After talking to the Nursing unit Manager for tonight's shift, who happened to be a friend, and getting her reassurance that she'd call me if Mattia attempted to take Bess or their daughter from the hospital I headed towards the elevators where Aidan was waiting for me.
Once safely inside with the doors closed I explained what I'd done at the ward desk. He gave me a smile.
"Good thinking, I was worried we'd show up tomorrow and she'd have disappeared."
I leaned against the wall in the elevator as we descended. It had been a long day and with what had just happened I didn't see myself getting a whole lot of sleep.
"You okay?"
Aidan was watching me in that gentle way I remembered from our one night together.
"Not really no. I'm worried about her. She ran from this man and hid for six years. There had to be a good reason. Now he's back and before you arrived she told me he'd make her return to Nevada with him, like she didn't have a choice."
"Like fuck he will. If Bess doesn't want to go, he won't be making her. She's got a lot of friends she's made at the Club and some of them are the type that can help if he tries to take her by force."
I stared at him and wondered if it would come to that.
"I can't believe she's married, or that her name isn't Bess."
With my statement his head jerked back.
"What do you mean her name isn't Bess?"
"Didn't you hear him calling her Angel? Her name is actually Angelique. She went by Bess while she was on the run from him. A name I think holds special meaning for them both."
"Wow! I had no idea. I thought Angel was just a pet name he used. She always came across as this Boss Lady, large and in charge. No fucks given. The only time I ever saw a soft side to her was when she was around Beth and even that was rare. She kept her Club life and her personal life very separate."
Thinking of my friend and what her future might entail made me sad.
"I'll walk you to your car. It's late and you shouldn't be going into that car park alone."
I thought about the last time a man had confronted me in that car park. It seemed like forever ago, and just yesterday too.
"I don't actually have my car today. I got an Uber as my car is at the mechanic. With everything that happened this afternoon I never went and picked it up."
"I'll drive you home then. You're not getting an Uber at this time of night."
I'd forgotten how bossy he could be. It was never overbearing but he definitely had a macho way about him.
"You realise I'm a full grown woman right. I get myself to and from work all by myself every shift." I couldn't help but sass him a little.
"I know you're a grown woman. Believe me I know, but I'm still giving you a lift home." He was staring at me in a way that made my insides feel all squirmy.
"Thank you. I'd actually appreciate that. Do you mind if we go through a drive through, I haven't eaten since lunchtime and I have nothing in my apartment after a lot of overtime and studying for my exams. I think I have a jar of mayonnaise and some stale cereal. Today was meant to be grocery day after I picked up my car."
"You need to make sure you eat Emily. Lunch was fucking hours ago. How about we go to Mimmos and have something decent to eat. They make fantastic pasta and are open until late to catch the post concert crowd."
The thought of sharing a meal with this man. Sitting across a table from him and doing something as mundane as sharing some pasta and a glass of wine made me smile. I wanted that. After the day I'd had, I wanted something normal and my mouth watered at the thought of garlic bread. It had been too long since I'd had some.
"Sounds good. As long as there's garlic bread."
At my response he gave me a huge smile. The elevator doors opened and he held the door until I was safely through, before walking past me and pushing the buzzer to open large glass doors that would let us outside. After 6pm the sliding doors didn't open until the person trying to enter spoke to security through the speaker up front and leaving necessitated use of the buzzer.
Once we were on the sidewalk heading towards the public parking spaces he deftly switched sides with me and walked on the side closest to the traffic. There weren't many cars at this time of night, but being located in a major city there was always somebody coming or going. I smiled to myself when I thought of how old fashioned his actions were, but more importantly how much I appreciated them. I'd never had those kind of small gestures. Grant was obviously the only relationship I'd had and he wasn't the type of guy to notice which side of the sidewalk I was walking on, he was more likely to be striding ahead while I tried to keep up. I frowned at the thought and realised it had been weeks since I last thought of him. I didn't want him in my mind tonight. I wanted to share a meal with someone I considered a friend, while I worried about my other friend and what her future held.
