Isha

I have only dreamt of attending a three Michelin star restaurant. Never have I ever even felt that I could receive the opportunity of stepping inside such a heavenly abode. I can peacefully die now, no questions required.

Well, I did have plans of making money and being rich (if I could ever become a famous author) but reality is not as easy as it seems. I have enough confidence to think I could acquire this dream of mine but probably in some twenty or more years.

"Where did you get lost, Miss Sen?" Calix asks when he finds me dreamily gazing at the six-storey, extravagant building in front of me.

"Oh, just," I laugh, being flustered by my actions. I cannot possibly let the prince know how broke I am, in comparison to him. "The building is really beautiful, Your Royal Highness."

"Is it?" Calix tilts his head, following where I am staring at, "I have never paid much attention to the buildings where I have dined at, perhaps."

Because you are a prince of a country, Prince High Horse. My face twitches at the most appropriate words willing to flow out of my candid mouth. But I restrain myself due to the presence of paparazzi swarming around us. Presently, they are being obstructed by the royal guards from reaching and bombarding us with their various questions. However, one cannot simply ignore their presence.

Unknowingly, my eyes move to the hands resting beside Calix. He appears to be a lot more at ease now.

"Shall we head inside then?" Calix asks, offering his arm at the same time.

I take it and look at the building in front of me, "We shall." 

Only I know how hard I am trying to contain the outburst of squeals.

As soon as we step inside through the automatic sliding door, I find myself in a luxurious reception. Chandelier hanging from the ceiling, artificial candles and flowers with fresh scents ornamenting the area, take my breath away. But what intrigues me is that I can notice no guest around. Is everyone dining at the same time and that is why the reception area is so vacant?

"Why's the restaurant so...empty?" curiosity gets the best of me and I whisper to Calix, as soon as one of the staff greets us and proceeds to lead us to our reserved table.

Calix shrugs nonchalantly, "The paparazzi were getting on my nerves and I had some important matters to discuss with you. Hence, I reserved the entire restaurant for tonight."

"Are you crazy?" I put a palm on my mouth when I feel the gaped stares and realise that I had just yelled at a prince. Thank God no paparazzi is around us, or I would have been in the headlines of tomorrow's newspaper.

Calix seems unfazed. He simply glances at me with a raised eyebrow, as if judging me. I clench my fists, trying to calm down. It is only natural that a member of the royal family will not be thrifty like me. Reserving three Michelin star restaurants for a night is a piece of cake for them.

"I apologize for raising my voice," clearing my throat, I say, "But, isn't reserving a restaurant too much? We might be ruining others' plans for the night—"

"Not my problem."

It seems I am trapped in the presence of someone who is more arrogant than a high horse can ever be. He is enough conceited than I had expected him to be. No wonder the title Prince High Horse suits him so well.

But I cannot stop my brain from pondering about the amount of money that has been spent on reserving this restaurant, and that also, just for one night.

My thrifty self could never.

"Please stop thinking about the money. It isn't a matter of your concern." Calix says, almost as if he has read my mind. Well, I guess I am just easily interpreted by others.

I do not argue further and keep following Calix and the staff.

After walking through the sumptuous halls and taking an elevator capable of holding more than fifteen people, we finally end up at the top floor.

My heels click behind, on the grandeur marble floor, and I take in the stunning view. I can't help but think that perhaps I should not care about the money spent on this fake date and enjoy the night while I'm here. Even though Prince Calix isn't my first choice of person to spend such a magnificent night with.

All the other opulent dining tables are empty, except for one. The one round table with two chairs, which is placed in the centre of the hall, offers the best nightscape view. It is enough to blurry the nosiness of the paparazzi and others, swarming around the restaurant.

I look up in surprise when Calix pulls a chair for me to sit. In a true princely manner. I can sense the displeasure oozing off him, considering how both of us aren't fond of one another but have to continue the date for the sake of her fake relationship. Still, I appreciate his gentlemanly behaviour.

