Olivia's POV
Maxwell had appeared at our table like a bad omen, his phone in hand and his expression more serious than I'd seen it all evening.
Gabriel didn't let go of my hand, but his expression shifted to one of irritation. "What are you talking about, Max? We just got our food."
"Mitchell isn't eating," Maxwell announced dramatically, as if this statement should mean something to us.
Gabriel blinked. "Who the fuck is Mitchell?"
"My cat!" Maxwell said, his voice rising with distress. "My staff just called. They said she's been sitting by her food bowl for three hours without taking a single bite. The only time Mitchell refuses to eat is when I'm not there. She needs me."
I stared at Maxwell in disbelief. *He was ending our date because his cat wouldn't eat without him? What kind of person...*
"Max, just take a cab home," Gabriel said, his patience clearly wearing thin. "Olivia and I are in the middle of dinner."
Maxwell recoiled as if Gabriel had suggested he set himself on fire. "A cab? Gabriel, you know I can't use public transportation. The germs, the crowds, the complete lack of privacy... I could catch any number of diseases."
"It's not public transportation, it's a private car service..."
"Driven by strangers who could be serial killers or identity thieves or people who don't properly sanitize their vehicles between customers."
Gabriel rubbed his temples. "Max, you're being ridiculous."
"I'm in distress here, bro," Maxwell said seriously. "Mitchell's health is at stake here. She hasn't missed a meal in three years. Three years, Gabriel! If something happens to her because I prioritized your love life over her wellbeing..."
I watched this exchange with both fascination and horror. Maxwell was either the most dramatic person on the planet or he genuinely believed that his cat would die if he didn't rush home immediately.
Either way, I could see that Gabriel was fighting a losing battle. Maxwell had that stubborn set to his jaw that suggested he wasn't going to back down, no matter how much Gabriel argued.
"Fine," I said, surprising both men. "It's getting late anyway. We should probably head back."
Gabriel turned to me with disappointment written all over his face. "Olivia, you don't have to..."
"No, it's okay," I said, though internally I was screaming. "Mitchell needs her human."
Maxwell shot me a look that I didn't to comprehend.
"Just... give me five minutes," Gabriel said to Maxwell, his voice filled with frustration. "Go wait by the car."
Maxwell hesitated, clearly wanting to argue, but he decided against it. "Five minutes. Not a second longer."
After Maxwell left, Gabriel turned back to me with an expression of mortification.
"Olivia, I am so, so sorry about this entire evening. The chaperoning, the constant interruptions, the drama about the cat... This is not how I wanted our first date to go."
"It's okay..."
"No, it's not okay," Gabriel interrupted, reaching for my hands again. "I need you to know that this will never happen again. Ever. I don't care if Mitchell stops eating permanently, I don't care if Max threatens to disown me, I don't care if the world is about to end. If you give me another chance, it will just be you and me. No third parties, no emergencies, no interruptions."
The passion in his voice caught me off guard. "Gabriel..."
"I know this sounds crazy because we just met, but I feel this strong connection to you," he continued, "From the moment I saw you standing in your driveway looking absolutely stunning and completely terrified, I knew there was something special about you. And after talking to you tonight, after seeing your real smile and hearing your laugh and watching the way you handle chaos with such grace... I don't want to let you go. I want to spend more time with you. I want to take you on proper dates where we can actually focus on each other. I want to know everything about you, and I never want you to be out of my sight again."
My heart was hammering against my ribs. *Had anyone ever spoken to me like this before? Had anyone ever looked at me with such intensity, such genuine interest?*
"I..." I started, but before I could finish my thought, Maxwell's voice boomed across the restaurant.
"BRO, DO YOU WANT TO FUCKING MARRY HER ON THE FIRST DATE?"