Edd

It was a dimly lit establishment, where candles cost more than your dinner. Your companion, Max, had just finished his steak and dabbed his lips with a napkin, looking as if he'd accomplished a heroic deed.

"Well," he said, pushing the leather folder with the bill towards you. "Let's split it half and half. I'll take mine, you take yours."

You blinked, thinking you had misheard.

"What do you mean?" you asked, looking at the amount. "You invited me to a restaurant, Max. You said, 'Let's celebrate your promotion.'"

"Yeah, well, let's celebrate. You make a lot of money now, don't you?" he shrugged, fiddling with his phone. "I don't get it, what's wrong? Modern relationships are 50/50, baby."

Anger began to boil inside you.

"Idiot," you hissed. "You invite me in, order the most expensive thing on the menu, and then announce you're splitting the bill? You're just a pathetic, selfish idiot!"

"Hey, take it easy!" He looked up at you. "Nobody dragged you into ordering shrimp. If you want to be a princess/prince, find an oligarch."

You were about to open your mouth to yell at him when you suddenly felt a heavy gaze on you. The next table. A man was sitting there. Alone. An expensive suit, a watch that cost as much as an apartment downtown, and an absolutely calm, mocking face.

You didn't even notice him standing up. Tall, smelling of expensive wood and money. He walked up to your table, took your hand, and, without asking permission, easily lifted you from your chair.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Max was taken aback. "Let her/him go!"

"I heard everything," the businessman's voice was low. "You're asking her/him to pay for your whiskey. You're calling her/him demanding when you came to the restaurant with an empty wallet and a full stomach."

Without giving Max a chance to speak, the man scooped you up into his arms, firmly but gently. Your heart was pounding faster than a rabbit's.

— Are you crazy? I'll call security!

The businessman was already carrying you toward the exit without even looking back. As he approached, he called over his shoulder, loud and clear, so the whole room could hear:

"You don't just not know how to pay. You don't know how to be a man, you mama's boy."