"So, where to?" asked Fitz, slinging an arm around Gigi's shoulder.
"Well earlier Gigi mentioned House of Nanking—" Darcy started before Gigi interrupted him.
"No I did not! I said you probably were going to try and drag us there tonight. That is so not the same thing as mentioning it as an actual option."
Darcy smiled.
"What I believed you said was, and correct me if I'm wrong: if I let you take a picture of me you would let me take you to that hole in the wall Chinese food restaurant I'm always trying to drag you to," he looked down at her phone. "If I'm not mistaken there is an almost stalkerish photo of me on your phone right now. A deal is a deal."
Gigi was not one to go down without a fight.
But she was one to conveniently forget that there was already a stalkerish photo of her brother and Lizzie floating around on Twitter.
"I believe the condition was that you had to pose with Lizzie like a real tourist. This alleged photo," she said, gesturing wildly with her phone. "Does not count."
Darcy looked at Lizzie.
"Do you trust me?"
She wasn't sure how to respond to that so she crossed her arms and raised her eye brow at him.
"Do you trust my restaurant choice enough to take a photo with me?"
"I thought you didn't negotiate with little sisters?"
"I don't. But I might be adjusting my opinion on other types of negotiation."
She couldn't help but smile at that. Teasing, flirty Darcy wasn't so bad at saying what he meant. Perhaps there was hope for him yet.
"I suppose I don't have any reason to distrust your restaurant choice."
Gigi groaned.
"But that place is so dark and cramped. It's not at all roma—"
Fitz jabbed her arm with his elbow.
"Alright kids. I am starving. If I have to drive all the way to Chinatown for some grub, I'd appreciate this whole word association game thing coming to an end."
Gigi rolled her eyes and rubbed her arm where he had elbowed her.
"Fine. But I still need to get my photo. Get together you two," she sing-songed.
Lizzie and Darcy awkwardly leaned toward one another.
"Okay," she sighed. "At least look like you want to take this photo. I don't want my followers to think I kidnapped you both."
Lizzie raised her hand in a mock wave.
"Hi!" she said.
Darcy raised his eyebrow, daring Gigi to push him to do more.
At this point Gigi wanted the dumb picture to get her phone to stop buzzing. People had been tweeting her all day asking why her brother wasn't in any photos. The whole day was turning into more of a chore than she had anticipated.
And okay, she was really not happy with the House of Nanking decision. She was going to have to cancel their reservations at the St. Francis and all because she had promised the world a photo of Lizzie and Darcy.
She couldn't be that mad. But still. Nanking was no candle lit dinner at a 1900s luxury hotel.
They walked over to the car and Fitz clicked a button to unlock the car doors, spinning the keys around his finger.
Lizzie couldn't help but notice Darcy's pleased smile.
"You're pretty proud of yourself, aren't you?" said Lizzie.
"Yes, I am. I get to introduce you to one of the city's best, worst kept secrets and I didn't even have to pose with a lobster."
Darcy opened the passenger side door for Lizzie, but Gigi was already there, sliding into the front seat.
"Aw, why thank you brother!"
"Excuse me, but I was going to offer the front seat to our guest."
"Oh Lizzie is fine with it. She knows that I get car sick, what with all the hills and everything. So unforgiving."
"You have never been car sick—"
He was cut off by Fitz's giggling and the slamming of the front door.
He rolled his eyes and opened the back door, gesturing for Lizzie in a jokingly courtly manner. She half bowed, half curtsied and slid into the back seat.
