A/N: Okay, the story gets better as it goes on, trust me. But I wanna say thank you to all of my reviewers! You guys are great! Keep on reviewing!
Chapter Two: The Restaurant
The next night was Friday, the day of Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye's scheduled dinner date. Roy had picked the most expensive restaurant he knew of – an Italian joint called Piazzo's – and had already made the reservations. The manager was eager to bend to Roy's every will once he found out the man's title. Vice President of any branch at WorldSpin International was not a poor position. Mr. Mustang obviously had a bank account that could fill a whole armored car and twelve funeral hearses; who was the manager to explain that reservations needed to be made three days in advance?
Roy had Table 3 booked for that night's date. Table 3 was in the far left corner of the restaurant, separated from the rest of the public by a fancy divider with red velvet curtains and a ritzier, more sophisticated version of Christmas lights strung along its perimeter. The table itself was a small one - a two-seater - perfect for a nice, romantic date such as theirs.
Piazzo's was about nine miles away from WorldSpin International, in a line of restaurants all geared toward the wealthier people in town. Roy himself lived nearby – in a large, three-storied house just short of being a mansion. In Roy's home, there was a grand master bedroom with a double bed which he shared with no one, two elegant full bathrooms, and a massive dining area and kitchen on the main floor alone, as well as a TV room, home theater, and home office. The owner of Piazzo's restaurant had picked a smart place to build their restaurant – just within reach of a bunch of rich stiffs.
Roy had no idea where Riza lived, nor did he really care. He figured that she lived in the same part of town as he did – the well-developed ritzy area with fountains in every front yard. Roy himself had a nice fountain with the bust of a woman spouting clear freshwater from her throat. All he hoped was that Riza was able to find the restaurant okay.
Riza Hawkeye had never read of a place called Piazzo's restaurant until yesterday, when Roy called her and suggested it as the place for their date. She still couldn't believe she had accepted to "get to know" the vice president of WorldSpin International, Central Branch, Department of Human Resources. He was rich, snobby, a bigot, and, according to a few of the other employees, a disgusting pervert. Why in the hell did I agree to this…? Riza found herself thinking as she got into her blue 2002 Ford Escape almost an hour before their scheduled meet time. She had printed out a map of the city and circled the restaurant's location, hoping that she wouldn't get lost on her way there. She lived on the complete opposite end of town – the poorer side.
Roy waited several more minutes at his house, perfecting his already quite handsome image, straightening his tie, freshening his breath with the cinnamon-flavored Listerine Pocket Packs he enjoyed so much, and practicing his smile before he left. God, he was attractive. He loved looking at himself.
Finally, he packed an ample supply of cash for a tip into his wallet and sauntered out of the house and into his classy, brand-new black 2005 Audi A8 L W12 that had cost him well over one hundred thousand dollars. He had at least three Audis in his garage – one for every occasion. The A8 was the "romantic date" car.
Automatically, his garage door opened, and Roy slithered out like a snake into the night, accelerating the gas to speed as fast as he could to Piazzo's restaurant. He always went as fast as he possibly could to places, just to show off. Cops never ticketed him. What was the point in ticketing someone who has enough money to pay twelve thousand parking tickets and would never learn from his mistakes?
He made it to Piazzo's with about ten minutes to spare, dressed to impress in a new, pressed black Armani suit. His tie was wine-red, and he straightened it once more before entering the ritzy building. A doorman greeted him, gloved hands opening the shimmering glass-paned doors and welcoming him in.
An aroma of fresh Italian pastas and sauces assaulted him as Roy walked into the restaurant. The smell of some noodle dish dripping in Alfredo sauce made Roy's mouth water. Walking up to the pretty hostess, he leaned on her podium and murmured, "Reservations for Table 3 tonight, miss." He winked and flashed a smile (which she ignored), and followed her to the back of the restaurant. He had told Riza he would meet her at the table.
Several minutes later, Riza pulled into the parking area for Piazzo's restaurant and grabbed her purse, just barely remembering to lock her car. She knew she was late, though why she cared confused her. Vice President Jerkwad deserved to have people walk in on him late every now and then…
Brushing a few stray blonde hairs from her face, Riza was let in by the polite doorman and met with the not-as-polite pretty hostess. "Uh, reservation for Table 3?" she asked, slightly out of breath. She had never been to a restaurant where she needed to have a reservation.
The hostess, who was still annoyed with the look Vice President Mustang had given her, sighed and led Riza to the table where Roy was sitting. Riza's mouth nearly dropped open. The décor around it was exquisite; remakes of Da Vinci paintings, lighting dim enough to cast a sultry mood but bright enough to see every inch of Roy's stunning face, velvet cushions and curtains and wax candles as a centerpiece, dripping hot crimson wax as they burned down their wicks. Riza had never been in a place that reeked of so much… poshness. Nervously, she took a seat.
