I was so sick and tired of working.

It was absolutely hopeless.

I shoved my french fry into the ketchup as if the unnecessary physical force would give me all the answers I needed. Weeks of working did not give us any progress or any hint of a clearing up ahead. Aerion sat beside me at the bar, swallowing a bite of his burger while shaking his left leg. The limb hit mine every few raises making me grind my teeth together in barely contained frustration.

"Would you stop that?" I bit out, popping the fry into my mouth. 

He looked down like he hadn't realized what he was doing then stopped, a sheepish smile on his face. "Sorry. I'm just tired," he admitted, rubbing his forehead. "I thought we would have something new by this point." His eyes met mine, softening.

"We just have to think as he does," I said, taking a sip of my cold beer. I set the glass down, wiping the condensation coating my fingers on my pants. "If I were the most powerful mob boss in America, where would I be?"

"Hiding in plain sight," Aerion pointed out. "Have no ties to any of the crimes the mafia has been found guilty of."

I nodded in agreeance. "Right, but that doesn't narrow down our sources at all," I said, biting my lip. "Did you end up doing background checks on all distant and close relatives to the major bosses?"

"Long time ago. They're all clean," he said. 

I narrowed my eyes, taking another long drink of my beer. "Too clean. Can you give me those documents tomorrow?"

"Will do." There was a lull in the conversation as we finished our dinner. The bar we dined in was fairly empty, so it was easier for us to discuss work without the fear of being eavesdropped on. "I got the bill."

"No, I got it," I insisted, pulling my wallet out of my purse. It was my turn anyway, Aerion had paid for dinner a few days back.

"Split, then?"

"Okay fine," I sighed, pulling my card out and placing it on the bill. As we got billed, I slid my coat over my body, pulling my long hair out from under the thick material. We exited the bar into the cold, snowy mid-November weather. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"What are you doing?" Aerion demanded, grabbing the sleeve of my jacket.

I turned back to him, light flakes of snow landing on his dark hair and beard. I reached around his head, pulling the hood on. "I'm going to take the bus," I said, my hand falling back down. He caught it, holding it in his large ones. I shivered, basking the little bit of warmth he provided me with.

"I'll drive you home," he offered quietly. My eyes dropped to his lips as he ran his tongue over them to moisten the slightly chapped skin. I jerked my hand out of his, forcing distance between us. I nodded, following Aerion to his car. A thin layer of white covered the vehicle, falling onto the seats when I opened the passenger door. I tapped my boots on the side of the car gently, the accumulated snow on my shoes flurrying off. The car was cool when we got in but quickly warmed up with the help of heated seats. A luxury I could not afford. I was stuck sitting in damp public transit seats, praying I don't catch a cold every time I hopped on a subway cart.

Aerion drove me to my apartment, parked his car and insisted on walking me upstairs. We took the elevator, a form of tension clouding the air. I didn't know what it was. 

The elevator doors opened and I strolled to my door, stopping nervously in front. "Thanks for the ride."

"No problem, Rose," he said, my name rolling off his tongue. My eyes met his, getting caught in the emotion swirling in them. I found myself leaning forward, tilting my head up until we were only an inch apart. "Rose..." he whispered, his breath on my cheek.

I gently pressed my lips to his. He reacted a second later, his hand cupping my face. His fingers brushed by my sensitive spot behind my ear, a soft moan leaving my mouth. His beard scratched against my chin, but it wasn't uncomfortable at all.

This man can kiss, I thought, my lips working against his. He pulled back, resting his head against mine, breathless. "That was..." I trailed off, at a loss for words.

"Wow," was all he uttered, opening his eyes when I did. 

I laughed, my cheeks aflame. "Did I really just kiss you?" I asked stupidly, my mind still not comprehending what I had just done. "Shit."

"I didn't think I was a bad kisser," he joked.

"You're not." I wasn't sure what else to say so I turned my attention to my purse. I pulled out my keys, unlocking the door.

"I guess that means goodnight," he finally said, breaking the awkward silence.

