Spoil me

I want to be wined, dined, and sixty-nined

It was one of those days. The ones where you just sat back and relaxed while doing the minimal amount and thinking the minimal amount. Mira had been laying in bed since waking up, only getting up to eat or use the bathroom. Her friends had seemingly vanished off of the face of the earth because her phone was dryer than a crouton. No one, not even her parents had called to check up on her. Although Netflix had made an attempt to ask her if she was still watching, she ignored it, too lazy to grab the controller and answer. But it was okay, she needed boredom in her life. After dealing with the insanity that was Riverdale, she needed this day of relaxation. However, she knew it wouldn't last, she knew peace didn't exist in Riverdale.

"I'm waiting," she said, staring up at her ceiling. As if a writer writing a fanfiction heard her call, her phone began ringing. Squinting her eyes at the ceiling in suspicion, wondering if someone was listening, she answered the call.

"Hello?" she said, yawning.

"What are you doing tonight?" Hiram's voice said from the other end. She hadn't talked to him since that day at Veronica's which had passed about a week ago. She had gotten caught up with school, and who knew what he had been up to. It's not like they explain the illegal stuff he does in Riverdale very well. But hey, he's rich and wears a suit so he must be bad.

"Oh, me?" Mira said, looking down at her cookie monster pajamas she'd been planning to wear all day. "Stuff."

"I want to take you out to dinner if you're not busy."

Mira smiled broadly and muted the call before throwing her hands over her face and squealing in excitement. "Thank you universe! Or whoever's controlling my life!"

Unmuting the call, she composed herself before bringing the phone to her ear again.

"Mira?" Hiram said.

"Sorry, I was just checking my schedule," she said. "I have something, but I'll cancel it."

"I'll pick you up at seven."

"Okay, but I have to be home by eleven or the next time you'll be seeing me is at my funeral. Cause of death: missed curfew."

"See you then," he said and cut the call.

Mira looked at the time. It was four which, if she did the math right, meant she had three hours to get ready. It would be hard, it would be difficult, but she would get ready on time.

After spending half an hour in the shower winning fake arguments, another half-hour sitting in her towel scrolling through her phone, she was left with two hours to get the job done. An hour was spent following a fifteen-minute makeup tutorial which she ended up hating, wiping off, crying, and then redoing. Realizing she only had an hour left, she burned herself twice curling her hair as fast as she could and rushed into her closet to find an outfit. She figured he was taking her somewhere expensive because she couldn't even begin to imagine him sitting in a KFC. Not that she would have complained; fried chicken was life. So, she stepped into a tight-fitting black dress she'd been saving for graduation photos, and a pair of nude heels before drowning herself in sugary perfume.

Even though it was cold outside, she skipped out on a coat. As a wise woman once said, hoes don't get cold.

When he came to pick her up, he wasn't afraid to pull into the driveway which concerned her. Luckily, her parents weren't home yet. It was like the author of her story came up with these highly convenient scenarios that allowed her to spend time alone with Hiram without ever being caught. But hey, who was she to question the greater force at work here?

Stepping into the car, she immediately blasted the heat and turned on her seat warmer. "Hi," she said, hugging herself tightly.

"Are you cold?" he asked, backing out of the driveway.

"No," she assured, reminding herself of the wise words. Once her body warmed up a bit, she was able to appreciate how good he looked. Unsurprisingly, he was in a suit, but it was much more formal than his usual ones. She mentally applauded herself for choosing to wear the dress.

"I haven't seen you in this dress before," he said, resting a hand on her leg while he used the other one to drive.

"Is that your version of a compliment?" She held back a smile.

"Yes."

"Well, then I haven't seen you in this suit before too."

They drove in silence for a while, listening to whatever trash song was playing on the radio as the car sped past the Riverdale sign. The restaurant was someplace away from town, which seemed like the smart thing to do to keep their relationship a secret. Still, the thought of them sitting together in a public place made her anxious. She was sure she wouldn't see someone she knew there, but there was always a chance she would. Shaking the thought out of her head before it could really scare her, she decided to spark up a conversation.

"So, why the sudden desire to take me out on a date?" She said.

"I want to get to know you."

She furrowed her eyebrows and questioned, "Why?"

"Because I like you."

"You like fucking me."

"Yes," he admitted. "But I like you too."

"You don't really know me, though."

"Truthfully speaking, I don't like most people. They annoy me, want more than I want to give, frustrate me-"

"I frustrate you," she said proudly.

"Yes, but you're an exception," he said. "As I was saying, I don't like most people so it's easy for me to know the ones I do like."

"Wow, so romantic."

"Alright then," he chuckled. "Why did you agree to go on this date with me?"

She wanted to say it was because she'd already seen everything Netflix had to offer, which was only half true. "I guess I like you too," she said, hoping he would just leave it at that, but of course he wouldn't. After all, that just wouldn't be good content.

"What do you like about me?" he boldly asked. Mira wondered if it was because he wanted his ego fed or because he genuinely cared about why she liked him.

"You're exciting and you seem to know what you're doing," she said, earning a strange look from him that gave off the impression he was confused as to why him knowing what he was doing was something that made her like him. "It's attractive considering everyone my age is just as confused as I am about what to do with their life. You seem to have it all figured out, which kind of makes me jealous, but also attracts me to you."

