His Naughty Lessons-Chapter 264: Lovey Dovey

** Eli **

Eli was aware of Tyler’s new company being Sanderson Funds, of course, and he also had a general idea of the potential title of that job position. But it wasn’t until he saw the look on Chelsea’s face that he remembered the news he had read in last week’s finance headlines. Didn’t Sanderson just get in a heated competition with Voyage Bank over a large venture bidding and came out winning in the end?

That might just make this double date Harper was setting up today a lot more interesting ...

"Hmm. Now I see why your job title is still pending an official name." As expected, Chelsea’s expression turned from shocked to thoughtful. "Sanderson is expanding big times, huh? I assume your new role must be related to that ’aggressive pushing’ you mentioned."

Harper, not fully up to date with the latest dealings in the business industry, looked to Eli in puzzlement. He was about to explain when the waitress interrupted them timely by bringing over their drinks, and the work conversation immediately turned into a round of wows as everyone’s eyes landed on their orders.

The bubbly Prosecco poured fresh out of the bottle was festive, immediately lifting the celebratory mood, though the real eye-catcher was undoubtedly the Lovebirds Duo. It looked even better in person than in the menu picture, served with a fresh rose perched on top of pink tinged glass. A straw had been added to each half of the drink, twisted into the shape of a pair of swans kissing just above the flower.

"Goodness, this is so lovely that I don’t even want to drink it!" Harper gasped, turning the cocktail around to admire it from all angles. "Do you want to go first, Eli? Maybe you should have the first sip."

The starry gleam in her eyes made Eli laugh. "I’m pretty sure the purpose of having two halves and two straws is so that we can drink it together." He gave her a light pat on her lap and nudged the glass midway between them. "Want the Aperol Spritz side? We can switch later, but I think you’ll like this one better for the sweetness."

A grin bloomed on her face. She nodded, leaning closer in, and they both closed their lips around the swan shaped straws. As the taste of liquor and orange peels trickled over his tongue, Eli drew a deep inhale of her light floral perfume mixed in with the scent of the rose right in front of his nostrils, and he found it perfectly intoxicating.

"Aww, look at you guys. The restaurant should’ve hired you for the stock photo shoot of this drink!" Chelsea plopped her chin on one hand and watched them with a huge smile. "And let me guess — is the alcohol so strong that you’re both drunk already, or is it something else that I’m seeing you two swooning over?"

Harper blinked, her eyes instinctively going to Eli even as her lips were still wrapped around the straw. From such a close distance, the blank look in her eyes was so adorable that Eli couldn’t help but chuckle.

"Geez, my eyes." Tyler, who turned out quite good at playing his grumpy role tonight, groaned and covered his face with his hand. "I said no lovey dovey scenes, sis. And Eli, you look like an absolute idiot right now."

"It’s called romantic!" Chelsea disagreed enthusiastically. "What your eyes need, Mr. Grump, is reconditioning therapy. No one can possibly say these two don’t look cute together in the same frame!"

She pulled Tyler’s hand off of his face and held out her own hands, crossing her thumbs and index fingers together into the shape of a photo frame. "See?" She made Tyler look through it at the cropped image in front of them. "You must be hopelessly single if your heart isn’t melting at such a sweet scene. And no wonder you’re hopelessly single."

Ouch.

Harper cracked up so hard at those words that she almost choked on her drink. "I told you Chelsea is the relationship guru and would be our best sidekick tonight," she whispered in Eli’s ear. "Maybe she should top it off by explaining to Tyler how she ate pasta that one time she invited her boyfriend to our dorm, just to broaden my brother’s horizon and make him more receptive to those lovey dovey scenes he refuses to watch. Though we’ll have to see what he wants to do with his eyes or ears after that ... Oh, have I told you the story yet?"

A hundred different possibilities of how he wanted to "eat pasta" with his girl flashed across Eli’s mind, none of which appropriate for the current conversation. "... No, and I’m not sure if I want to hear it now," he whispered back.

"Hey, where’s your dirty mind going already?" Harper raised a pretty eyebrow. "It’s an innocent story! They were just sharing a single piece of noodle from both ends, so that as they kept chewing it, they ended up kissing. Not whatever you are thinking about eating pasta!"

Oh. Well, not that he felt guilty about where his dirty mind was going though. Eli returned her a shameless smile, and the trying-to-appear-indignant yet totally-inherently-mischievous look in her eyes only made him chuckle again.

"Alright, lovebirds, so are we ready to order real food now?" Chelsea, considerately acting like she didn’t hear the topic of their whispers even though she probably did, tapped on the menu once she finished lecturing Tyler. "I think I’m getting pasta," she declared her choice as she darted a meaningful look at Harper.

Yep, she definitely did hear it.

"Let’s do that too." Eli gave Harper a wink before she could dodge the innuendo, squeezing her hand under the table. "And feel free to still order your veal and risotto to share, love. We can always take the leftover pasta to go ... and eat it in the comfort of our own home the way we like."

Chelsea choked on a snort of laughter. Harper pinned him with a glare. Tyler looked up from his menu, apparently confused as he asked, "Is the pasta here that good?"