Chapter 97 - Double Date

The sound of her phone ringing aroused Yelena from her sleep. Lazily, her hand reached out for her phone which was placed on the table. When she realized where she was sleeping, her eyes that were half-opened grew wide opened at once!

She was sleeping on the couch with a blanket covering her body. She recalled what happened before she fell asleep. She was chatting with Felix while sitting on the couch and... did she just fell asleep while the latter was talking?

They rarely had a chance to see each other yet she fell asleep over his talk! It made Yelena scowled. She turned her head around to see where Felix was and saw him walking out of the kitchen.

"You're up? You seem to be tired, so I didn't want to wake you." Felix narrowed his eyes at the table. "Aren't you going to answer?" He gestured at her phone.

Yelena suddenly realized that she still doesn't answer her phone. She immediately grabbed it and swipe the green button.

"Hi, Ella."

"Hey! What took you so long? I think that you're not answering!" Ella exclaimed from the other line.

Yelena briefly glanced at Felix before she shifted her attention back to the phone call. "Sorry. I fell asleep and I only wake up now." She glanced at her wristwatch and realized that it was almost 6 p.m. Just how long did she sleep?

"Then come out. Let's have dinner together." Ella excitedly said.

"Now? But I'm planning to visit my parents."

Ella frowned. "Come on! Just visit them later. Let's have dinner first."

Yelena glanced at Felix who was now sitting next to her. The latter also stared at her, curious to know what was going on. "But I don't think I can do that. I have a date." Felix's lips curved into a smile which made her felt embarrassed. Ella's timing was always wrong!

The woman on the other line become more excited when she heard her friend response. "Your boyfriend is also there? That's great! Bring him along with you. Arias will also be here. We can have a double date!" She exclaimed with glee.

Unlike her friend, Yelena was not that excited. If her friend was to meet her fiance, it will be quite a headache! She frowned when she realized Ella's persistent nature. "Wait a minute. Let me ask him first."

Putting down her phone, she looked at Felix who was staring at her the whole time. "Ella want to have a dinner together. You, me, she and her boyfriend. What do you think?"

Felix nodded his head right away. "That's good. We can visit your parents on another day."

Hearing his response, Yelena returned to the call. "Okay. We will be there. Text me the address."

* * *

Walking the corridors of one luxurious restaurant, the couple makes their way to the room where Ella and Arias were waiting for them.

Ella used her brain much more than expected. Considering the standing of the Prince in the society, she reserved a private room so that they would get the chance to eat freely without trouble. This made Yelena quite happy. Her friend acted like she hates Felix but she's more than considerate!

Standing before the door to their allotted room, she looked at Felix who stood beside her. "Remember what I said, okay? Ella is quite persistent and nosy. She won't stop until she is satisfied. Her boyfriend is our Deputy Commander so -"

"He's normal than her, so there won't be a problem with him." Felix finished for her. "You already told me many times to the point where I memorized it all." He added with a playful smile.

"That's good then." She didn't know why she was so nervous. Somehow, she felt like a daughter who was about to introduce her boyfriend to her parents for the first time! But she never went through such a thing! When she regained her consciousness after she was shot, everything was already done for her!

They finally opened the door and walked inside where the other couple were already sitting. "Hi, Yelena." It was Colonel Arias who first greeted her. Then his eyes landed on the man next to her. He somehow finds him familiar.

"Hello, Deputy Commander." She returned the greeting and then looked at Eleanor. "Hi, Ella."

"Welcome." Much to Yelena's surprise, her friend greeted them with a smile.

They took a seat opposite to the couple yet Yelena noticed that her friend was observing every move of Felix. A faint smile appeared on Ella's lips when she saw Felix helping Yelena in pulling out a chair.

"I'm Eleanor Geraci, Yelena's best friend. You can call me Ella." Ella reached out her hand to Felix.

"It's an only friend." Yelena corrected her friend with a smile.

Exchanging a handshake with Ella, Felix introduced himself. "I'm Felix Valestra. We met once in the countryside, right? It's nice to meet again this way."

