It's been three days since the party and Aria was sure something had changed between her and Justin. Whenever they came across each other in the office, he would say a few words about her work, but his intense gaze on her which made her toes curl, gave an indication of what his words failed to do.
Aria put on her jacket and took her keys intending to go on a short walk. She spotted Justin with his dog Bruno in the corridor.
"Aria, wait …," Justin called and walked towards her. This is the first time he addressed her by name, usually he called her Ms.Cooper. She waited patiently to see what he wanted to say.
"So,are you going on a walk?" Justin asked and in return Arai nodded.
"Mind if I join you?" Justin was very polite compared to all the times they had a conversion.
His face was a little bit relaxed and he seemed pretty much an easygoing opposite to his arrogant and stubborn self.
"Are you not working overtime today?" Aria was thinking that it was just 7 pm and was wondering why he was not in front of his laptop.
"I am not a workaholic, it's just that there was an exhibition next month, so I was a little bit tied up," Justin straightly lied.
Aria was not entirely convinced by his reason, but anyway, she nodded in understanding.
As they got into the elevator Aria looked like the dog was licking her shoes. "Bruno stop it, go away," she hid at the corner of the elevator.
Justin tried to hold back the dog, but he liked to stick next to Aria, when Justin scolded Bruno, he sadly sat down.
"Are you scared of dogs?" Justin asked.
"Yes very much, my brother always wanted to have a pet, but mom was very particular about cleanliness and did not think we had time to look after one," Aria explained.
"Bruno may look big, but he is very friendly. I am sure that if you give him a chance you will come to love him," Justin's voice became tender.
"Hmm... I will try ", Aria stated.
"Do you have to return home early?" Justin asked
"No, why?" Aria had no other plans than to watch a new TV show on Netflix.
"I want to take you somewhere. Is it okay," Justin asked.
"Sure," Aria agreed.
They started walking and after twenty minutes when they did not reach the destination Aria felt tired because of having very poor stamina.
"Hmm... how long before we get there? I cannot take another step," Aria let out a breath.
"You seriously should start working out. Don't worry, we'll reach our destination when we turn left," Justin said.
Aria walked a little longer and was rooted to the spot when she saw the sight in front of her.
"Oh my god..I have no words. This is so splendid," She was in awe. They were now standing on one of the highest spots in the city where she could see the whole city lit up, and the view was absolutely breathtaking.
"Glad you liked it," Justin smiled.
"How did you discover this spot?" Aria asked. As this was kind of on the outskirts surrounded by tall trees and there were no vehicles that passed across the street.
"Sometimes to clear my mind I go jogging. I don't know the way and just keep moving until I calm down. One day I found this spot and from then on I am a regular visitor," Justin explained.
Aria walked to the edge and was basking in it's beauty happily.
"Come here," Aria turned back to call him. She noticed he was looking at her with a curious gaze.
They have been together for the past two hours, and he had spoken more to her than the past few weeks. For a second she could not believe that he was the same Justin who nitpicked her every small mistake.
It felt like they were two entirely different personalities. She wanted to know whether she was the only one who got to experience this side of him.
Justin walked towards her and saw her hands were freezing, she was cold.
"I should have told you to wear gloves," Justin frowned.
"You had no idea that the temperature would drop so drastically," Aria shivered.
"Give me your hand," Justin asked.
"Ahh…," Aria was confused.
Justin did not say anything and quickly took both her hands in his.Aria was shocked and tried to withdraw her hands, but Justin gripped hers tighter. He started to rub her hands so they could warm up.
Aria has never been this close to him. She noticed his sharp nose, thin lips and stubble beard which made him look younger. When Justin looked up, Aria turned her face not wanting him to notice the redness on her cheeks.
"I think we should leave now," Aria murmured.
"Hmm ", Justin was not in a hurry to leave her hand.
Aria bit her lip and freed her hand,but not before giving it a light squeeze.
The journey back home was quiet, so quiet that she could hear her heartbeat loudly. She had never been in a relationship, so just holding hands for a few minutes made her act like a teenager.
She did not know they were so silent because there was nothing to talk about or maybe Justin also felt something back.
Aria unlocked the door and was about to enter without saying any goodbye when Justin called her name.
"I have two tickets for tomorrow's play. Will you accompany me?" Justin asked. Aria nodded her head and shut the door immediately after entering the house.
Only after some time did she realize that Justin asked her out, and she agreed without any hesitation. It will not be good to cancel now since they were some kind of friends.
The next day, at 6:30 sharp, someone knocked on her door and when she opened it, it was Justin. He was standing in a black suit holding a big rose bouquet in his hand.
"I am still not ready. I thought the show was at 7:30?" Aria had only done her hair, her make up was waiting to be done.
"You are right, the show is at 7:30. I had nothing to do, so I came early," Justin replied.
"No problem, come on in," Aria invited him.
"This is for you," Justin extended his hand with the roses.
"You don't need to get me flowers, but I truly appreciate the gesture," Aria smiled and took the bouquet.
"These are cool collections, you have a good taste," Justin said as he saw the showpieces in the house.
"All of them were selected by my mom, she has an eye for interior designing," Aria stated. Everything inside the house, even a small item like a spoon was selected by Sophia.
"Make yourself comfortable, if you want a drink, check the fridge," Aria instructed and went to get ready. She came out wearing a short white dress with a red color on her lips and black wedges.
"Shall we leave?" Aria stood in front of Justin.
Justin was flipping a magazine as he heard her voice, he lifted his head and when he looked at her, he let out a deep breath.
Aria knew he was very impressed by what he saw.