I trace a line with the tip of my finger on the fogged window. My eyes are reflected in the glass. In the car, there is only silence. Between you and me, there is always too much silence. I draw a circle… over and over again with my finger. This infinite cycle that leads nowhere—that is you and me.

"We’re here. This is the place. You can go ahead and find a table; I’ll park".

"Chinese… food?"

I got out of the car and entered the restaurant. The golden bells behind the door echoed through the place. It was one of those spots that, in its time, was showy, traditional, and beautiful. You could still see a hint of elegance in the red of its furniture, even if it was a bit worn today.

After walking down a short hallway where my heels struck the floor as if I were knocking on a door, a man dressed in a black uniform came to meet me.

"Welcome. Is the lady expecting someone else, or will it just be you this time?"

"Table for two, please".

The man made a very respectful gesture, inviting me to follow him, and then signaled to another, who—with a small click of the computer mouse—made a soft tune play in the restaurant.

Tic… Tic…

Without realizing it, my nail began to impatiently go tic, tic against the water glass. I waited a few minutes for Theodore, my boyfriend, to come in and join me. I stretched a bit and began to observe the place in detail. If there were two other couples, that was a lot. It wasn’t really a time for a meal, anyway. Without noticing, I rolled my eyes and sighed. He took so many… so many hours to get ready.

How can a young, ordinary man be so vain? My thoughts led me to visualize him: Theodore was nothing out of the ordinary—a polite guy, with average intelligence and a broad knowledge of nothing very useful. I say "nothing very useful" because he knew how to do almost nothing, and always had someone to do everything for him.

I took a sip of water, and then he appeared.

"Ugh, sorry. I’m still not used to parking this car…"

"We should have taken a taxi".

Even though I was smiling, anyone who knew me would see it was evident that my red-painted lips were hiding a grimace of annoyance.

"Well, well, but we’re here now, right? Let’s have a nice time." He sat down, smiling.

After at least thirty minutes, Theo finally managed to find what was, for him, "the perfect menu combination".

"I’ll have the special, two drinks, and this, this, and this." He pointed his finger at different parts of the menu. The waiter took notes. Everything sounded delicious, so I said nothing and dedicated myself to letting my eyes wander through the place.

The waiter withdrew, leaving us alone again. Immediately, he took his phone and submerged himself in a sea of posts on his favorite social network. I watched him for a while, fixedly, but he didn’t take his eyes off the screen, nor did he notice that I was still looking at him with reproach.

"Shouldn't we talk or something?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure. What do you want to talk about?"

After tucking my hair behind my ears, I answered him, "About anything". "It’s been a bit quiet lately, hasn't it?"

"It’s a quiet place".

"I wasn’t referring to the place".

Theo went back to looking at his phone. Are you joking? I thought. This wasn't just any date; it was our anniversary. The silence continued for a while longer until he decided to open his mouth.

"Don’t you find it curious that in a Chinese restaurant, there are no Chinese people?"

I was baffled. It was incredible to me that the silence at this table had been broken only to let out such a stupid sentence.

"Oh, come on, Theo. Can you shout any other tacky comment like that any louder?"

"Excuse me?"

My furrowed brow and sharp smile made my indignation evident.

"We’ve been here for a while now, and this is the only thing you say to me".

"Sophia… don’t be so intense over something so trivial". He looked away. "I only said it to pass the time".

"Are you calling me intense for wanting my boyfriend, on my anniversary, to tell me anything else besides the fact that there are no Asians serving in the restaurant?"

"I didn't mean to call you intense, Sophie." He knew he was in a spot.

The waiter arrived with our food. We both ate in silence. I felt bad for myself, for both of us. We aren't supposed to be like this; perhaps somewhere else there is someone who can understand his jokes, enjoy his silence, or his apathy. Perhaps the problem is me—my dissatisfaction, my... unhappiness… my—

"I'll be right back." I stopped the agitated flow of my thoughts and put my hands on the table to get up, pull myself together, and go check my makeup.

I painted my lips in front of the powder room mirror. I looked at myself for a few seconds. Today I wanted to look so attractive. I wore a beautiful outfit, a bit more sensual than other days; I wanted to look more... seductive. For what? For what purpose?

I closed my eyes. My boyfriend was born as ash—the kind that will never burn because that is its nature—while I... I am made of those materials that can stay in combustion forever, burning with the desire to be always consumed by the flames.

When I came out, I took my seat. Theo had once again returned to giving all his attention to his phone.

"I ordered dessert. They should be bringing it soon".

I took my phone to text my friend: "This is a complete disaster." While I was typing, two small plates were carefully placed on the table.

"Thank you," I heard my boyfriend say.

"Enjoy".

My body shuddered. The voice I heard made me react from one moment to the next. The waiter had a velvety, dark voice. When I wanted to see his face, he was no longer there.

"There was a Chinese guy after all!" my boyfriend said and laughed foolishly.

My eyes immediately searched the place with curiosity for the owner of that voice, stopping at a table in the back. As if I were discovering him with my pupils little by little, my gaze slid from the tips of his long, slender fingers, to his well-formed arms… and the soft skin of his slender neck.

His silky black hair fell over his face as he collected the plates from one of the already unoccupied tables. From one moment to the next, I began to feel invaded by an overwhelming sense of thirst. The skin of his hands, his fingers, his entire extent of skin was fascinating to me—so fascinating that I had stopped being careful. Any pretense or prudence I had tried to maintain abandoned me.

My boyfriend didn't notice how, in an instant, my eyes were admiring another man—his attractive figure, his face, his small and full lips, and the tip of his tongue peeking out to moisten them.

My body shuddered again. A lopsided smile drew itself on the man’s mouth: he had discovered me. His slanted eyes had seen me devouring him with my gaze.