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“It’s someone you want to test,” he adds. “Means he must be important to you.”

“I don’t know that yet,” I admit. “But in case he becomes important, I want him to know now, so I won’t get disappointed by him later.”

“I am not judging you,” he tells me. “I would do the same. Give him the chance to run now, before getting too invested and ending up broken-hearted.”

“Exactly! Plus, this is still the safer place to meet, not like the nightclub. I wouldn’t go that far. But when he sees this here, it’s easier to tell him about the other.”

Aden Randall.

I try not to have my hopes up too high. I don’t know the man behind the handsome face, and the image I have had of him since I met him years ago. It was a fleeting encounter, yet it meant so much to me. If he sees me now, here in this bar, and runs, it will break my heart and ruin the image I had of him. But it will be worse if I let him in first, trusting him and falling for him, and then have him run when he sees my reality. That’s why I need to do it now, before I invest too much of my emotions into this.

The evening starts slowly as usual, but from 9 p.m. on it’s getting more and more crowded. I have so much to do that I barely notice who is coming and going. It’s good, it takes my mind off Aden Randall.

That is, until Cal approaches me with a plate of empty glasses.

“He is here,” he tells me.

“What?” I exclaim. “You mean Aden?”

“I don’t know his name, but it has to be him.” Cal puts the glasses aside and hands me a fresh plate with drinks. “Go and take a peek.”

“How do you know it’s him?”

“It’s the only one who doesn’t look sleazy,” Cal says. “Someone like him who dropped by accidentally would be gone again in a minute, but he sat down at the bar and is still sitting there five minutes later. I get why you are so freaked out, though. The guy is hot.”

My heart freezes in fear. “Oh my God.”

“Go, and face reality,” Cal tells me. “Get it over with. That’s why you made him come here after all.”

“Yeah… yeah… You are right.” Now that it’s getting real, though, all my confidence and fearlessness seem to disappear. Maybe I should have prepared him a little. Maybe he will run now because I forced him in at the deep end instead of meeting him first and explaining my situation to him.

But it’s not like I can change it now. Maybe Cal was wrong, and it’s another guy, and Aden will have cancelled because some super-important appointment came up.

I try to cling to this hope for the five minutes it takes me to shuffle in front of the counter again, just to have it shattered immediately. There he is, like Cal said, sitting at the counter, our sticky menu in his hand. He looks at it thoughtfully. I am not sure what he feels right now, at least he doesn’t look downright disgusted.

It’s no surprise that Cal instantly knew he was my date. Aden sticks out like a sore thumb, or rather like a well-groomed thumb with perfectly done nails. He is his usual elegant and stylish self. He has changed his dress pants for some dark blue jeans and is wearing a more sporty casual blazer. He still looks exactly like the CEO he is, but he obviously made an effort to dress for the occasion. Something about this makes the ground open beneath me, trying to suck me into a whirlwind of emotions.

He is so handsome. It’s more obvious now next to the other dudes here than it was during the art event.

“Hello, Mr. Randall,” I greet him, barely able to fight back my anxiety.

Aden looks up and smiles. “I thought we’d be on a first-name basis by now.”

“Right, I forgot!” Count on me for making this even more awkward. “What can I bring you, Aden?”

“What can you recommend?”

I sigh, feeling my cheeks heat up in embarrassment. “Nothing,” I whisper towards him. “Sorry for making you come here.”

Aden snorts. “Do you have whisky?”

“Yes, but it’s not a good one.”

“Make it whisky sour for me. It will burn off any weird taste.”

I can do that. However, our booze is cheap, and someone like Aden will immediately recognize it for the garbage it is, which is why I am surprised he orders anything at all. He also doesn’t seem upset, and he doesn’t look at me with disgust. The only time he looks annoyed is when one of the other men here starts hitting on him.

“Fuck, what did I do?” I mutter towards Cal.