Chapter 29: 3 months Anniversary

Chapter Twenty Nine
“I’ll have the garden vegetable pasta, please. Please make sure the pasta’s cooked to perfection because sometimes it comes out dry and hard. And I’d like gluten-free pasta, actually, because it settles better on my stomach. And instead of basil, I’d like parsley. No zucchini—I hate zucchini—just put extra squash in the pasta. Did you hear that? I said extra squash. There should be plenty in there to replace the zucchini. Don’t be stingy! And last, no onion. I’m allergic to that stuff and I’ll probably go into anaphylactic shock if I even consume a tiny sliver of it.”
“Of course sir,” the waiter murmurs before turning to look at me. I wear an embarrassed smile as I nod.
“I’ll just have the chicken cutlet with mashed potatoes. Thank you so much—”
But then Duke cuts me off with a frown. His eyes land on my stomach and stay there long enough for me to start squirming uncomfortably while trying to suck it in. I already know what he’s thinking because I’m a bigger girl. Not too big, but certainly not small or skinny. Sure enough, the commentary begins.
“You shouldn’t be eating the chicken cutlet, Sophia. You know it’ll make you fat,” he says in an exasperated tone. “And mashed potatoes? Please!” he scoffs. “Those things are full of butter. Just completely unhealthy all around—I should know because I’m a doctor.”
For the billionth time, I think to myself that Duke as a Doctor of Optometry, not a medical degree, so he’s not exactly an expert on nutrition. But I know better than to contradict him in public and I don’t feel like dealing with his mood if I say something to piss him off, so instead of voicing my thoughts, I simply put on a smile and turn to look at the waiter.
“I suppose he’s right. He is a doctor after all,” I say through a fake smile. “I’ll just have the garden salad.”
The waiter nods, his expression masked.
“Of course.”
“And dressing on the side,” Duke adds. “Vinaigrette, diluted. None of that Thousand Island or Blue Cheese.”
The waiter nods again, and I can’t imagine what’s whirling through his mind.
“Yes sir, certainly. The food will be out shortly.” Then the waiter strides away, and I try not to feel embarrassed. I know Vinnie comes off as controlling, but I remind myself that my boyfriend just wants what’s best for me. With that, I lean forward, trying to show my breasts off to their best advantage.
“Guess what?” I say in a bright voice.
He already looks bored.
“What?”
I ignore his tone and put on an even bigger smile. “I have something super special planned for our anniversary this weekend!”
Duke looks confused. “What anniversary? What are you talking about?”
I bite the inside of my cheek and try to control my facial expressions because I know this is a little weird, but it’s not that weird.
“It’s going to be our three-month anniversary,” I clarify.
Duke looks utterly mystified, his black brows beetling.
“Really? Haven’t we known each other for way longer than three months? It definitely seems like we’ve known each other forever.”
“No, I mean it’s been three months since we started dating, Duke We’ve worked together at Four Eyes forobger , but we only started dating three months ago.”
Realization dawns as his brow clears.
“Oh right,” he murmurs, nodding slowly. “I didn’t realize it was such a big deal. Okay then. Go on.”
I choose to ignore his comment and merely offer a smile. “You know our coworker from Four Eyes?Sassy ?”
He blinks, looking completely mystified again.
“No, should I?”
I contain my sigh because Duke really only notices pretty girls, and Sassy is like me – we’re attractive, but bigger, so she probably hasn’t registered on his radar.
“Sarah Xander ,” I say pointedly. “You know, curly brown hair, brown eyes, a big smile? She’s one of our only other coworkers in the entire store.”
A light bulb goes off over his head.
“Oh right,” he nods. “Yeah, sounds familiar.”
“Right. Well, we’re really good friends and she offered to let us use her dad’s cabin for the weekend!”
Now, Duke looks super nonplussed.
“They have a cabin? For what?”
I shrug.
“I think her dad hunts, so he keeps a cabin on the outskirts of Millbrook. You know, in the unincorporated area where they’re always warning us off from? Well, the area is super peaceful and absolutely beautiful. I’ve been once before, and trust me, the cabin’s nice. This isn’t some ramshackle getaway. It’s done up with all the amenities inside.”
Duke scrunches his nose.
“Like a pool and a sauna?”
I try really hard to contain it, but he still sees my eye roll.
“No, not like a pool or a sauna. I just mean that the cabin’s comfortable with an eat-in kitchen, internet, broadband, all that kind of stuff. Anyways, I think it’s the perfect place for a romantic weekend getaway.”
Duke looks skeptical. “It sounds like a decent place, but really? Addy loaned us her dad’s cabin? I didn’t know you knew her that well.”
I bite my lip, glancing around nervously as I shrug my shoulders a bit.
“No, we’re friends, but okay, well…I don’t know if loaned is the proper word for it.”
Duke fixes me with a look.
“So, she didn’t actually loan it to you,” he states.
I sigh and shake my head.
“No, I guess not if you put it like that. But I know Addy is going to be out of town for the weekend, which means that she won’t be there. Plus, it isn’t hunting season, so her dad won’t be there either. So I thought we’d pay a trip to the cabin on our own while it’s empty. What do you think?”
Vinnie stares at me.
“That’s squatting,” he says.
I throw up my hands.
“Not really. Squatting is a long-term thing. This is just ‘borrowing.’”
My boyfriend still looks skeptical though.
“Yeah but how would we even get in? Would we jimmy the door open? Climb in through a window?”
I shake my head.
“No, that’s the best part. Sassy told me that during the off-season, they don’t even lock the doors because there’s no one there. So it’s unlocked.”
Du