Chapter 59: The First Real Date

Freya didn't realize she had agreed to a date until Chloe pointed it out.

Louis had casually asked whether she was free Saturday evening. Freya checked her schedule and said yes. He then said he wanted to take her somewhere for dinner because she had cooked almost every night that week.

To Freya, that sounded like practical repayment. To Chloe, it sounded obvious.

"That's a date," Chloe said over the phone.

"It's dinner."

"Dinner alone with your husband at a restaurant."

"We're married. Everything can't automatically become a date."

"Have you two ever actually gone on a date?"

Freya searched the inherited memories. Formal dinners, family obligations, charity events, and business functions existed. Genuine dates did not.

"That's irrelevant."

Chloe laughed. "Wear something nice."

Saturday evening, Freya stood in front of her reduced wardrobe longer than necessary. She eventually chose a simple dark dress she had decided not to sell. The moment she caught herself applying lipstick twice, she became annoyed.

"It's dinner," she reminded her reflection.

Louis was waiting in the living room. He wore a dark coat over a simple shirt rather than his usual business clothes. When Freya stepped out, his gaze paused.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing. You look good."

Freya suddenly understood why Chloe had called it a date.

The restaurant was elegant but discreet, located on the upper floor of a hotel overlooking the city. Freya immediately became suspicious.

"This place isn't cheap."

"I can afford dinner."

"Using secret-rich-person money?"

"Yes."

She accepted that answer.

For once, they talked without discussing bankruptcy, Knox Group, contracts, suspicious former advisers, or household budgets. Louis asked about Freya's plans for future novels. She told him she wanted to build a catalog rather than depend on one successful book.

Freya asked what he would do if Northstar restored everything he had lost.

"I don't need everything back," Louis said.

That surprised her. "I thought rebuilding the empire was the goal."

"Rebuilding something stronger is the goal. That doesn't mean recreating the same structure."

Freya understood. She was doing the same thing with her own life.

Dessert arrived, and Louis unexpectedly pushed the better-looking portion toward her.

"You don't want it?"

"You always choose chocolate."

Freya stared at him. "How do you know that?"

"You buy chocolate whenever we celebrate something."

Another tiny detail he had noticed.

After dinner, they walked several blocks instead of immediately calling the car. The city was cold, and Freya slipped her hands into her coat pockets.

At a crossing, a bicycle passed too close. Louis instinctively caught her wrist and pulled her toward him.

The danger lasted less than a second. His hand remained around her wrist longer.

Freya looked up. Louis released her slowly.

Neither mentioned it.

When they reached home, Freya went directly to her room and sat on the edge of the bed.

Chloe's message was waiting: "How was the date?"

Freya typed, "It was dinner." Then she deleted it.

After several seconds, she wrote, "Maybe a little like a date."

Across the hallway, Louis opened his phone and stared at Freya's newest unpublished draft she had sent him for business feedback. For the first time, he didn't feel like reading. His thoughts were still on the moment at the crossing, when pulling her closer had felt far too natural.

Freya eventually changed into pajamas but remained awake longer than usual. Her original plan had always been simple: help Louis recover, collect a reasonable settlement if appropriate, and leave once he no longer needed her. The problem was that Louis had stopped feeling like a temporary responsibility. Somewhere along the way, she had started enjoying being his wife.