The Chrysalis Project - Chapter 18

“What else was I supposed to cut it with?!” I practically screamed but withheld my voice at the last second. I hadn’t forgotten that we were still in a fancy restaurant, and we could very well be kicked out for my loud ass voice.

At this moment in time, Hayden Whitehall had already been withholding his laughter for a good couple of seconds but had ultimately given in and let out a snort of laughter.

“You don’t,” he said in between laughs, “those bruschettas are in small squares for a reason, just eat it with your hands.”

“Oh my god, stop laughing!” I glared, “You’re going to attract unnecessary attention and as obnoxious as this restaurant sounds they seem like the type to kick people out.”

“Look around you,” Hayden said, still gently laughing, “there’s no one here for a reason. I specifically requested no other guests in this area because I knew you’d fuck up somehow. We’re only eating appetizers and you’ve already managed to send food flying, I can’t imagine what you’re going to do next.”

“So you invited me to dinner not to congratulate but to make fun of me?” I asked seriously, feeling betrayed.

“No,” Hayden responded, this time he looked more serious, “I invited you to dinner to congratulate you, and I specifically requested no one to be around us, including the staff because I knew you’d be too stubborn to ask me for help and I didn’t want you to embarrass yourself just in case.”

“So Francine leaving and not talking is because you told her not to?”

“Something like that, also I really didn’t think you’d fuck yourself over at the first dish being served, but it was really funny.”

I rolled my eyes, “uh-huh.”

“Now eat your food and just use your hands,” Hayden smiled, “it’s highly nutritional and good for you like everything else in this restaurant.”

“What about that piece on the floor?” I asked nervously while staring at the mess I had made.

“It’s fine, people here know to not ask questions or speak of what was said at these tables.”

“Okay then,” I said as I cautiously picked up the other intact half of the bruschetta and placed it into my mouth.

“Is it good?” Hayden asked curiously as I munched.

“Mhm,” I voiced and nodded in response, at this point I really didn’t want to look more ill-mannered than before, so it was better to just shut my mouth while there is still food in it.

“Good, eat it all and I will call Francine over with the main course for tonight,” Hayden said, “and don’t worry, the next round is not finger food and something you should be familiar with already.”

I continued to nod as I slowly stuffed myself with these glorified salmon cookies into my mouth. They were really delicious, the saltiness of the salmon and caviar balanced well with the soft cheese that I could not name. The bruschetta, which now I know was some kind of Italian hard bread slice, balanced all the rest of the ingredients out perfectly. I would be lying if I said that this wasn’t enjoyable, it was delicious and certainly a new experience I will remember.

Once I was finished my entire plate of food, I silently watched Hayden finish his Foie Gras. I didn’t really know what it was anyway, but it looked expensive and dangerously delicious. His gestures were delicate but precise, and he made dining etiquette look like child’s play, which was impressive in the least. As soon as he finished his last piece of food on the plate, he gestured at Francine, who seemed to be hiding but discreetly waiting for Hayden orders from afar, to come to the table.

Within a minute or two, Francine carried two large plates to our table. She smiled at the both of us when she approached, but stayed silent for the most part and avoided eye contact most of the time. She placed the two large plates in front of Hayden and me and gently reached for the appetizer plates to take away. Meanwhile, I decided to sip on my wine while Hayden checked his phone while this was happening. Hayden always seemed to be on his phone for some reason, and I wasn’t sure if he was just texting his friends or actually waiting for some important text or call. Before I could realize, Francine bowed once more as a sign of respect before disappearing again.

“We’re at a fancy restaurant with beautiful views and you decide to spend your time on the phone?” I asked.

“Sorry,” Hayden said as he realized. He continued to place his phone in his pockets and smiles back at me.

“Not the first time, you’re always on your phone.”

“Eh, being a Whitehall means I always have important business to deal with at all times, so it’s a force of habit,” he explained casually and he took a sip of wine.

“I thought you told me you don’t meddle with your parents’ business?” I followed immediately, getting slightly suspicious now.

“I didn’t say it was my parents’ business,” Hayden eyed back, “why are you so interested all of a sudden? It’s not really your concern.”

“I-I am your assistant, I should know what you’re doing most of the time if I’m going to be useful,” I blurted.

“Alright,” Hayden sighed in defeat, “you win. But that’s for another day when you get to know me and my world a little better since it would make absolutely no sense now. I promise I will explain it to you when it’s time, and I’m sure you’ll want to participate too.”

“Sounds like a promise,” I smiled, not wanting to press further.

“Of course,” he smiled back, “anyway, our dishes are getting cold so we should probably dig in right about now.”

“You didn’t introduce them this time,” I pointed out as I sipped some more wine, “I can guess what we have but I really don’t want to embarrass myself again.”

“I got you filet mignon, and I got a rack of lamb,” Hayden said as he gestured the two dishes, “there’s some sauce underneath your meat for you to dip, and mine comes with couscous and some veggies. Anything else you need to know?”

“I think I’m good,” I sighed as I picked up the steak knife and fork, looking directly at the piece of extremely tender looking meat, I gulped, “here goes nothing.”

My steak knife pierced into the surface of the filet mignon at the first try, and the world was not crumbling down on me. I exhaled in relief and continued to cut through the meat. Although the filet mignon looked tender, it took some arm strength to repeatedly cut a single piece off of the main slab of meat. By the time I had cut my fifth slice, my arms are getting extremely tired.

“You know, you’re supposed to cut along the grain, not against,” Hayden chuckled as he placed a piece of lamb into his mouth.

“They don’t teach that in school,” I said quietly, looking defeated and placing both my knife and fork down.

“Maybe not in yours, but damn you really scratched the plate like you were doing some serious DJ-ing or something,” Hayden said slightly amused.

“Was it really that loud?” I asked, “I didn’t even notice.”

“It’s bad enough, all I could hear was you scratching your steak knife back and forth when you got to the end were the meat met the plate.”

“Damn it,” I sighed, “I’m sorry, I really need to take an etiquette class or something. First the bruschetta and now this, I am so embarrassed, ” I covered my face with both of my palms in shame.

“It’s fine, today is about you, stop worrying,” Hayden said as he reached out and grabbed my arm so I can stop hiding, “I can teach you all of this stuff later, just enjoy the food and I’ll stop teasing you.”

“Fine, but I’m really skeptical of dessert now,” I said while looking at the sad piece of bruschetta that I had left on the floor in disappointment.

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