So she liked to cook Asian food. She was full of surprises. He wasn’t familiar with the family-meal concept, and hadn’t been since he was young. He was a bit envious, imagining having everyone you loved in one place, sharing stories and food and enjoying each other’s company. Sure, Cal was surrounded by people every day. But no one that knew him, not really.

He noticed Ana smile when she saw the dogs being sweet with one another. Cal was pleased the two of them seemed to get along. He’d had no idea how Stella would be around other dogs, and was relieved that she seemed calm and happy with Mishka in her company.

As they spoke, Cal cut into his salmon, taking a bite here and there but not feeling particularly hungry. He had never been much of a lunch guy — in fact, he tended to be running around without time to even think of eating until the evening, when he’d usually just grab something quick from the hotel kitchen, or order takeout. 

When Ana answered, she was a bit distracted, but her words made it so Cal didn’t mind. [i]“You’ve been nice company so far, you and Stella both.”[/i] He beamed. And she didn’t have any plans. Would he be pushing his luck to try and see her once in one weekend? He scratched his chin, considering. He desperately didn’t want the end of this lunch to be the last he’d see of her.

He got an idea, taking advantage of Ana’s distraction, and pulled a pen from his pocket, grabbing a napkin and scribbling on it quickly.

[i]If you’re not sick of my face yet, give me a call sometime. I’d love to see more of yours. 555-1234.[/i]

He leaned under the table with a piece of bread in hand, using the ruse of feeding it to Stella, and gently tucked the folded napkin under Mishka’s collar, careful not to let it tug on her soft fur or cause any discomfort, and that all the white was hidden beneath the collar’s band so that Ana wouldn’t notice it until later. 

He returned his attention to above the table, and caught Ana with a small smile as she typed. Cal felt a pang of jealousy. Perhaps she had a boyfriend. Hell, perhaps she was married. He didn’t see a ring, but that wasn’t entirely uncommon these days. Even after all he’d been learning today, he realized he knew next to nothing about her.

[i]“How would you make it worth my time? The rain doesn’t look like it has plans on stopping soon.”[/i]

Cal grinned. “Well,” he said, “I can think of plenty of indoor activities that could keep us occupied.” He cringed internally. Those types of flirts weren’t going to get him anywhere, he was certain of it, but it had slipped out. He didn’t take it back, however. He didn’t want her doubting for a second that he was attracted to her.

“For instance,” he added smoothly, “The desserts here are to die for. Perhaps we can outlast the rain, heaven knows it’ll be short lived around here. Or, if you’d prefer a change of scenery…” He trailed off, letting the question hang in the air. He was under no assumption that she’d spend more than the bare minimum amount of time she could with him, just to be polite — and perhaps to get a free lunch. But he’d be damned if he wouldn’t try.