"Goodnight, Aerion," I said, turning my head to look at him once more. I tiptoed and kissed him chastely one last time before opening the door and closing it behind me. I leaned against the door, heart pumping wildly, breathing loudly.

It was less than a second before I heard a loud screech and my best friend ran out of the room in nothing but an oversized t-shirt that definitely belonged to her boyfriend. "Was that Aerion?" Blake demanded, grabbing my hands, pulling me towards the couch that sat in the middle of the room.

"The one and only," I answered distractedly, my mind on our kiss. I never had a crush on Aerion when I was younger, though I had to admit he was always attractive. He was the epitome of tall, dark and handsome and here I was falling for it. I wasn't complaining though, but an office romance was definitely not ideal and a distraction I would be better off without.

"You should've let him in, Rose. We wanted to see him," she giggled. I cocked my head to the side, confused for a moment of why she said we before Blake's boyfriend, Ryan, walked out of her room half-naked. "Oh yeah, Ryan came over."

"Hey, Ryan," I greeted with a smile on my face, waving at him as he sat behind Blake. I was always taken aback at how similar they looked; identical dirty blond hair and warm, honey brown eyes. If I didn't know any better, I would've thought they were siblings. "Nice to see you both getting it on." I eyed their half-dressed states, just glad they decided to be courteous and have sex while I wasn't at home.

"We try our best," Ryan smirked, resting his head on his girlfriend's shoulder. I loved Ryan. He was a natural charmer and never failed to amaze me with his undivided devotion to my best friend. If he made her happy, he made me happy. "We actually have some news to share with you." 

I sat up straighter, ready for the news. Blake grinned, her cheeks a bright fuschia. "We're getting married!" she squealed, shoving her hand into my face. I gasped, holding the finger that a beautiful diamond ring sat on. "He proposed at dinner today."

"I'm so happy for you!" I exclaimed, wrapping my arms around her. I pulled back and hugged Ryan quickly. "So, what exactly went down?" Ryan placed her hands on both of Blake's shoulders, his fingers massaging them slowly. Her eyes fluttered before focusing on me.

"Well, he took me out to this amazing Italian restaurant. After we ordered, he went on this whole ramble about how much he loves me-"

"Hey! It was a speech and I worked very hard on it," Ryan interjected, gasping dramatically.

"You were rambling, don't lie," Blake teased, giggling.

"In my defence, I was extremely nervous-"

"He was rambling. Anyways, like I was saying, I didn't even realize he was going to propose. When he got down on his knee, I was so shocked that I sat there in silence for a whole minute," Blake explained, biting her lip.

"The most embarrassing minute of my life, can I just say," Ryan added. "I was so sure she was going to say no."

"He looked like he was about to cry, Rose!" she laughed. I had never seen my best friend this radiant before. They were the perfect match for each other and no one could argue otherwise. They completed each other and both deserved the happiness they had.

"Then she said yes and here we are," Ryan finished, kissing her hand.

 I could tell they wanted to bone right now. The look in both their eyes made me stand up, chuckling. "I'm guessing the last thing you want is me here, right now," I said, picking my coat up. 

Blake frowned, pushing Ryan off her. "Wait, where are you going?" she asked, her brows etching together. 

I pulled my boots on at the door, zipping my jacket up. "I think you two should have the night alone."

"No, that's not necessary. Plus, we could always just go to Ryan's apartment," she reasoned, shaking her head. As she did so, her hair moved off her shoulders, exposing a hickey on the side of her throat.

 I nodded, smiling. "I insist. Think of it as my engagement present," I said, unlocking the door.

"Where are you going to go?"

"I'll figure it out," I replied. "Don't be too loud." They both waved me bye before I closed the door, taking the elevator down. I hailed a cab -something I didn't do too often as it could be expensive- and told the cabbie the address. Ten minutes later he stopped in front of a building. I paid him and hopped out, heading inside. I took the elevator up, stopping at the suite number I needed and knocked. There was some rustling and the door opened.

"Rose?"

"Hey, Aerion. You busy?"