"Thank you," I say smiling, receiving the infamous curt nod in response.

While the prince takes his sweet time in settling down opposite to me, I have a look at the flower vase adorning the centre of the round table. My eyes widen when I find real rubies engraved in the exterior of the vase.

"These are...all real?" I ask, my fingers lining around the precious gems.

"Oh yes, Madam," the staff replies while handing two menu cards to both of us, "Each and every flower vase in this hall has rubies engraved in them. Similarly, in the other dining halls, there are different gems like sapphires, emeralds, amethysts engraved in the vases."

My oh my, if dacoits were to know about this place, they would have been having a feast on expensive gemstones.

"We will call for you once we finish deciding on the menu," with Calix's instruction, the staff bows and exits from the hall. Now that I notice, there is also a switch attached to the table, to call for the restaurant staff.

My eyes move over to the night view. It seems we have travelled quite far away from Nirvana, as I can clearly see the gigantic palace from here, with the flag of Syncitia dancing in the wind, on top of it. The other buildings, and lights produced from houses, market, and such of the capital Euthensia, glimmer brightly under the starry hue of the dazzling night sky.

"What would you like to order? They have a variety of food."

Calix's voice breaks me away from my awestruck state of mind. "Oh yes," I mumble and pick up the menu card in front of me.

As I keep reading through the names of the dishes and flip through the pages, I come to the ultimate realisation that I am not aware about half of the food mentioned here.

Beluga Caviar with fried Wagyu Beef, Matsutake Mushroom Broth, Lobster Trap Truffle Mac 'N Cheese, Sparkling Gold Biriyani, Mélange de Sushi et Jambon, Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Frittata, and so many more. I am not even seeing the prices listed beside because for sure I'd be dead at one glance. From my peripheral vision, I did catch the price of a side dish, which was enough to make my blood pressure abnormally high. 2,50,000 miro (Syncitian Currency) for mayonnaise and nachos dipped in some expensive cheese and sauce? Does this absurdity even make sense?

Perhaps I should be happy with the sparkling water which probably costs higher than my salary, for tonight.

"What would you like to order then, Your Royal Highness and Madam?"

When did he—

I have been so engrossed in calculating the cost prices, trying to Google all the dishes, and scanning through the pages in order to find something which does not blind me in the eyes with the high amount, that I didn't notice the waiter arriving. Even when Prince Calix has strictly forbidden me to pay for anything, I cannot help but feel tensed. Well, I am not in the position of entering such restaurants and bold of him to assume I have enough money to even order an appetizer. I can afford the water at the very least.

"For appetizer," Calix begins while keeping his gaze on the menu card in his hands, "I would like to order one plate of Deviled Eggs with Butternut Squash Purèe; soup would be Chicken Gnocchi Soup with Coriander toppings. For my main course, one Italian Chicken Salad, and one slow-cooked Lamb Risotto Vanilla Mushroom. Finally, I would like to have Golden Pistachio Classic Sundae for dessert. That would be all."

I gulp when both the eyes turn to me. Calix's with curiosity as to why I am not stating my order, and the waiter's with judgement and underlying mockery, because of me being a commoner and dining with a prince at a lavishing restaurant. Should I just make some lucky guess? I am familiar with Biriyani, but the price is simply an over-exaggeration.

"I don't have an appetite," I sheepishly say while trying to hide my growling stomach, "Just the water will be alright."

The waiter looks flabbergasted at my answer. Trust me brother, I have never been more embarrassed in my life than I am right now.

As for Calix, I can barely look him in the eye. He is probably snickering under his breath.

"My girlfriend will have the same," Calix says to him, startling me in the process, "Please double the dishes. Thank you."

"Alright, Your Royal Highness," and with a hesitant look, the waiter leaves the hall.

"You do not have any food allergy, do you?"