Roy grinned at her, inclining his head just enough to send the candlelight casting haunting shadows beneath his eyes and chin. Riza's heart pounded. Vice President Mustang was easily the most attractive and handsome man she had seen in all her life. She wanted badly to check her own face in a mirror and see how much she paled in comparison to the man of such beauty, but she kept her compact tightly closed in her cheap black purse. Instead, she contented herself with tucking the stray hairs from before behind her ear and offering Roy her most polite smile.
Roy had looked Riza up and down while she was standing in front of him, and he sort of liked what he saw. He would've preferred someone more like Pamela Anderson, but he would make do with what he had. This Riza Hawkeye was quite attractive, just a little plain.
She was wearing a long-sleeved light cotton button-up blouse with the top button undone to reveal a locket pendant. Adorning her lean legs were black polyester slacks that made her appear taller and thinner, and on her feet were soft brown loafers that looked a little worn-in. It was classy and sophisticated, yes, but Roy was hoping for something a little more… exotic and showy.
Stumbling a bit over his words, Roy meant to say "You look nice", but ended up saying to Riza, "You look… conservative", to which Riza frowned.
Conservative? The nerve of him! What was he expecting? A Brazilian prostitute…? Riza immediately decided that she did not like Roy Mustang. Not one bit. Each stab at conversation that Roy made throughout the rest of the dinner was met with a terse and curt reply that consisted of the least amount of words possible it took to get the point across.
Roy ordered the most expensive thing on the menu once their salad and first round of wine were finished. Riza did the same, taking any chance she could to expend Roy's money. Might as well take advantage of it… There's only so many opportunities you get to eat a forty-dollar dish of shrimp scampi…
"You enjoy seafood then?" Roy asked once Riza had finished ordering. Riza shrugged, not looking at Roy. Roy winced and knew he'd blown it with the "conservative" comment. Stupid, stupid! Why did you say that? he mentally reprimanded himself. He wanted to bash his head against the table, but he'd save that for the office.
Riza didn't attempt any conversation, leaving Roy to sweat in his expensive-cut Armani suit as he tried to talk to her. He was on the verge of giving up by the time dessert came around, and the two of them enjoyed their fried ice cream nearly in silence.
Finally, it was about time to part, and Roy couldn't be happier. Riza also couldn't wait to get back into her own car and drive home with a smile on her face. She knew how much Roy suffered during their silent date, and the thought that she could completely shut out the pompous vice president and his beguiling ways amused her. And she would've gone home peacefully and with a feeling of accomplishment had it not been for what Roy asked next.
Despite how uncomfortable and awkwardly silent the date was, Roy managed to build up the gall to ask her, "Riza, would you want to go out on another date sometime soon?"
Riza blinked, the question coming as a shock. Doesn't this guy know when to quit? she asked herself. I shut him out the entire time, and he still has the audacity to ask me out again? Who does this guy think he is? Still, Riza hesitated. She wanted to say no, never see him again, but…
His smile. So alluring. So attractive. He was giving her his own twisted version of puppy dog eyes; gleaming, shining, begging. An audible breath escaped her, and she looked back into Roy's handsome face. "Okay," she said, feeling defeated.
"Great." Roy smiled, putting his hand boldly around Riza's waist and whispering in her ear, "I'll call you."
Reviewer Responses!
Tsuiraku Nami: The story gets better as it goes on (Chapter 4 is my favorite n.n). But I'm glad you took the time to review me! Thank you very much, and 3.5 is always better than 0.1:D Thanks muchly for the review!
Frip-Ouille: I hope I didn't take too long in updating… o.o; But I'm glad you like it! Thanks for the review!
miroku-has-darkness: Thanks for the review!
Tsunade-chan: I'm glad you liked it! I love hearing people say they think my work is entertaining. Thank you so much for the review!
LadyKagome101: Glad to hear that! XD Thanks very much for the review. I'm glad you like it!
Mint Pizza Queen: You should really read more Royai stories. They're usually good. :-P But thanks for honoring me with the position as being one of the firsts you've read. XD Thanks for the review! Glad you like it!
xeledhwenx: I'm glad you like it! Yay! Thanks for the review:)
gundams forever: Wow, I'm glad you like the fic. n.n' Thanks very much for the review!
Arcireza: Wow, thank you very much? For real, you mean that? I was one of the most original out of… quite a few fanfics? That's quite a high honor. I thank you very much for that! I'm so glad you like it! Thanks for the review!
nureiko-chan: Aw, thank you very much! n.n Yay for me getting reviews from you! Reviews make me happy. :D Thanks for the review! Glad you liked the story!
--crazykitsune17--
