The Wine
Story wished Malfoy was more specific about what restaurant he wanted to go. She asked Daphne a list of high-end restaurant Malfoy would love. Daphne thought they were already dating.
“No!” Story dismissed her sister’s accusation with her flustered face. “We’re just friends, Daph!”
“Yeah, sure,” Daphne laughed. “Friend date exists, for your information.”
Story threw her pillow to Daphne who was rolling in her bed gleefully.
In the end, Story found one that was affordable and not too crowded but served excellent quality meals. None of their acquaintances will discover them. She wouldn’t lose so much money. She had tried it once before she wrote to Malfoy about the dinner invitation.
“If he doesn’t like the restaurant, then he can’t complain about it,” Daphne frowned after Story expressed her concern that morning. “He asked you to invite him for dinner. He shouldn’t complain with whatever you’re giving him.”
Story took a deep breath before stepping into the restaurant. “I’ve made reservation for Greengrass. Astoria Greengrass.”
The waiter led her to a private room with a table of two at the middle of a small but brightly lit room. Just when she was about to sit down, Malfoy appeared at the door. That evening, he finally had a white shirt beneath his black suit and grey vest which looked so fresh and enchanting in her eyes after repetitively seeing him in his favourite all-black attire.
“I thought you were going to be fashionably late,” Story chuckled.
Malfoy took a seat across her and dropped the napkin in his lap. “Fashionably late is a stupid culture. It makes you look ridiculous because people might think you can’t read the clock very well.”
Meanwhile people around her loved to be fashionably late, especially her grandmother.
The waiter entered the room and served them the book menu, bread and butter. While reading the menu, sometimes she would steal some glances at him. He burrowed his eyebrow while reading as if none of the dishes in the menu were to his liking.
“Can I order some wine?” Malfoy suddenly asked after they ordered some food to the waiter. “Do you want to drink?”
Story nodded. “Sure. I’ll just have a glass or two.”
“Hello, Sir. I will help you with your wine order.” A sommelier approached them and handed the wine list to Malfoy. “This is our wine list.”
Malfoy studied the list for a moment before he handed it to Story. “I’ll let you choose.”
Her eyes widened in panic. “Wait, what? Why?”
“You said you wanted to learn how to recognise a good wine, didn’t you? Now is your chance.”
“I-I don’t really understand about wine.” Story nervously looked at Malfoy. “What if you don’t like my choice?”
“You’re the host of this dinner. You get to decide what both of us will drink. You have the sommelier to help you as well.” He looked conflicted for a second before he added, “You can do it, Greengrass.”
She hesitantly looked at the wine list.
The sommelier really helped a lot, thankfully. She answered various questions about her preference before the sommelier recommended some wine that would suit her palette and also fit with their dishes combined. Sometimes, she glanced at Malfoy, guessing his preference before adding it to her list of preference.
“Excellent choice,” The sommelier beamed after Story finally decided what to drink. “I will bring the wine shortly. Excuse me.”
Once they were back alone, Story couldn’t help staring at the door, wondering when the sommelier would return. It was a tough decision to make because the wine was more expensive than she had expected. So, it had to be really good or—
“You’re stressing me out,” Malfoy suddenly commented.
Story turned to him. “I’m sorry?”
“Calm down,” he urged. “The wine is going to be good. Trust me.”
The sommelier returned to place the wine glass before he left again. Then, he returned with a bottle of wine presented to her. He read aloud the label for her. After uncorking it, he poured a small amount of red wine into her glass, asking her to taste it first.
“Taste it?” Story frowned. “Why?”
“You have the right to check if the wine is still in a good condition to drink,” the sommelier explained kindly. “We will get you a new bottle if the wine is tainted or oxidized.”
She frowned. “But I don’t know how to see if the wine is tainted—”
“You’ve had a glass of wine before, haven’t you?” Malfoy joined the conversation impatiently. “Just have a sip. If you taste something bad or foreign in your mouth, describe it to the sommelier. He’ll figure it out.”
She brought the glass to her lips and took a sip. Sweet, sour and bitter played an orchestra in her mouth without overpowering each other. Other than that, she didn’t taste anything else.
She turned to the sommelier. “It’s good.”
The sommelier then moved to Malfoy’s side and began pouring the red wine into his glass, then he did the same to her. He put the bottle on the coaster on the table and left the room.
Story carefully watched Malfoy swirled his glass of wine and sniffed the liquid before bringing the rim to his lips. She couldn’t help staring at the way his lips parted and the dark red liquid brushed against his upper lip before sliding into his mouth.
She tried to look at anything but the fine man before her. Why am I staring at his lips?
Suddenly, the room became too quiet like the examination room in Hogwarts. Worse, she actually felt like she was doing an exam, waiting for her result. She wondered if she actually missed something when tasting the wine. Should she have sent the wine back? Was there something wrong? Why wasn’t he saying anything?
“So,” she broke the silence when she couldn’t bear it anymore, “how is it?”
He put down his glass and glanced at her. She felt like holding her breath.
“You should’ve believed me,” he began with a hint of irk but also glee in his voice, as if he didn’t know whether to scold or praise her, “when I said that the wine is going to be good.”
It took a moment for her mind to sink in before she could finally exhale deeply. It felt like someone had lifted the burden off her chest.
“See? I was right. You can do it,” He finally decided to scold her but she could see him trying not to raise his voice. “You had the sommelier to help you. What were you worrying about? Why didn’t you want to listen to me?”
“I’ve never done this before. I didn’t know what my wine order would taste like,” she argued. “I’m sorry for making you worry, alright? I won’t do that again next time. I promise.”
He raised his eyebrow. “Next time?”
She realised what she had just said and pressed her lips.
“Our meals haven’t arrived yet and you’re already planning for the second dinner.” He snickered. “You can’t get enough of me, can you?”
Did he just use her comeback against her?
“Cat got your tongue?” He kept going with his smirk plastered annoyingly but attractively on his face. “Well, Greengrass?"
“How can I get enough of you,” she fired back as seductive as she could after taking another huge sip of her wine for courage, “when you’re such a fine and ravishing man?”
She felt his darkened stormy eyes pinning her body against her seat, ready to strike wherever he wanted.
“Well, do take notes for me,” he said with his unusual tantalizing and low voice which sent chills down her spine, “that you’re not the only one.”
Heat began to pool in her guts. She pressed both of her legs together. Her heartbeat pounded wildly against her rib cage. Slowly, she felt his gaze trailed up and lingered on her parted lips.
Story took a deep breath. “I—"
She almost jumped out of her seat when the waiter and the sommelier entered the private room unannounced. The waiter served their meals. The sommelier refilled their wine glasses. They hurriedly left and the room was once again in a pregnant silence.
Story stole a glance at Malfoy. He looked like nothing had happened. Calm and composed like he had always been when he speared his medium rare steak.
Meanwhile, she couldn’t distinguish the flame inside her throughout the evening.