Facade

loved so many years ago, but he had changed and I hadn’t changed with him. I still wanted that out-of-work actor who hated to be typecast as the gorgeous piece of meat, the struggling man who had ideals and wouldn’t compromise them for anything. We broke up because he wasn’t that man any more. We broke up when he got a girlfriend because it was better for his career.”

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    “I’m sorry, Jonas.”
    Jonas shook his head and pursed his lips. “Every time I’d come to my house in Spain, the one I used to share with him, he’d show up. He’d tell me how much he missed me and how he needed a man from time to time and couldn’t think of anyone else to turn to, and I was weak. I let him into my house and my bed every single time, but we never managed to capture the magic we had when we were still together. I’ve since explained to him I can’t do it anymore and that I had to put him behind me.”
    “And he accepted that?”
    Jonas nodded. “He’s not a bad guy. He knew that one day someone would walk into my life who did make the magic happen for me and he’d lose me. Now help me eat this amazing dish!” He pushed a piece of bread into Nicky’s hand and dipped his own crust in the leftover melted garlic butter.
    “But we weren’t even together,” Nicky mumbled, trying to chew the bread and talk at the same time.
    “Yes, but the feelings I had for you made me understand that I had to do it. Now eat!”
    Nicky dipped his bread into the garlic butter, a little hesitantly at first, but with growing confidence, and soon the plate was wiped clean.
    “I like your hair this way,” Jonas remarked. “It looks nice shorter.”
    “Long story,” Nicky admitted, rolling his eyes.
    “We have all night,” Jonas tried.
    Just as Nicky took in a deep breath to start speaking, a little bell sounded.
    “That will be the main course,” Nicky said, clearly relieved.
    “Saved by the bell!” Jonas laughed.
    Just moments later, Nicky reappeared with two plates.
    “Salmon or Filet Pure?”

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    Zahra
    Owens
    “Ooh, tough choice,” Jonas said, knotting his eyebrows.
    “You’re eating with me, I hope?”
    Nicky nodded, still standing there with the clearly hot plates.
    “What’s your favorite?”
    Nicky shrugged. “I like both, they’re the signature dishes of this restaurant….”
    “In that case, why don’t you give me one, you start with the other and we can switch half way?”
    It seemed to take Nicky a few moments to contemplate this strange idea but he eventually conceded, and Jonas actually saw a smile appear on the young man’s face as he put the salmon down in front of Jonas and the steak next to it before sitting down. “Hang on,” he said casually, for the briefest of moments touching Jonas’s arm with his hand and then getting up again to return almost immediately with a glass, a handful of cutlery and a napkin.
    “Good,” Jonas smiled. “Now I don’t feel so lonely anymore.” There was still some tension in the air as they dug into their plates. Not as much as when the evening started but it could definitely improve, Jonas thought, so he wanted to try and make Nicky feel a bit more at ease.
    “This salmon is out of this world!” he exclaimed as he put a piece on his fork, covered it with a small amount of sauce and presented it to Nicky. Just like with the garlic butter and bread, Nicky looked at it and then at Jonas. When he opened his mouth to accept it, his look was a lot more seductive than the first time.
    “Mmm, I agree,” Nicky replied even before he’d swallowed most of it. “Want to try the filet?”
    Jonas nodded. “I want to know why you felt you owed me an apology, though. Besides the fact you stalked me and trespassed on my property to see me.”
    The smile left Nicky’s face immediately and he put his fork and knife down on his plate.

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    “Don’t stop eating, it’ll get cold and that would be a shame,” Jonas added, trying to keep the conversation light despite knowing it wouldn’t be an easy discussion.
    Nicky cut off a piece of the meat and let Jonas take it with his own fork. “I don’t know where to start,” Nicky whispered.
    “Anywhere will do. Just tell me what you need to tell me. You organized all this, don’t back out now, Nicky.” Jonas could tell it was hard on the young man, but he knew that if he didn’t push through now, the designer would stop showing him the real Nicky because that was what Jonas thought he