Once we reached his car he moved to open my door for me and we bumped into each other, I wasn't used to someone doing that for me and he seemed a little put out that I'd gotten in the way. After I stepped aside he opened my door and waited til I was seated before walking around to get in. He didn't do it for credit, it just seemed to be second nature to him. A girl could get used to this kind of treatment.
It took us only five minutes to reach the restaurant and we were lucky enough to snag a spot just past the front door. I was thankful as I didn't think my tired feet were up to a long walk after my shift today.
As we were being seated I noticed the waitress openly flirting with Aidan as she took our drinks order and discussed the menu. She was doing her best to engage him in conversation and ensuring she leaned forward to highlight her cleavage. Aidan was giving her nothing back, I couldn't work out if he was ignoring her or didn't actually notice. Once she'd laid the menus on the table she left with a bit of a huff and I couldn't help but giggle.
"What's so funny?" He was watching me with a small smile on his face. God he was handsome.
"That poor waitress was doing everything she could to get your attention and you didn't notice. Even I got an eyeful of her cleavage and quite the cleavage it was. I'd estimate at least a D Cup." I gave him a wink to show him I was teasing.
"Emily I honestly didn't notice. Do you think that on a night when I get you to agree to sit down and share a meal with me, after twelve fucking months, that I'd give any time or attention to another woman? I know you don't know me that well but let me assure you the answer is fuck no. You're who I want to talk to. You're the only one I see."
I felt myself blush at his words, but I also believed them. Aidan didn't trigger my bullshit meter the way most men did these days. After what happened to me I found myself suspicious of most men, yet another reason I hadn't dived back into the dating pool.
"I'm just saying that most men would have definitely had a peek at her rack. I know if it were Grant opposite me he would."
As he stiffened in his seat I felt stupid for bringing him up.
"I'm not him. I'm nothing like him. You can rest assured that not all men look Em. And I have to lay this out there for you so we're crystal clear, if you were mine, no waitress or any woman for that matter would get my time. Whether you were with me or not. You know my history Emily and I hope you know I'd never disrespect you like that."
Now I felt like I'd insulted him.
"I'm sorry Aidan. You're the first man I've shared a meal with since I split from Grant. I guess I don't know how to do this. Lucky it's not a date or you'd have walked out by now."
He picked up the decanter of water on the table and poured us both a glass. Once he was finished he gave me his full attention and spoke.
"Nothing to apologise for sweetheart. And while tonight might not be a date, it doesn't mean I don't want one. I made no secret of the fact that I wanted your number all those months ago. I know you weren't ready then, but if you are ready to dip your toe into the dating pool again I hope you'll give me the first option. I also hope it goes so well that I'm the only one you're dating. I see a future with you Emily. A long one. Is that clear enough for you?"
Now my heart was beating really fast. I knew we'd had chemistry that night, any idiot could see that. But for him to say he wanted us to date exclusively was daunting. I didn't know if I was ready to commit to that with anyone. Even Aidan.
"Aidan I'm..."
"I'm not pressuring you Emily. Not at all. But I do want to be 100% clear with you so that when you do decide what your next step is I'm at least on your radar. Now what are you in the mood for tonight? Do you prefer tomato or cream based sauce for your pasta?"
I appreciated that he'd changed the subject. I took a sip of the water to calm my nerves as his words turned over and over in my head. Exclusive. A future. A long one... He interrupted my rambling thoughts.
"I know. Let's get one of each and we'll share. If there's any left you can take it home so you'll have something to take to work tomorrow for lunch. I'll get two serves of garlic bread too, one with cheese and one without. That way I'll be sure to get a slice cause I have a feeling from the grumbling coming from your belly that you're going to inhale the first basket."
I gasped at his comment. How dare he! But he wasn't wrong, my empty belly was making itself known. I laughed along with him and he gestured for the waitress to return.