"You give me too much credit. I don't have it all figured out, but thank you," he said.

"Now, why do you like me?" she questioned but before she could get an answer, the car pulled to a stop. Looking out the window, Mira noticed the large restaurant that seemed to glow against the darkness of the night sky. The door was pulled open for her by a man in a red valet vest who helped her out of the car as Hiram made his way around. He tossed the valet his keys with a nod before taking her hand and leading her inside.

"Your hand feels like ice," he said, squeezing it to warm it up.

"I'm anemic," she informed.

"Good to know."

When the hostess eyed Hiram with a lustful gaze, Mira understood why Hiram had gotten so irritated when Reggie had put an arm around her. She hadn't realized it before because she'd never actually see it happen, but Hiram probably received constant sexual advances from women which annoyed her. She felt territorial.

"It's under Lodge," he told the hostess who quickly skimmed the computer screen in front of her before leading them to their table with a forced smile. It didn't look forced but it didn't take a genius to know that it was. After all, no one who wasn't a chef actually liked working in the restaurant industry.

The restaurant was fairly busy, packed full of expensive-looking people and buzzing with conversation. Thankfully, their candlelit table was near a large window that overlooked the city, away from everyone else. Hiram pulled the chair out for her and waited for her to sit down before pushing it towards the table and taking a seat himself.

A waiter came almost immediately after, his chin up high, his back uncomfortably straight. "Can I start you off with a bottle of our house wine?"

Mira looked across the table at Hiram, pouting at him with her eyes, but he returned her gaze with a cold one. "Just two still waters," he said. The waiter nodded and walked away. "You're not using me for alcohol," Hiram said making her frown. She knew she should have pregamed

"Buzzkill," she murmured.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," she opened the menu. Her options were limited. There were no burgers, fries, or even chicken tenders. For her appetizer, she ordered tuna tataki and for her main, she ordered a Kobe steak. Their conversation was surface level as the food arrived.

Sipping on her water, she decided to bring up her unanswered question to get the conversation going again. "Why do you like me?"

Hiram finished the bite he was working on before replying, "You're unapologetic. You don't feel guilty about doing things you want to do. It's refreshing being around you."

"Keep it coming, I gave you two reasons," she said, earning a smile from him.

"You're fearless. You're not afraid to say or do things around me that might get you in trouble."

"And other people are?" she wondered, thinking back to the rumors about him.

"More so, yes."

"Why?"

He sighed and placed his hand on top of hers from across the table. "How about I give you another reason instead?"

"Fine," she smiled.

"You're beautiful."

She rolled her eyes, "Shut up."

"You don't think so?"

"Well, I don't think I'm ugly, but I wouldn't say beautiful."

"Hm," he said, seemingly unhappy with her answer. "I guess it's a good thing for me that you don't know yet."

She rolled her eyes again. "You're vision's just getting worse with age."

"Ouch," he clutched his chest as if she'd just punched him. "Low blow."

"Thanks, I've been known to cause heartache," she said, taking a bite of her forgotten food. It was delicious, but she was enjoying their conversation more which was a first for her. Normally her food had no competitor.

"Oh, I'm sure. Didn't they tell you that you're beautiful?"

"Well, yeah, but it's like an automatic response, it doesn't mean anything," she said. "It's like saying thank you, you're welcome, I love you."

"You don't think I love you means anything?" he asked, his tone expressing surprise.

"Not really," she admitted. "I don't really believe in being in love."

"You're serious?" He said.

"Well, no offense, but do you honestly think I'd be here if I did?" The reaction she received in return for her answer wasn't one she had hoped for. His face hardened and she assumed she had offended him in some way, so she hurried to get herself out of the hole she'd dug for herself. "Don't get me wrong, you're great, you're better than great. It's just that, from my experience, I don't think that being in love is real."

"Why not?" he said, leaning towards her. He seemed genuinely curious about her answer, which made her uncomfortable. She'd never discussed this with anyone before.

"It just seems so fake, maybe it's because I've never been in love before, but I honestly don't think it exists. I think it's just something people like to believe in because the idea of caring, trusting, being there for someone to that extent is comforting," she said. "The world's too selfish to allow something as selfless as love to exist."

"And here I was thinking I had a negative mindset," he said, earning a laugh from her. "Being in love is real, Mira. When you're proven wrong, however long down the road it is, I want you to call me so I can tell you I told you so."

"This is coming from the guy who supposedly doesn't date."

"Who told you that?"

"Veronica."

"It's because I don't have time," he said.

"So what's this?" she asked, gesturing between them.

"Me making time."

The evening went on and as the bill arrived, Mira caught a glimpse of the total as Hiram pulled his wallet out.

"Please tell me they accidentally added an extra zero," she said, her eyes wide. He looked at her confusedly before looking over the bill again.

"No, seems about right," he varified. "So, do you need the machine? I'm using a card for my half."

Mira froze, her face resembling a deer caught in the headlights of a car. Thankfully, a smile spread across his face before he started laughing. Right, he was joking. She forced a laugh too, but he didn't know her wallet was so empty that if you spoke into it you'd hear an echo.

***

Going to end it here because the chapter's getting too long.

It will continue in the next chapter from where this left off.

The date's not done yet!