots of things to plan, now that I’m about to become officially a psychologist.”
“Can I be your first patient and consult with you daily?” he joked.
“No, you silly!” I said, punching his shoulder weakly.
“All right, all right. I will wait for your call. Good night, Ianto.”
“Good night, Eric.”
We both remained there, facing each other for a moment until Eric couldn’t hold anymore and advanced on me. Before I was able to retreat, he brought his lips to mine, making me shiver all over. I tried to push him, but I had no strength to do it. I wanted him too much.
Our tongues explored each other with calm and passion in a long kiss. I felt the salty taste of the tears that insisted on running down my face while I kissed him after such a long time. How much have I missed him!
“Are you nuts? Someone could have seen it," I said when we broke apart.
“I don’t mind anymore. I want the whole world to know that I love you!” Eric said, caressing my face.
I smiled at him and cleaned my tears.
“But we have agreed to take things slowly, to start over,” I complained.
“I know. But, if we are starting over, that means this was our first date and nothing thrills me more than a great goodbye kiss.”
I laughed hard.
“Good night, Eric.”
“See you later, Ianto.”
Boy for Sale Page 21
