Almost twenty minutes later, I am parking my car right outside of the restaurant. It's a cute Thai place that seems to be fairly new. 

I feel a bit overdressed in my work clothes as I walk in, but shake the thought off. A smiling receptionist greets me and asks me if I would like a table for one. 

"My friend is already inside," I smile back. 

She nods and motions for me to enter further. 

The restaurant is cozy and beautifully decorated with cultural elements. 

It only takes me a moment to locate Hakeem who's sitting at a table by the front window of the restaurant. 

Seeing him melts away all my concerns from earlier this morning. He stands up when he sees me, revealing a surprisingly stylish outfit. It's actually fairly simple, since he's just in black jeans and a sweater. But, he makes it look ten times better. 

"Hey gorgeous," He grins. 

His bright smile causes a warm flush to rush to my cheeks. "Hi..." I reply.

He reaches under the table to grab a single pink rose to hand to me. 

"I know it's only one, but—" He starts before I cut him off. 

"No, it's beautiful. One is enough." I assure him, pulling him into a hug as I do so. 

He relaxes into the embrace and places a kiss on my forehead. His arms form a safe haven around me and I feel the weight I've been carrying melt away. 

We finally pull away and he pulls out the seat for me to sit down. 

"You're such a gentleman, now." I chuckle, slipping off my jacket. 

"It's the least you deserve." He responds, sitting back down. 

I still can't believe someone who used to be blatantly rude to me has become so sweet. I think to myself as I look at him from across the table. 

"So, how have you been?" I ask, noticing that he looks much better than when I last saw him in the hospital. 

I notice his smile falter as he processes my question. "I'm alive. Just taking it all day by day." He says. "How are you, though? How was work, today? Got your first big case, yet?" He adds with a dry chuckle. 

I can tell that he's only trying to avoid talking about his own feelings, but his last question makes me feel like he knows my secret. I haven't decided how to tell him that the first big case I'm helping on is the one in defense of his abuser. 

"Oh, you know. Just boring legal stuff, so far." I say.

"Really? Nothing that stands out?" He asks, again. 

My nerves begin to creep back to the forefront of my mind. "Nope." I say, shaking my head. "Just been sorting paperwork and making coffee, honestly." I add, which isn't fully a lie. 

"Damn." He says, glancing down at my hands, which I have subconsciously been squeezing tightly together. 

I pull them apart, picking up the menu, instead. 

"I feel like I heard something about the Johnson's firm on the news this morning, but I must've fallen asleep before they got to the story." He says, scanning his own menu.

My thoughts immediately began racing. Maybe he does know.  

"Oh, I don't know." I say forcing out a chuckle. "I'm pretty much just Zaria's personal coffee machine." 

Luckily for me, a waitress appears to take our appetizer and drink orders. 

We decide to order the calamari with sweet chili sauce to share. I also order a Thai iced tea and Hakeem gets a water. 

The waitress walks away and I redirect my gaze to my interlocked hands. 

"You okay?" Hakeem asks, raising an eyebrow in concern. "You're not being as annoyingly cheerful as usual." He adds with a glimmer in his eye. 

"I'm great. Just tired." I lie, slapping a grin onto my face. 

He reaches across the table and places his hand over my interlocked ones. He begins tracing circles on my left hand with his thumb. 

His touch calms me, but my mind still races with the memories of my interactions with his abuser. 

"Here you go. Calamari, water, and a Thai Iced Tea." The waitress says, announcing her return. We both pull our hands away to give her space to set down the food. 

"Thank you," Hakeem and I say in unison. 

"No problem." She smiles before walking to another table. 

"So... I know this isn't the best time for this. But, have you heard anything about my father's arrest?" Hakeem says, shifting nervously in his seat. "I haven't been able to access any news because of– well, you know." 

I pause sliding calamari onto my plate and take a sip of tea to stall. 

I notice him shift his gaze from me to a car driving past the restaurant window. 

"I don't know much about it, sorry. Hearing about him brings so many negative emotions that I haven't looked into it." I say, finally. 

"Oh." He responds, still gazing out of the window. 

I follow his gaze to a black car that is stopped across the street from us. It feels familiar, but there are a lot of random black cars that look the exact same. 

"You haven't seen him, right?" He asks, not taking his eyes off of the car. 

"No... Should I be worried?" 

He finally breaks his gaze and turns back to me. His previously glimmering eyes now seem darker. 

"You don't sound confident in your answer." He says, narrowing his eyes slightly. 

"What?" I ask, playing dumb. 

He pushes out his bottom lip and nods slowly, as if he is learning something new. 

I awkwardly chew on a bite of calamari. The entire energy of this "date" has shifted completely. 

"I understand." He says simply, pulling his jacket back on. 

"What? Where are you going?" I ask, shocked and confused. 

"I have to go." He says, dropping some cash on the table as he stands. 

I immediately stand up and try to block his way. 

"What's wrong?" 

He throws his hands up and leans back to avoid touching me. 

"Get out of the way, Roxanne." He says, staring over my head. My full first name feels foreign coming from him. What happened to "baby" and "gorgeous"? 

"No." I say, firmly standing my ground. "You're not running away from me, again." 

"Please." He says so softly I almost miss it. 

I reluctantly sit back down in my seat. He leaves without saying another word. 

I stare blankly at my plate, unsure of what just happened. 

"Everything okay?" The waitress asks, stopping my thoughts from spiraling. 

"Yeah. Sorry about that." I lie. "Can I have the rest of this to go?" 

"Of course." She says before going to get me a to go box. 

_________________________

What did you guys think about this chapter? I genuinely love hearing from you guys so feel free to comment! 

I hope you're all doing well <3 

Random question: What's your zodiac? I'm a Libra :)

xoxo 
Gaëlle