Hundred and two

Hundred and two
LENA POV

"This place looks sick," Raphael got out excitedly as we stepped inside the restaurant, his eyes moving around the space. "Are you sure this was supposed to be a romantic dinner date or a goth party"

I let out a sigh, my eyes taking in the darkly lit deserted space.

Raphael was right about the style of the place being more suited for a goth party, but where he found it cool, I found it weird and a bit scary.

Also, why was there no one in sight? There was no smell of food or drinks either.

I glanced around, sweat dotting my hairline, and my palms getting clammy.

"Where's he though? And why is this place so empty? Do you think he rented out the whole place to surprise you?" Raphael asked, looking around.

I faced him, my thumb pinching nervously on my forefinger. "If he did, then wouldn't you being here ruin everything?" I said, then dragged my hand through my hair. "I told you not to follow me, you should have listened"

"Hey, chill out, we haven't even seen the guy yet, so that means he isn't here yet," He said, and I glared at him.

"Can you just wait outside? You don't really have to be in here with me, you know" I said, and his brows furrowed.

"But it's really cold outside, also I followed you inside because this place looked a lot more creepy from the outside"

I rolled my eyes, then let out a sigh. "Well, now that you've confirmed that everything is good, can you go"

He let out a rough exhale, then grabbed the back of his neck. "Fine, I'll stay outside" he conceded, his face grim. "But, if you ask me, I think I should just stay with you right here and protect you until the guy shows up"

"And why will you do that"

"Because what guy makes you drive all the way here just to stand you up in an empty restaurant"

The sound of footsteps coming up behind us had me whipping around fast. I clutched at my chest, my purse almost dropping from my hand as I stared at the very tall man standing in the doorway.

He strode toward us, stopping a few feet from me. "I didn't stand her up" he got out, his voice low and deep. "I was just wondering how to proceed, seeing as I was expecting only Lena here," he said, then offered his hand. "All the same, I'm sorry for keeping you waiting"

I glanced at his hand and then looked back up at his face, my heart racing. He looked the same way, just like in his pictures. "Um, hi" I stuttered, rubbing my palm against my side before going to take his hand and giving him a shake.

His lips quirked up in a smile making me notice more of his striking features.

He was tall and bulky and I wondered if he was really a doctor or an underground fighter.

"I'm Ksar. I'm glad you decided to join me for dinner, Lena, but I see you brought your little brother along," he stated, and I let out a nervous laugh, my eyes darting to Raphael.

"I'm sorry about this, but he was a bit down so I had him come with me. I hope you don't mind"

His gaze moved from mine to Raphael, his eyes inspecting his face as if he were a fly under a microscope. "I don't mind actually. The more the merrier right?"

I started to nod, then stopped, my eyes flaring as the first alarm bell went off in my head. "How do you know he's my little brother"

He smirked, his eyes pinning mine. "You two look so much alike, it's not difficult to tell."

I glanced at Raphael. "I guess you could say that. This is Raphael, my brother" I introduced with a smile, my stomach lurching as his eyes flickered to Raphael.

I didn't understand the sudden pang of fear, but I bet it had to do with the look in his eyes that screamed at something sinister. But he was being so nice at the moment, that I felt bad thinking the worst of him.

"Hi, Raphael," he drawled as he thrust his palm out for a handshake.

Raphael glanced down at it, an unreadable expression on his face, but I could tell by the tightness of his shoulders that he was just as uncomfortable as I was.

"Sorry man, I don't do handshakes," he said, going for a small wave instead. "It's nice to meet you though"

Ksar scoffed, then grinned and it just made him look more evil.

"You two are really cute. I can't quite decide who I like more," he said, and my brows arched, my gaze darting to Raphael, who was already looking at me, his eyes screaming What the fuck.

"Um, okay," I stuttered nervously, not knowing how to respond, then I glanced around. "Why's the restaurant empty? Did you—"

"—I rented out the place," he said, then leaned toward me, his gaze intense on mine. "I wanted to spend quality time getting to know you"

My heart dropped to the pits of my stomach. I opened my mouth to say something, but Raphael cut in.

"But where's the food? This is supposed to be a dinner date, right? Also, what's with the goth-looking decor?" Raphael asked, stepping closer to me, his fingers subtly grazing my arm.

I glanced at him, knowing he was trying to tell me that something was off with the whole setting.

I stared back at him, hoping he saw that he wasn't the only one getting the creepy vibes.

He smirked, then glanced around the restaurant. "I don't own the restaurant, so you'll have to ask the owner about his choice of decor; as for the food, I am going to be doing the cooking myself. You see, aside from being a doctor, I am quite good at cooking," he bragged, then pointed to the door that led to the kitchen. "If you'll follow me right this way, you can see the kitchen and you'll also get to watch me cook"

I glanced at Raphael. "Can he come along with us?" I asked, and Ksar glanced at him, then grinned again, his eyes glinting in the low lights.

"Of course. I always love an audience when I put on a show"

"That's such a creepy thing to say," Raphael muttered, and the grin drained off Ksar's face, the sudden stoic look making him look lethal.

"What's so creepy about it" he asked, raising his hand to rub at his chin. "The putting on a show or liking to have an audience to appreciate my skills. I'm just trying to impress your sister, Raphael; why does that not sit well with you?" he asked, his eyes fixed on Raphael.

The tension in the air was so thick that it was almost impossible to breathe. I cleared my throat and stepped into his line of vision.

"It's not that deep Ksar, Raphael just blurts things out sometimes so don't take what he said too seriously"

He stared at me as if considering my words, then a smile tugged on his lips. "Is that so? Well he'd better watch his mouth or he's going to get into trouble one of these days"

His words rubbed me in all the wrong way.

I glanced at Raphael, then met his gaze. "He will," I said, then took a few steps back that Raphael matched.

Ksar watched us, his brows arching.

There was something off about him, and for once, I was glad that Raphael had come with me because there was no way I would have been safe with someone like him if I'd come alone.

"Um, you know what," I said, fishing out my phone and glancing down at it. "I'm not sure we'll be able to stay after all. I just got a message and there's been an emergency..."

Raphael nodded quickly and took out his phone as well. "Oh I got a message from Mom too, it must be very serious—"

Ksar's gaze flickered between both of us; then he suddenly burst out laughing, the sound of his voice sending a shiver of fear down my spine.

Raphael cleared his throat and stepped in front of me, his hands balling into fists. "Stop being so creepy dude, you're scaring my sister"

"Am I?" he asked, then pulled his coat to the side, revealing the gun he had. "That's too bad huh, since I haven't even done anything yet"