Ice & Prejudice

Chapter 64

I gaped at him, stunned. "How did you-?"

"I told you," he interrupted, smirking. "I pay attention."

I narrowed my eyes at him as we walked down the street, his hand still holding mine. "You're kind of creepy, you know that?"

"Only when it comes to you," he shot back with a wink.

We walked in comfortable silence for a few minutes, the sounds of the city around us providing a soothing backdrop. Montreal had this way of making everything feel a little more magical, especially in the winter. The snow crunched beneath our boots, and every breath of cold air felt refreshing, like we were breathing in the very essence of winter.

After a short walk, we arrived at a small, elegant café tucked away on a quiet street corner. The sign above the door read Le Petit Déjeuner in ornate script, and the warm light spilling out from inside made it look inviting and cozy.

Nikolai held the door open for me, a playful smile on his lips. "After you, love."

I rolled my eyes but couldn't help the smile that tugged at my lips as I stepped inside. The interior was just as charming as the exterior-small, intimate, with exposed brick walls and wooden beams that gave it a rustic yet modern feel. The smell of freshly brewed coffee and baked goods filled the air, making my stomach growl in anticipation.

A hostess greeted us and led us to a small table by the window. As we sat down, Nikolai reached across the table to take my hand, his thumb brushing lightly over my knuckles. "So, what do you think?"

I glanced around, taking in the cozy ambiance, the soft hum of conversation, and the tantalizing aroma of food. "Okay, I'll admit it," I said, meeting his gaze with a smile. "You did good."

"See?" he said, leaning back in his chair with a satisfied grin. "I told you I know you."

"You got lucky," I retorted, picking up the menu and scanning it. "Don't let it go to your head."

"Too late," he teased, giving me a wink that made my heart skip a beat.

As I perused the menu, I couldn't help but steal glances at him from behind the pages. He was annoyingly attractive, especially when he was being all confident and charming. And the worst part was, he knew it.

"So, what are you getting?" he asked, looking up from his own menu.

"I'm not sure yet," I replied, flipping the page. "Everything looks so good. What about you?"

"Definitely the smoked salmon eggs benedict," he said, not even hesitating. "It's a classic."

"Of course you'd go for the eggs benedict," I said, smirking. "Mr. Fancy."

"And what's wrong with that?" he shot back, raising an eyebrow. "It's refined, just like me."

I snorted. "Refined, my ass. You're about as refined as a bull in a china shop."

"Please," he said, feigning offense. "I'm the epitome of class and sophistication."

I rolled my eyes, but the smile on my face betrayed me. "Yeah, right. Remind me again who knocked over that whole display of wine bottles at the grocery store last week?"

"That was an accident," he protested, though I could see the laughter in his eyes. "And if I recall correctly, you're the one who dared me to see if I could carry all those bottles at once."

"And you're the one who actually tried," I shot back, laughing.

"Touché," he admitted, grinning.

We both ordered our food, and as we waited, the conversation flowed easily, filled with our usual back-and-forth banter. He teased me about my clumsiness on the ice, and I gave him grief for his overly confident skiing skills. It was nice, though-a reminder that even though we were dating now, we were still the same us. Playful, sarcastic, and maybe a little too competitive at times, but that was just how we worked.