Yet again she leaned in such a way he'd have a full view down her shirt if he chose to look. This time I found myself annoyed. She didn't know we weren't on a date and doing this in front of me was disrespectful.
"You want anything else sweetheart? Or you still good with two dishes and breads?"
He was looking at me. Giving her nothing. That didn't deter her though. Instead she dropped into a squat and folded her arms under her chest, pushing her cleavage even higher. So now her boobs were literally right in his face. I could feel myself getting angry. I might not be ready to date him exclusively, I didn't even know if I was ready to date at all, but I did not appreciate her being so obvious right in front of me. Emily 2.0 didn't take that crap.
"That's definitely enough." I was glaring at her as I said it. Something in my tone of voice made her look at me for the first time tonight. The flirty smile fell from her face and she straightened up to standing again.
"As my girl said, that's more than enough. Can you send the Manager on duty over after you place our order please." With that statement he handed her our menus and made it clear we were done with her.
I looked at him and felt my brow furrow, wondering what he needed to see the Manager for? We hadn't even eaten yet so he couldn't want to complain about the food.
"Hello Aidan, how may I be of assistance?"
"I'd like a new waitress please. The one serving us tonight has been disrespectful to Emily on two separate occasions and I won't let her do it a third time. If that's a problem we can go somewhere else."
I felt my mouth drop open in shock. He obviously came here a lot if the Manager knew his name and he'd just called out one of his waitresses. I'd never had anyone do that. Never had anyone stand up for me like that before.
"I apologise. I'll ensure you have a different waitress for the rest of your night with us." He then turned to me and said "I'm sorry this happened. After your meal please let me send out some Tiramisu to end your meal on a sweet note..."
" Oh gosh no! There's no need."
"That would be great. Thank you for your understanding."
I felt flustered and a little embarrassed that he'd done that. After the Manager walked away I leaned towards Aidan and whispered.
"You didn't need to do that. The poor girl is going to get in trouble." I know I'd been annoyed with her but didn't want her getting in trouble from her boss.
"Yes I did Emily. Nobody disrespects you. Especially in front of me. When I didn't reciprocate her flirting the first time she should have quit her behaviour. She didn't. This is the consequence of her actions."
"Aidan it wasn't that big a deal..."
"Don't do that Emily. Don't ever think somebody being disrespectful to you isn't a big deal. Whether it's a waitress or a doctor at your hospital. Don't think I didn't notice doctor handsy making you uncomfortable in Beth's room. You deserve respect. Always."
I had to work to stop my hand from shaking as I reached for my water glass. I was more than a little shocked that he'd done that. And he wasn't wrong about Dr Lees. I hoped he didn't think that just because he'd helped me out with Beth's case that he now had the right to touch me.
"You don't understand your worth Emily, but I'll help you to see it. If you'll let me. I'll help you realise just how special you are."
With that statement my stomach started doing flips again.
A different waitress arrived with our garlic bread and our wine. After serving a small amount for Aidan to approve she left us in peace. Her behaviour completely different to her colleague.
He wasn't wrong about the garlic bread and I don't think I even chewed for the first two slices. The garlic buttery goodness was so delicious I think I might have even moaned a little. Looking at Aidan he was giving me an indulgent smile before reaching for a piece of bread, raising his eyebrows as if to ask if it was okay to share. I covered my mouth as I chuckled at his antics.
After he finished his slice he took a small sip of his wine and gave me a more serious look and I felt my stomach twist at what I knew what was coming.
"Are you ready to talk about what happened with Grant? You don't have to. Bess did keep me updated when you two finally parted ways and that he made it very difficult for you, but I can't say I don't want to hear it from your point of view. I won't push if you're not ready, we can keep tonight light. It's your choice."
He reached for another piece of bread and I finished chewing what I had in my mouth before reaching for my own wine and taking a large mouthful to calm my nerves. I found myself wanting to tell him about it. He'd been there the night it all started and it felt somehow fitting that I explained how it had all unfolded.
After one more sip to fortify myself I began the painful tale of how I finally parted ways with Grant.