I shake my head, while still processing what just happened. I thought he would be irritated, ashamed, or even openly mock me, but I never expected Calix to handle my situation so smoothly.

"That is a relief then," Calix says.

"Uhm...thank you for..." I stutter, unable to form the right words.

"It's alright," a faint smile appears at the corner of his lips, "It is nothing to be embarrassed about. That is why I have ordered few of the best dishes of this restaurant."

Oh. He has already sensed about my lack of knowledge on such luxurious dishes. That's very...understanding of Prince High Horse.

"Thank you once again, Your Royal High—"

"Calix."

I blink not once, not twice but thrice. "I'm sorry?"

Calix's gaze pierces right through me as he utters his next words through that sensual, honey dripping, deep, frigid, yet soft voice of his.

"We are in a relationship now, aren't we? It is Calix for you for the time being, Isha."

Be calm, thou perfidious heart.

"So, you grew up in India? Which state?"

"West Bengal," I reply, taking a mouthful of delicious, juicy, lamb risotto, "My entire family, including relatives and all are there, scattered around in different states of India. But the majority of them reside in West Bengal. Except for my siblings."

"Oh?" Calix frowns with intrigue, "You have siblings?"

"Yes. Two sisters. One older and one younger. The younger's name is Anvi Sen, and she is in her senior year at university. As for our eldest sister, Aria Sen, she is a businesswoman."

"What is her company's name?"

"Sen Designs. She is both the CEO and Chairwoman of her company."

Calix's eyes, as expected, widen at the new information. The reaction is understandable. Sen Designs falls under the Top 15 most established and successful companies of Syncitia. The company is also famous for producing good quality clothes for every person, regardless of their age, gender, size, or weight. Well my sister, who is almost thirty now, did work hard to bring her business to where it is today.

"Then you must be well-off," Calix says, just like every person when they learn who my elder sister is.

The prince must have sensed my bitter smile, as he quickly apologizes, "That was rude of me. I shouldn't have assumed before knowing anything."

"It's fine, apology accepted." I sigh exhaustedly. "I am familiar with the reaction."

"Would you like to tell me the reason? Of course, if you are comfortable, that is."

"Well, for the start, my sister is wealthy. However, the three of us do not stay together, as we have been raised in such a way where we learn to become self-dependent. When I first moved to Syncitia for my education, I was supported financially by my parents till I graduated from university. The same was done to Aria. Presently, Anvi is being supported in a similar manner. After that, we are all on our own. Aria worked quite hard after completing her higher studies, you see. She didn't reach where she is today by just relaxing.

I am working hard similarly, and although I do have a job as a teacher, and get paid sufficient amount of money, but in terms of economic status, Aria and I are a lot different. I am happy, but it is...not enough.

It's not that our parents will turn their backs on us or one of us will do so if we need help, but then what is the use of being self-dependent, right? Also, you cannot become successful without struggling in life."

I glance at Calix to find him listening patiently to my words, with that unreadable expression of his.

I ultimately decide to draw the conclusion. "Hence, it just displeases me when people assume I am rich too just because Aria is. Their assumption either is that I am in a financially higher position in society, or am receiving economical help from her. Of course, people cannot know everything at first glance, but it's not that they try to listen to my words, anyway."

Silence prevails for one or two moments. I cannot help but wonder if I have revealed too much. Perhaps I should have said something else and moved on. What if he thinks I am a naive, open-book who easily trusts everyone?

"I like that," Calix says after a while.

"Sorry?"

"I like the concept of being self-dependent and your parents' way of upbringing their children. It will help you in the long run, Isha."

"Yeah." This is new. I haven't received such a response before.

"Tell me more about your family," Calix says not long after, "How many members do you have in your family, including your relatives and parents?"

"Hmm, it would be hard to give an exact answer," I hum before answering, "But it should be more than two-hundred, from both my parents' side."

Calix chokes on his food, as he looks at me with a startled look, "Excuse me?"

