"Don't you think that places like this have tastier food than fancy restaurants?" Aiden asks once they've finished eating in silence.
"Are you saying that this was better than what you cook on a daily basis?"
"Don't you agree?"
Graham looks offended by that statement.
"Never in a million years will I agree to something like that. Not even joking."
"Maybe I'm just too used to eating my own food", the green-eyed man says honestly after a short sigh. "If you ate what I cook daily, you'd probably feel bored eventually."
"I highly doubt it."
"You already know most of my recipes. It's not like I come up with a new delicious dish every single day."
"No. Don't even try to argue about it. I won't ever accept that any other food is better than the one you prepare. Even if I ate yours every day."
"Wanna bet?"
That offer takes Graham by surprise. However, he doesn't stutter when replying.
"You have already cooked for me so many times. Isn't that enough proof?"
Aiden doesn't have the time to say anything else before Larson's phone starts ringing. Even though he wouldn't want him to get distracted with work today, he knows it will be impossible.
"You should attend that call."
Graham hesitates for a little bit, even after hearing Aiden's opinion. Eventually, he obeys.
"I'm sorry. This will just take a couple of minutes."
"No problem", he reassures with a grin.
Graham stands up and exits the establishment to have a more private conversation. While waiting for him to come back, Aiden looks at the woods through the window. Though the area they've explored looks safe, he has the feeling that there could be something extremely dangerous hiding in the shadows, as far from civilization as possible. The creature could just be waiting for a foolish soul to get lost among the tall trees.
He considers how foolish his soul is. His imagination soon takes him back to the first time he put his life in danger just for the hope of saving someone else. Even though the sun was shining brightly above his head, he knew he shouldn't have fought against someone he had low chances of killing.
Still, he did it.
Aiden collected all the necessary tools and executed the attack just as he had been planning it for the last couple of years.
The fact that he almost died that day is the best argument to conclude that he is indeed very very foolish.
A loud exclamation takes him out of his thoughts. When looking around, he realizes that a customer is yelling at a waitress for something that probably isn't her fault at all. Since Millers has had to deal with situations like this before, he decides to stand up and try to find a solution to the problem without creating more chaos.
Unfortunately, the argument has escalated quickly. By the time he arrives, the customer has already pushed the waitress aside, causing her to lose her balance.
Aiden reacts just in time to keep her from falling.
"Are you ok?"
The young lady nods shyly at him, feeling the grip of his hands around her waist that doesn't weaken even after she's back on her feet.
"You should leave, sir", he states with anger, now looking straight at the customer.
"Not until they give me exactly what I ordered."
"No. Whatever the problem was with your order doesn't give you the right to treat someone like this."
"You don't know who I am, do you?"
Before Aiden gets to say something that could anger the man even more, the rest of the staff of the restaurant approach the scene to figure things out.
Taking advantage of that, he steps back from them and focuses his attention on the waitress once again.
"Are you sure he didn't hurt you?" He insists, finally letting go of her and checking if there are no visible bruises on her skin.
"I'm sure. Thank you", she reassured with a blush tinting her cheeks. "If it wasn't for you, I would have probably landed on my face or something."
Aiden chuckles while placing a lock of his red hair behind his ear.
"I'm glad I could keep that pretty face from getting damaged."
The woman looks down at her feet, clearly flustered with the comment Aiden didn't mean to make in a flirtatious way.
"I should go back to work."
The red-haired man smiles with understanding before turning back around and returning to his table.
"What was that?" Graham asks as soon as his companion sits down in front of him. His call was shorter than expected, so he returned inside to watch the ending of the scene.
It's obvious that he is angry. Aiden wrongly believes that his mood changed due to the call he received and has nothing to do with his conversation with the waitress.
"Oh, nothing. A customer was acting rude with her. That's all."
"I see."
"Do you have to go?"
Graham purses his lips together, deciding if it's better to stay with him while jealousy burns him from the inside, or if they should call it a day before he says something that could break the bond between them.
After a few seconds, he opts for the latter.
"Yes. My father called me and I need to modify some files before sending them", he lies, his mind going a little faster than his mouth.
"What a shame. I was really enjoying the day."
The brown-eyed man raises an eyebrow, finding slightly obnoxious that Aiden can seemingly flirt with anyone he wants and succeed.
Of course that's the way he is. How dumb was he to think that that Aiden would only say that kind of things to no one else but him?
Plus, he could think they're just friends. After all, Graham hasn't been explicit with his sexuality nor his feelings towards the younger male. He seriously has to stop imagining or assuming things just for his own sanity.
"Me too. But we have to go now."
"If you don't want to lose time, I can go back home on my own."
"No, that's not a loss of time", he states with a forced smile, standing up and walking towards the parking lot with fast strides.
Aiden frowns but follows him closely. The decision of taking him home seems odd. He doesn't know if it's just his imagination or if Graham is actually putting his comfort before work.
They both enter the car eventually. The ride is silent until Millers decides to connect his phone once again. This time, however, he plays relaxing music with no lyrics, hoping that his companion finds it more enjoyable.
None of them say anything until they're parked outside of Aiden's apartment block.
"Thank you so much."
"There's no need to thank me", Graham replies with his eyes focused on the road.
Aiden bites his lower lip before exiting the vehicle. He's about to close the door and turn around when he decides to say out loud a question that's been bugging him since he realized that Graham won't dare to even look at him.
"Did I do something wrong? Are you mad at me?"
"No. How could I be mad at you?" Graham lets out a short sigh, finally surrendering to the pair of green eyes filled with worry. "I'm a little frustrated with myself."
"Is there anything I can do for you?"
Graham smiles at the irony of the moment. Stop doing anything for me, he'd like to say. Nevertheless, he's aware that Aiden hasn't done anything with the intention of seeking something more than a friendship.
"No, Aiden. I'll be fine, don't worry."
The red-haired man nods, not entirely convinced with those words but respecting his personal space.
"Call me if you need anything."