Page 9 of Faron

“She’s fine. I was getting information about our dinner. Do you want to go?”

“Yes. I’m always hungry.”

“Great!” Her stomach churned. She wasn’t sure she could eat. “Ivy wants our date to be filmed. Is that okay?”

“If you don’t have a problem with it.”

“No, it’s fine.” Kendra walked away from the table with Faron and waited by the entrance of the Enchanted Captain until Ivy came over.

She led them to a private room in the bar. The table had been set with fine linen and silver cutlery. A warm amber light filled the room, and music played quietly in the background. The romantic vibe only made Kendra’s nerves increase.

“Your server will be here in a moment.” Ivy winked discreetly at Kendra. “Enjoy yourselves.” She retreated from the room.

Kendra twisted her hands as she looked at anything other than Faron. This was so awkward. She’d wanted the speed dating to go well but never expected to end up on a date herself. And that kiss with Faron. She forced it out of her mind. He’d misunderstood her. She hadn’t expected him to grab her and make out. All she’d wanted was for him to go along with their date before moving on.

The sound of a seat scraping back had her looking at the table. Faron sat in his seat, making the table look too small.

“Do you eat standing up?” he asked.

“Only if I’m in a hurry.”

He pointed to the opposite side of the table. “There’s an empty seat. Use it.”

Kendra suppressed a scowl as she joined him at the table. It would take a while to get used to his bluntness.

A female server arrived. She had a bottle of sparkling wine in her hand. “Would you like to taste the wine, sir?”

“It will be fine.” Faron gestured at the glasses. “We’ll have another bottle.”

The server blinked and nodded. “Very good, sir.”

“I’m not a big drinker,” Kendra said. “I only want half a glass.”

“This barely affects me. It’s weak compared to the alcohol we have back home,” Faron said. “I’ll drink what you leave.”

She eyed him with suspicion. Had she landed herself with a drunken lush? Kendra would have to keep an eye on Faron’s drinking. She’d seen what alcohol could do to a person, changing them from sweet and loving to a terrifying monster, who lashed out with their fists before thinking.

The same server arrived with their first course. “Here are your asparagus pancetta stuffed pastry bundles.” She set down two small plates and placed another bottle of sparkling wine on the table before leaving.

Faron stared at the plate and snorted. “This is food? It’s barely a mouthful.”

“It’s a starter,” Kendra said. “It’s common on Earth for people to have three courses. A starter, a main, and dessert. What do you do on Tenkcet?”

“Typically, when we’re working in the mines, we have a simple, nutritious meal before starting and work until the evening when we feast. We roast meats and vegetables and gorge until we can barely move.”

“By eating this way, we get to try lots of different things,” Kendra said. “You might like it.”

“I’d like it if it was twenty times the size.” Faron stuffed the puff pastry into his mouth, chewed once and swallowed. “Where’s the next course?”

Kendra hid a smile as she nibbled on the puff pastry. Here was a guy who loved his food.

He pointed at her plate. “Don’t you want that?”

She prodded the food with a fork. “I guess not.”

Faron grabbed it without saying a word and stuffed it into his mouth.

Kendra frowned at him. “It’s polite to ask before taking.”