Page 95 of Pretender

Aiden stops and cocks his head at me, scrunching up his brow.

“Who?”

“Come,” I say and show him through to the open-plan living room and kitchen with the conservatory at the far end. While he walks around, taking it all in, his face carries the same expression of awe as he had in the hallway. After he said he loves the Diamond Lounge I’ve wanted to show him.

“It’s stunning,” he says, tracing his hand over the back of my blue Chesterfield sofa, just like the one at The Orion. “This place is like if you were a house,” he says reverently, his eyes now on my green-painted recessed ceiling and the sage pendant lamp. “It’s perfect.”

The meaning of his words sinks in, making me light-headed.

“That’s… Um. Thank you.”

I turn away from him. These past weeks have been so different from the weeks before. From the last few years, really. I’ve not had intrusions of Henry in my head. I’ve laughed a lot. Days have been filled with meaning outside work.

That’s why I can’t put my finger on my feelings now. Aiden has been a reason for my lighter days, so now I’m confused about him.

“This is Pedro, Erling, and Jonathan,” I say to distract myself, walking over to the little trees on the sideboard.

“Oh!” Aiden comes up beside me, his spicy cologne along with him.

I inhale and close my eyes, hoping he can’t see me.

“Do you like them?” I ask, pretending I’m entirely normal.

“They’re little trees. What’s not to like?”

“What did you think they were?”

“I honestly had no idea. Pet snakes? I was kind of hoping you’d have something entirely repulsive.”

On instinct, I turn my head to see his face as he says that and his eyes are boring into me.

“Why?”

He smiles and shrugs.

My stomach rumbles loudly and there’s no hiding it in the silence of his non-answer.

“Let’s eat our food,” he says instead, nodding towards the kitchen.

A minute later, we sit at the kitchen bar eating our banh mis and although it’s magnificent, it’s not exactly date food. Not even fake date, or friend date, whatever this is. But I’m too hungry to worry too much about how I look as I try to find ways to get this massive baguette into my mouth without all the filling falling out.

“Fuck, this is good,” Aiden says through a mouthful. “I haven’t had much Vietnamese before, but this flavour combination is just delicious.” He waves his free hand, because unlike me, he manages to hold the blasted thing with one hand.

I swallow my bite, humming. “It’s one of my vices.”

“You have more?” he asks just as I take another big bite.

“Hmm.” I chew behind my hand.

“Pickles? If I recall correctly,” Aiden says when I don’t answer.

“Hah, yes. Love pickles. Cheese. Wine. A long, warm bath.”

Aiden breathes in through his nose, and I turn my attention to him. His eyes rake over me and I suddenly feel naked.

He’s got that wicked glint in his eye that brings a tingle to my lower belly.

“Tell me something about you that I don’t know yet,” I say.