บท 136: Chapter 136
Pearl went back to their place on the couch. She wasn't going to approach Erik. She wasn't going to approach any man. She was going to enjoy her night and if a man wanted to earn her time, that was on him. Fi followed suit. "Another bottle of wine, please!" Pearl asked the waiter.
"This one's on me." She heard a familiar voice say. "Erik." Pearl said, standing to greet him.
"I would like to say I'm a such a terrific stalker that I made this happen, but this, this is a completely fortuitous meeting and I cannot say I am disappointed." He said, kissing her hand. "Fiona, always a pleasure." He said, kissing her hand as well.
"I have a favor to ask of you both. My cousin is a huge fan of your show, Fiona. And my little brother appears to have a bit of crush on you, Pearl. He is the one that noticed you were here, in fact. He said he cannot wait for the Poems for Wolves album to "drop", would you mind if I showed off my famous friends to my family by having a drink with us?" Fi smiled and told him of course they would, and he took their bottle of wine and led them to the table.
"I can't believe Pearl Clarke is having drinks with us in Florence! What are the odds! And then Erik said he knew you, I told him to bring you over here right now or risk me throwing a wobbly in public" a young man said as they approached the table.
"Pearl, this is my little brother, Augustus". Erik said.
"Auggie, please. We don't call you Friederike, do we Erik?" He joked. "It's a sincere pleasure to meet you." Auggie said. "The pleasure is all mine." Pearl said.
"And this is my cousin Helene and her husband, Douglas, the Duke and Duchess of Richmond. And my other cousin, Louis is somewhere around this bar with a mate of mine, Julian."
"Again, wonderful to meet you all" Pearl said. They sat and had drinks and chatted for the next hour. They were in Florence because Auggie is currently there, attending school. He is an art major at the university and they are all there to celebrate Erik's belated birthday together. They all seemed so normal and easy to talk to. Fi had struck up a conversation with Erik's cousin, Louis. He was a tall, slender man with light brown, unruly, wavy hair like Erik but was much leaner and had a less chiseled face, more round and bright. Erik had a husky voice and sometimes Pearl had a difficult time understanding him with his tone along with his accent. He also had this thing he did with his eyes, like an eyelid flutter when he talked to you. It was subtle but Pearl noticed it. He had full lips and a regal way about him. Even though he chose to spend time with those less desirable than his family would prefer, he had the way about him that projected refinement and culture. He was incredibly intimidating.
"So when is the album release?" Auggie asked.
"We just finished shooting our video last week in LA." Pearl paused and looked over at Erik, who looked at her with a look of knowing. He was there and knew it all. "We are thinking it should be released in about a week or so. If you give me an email or a way to contact you, I could send it to you before it comes out to the public? And the album as well?" Pearl suggested.
"Really? That would be fantastic. I'll give you my school email. I only use it to email teachers so it's secure for something like that." He said. She took out her phone and took down the information. "Got it! I will email you the day I get it myself." She said. He smiled and thanked her, giving her a big hug.
"It's getting late. We have to get going back to our room. Again, pleasure to meet you both. Thank you for taking the time to sit with us tonight. I can't wait for the next season of Knights of Eden." Helene said and excised herself and her husband from the table. Louis was getting pretty drunk and Auggie was attempting to convince him to cut off for the bar. By the looks of things, Louis was the wildest of the royal children and right up Fi's alley. They had been flirting all evening.
"I can't believe you are here." Erik said, moving his finger along the rim of his glass. "It's an absolutely incredible surprise. Is your husband here in town as well?" Erik asked, looking at his glass and then moving his eyes to hers.
"No. He is not. He is... I don't know where he is. Los Angeles, I presume." Pearl said, looking to her left and avoiding eye contact.
"I won't say that I am surprised but I also will say that it is unfortunate how much of a plonker your husband is."
Pearl again avoided eye contact.
"Where are you staying?" Erik asked.
"The Villa dell'Angelo, in Pistoia." Pearl told him.
"Ah. Yes. Lovely. Private villa there. I've heard of it. Good place to entertain guests, right?" He asked.
"Of course. It's a beautiful villa." Pearl said.
"Brilliant. Then it's settled. Louis, find Julian and the woman he was trying to pick up and let's head to Pistoia. Pearl has a villa rented there perfect for the after party." Erik said, turning his gaze back to Pearl and smiling.
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