Ben did not take me somewhere loud. Not that I was expecting the loud place, I just trusted him so much it baffled me.

The place was quiet enough that conversation did not have to fight music, private enough that the few people present already understood discretion as part of the service. Still, he managed the space around me with a kind of unshowy precision - the angle of the table, the timing of the staff, the way he positioned himself whenever someone passed too close. It was protection without performance.

I bet you no damn paparazzi would see my face even if they tried.

I noticed every time he...