I fidgeted on my seat, folding my hands on my lap.
“You don’t need to be nervous,” he said gently, mistaking my moves for nervousness instead of uneasiness, which I was grateful for. He sighed. “I know last night's events must have seemed insane, but I have no expectations except spending a nice evening in wonderful company.”
I relaxed a little. “It was a first,” I admitted.
He gave me a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m not even sure what got into me,” he admitted. “It may have been partly due to St-John’s attitude.”
I nodded. “That I can understand. He has a way of…” I stopped talking and chewed on my bottom lip, suddenly realizing that I shouldn't say anything negative about Hugo.
“Rubbing you the wrong way?” he asked knowingly, making me chuckle.
He sighed, relaxing in his seat, and I realized that he was nervous too. “I just wanted to let you know that I’ve already signed the investment agreement and it has already been sent to St-John’s lawyers.”
I cocked my head to the side, a little confused. “I’m not involved in that.”
“I know, but I don’t want you to feel stressed or wary and think it would influence the deal. It’s done, no matter what happens or doesn’t happen tonight.”
I sent him a grateful smile and relaxed completely. He appeared to be a proper ass at the restaurant but I found him pretty decent at the moment.
Once the car parked in front of the Royal Albert Hall, I saw people rushing in or chatting on the steps, all dressed in their best attires. I stopped and looked at the building in awe, knowing that this time, I would finally step in and listen to a true virtuoso in a room that was built to have one of the purest acoustics ever.
“You know, it’s even nicer inside,” James said gently, resting his hand on the small of my back. “It’s certainly warmer.”
“I… Yes.” I pulled my blue and gold pashmina wrap tighter around my shoulders. “I’m sure the inside will be mesmerizing. It’s just—” I shook my head. “I just stopped in front of it so many times, knowing I’d probably never go in, and now I’m here.” I shrugged. “Ah, never mind, let’s go.”
How would a man who could so carelessly spend millions just for a date understand what I meant?
I looked up at him when he didn’t move and locked eyes with him. Had he been looking at me all this time?
“You’ve never been inside?”
I shook my head, chewing on my bottom lip self-consciously, expecting him to maybe laugh at me or belittle me.
Instead, his smile widened. “Thank you,” he replied, gently nudging me forward.
“For what?” I asked as we took the steps up.
“For letting me experience this first time with you. For allowing me to see it through your eyes.”
I felt the heat of the blush going up my neck to my cheeks, but any signs of embarrassment stopped being a concern once I stepped into the warmth, my high heels stopping on the burgundy carpet.
“Allow me.” He extended me his arm and I grabbed it mutedly, letting him navigate us through the crowd and up the stairs as I gawked at everything I could, as if to memorize every single detail while the truth of my situation hit me once more.
I was going to be a mother and I would be leaving London soon, making tonight probably my only chance to experience this.
The box that James had was just as glamorous as I expected it to be, with wide comfortable-looking velvet seats and its own buffet with canapés and champagne. I took my seat before leaning a little over the balcony to look at the people hurrying to their own.
“Champagne?” he asked from behind me.
“Yes,” I replied absentmindedly as I stared at the stunning concert grand piano in a polished ebony finish set in the middle of the stage. “No!” I added quickly, finally processing his question. “I—” I turned to find him holding two champagne glasses. “I don’t drink, sorry.” I gave him a guilty smile, the flush back on my cheeks. “I’m sorry, I wasn't listening, but this GFX is absolutely stunning,” I added, pointing at the piano.
He laughed and shook his head. “Don’t apologize, I suspected based on last night's enthusiasm that I would not be able to compete or steal your attention tonight.” He set one of the champagne glasses on the narrow wooden rail attached to the inside of the balcony and opened a wooden door that hid a mini fridge. I settled for some Perrier, and as I started to sip on the water, he brought me a plate full of canapés.
“Oh, this is really nice. You shouldn’t have.” I looked at the cart by the entrance of the loggia. “I could have gotten some myself.”
He let out a little laugh. “I would be a very poor suitor if I allowed you to do that.”
The discomfort was back as the irrational part of my brain kept telling me I was betraying Hugo.