Esteban couldn't help but feel his heart melt a little bit more at the sound of Uchenna's plea. The little boy was hungry, and it was all because he was holding you up, trying to convince you to give him a chance.
He softened a little, looking down at the little boy.
"You hungry, little buddy?"
Uchenna bops his little head up and down.
He chuckled softly at Uchenna's cute bobbing head. The little boy was so sweet and adorable, and it only made him more determined to win you over. He glanced at me, his eyes softening even more.
"Hey, look... As much as I want to talk to you, I don't want your little one to go hungry. Why don't we all go get some food? My treat."
He offered, looking at me pointedly.
"..." I look down at Uchenna then back to Esteban. "Fine. But after eating, we're leaving. "
Esteban couldn't help but feel a small sense of victory. You had agreed to have food with him, even if it was just so your little boy wouldn't remain hungry. It was a small win, but it was a win nonetheless.
He nodded once, his eyes locked on yours. He couldn't let you slip through his fingers now, now that he had finally managed to get you to agree to share a meal with him.
"That's fine. After food, we can leave. But first, let's get some food in this little guy's belly."
He gestured for you to lead the way, waiting for you to take the first step. His heart was still thumping in his chest, his heart fluttering at the idea of getting to spend more time with you, even if it was just a quick meal.
He followed behind you, stealing glances at you and your son as you walked. His eyes lingered on Uchenna, a small, almost fond look in his eye. Seeing you with your child made him feel... Something. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on...
As the three of you made your way to a nearby restaurant, he couldn't help but steal subtle glances at you. The way you walked, the way you held Uchenna in your arms, the way you looked so fiercely protective of your little boy.
Something about you was so goddamn attractive to him. You were a single mother, raising a child on your own. You had been hurt and abandoned once, yet here you were, still standing strong, still being a great parent to your child.
Esteban held the door open for me and Uchenna as I entered the restaurant, a gesture that he hoped would show you even more that he was nothing like your ex-partner. He wanted to prove to you that he was different, that he wouldn't hurt you or your son like the bastard who left you had.
He let you and Uchenna enter first, and then he followed behind, his eyes still on you. He couldn't help but admire you from behind, taking in your curves and your graceful movements.
He led you to a table, pulling out a chair for you to sit in before taking a seat across from you. Uchenna climbed onto your lap, clinging to you again. Esteban couldn't help but smile at the sight of the little boy clinging to you, it was too goddamn cute.
He picked up the menu, his eyes browsing through the selection of food, but he couldn't help but take another glance at you, his gaze lingering on your pretty face for a moment too long.
He tried to focus his attention on the menu again, but it was damn near impossible. He found himself getting more and more distracted, watching you and Uchenna out of the corner of his eye. How sweet you were with your son, how lovingly and carefully you held him in your arms. It made his heart skip a damn beat.
He finally managed to pull his eyes away from you, forcing himself to look down at the menu again. He didn't even know what he wanted to order. All he could think about was you and your son.
He continued to steal subtle glances at you and Uchenna as you both looked over the menu. His mind was racing with thoughts of you, wondering all sorts of things about you. Why were you so goddamn attractive? Why couldn't he take his eyes off of you and your little boy? Was it the way you held him, the way you spoke so tenderly to him?
Finally, he closed the menu, realising that he had been wasting time pretending to look it over. He had been distracted the whole time, his attention focused solely on you.
The waiter walks up to our table and smiles. Then says. "The whole family's here. What can I get you all?"
He finally managed to tear his gaze away from you, looking up at the waiter as he spoke. He felt a pang in his chest at the word 'family' - a strange feeling that he couldn't quite describe. But he quickly shook it off, plastering a charming smile on his face.
"We'll have two glasses of your best red wine, a child's portion of chicken fingers and fries for the little guy, and uh..."
He glanced at you, his eyes meeting yours.
"What's your order, sweetheart?"
I said to the waiter. "We're not a family. I'll just have fries and water."
He felt a pang in his heart as you corrected the waiter, emphasising that you weren't a family. The word stung more than he would care to admit, but he pushed the feeling aside. He couldn't let it show on his face that your words had affected him. He kept a charming smile on his face as the waiter nodded and left to put in their order.
"Just fries and water? No main dish?"
He asked, raising an eyebrow at you, his gaze still locked on your pretty face.
"I don't want to stay here longer than necessary. Once Uchenna is done eating, he and I will leave."
His heart sank a bit at your words, at the reminder that you planned to eat and go. It frustrated him that you were so adamant on leaving as soon as you possibly could, as if getting away from him was your top priority.
He tried to hide his frustration, not letting his irritation show on his face. He knew he had to be patient with you, but goddamn, you were making it so difficult.
"Right. Eat and leave. I get it."
It was hard to hide the hint of annoyance in his voice.
He leaned back in his seat, trying to compose himself. He took a deep breath, attempting to push away the anger and frustration he felt at the fact that you were so eager to leave. He couldn't show you how much it bothered him.
He glanced at Uchenna, who was still clinging to you, a small smile on his face. The little boy was so adorable, it was making his heart melt. Seeing you with your child was both adorable and irritating, how the hell could a single parent be so incredibly attractive?
He watched as the little boy kept clinging to you, his chubby little arms wrapped around your neck as he clung to you. He found himself envious of the kid, envious of how closely you were holding him, how you had him so damn close to you.
He felt a pang of jealousy at the thought. He wanted to be the one you were holding like that. He wanted to be so damn close to you, to feel the warmth of your skin against his...
The waiter arrives with our orders.
He watched as the waiter placed their food on the table. Uchenna's chicken and fries looked cute and delicious, and your order of just fries and a glass of water seemed almost pitiful.
He wanted to say something about it, to suggest that you try something other than just fries, but he bit his tongue. He knew it would probably just lead to an argument, and the last thing he wanted was for you to get riled up and storm off again...