"Why did you change the location of your next date?" Salvatore Larson asks with anger as he enters his son's office.
Graham smiles to himself.
When he decided to go to Indigo again for his second date, he really thought no one would care about it. However, it looks like his father is extremely interested in every single detail involving his arranged marriage.
"As you said before, it was my favorite place to go as a kid. Till today, it's still my favorite", he lies, repressing the fake memories of the last night he spent there.
"Don't you think people working there will start talking if they see you at the same place with a different woman just three days after meeting Miss Swanson?"
"I don't see the problem. You were the one with the idea of meeting different women."
"I had already planned each and every date, there was no need for you to change anything."
"Well, I've already done it", Graham says while turning off his computer and getting up from his chair.
"Oh no, you're not taking that." Salvatore signals the briefcase his son has picked up from his desk. "I want you to remember that work is work, and it must not be brought up while you're going out with a woman."
"So it's ok if you leave family meetings to solve a problem with investors, but it's wrong if I do the same?", he scoffs, knowing that he has to comply with his father's request even though he doesn't agree with it.
"Graham…"
"Fine, I'll focus on meeting my future wife."
"If you dislike going out on dates so much, just pick a woman from the list and we'll be done with it. There's no need for you to spread rumors about you dating multiple women at the same time."
"Don't you think it's better if the media discovered that your son is a womanizer instead of a homosexual?"
That last comment escaped Graham's mouth without giving it any thought, which he now regrets immensely. Fortunately for him, Salvatore continues choosing to be deaf to that truth.
"I prefer them knowing that Graham Larson is meeting his next spouse to continue with his father's legacy", he states firmly, putting an end to that argument. "You won't change the location of any of the subsequent dates. Everything has been planned already, so just make sure to be there in time and to treat Rhea Bailey politely."
"I have to go, dad. It's getting late."
Graham leaves his office with only his phone in hand, checking his notifications to see if his sister has responded to any of his texts. He sighs with frustration when noticing that there's no sign of Heather yet, which means that he still has to go on dates in order to win time and hopefully find a way out of marriage.
Unlike three days ago, he doesn't have time to go to his house. Instead, he drives directly to Indigo, arriving there in almost an hour due to traffic.
"Excuse me for being late", he apologizes as soon as he reaches the table he reserved.
The brunette woman who was already waiting for him smiles politely.
"No problem. I understand how chaotic the city can be at this hour."
"Thanks for understanding, Rhea. Are you hungry?"
This time the businessman decides not to order any alcoholic beverages. Not because he thinks he can't handle them well, but because he blames that red wine for whatever happened that night when he was alone with the sous chef.
He had not fallen that rapidly for someone since he was in high school, when he started liking a teacher.
That love was impossible not only because Graham was an underage student, but also because no one could know that he's attracted to men. Society is, to this day, very close minded about that topic. If his sexuality was ever discovered, he would have suffered violent abuses from classmates and the school would have done nothing about it. His recognized last name wouldn't even have made a difference, which is why he never dared to tell anyone about it.
Now that he has grown and matured a little, he is willing to seek the freedom he never had. And if that involves meeting Aiden Millers one more time to clarify what happened the night they allegedly spent together, then he'll do it a million times.
That's why he tries to find an excuse to stay till late to talk with him again. In the meantime, Rhea enjoys the meal and talks about her numerous trips around the world. She doesn't mind that her companion remains silent, it's enough to see him nod every once in a while.
The date doesn't end as quickly as the one he had with Sarah. However, both felt time passed like the flutter of a hummingbird.
"Oh, I'm sorry", Rhea says when she notices that it's almost 10 p.m. "I really wish I could stay for a little longer, but I have to go back to feed my dogs. Let's ask for the bill, I'll pay half of it."
"Don't worry about it, I'll pay. Go if you have to", he replies with a rather excited smile.
The slim woman smiles back at him as a reflex, not knowing why Graham shows so much interest all of a sudden but feeling bummed about it.
"Alright. Thank you. Will we meet again?"
"Let me check my agenda later and I'll let you know."
Understanding that his reply might have been a rejection, she simply nods and leaves with her purse hanging from her shoulder.
