In the past Tristan had never had any particular feelings about work dinners. If anything he had appreciated them simply because they provided a changing scenery. But as he attended the dinner date that he was currently on Tristan could not help but feel an overwhelming sense of hate for the arrangement.
Food was no longer something that he just viewed as having to endure because his body needed it, or as a weapon that he could wield to break the ice during negotiations. Now food meant time spent with Ariel, eating food that he knew she had made just for him. It meant lavishing her with praise over her cooking, and watching her face heat like she had no idea just how talented she was in that respect.
'Do not cook for me. I have a work dinner to attend tonight, so I will be eating there' Tristan had written earlier that night, and as he'd sent the text, he had wanted to delete it and just pretend like the late evening meeting was not going to happen.
