29 Chapter 29 - Date

I was inside the library. The place was closed for the night. No employee, no security whatsoever and I kinda wondered about that. I went upstairs and found Lucifer who was busy preparing dinner.

There was pizza, carbonara, vegetable salad, lobster and a couple of club sandwiches that might've been his own version of Caroline's Forevermore. It looked like he was preparing for a large group of people.

All the dishes were placed on top of an elegant table with a mantelpiece that complimented it's antiquity.

When he saw me, he beckoned at me and gave me one of his disarming smiles. "I tried not to overdo it but I couldn't help myself."

I was speechless. "Wow, this is really beyond anything I imagined. I thought you were just preparing dinner."

"Nonsense, if everyone paid attention to small things such as preparing dinner, the world would be better off but then I'd have fewer souls to collect." He said while brushing strands of his auburn hair away from his face. "Why don't you wait for her at the lobby while I prepare the finishing touches."

"Okay."

**

I was in the lobby waiting for Caroline thinking how she'd react to the extravagant feast that Lucifer had prepared upstairs. I was overthinking things again and it didn't help but only fuel the anxiety in my gut. I've never been on a date with a girl before and her being my first only added to the pressure. I wanted to do well, not because the night is critical in increasing my chances of fulfilling Mephisto's task but rather because I wanted her to enjoy the evening with me and I knew that the lines of completing the task and falling for Caroline were beginning to blur.

She arrived in an unmarked car that I presumed belonged to her company, along with a few bodyguards, which I didn't expect. She was wearing a hoodie and a face mask.

I got up and opened the doors of the library for her. I also invited the two security guards that were with her to have a seat on the couch in the lobby and they went in.

"Sorry about this. My manager insisted." She explained and then she took her face mask and shook her hair out.

You'd think that after meeting her earlier, I'd get over the fact about how beautiful she was but being this close at her, I felt speechless but nevertheless I had to try. "It's fine, I understand, you're a celebrity after all. You can't be too careful about people nowadays."

"People like you?" She raised an eyebrow at me and then laughed.

"Well, you're about to find that out for yourself." I replied

"How so?" She looked at me with those piercing green eyes.

"First, we'll have dinner and then we'll talk." I gestured for her to come with me and we went upstairs.

When she saw the food on the dinner table, her eyes lit up. "That's a lot of food. Did you cook all of this?"

"Nope, a friend of mine did." I answered.

"Where is he? I'd feel guilty eating all of this without thanking him."

And as if on cue, Lucifer appeared from the doorway that led to his office. Only this time he looked like a kindly old man, a far cry from his usual form. "I'm right here maam."

"You cooked all of this?" Caroline asked.

"Yes, Dante told me he was bringing someone special tonight so I decided to help him out a bit." He sounded like a proud father which sounded a bit weird to me. "Anyway, please eat."

We sat down and Lucifer excused himself from the room to give us privacy. Caroline grabbed a sandwich, a slice of pizza and a plate of carbonara. The amount of food on her plate astonished me. She saw the expression on my face and laughed.

"I know. Not your typical idol diet but trust me, I don't get fat no matter how much I eat." She smiled guiltily.

"Really? Wow, must be convenient."

"Yeah, though I still have to work out to maintain my body." She was chewing a slice of pizza and I decided to let her eat in peace. The time for talking would come after.

I took a slice of pizza for myself and a plate of carbonara. I was too nervous and anxious at first being alone with her but after seeing Caroline eat in a carefree manner made me relax and my appetite returned.

When we were done eating, Caroline stretched and sighed. "That was really delicious. Give my compliments to the chef."

"I will." I said. Lucifer was nowhere to be found. He seemed to have taken refuge in his office.

"Anyway, why the library?" She asked me, her green eyes shining underneath the light.

"I figured less people would recognize you here and you'd be more comfortable."I replied.

She seemed to think it over. "That's really considerate of you. "

Then there was the awkward silence. I didn't want her to feel awkward. She went out of her way to go out with someone like me and I realized that I had to make this evening as memorable as possible.

"So, have you read the book I've given you by any chance?" I asked randomly, it was the first thing that came to mind given that we were in a library.

"I've only read a few pages. I'm quite interested in how it goes." said Caroline.

"I hope you appreciate the experience, I'm pretty sure I did when I read it." I said.

"I'll let you know." She was starting to relax, and I took it as a good sign. "Do you come here often?" She gestured at the place.

"Only just recently." I explained to her that I've only been in Cerulean City for a couple of weeks.

"Really? So where are you from originally?" She asked.

"Nevermore."

"I see." She seemed to be curious. "Were you happy there?"

I thought about it. "Most of my childhood memories happened there. My parents live there. My late grandparents also lived there and I grew up in the place. And no matter how crappy the media makes it sound like to live there, I was happy. Yeah."

"I don't like it, the way people judge something without even trying to understand it. It's the worst thing someone can do." She sounded sad as if she was lost.

"It's the way of the world." I tell her.

"Is it?" She asked looking at me with melancholy in her eyes. "Many people told me that my art has changed their lives. Everytime I hear their stories, it makes me happy. Sometimes I think it's just wishful thinking but I keep hoping that they'd find something that they could relate to in my songs."

I didn't think that she was troubled by such thoughts. Being a celebrity, an artist that people look up to, I would've thought that she was living a happy life. This side of her, I'm pretty sure only a few people have met.

"I think they do." She looked at me. "I mean, your songs. I think they've affected and changed a lot of people's perspective and I'm not saying this because I'm a fan and I like you, it's the truth." I realized that I slipped and just confessed to liking her and I tried to stop myself from blushing.

She chuckled. "Thank you. Truthfully, I've met a lot of people who've told me more or less the same. It's just that sometimes, I feel so lonely." We were looking at each other's eyes, and seeming to understand what lonely meant then she averted her gaze.

The mood was getting heavier by the minute but it brought out the depths of Caroline's personality and I was captivated by her. I was unknowingly drawn to her.

"What makes you happy Caroline?" It was the first time I uttered her name, saying it almost came natural.

She thought about it. "When I'm up on stage, seeing people sing along to my songs, enjoying my music, it's when I feel the happiest." I could hear the sincerity in her voice.

Then she turned the question on me, smiling. "How about you Dante? When are you the happiest?"

"When I'm with you." I said it without even thinking.

"Was that a pickup line?" She asked, smiling politely.

I tried to compose myself. "Maybe, I don't know." She almost looked disappointed. "I've forgotten what it's like to be happy in quite a long time."

Her expression changed, as if she was listening, trying to decipher the underlying tone in what I said. "What do you mean?"

"I've been searching for a place to belong. A few months ago, I didn't have that. A friend of mine once said. 'Remember Dante, everytime you wake up, every day of your life, ask yourself whether you are alive or just living.' It's funny because despite asking myself that question for years, I've never felt truly alive. I went through everyday like a zombie. Then I went here and by chance I got to know you. It's stupid I know, but I've never felt like this before. When I heard you sing live for the first time at the cafe, it seemed as if you brought me back from the dead, and right now just talking to you makes me happy."

All the while I was looking at her eyes, as if my strength to utter the truth came from them. When I was done, we just looked at each other, as if realizing something but before we could do anything about it, the door to Lucifer's office opened.