Jess appeared mere seconds after Alessandro left the cafe.
"I just saw some fit dude leave the cafe from afar." Jess said instead of a welcome. "Did we get new clientele? I could dig that."
"Morning, Jess." Aria smiled.
"You're smiling and it's not even 7:00. What is going on?" Jess took her jacket off. "You're blushing!"
"Well…" Aria tried to conceal her excitement. "You remember my one night stand a few weeks ago?"
"Yeah. You told me enough about this God-like dude that I can about picture him myself. Hang on, did you have another one night stand?!" Jess widened her eyes as she put the apron on. "Was that fit dude with you?"
"Not quite." Aria furrowed her brows. "I had the second night stand."
"You're not making sense."
"The Greek-God guy showed up at the cafe last night."
"Really?" Jess widened her eyes. "I knew I should've stayed. I could've had a chance for some hot sex rather than hours of running around the floor with stacks of dirty plates." She huffed. "Hang on… did something happen with him? Or did he just happen to come for a coffee?"
"It wasn't coffee. Apparently he spotted me yesterday when passing by the shop and he came back as I was closing up." Aria blushed.
"And?"
"He walked me back home?"
"And?"
"He kissed me good night."
"And?"
"I invited him for a coffee." Aria's cheeks burnt.
"In the night?" Jess squinted in judgment.
"Yeah." Aria couldn't blush any more, feeling her cheeks burn.
"And?"
"He came in."
"And?"
"Fixed my burnt out lightbulb."
"What?" Jess was confused.
"I turned the light on when we came in and the lightbulb just went 'poof'. He changed it for me."
"And?" Jess probed further.
"And… yeah." Aria didn't want to say it out loud. "Second night stand."
"You slept with him again?!" Jess looked at her friend with disbelief. "Did he turn out to be completely mediocre because the initial fantasy and adrenaline washed away?" Jess asked with a sigh.
"No." Aria shook her head. "It was absolutely amazing. How did your one night stands usually end?" Aria asked curiously, feeling deep inside that somehow her experience with Alessandro was very different.
"An overwhelming feeling of regret and usually the person left straight away or the first thing in the morning." Jess grunted. "How did it go for you?"
"A sense of shame but I don't think there's regret. We fell asleep afterwards and my alarm woke us up. He then walked me to work and helped me open up. He left just a few moments ago."
"Are you kidding?"
"He asked for more…" Aria said quietly. "He saved his phone number on my phone and asked me to message him when I want to see him again."
"Aria…" Jess stopped making coffee and looked at her friend. "What are you thinking?"
"It was good." Aria answered honestly. "It's nothing like what I ever did before which you obviously know."
"Are you going to message him?"
"I don't know. Having a casual sex with someone isn't really my thing and you know that."
"Having sex with someone is not your thing, never mind casual." Jess sneered. "Do you think you can keep your heart in check?" Jess asked with worry. "He will break your heart if you let him."
"I know." Aria admitted. "I don't think I will message him. I slept with him for the first time because it was a fantasy. There was something mystical about him and with it being a one night stand it felt frivolous and freeing. Last night felt as if I was overstepping and crossing some boundary. I don't think I can continue." Aria sighed. Jess was the voice of reason she needed to talk her out of that bad idea.
"But would it be that bad to be in a relationship with a Greek-God?" Jess changed her tone of voice after seeing Aria's longing gaze. Jess's voice of reason vanished instantly.
"Look, JJ, he is definitely a loaded trust fund baby. He is some fancy director of the firm in the finance district at the age of 30."
"Fuck, no, don't do it." Jess agreed. "Bad, bad idea."
"Exactly." Aria nodded feeling some relief that her friend agreed with her, but equally, she felt sad at a thought that she might not see Alessandro again.
"But you know, you are not lacking yourself." Jess smiled encouragingly. "You are so kind and smart."
"Since when smartness and kindness won over a heart of a playboy?"
Jess looked at Aria with pity.
"If you aren't going to use him, I wouldn't mind having a go." Jess punched her arm playfully which made Aria laugh.
"Go away, JJ." Aria threw the kitchen towel at Jess who cackled at her.
Aria was having an inner battle over whether it was a good idea to message Alessandro over the rest of the day. In the end she didn't message Alessandro that day. She was exhausted after over 16-hour shift in the cafe and she collapsed in her bed without any spare energy to think of anything, not even the dreamy man in perfect suit with his perfect looks.