Graham looks at his phone. Though it's almost closing time, he hasn't thought of a clever excuse to spend some time alone with the sous chef without looking weird or suspicious.
Fortunately for him, Aiden is also interested in meeting him again. That's why he walks towards his table almost forty minutes after Rhea's departure.
"Do you need anything, sir?"
His question takes Graham by surprise, who had already paid the bill and given up on the idea of seeing him again.
"Er, no. Why do you ask?" Graham stutters, thinking that it was probably a mistake to come to the restaurant again.
Aiden smiles with a little bit of shame, which makes Graham's heart skip a beat.
"I'm sorry, I was told that your date was slightly irritated when she left and figured it had something to do with the service",
The brown-haired frowns, thinking that the chef might be too nosy for his liking.
"She was just another friend", he replies with a nod, not being able to keep eye contact with his companion for too long. "She had to leave early, but she really liked her food."
"That's good to hear." Aiden lets out a sigh full of relief.
Their conversation dies that quickly. Neither of them feels awkward with the silence. However, Graham feels like there shouldn't be anything right with this interaction.
"Aren't you supposed to be in the kitchen?"
Aiden looks around them with confusion. There's no other soul in that establishment. He let his employees leave early since there were no more customers but Graham to attend.
The fact that the businessman was oblivious to his surroundings makes Aiden think that he's not only extremely immersed in his job, but he seems to focus all his attention on a single thing at a time. He wonders if this conversation was that single thing Graham couldn't stop thinking of tonight.
"You're the last customer and you've already paid the bill," he replies with a bright smile and at this moment Graham could swear that he could be happy with just seeing that gesture from Aiden. "But if you'd like to order anything else, I can prepare it for you."
"Hum, no, there's no need for that." The brown-haired clears his throat before looking away in a poor attempt to slow his pounding heart. "We could just talk for a little, if you don't mind."
"I don't mind at all." The green-eyed man sits down in front of him with a curious look, knowing that there are still some things to do before closing but not caring about any of them for now. "What do you want to talk about?"
Graham purses his lips together, still escaping from Aiden's intense gaze as he speaks.
"This may be awkward, but I want to know why I kept your coat the other day."
His direct question flusters Aiden, who thought that the red wine would erase every memory of that night from his brain.
"Oh, well… You spilled your beverage over your coat and took it off", Aiden explains slowly, deciding to omit details that could make him look like a stalker or an intruder. "I decided to lend you mine because it was cold outside and you drove home, I think. I always have a spare one here."
Graham's eyes open widely when hearing that explanation. He could have sworn that the part of his dream when he was being laid down on his bed by Aiden was actually true.
He quickly looks down to hide his face full of shame. He thought he would feel better knowing that he didn't actually sleep with Aiden, yet he doesn't feel any sort of relief.
"I'm sorry, I thought that…" Graham shakes his head when he realizes he shouldn't be confessing what he thought had happened between them. "I thought I had taken a coat that wasn't mine by accident, that's all", he justifies before drinking a sip of his non-existent lemonade.
A wave of relief takes over his body when he realizes that the younger man didn't enter his car, that they did nothing in the backseat, and that Graham hadn't begged him to stay in his room after that.
Aiden chuckles when realizing that Graham believed him, remembering for a brief second how peacefully Graham slept during the ride home.
"Yes, don't worry about it. You can keep it if you'd like."
"No, I've already washed it and everything. I'll just pick it from my car."
The chef nods in agreement, still smiling wholeheartedly as Graham leaves the establishment towards the parking lot. He feels bad for lying, but he knows it's better off this way. After all, telling the truth about what actually happened and every other thing regarding that would put Graham in real danger.
"Here you go. It had a small stain of wine here, but there's no trace of it now", the older explains while signaling the inner pocket of the dark coat. "Thank you again for letting me wear it instead of my wet clothes. It was really nice of you."
"No problem, I always keep a spare one in my locker here", Aiden lies once again, thinking it could make the previous lie more believable. "Still, thanks for giving it back. Now, if you don't mind, I still have to run some errands before closing the business for the day."
"Sure. I should have left earlier, shouldn't I?"
Aiden shakes his head, but doesn't express his disagreement out loud. Instead, he waves back at Graham when he says goodbye.
"Hope to see you here soon."