"I'm Arias McLean, Ella's boyfriend." Arias introduced himself with his usual friendly smile.

"I know you too. I saw you at the exhibition. Nice to meet you." Felix nodded.

"You're there too?" Arias blinked. "I only see Yelena that day. I have no idea that you were there."

Felix laughed. "It's understandable. I only watched her from a distance that day." He gave Yelena a quick glance. "She insisted to keep our relationship a secret. So, she told me not to be near her."

"He is the Crown Prince of Edeladon." Ella immediately said to Arias. She knew right away that her boyfriend would wonder why they need to hide their relationship. "The attention of the media can be a nuisance for them."

Arias was taken aback once again! He finds the man quite familiar but the Crown Prince of Edeladon didn't even cross his mind! He already heard from Yelena that her boyfriend was a foreigner but he didn't expect the boyfriend to be a royal.

"I'm okay with making our relationship public now that we are already engaged. But I understand that it will not be easy for her to give up her normal life. So, I want to give her much time as possible." Felix replied Ella.

"I understand how you felt," Arias responded right away. He also agreed to keep it a secret only because he considered Ella's standing. But now, their relationship was not that secret now, especially in their division.

"The last time you visit our country as a Representative of your country, Yelena's team were the one who took charge of you, right?" Ella said but when one probability crossed her mind, her eyes grew wide. "Does that mean you fell in love during that?" She gasped.

Yelena's calm face turned to a displeased one and glared at her friend. But when she saw Colonel Arias surprised face, her throat ran dry. She immediately felt the urge to clear her name. "It's not like that, Deputy Commander. We already -"

"We met in Belden before I came to Silveren." Felix interrupted her and hold her hand that was beneath the table. He also understands that it was quite a sensitive topic in the army. He nodded at her and continued, "I fell for her during my journey in Belden. When we met again in Silveren, I was so shocked to find out that she was a soldier who will be responsible for my safety. But I still love her, so I keep on pursuing her." A faint smile appeared on his face.

"She pushed me away throughout my stay here but I was so persistent. So, she eventually accepted me after she fulfilled her duty." He concluded and then shifted his gaze back to her. The latter finally smiled at him.

"Yelena, even if it happened during your mission, I think it's okay. No one has authority over their feelings and even the law cannot stop that." Arias titled his head to Ella as if he proposed themselves as one example. The law didn't prohibit dating a fellow soldier but the response they received was rarely positive.

"I know that you will understand. That's why I can say everything to you without feeling the need to think twice." Ella stated with pride. 

"I'm honoured," Arias replied which made everyone burst out into a laughter.

"Why do you like Yelena?" Ella suddenly asked Felix. She wanted to make sure that her only friend was in the hands of a good and reliable man who was worthy of her.

"I never thought of that." Felix narrowed his eyes and put down the knife and fork he was holding.

"I think the most important trait in a relationship is feeling perfect with one another. We are all humans with imperfection but whenever we are with that special one, we think that we are perfect with them." He lovingly glanced at Yelena. "She made me feel special."

Ella observed the way Felix looked at her friend and how he talked about her. 'He's completely smitten with her.' That's the only thing that crossed her mind.

"We think so alike. I used to wonder why men are always the one who is head over heels in love when it comes to a relationship." Arias jokingly said which made Felix chuckled.

"I get your point. I also used to think about why women are so absent-minded. They tend to forget the promise they made." Felix playfully hinted at the forgotten promised. Yelena forgot to call him when they landed. "They also loved to run away without a notice." He added, pointing out how he was stood up in Belden.

The two women's displeasure was already so evident in their faces yet Arias added fuel to the fire by responding, "You're right. I often went through that. I feel like I have met a destined friend." He chuckled and raised a glass of wine.

Felix did the same to celebrate their newfound friendship. The moment the two men drank the wine, Ella abruptly rose from her seat and narrowed her eyes at Yelena. "I think we don't fit into this place. Shall we go and have fun somewhere?" Sharply glancing at Arias, she added, "Just the two of us."