"What?" I shrug, "Indian families are big, you know."

"Seems so. And your parents are still now in India, I suppose?"

I nod, "They do come to visit us three on holidays though, when five of us gather at Aria's house."

"Must be nice," Calix trails off with a distant look for some reason before regaining his composure.

"I must say, I was surprised at your knowledge of overcoming, er, breakdowns back there."

I smile, suddenly proud of my parents and their profession, "My mother is a psychologist and, father a physiotherapist."

"Ah, so that is how you have acquired all the knowledge with massages at the right place and advice for anxiety."

"Absolutely."

A hesitant expression forms on Calix's face. He asks timidly, "Could I ask you to not reveal about my anxiety or breakdown to anyone, please?"

I shake my head, "Don't worry, Your Royal—Calix. It is not my place to reveal anything, anyway."

"Thank you."

And after that followed basic questions here and there, however, Calix appeared a lot secretive. He must have his reasons, and I am no one to pry on it.

While I wipe my lips with the fresh napkin, Calix asks, "Well then, how was the date?"

I ponder for a bit, wondering if I should reveal the truth and crush down his pride. I do reveal the truth at last.

"It was alright," I say, silently having fun at Calix's sudden drop of prideful emotions, "Not up to my taste but alright. Kind of monotonous, but what more could I possibly expect from dining at such a restaurant, right?"

"What do you mean by terming the date as monotonous?" Calix fumbles at my response, "One of the staffs at Nirvana said that maximum number of young women love to have their dates at deluxe restaurants and hotels."

"The person must be inexperienced when it comes to dating," I tsk with a synthetic hue of pity, "Poor Calix. I suppose you don't have much dating experience. Don't worry, I'll teach you—"

I want to laugh at his flustered red face so bad.

With an irritated tone, he snaps, "I would like to know your ideal type because I'm sure I am the ideal type of almost every person in Syncitia."

I blow at my fingernails, deliberately ignoring Calix, in an attempt to tease him. "Let's hear your ideal type first."

Calix clears his throat before giving the most blatant answer. "Elegant, poised, well-mannered and knowledgeable in royal etiquettes—"

"You might as well say that King Richard is your ideal type."

Calix chokes on air this time. "That is extremely inappropriate, Isha."

"I didn't say anything inappropriate," I blink innocently, "It's not my problem that your mind was headed to a different direction."

I chuckle lightly, seeing the ruffled state of Calix. It's fun to see him being at a loss for words.

He inhales and exhales loudly before saying, "What is your ideal type then, Isha?"

I lean forward, with my face resting on top of my arms, "I like men who are willing to take the risk. We only live once, you know. I want someone with whom I can have and experience that thrill in life. With whom I can travel the world, go on perilous adventures. Who can make my life seem like I am living in a Disney movie. Moreover, I want someone who is respectful, honest, and kind. Looks don't matter, honestly. Personality is what shines best for me."

When I finish explaining my ideal type, Calix asks, being clearly annoyed, "So, you are suggesting that I am boring?"

"I am not suggesting," I cheekily grin, "I am being completely honest."

"Well, I plan on differing from your opinions," Calix's lips twist infuriatingly, before announcing the most absurd thing he could ever say.

"Four dates, Isha," Calix says, determination shining in those blue eyes of his, "Two arranged by you and two by me. By the end of the second date from my side, your perspective about me being boring will completely change."

I do love a little competition.

Without any hesitancy, I shake the outstretched hand of Calix, our burning gazes clashing with one another. "Fine. Then I'll see how you try not to be boring at the dates arranged by you and me."

Calix grips my hand tighter, me following suit.

"The bet is on, then."

"It is," Calix answers. "However, do not fall for me in the midst, Isha. That's neither a part of our fake relationship agreement nor the bet."

A smug smile appears on my face.

"As if I would ever fall for the Prince Calix. Don't get your hopes up high, or you'll float too far into your delusions, Calix."