The Last Meal

“Perfect,” Josette muttered to herself as she took a step back from the romantic dinner arrangement that she had spent the last two hours preparing. Purple satin draped over a round low-table that centered between two sets of fluffy white pillows and atop a tapestry edged with tassels. She flicked the switch and immersed herself in pitch-black darkness, then used a remote to turn on the fairy lights sprawled across the basement ceiling.

“Ms. Knight, your date is here,” a waiter dressed in formal attire spoke to Josette, offering a friendly smile as he stepped to the side to allow the new arrival into the room. As her date approached her, the waiter fanned himself and mouthed to Josette. “He’s so hot!”

“Thank you, Anthony,” Josette said while holding back laughter, dismissing the waiter. Her mouth stretched ear to ear as her sight explored her date. She started with his curly black hair and then admired his dark brown eyes that matched his complexion. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Chris. I have to admit, your profile picture doesn’t do you justice.”

“I can definitely say the same for you,” Chris returned the flirtation as he observed Josette’s light brunette hair curled into perfect ringlets and pale blue eyes that complimented her porcelain skin. The pair both pleased by the fact that their online dating pages were decently accurate representations of themselves. His breathing slowed as he was soothed by the warm and inviting atmosphere, impressed by the fancy table settings as he lowered himself onto the floor. “We get our own private room?”

“Perks of being the owner of the restaurant upstairs,” Josette told him, slightly plopping onto the pillows while keeping her knees together to avoid a dress mishap. She noticed a gift bag beside Chris, the rope still twisted around his wrist. “What-cha got there?”

“Oh yeah,” Chris started, flashing his pearly white teeth as he pulled out a glass bottle. “1947 French Cheval-Blanc, from my own personal collection.”

“Oh my goodness, merlot is my favorite. How’d you know?” Josette gently gripped the bottle and studied the aged label, recalling an article she read about how this was one of the most expensive bottles ever sold. “This isn’t the bottle is it? The one that sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars?”

Chris offered a humble nod, placing his hand over his diamond encrusted Rolex. “A fellow wine connoisseur?”

Josette immediately handed the bottle back, carefully retracting her hands. “We can’t drink that! That has to be one of your most prized possessions.”

“It is,” Chris answered, pulling a corkscrew from the bag and began to open the bottle. “But I hope tonight will give me a future worth more than any amount of money.”

Heat flushed Josette’s face, although her rosy cheek makeup masked her blushing response to his sweet words. She licked her lips as Chris poured their glasses half-way full, excited to taste the rare wine. She brought the drink to her mouth as Chris did, the both of them locked in each other’s stares.

“That’s delicious,” she told him, watching closely as the red liquid crept into the creases of Chris’ lips. “Speaking of delicious…”

Anthony descended the staircase with a tray in hand, then placed the shareable bread assortment with an array of dipping sauces in the center of the table and the main courses adjacent to the appetizer.

“Please enjoy,” Anthony said, giving his boss a thumbs up before retreating back upstairs.

Chris’s mouth filled with saliva as he observed the garlic butter glistening over the roasted chicken and the scent of the filet mignon topped with a bleu cheese crumble and sautéed mushrooms infiltrated his nostrils. Josette stabbed her fork into the sundried tomato pasta salad that separated the two meats on their identical entrees, groaning with satisfaction at her own crafted recipe.

“You must have stalked my page, these are literally some of my favorite dishes,” Chris joked, chuckling as he cut a slice from his steak and placed the juicy meat between his teeth.

“Would you leave right now if I did?” Josette bantered, offering a cheeky smile as she thought about her secret behavior before agreeing to this date. Chris nodded negatively, insisting he would stay despite the creepiness of stalking. “How do you like the food?”

“I can honestly say, if this was my last meal, I would gladly walk through Heaven’s gates,” Chris answered, rubbing his hand on his belly in a small circle. He gazed into Josette’s eyes, intrigued by the mystery behind them. “You could get away with murder with eyes like yours.”

A smirk angled Josette’s mouth as she rose from her seat silently.

Chris reached for his knife to cut a piece of chicken off the carcass, quickly pushing the knife off the table and out of his reach. He shook his head as his sight began to blur, squinting as he attempted to read the alcohol content of his wine. “Where are you going?”

“You said I could get away with murder,” Josette started, locking the door to the bustling restaurant and completely isolating the two of them. She approached the sharp knife that Chris had knocked onto the floor and wrapped her slender fingers around the handle. “Let’s find out.”

Chris attempted to stand and quickly fell over, opening his mouth to talk but was unable to make a sound. His heart beat hard in his chest as Josette approached him with a menacing grin and knife in hand. Darkness swallowed his vision as he felt hot breath roll across his ear.

“Thanks for the merlot,” Josette whispered.