Gods & Monsters

NINE

The way Aden is looking at me is sending incessant chills down the back of my spine.

    He is effectively unraveling me, loosening all the knots I once kept tight and with each smile he gives me, my shoulders relax that much more.

    It's been a long time—actually, I don't ever recall a time—where I've sat in a restaurant and wasn't worried about what the bill may be, but Aden told me not to worry, and the slight authority of his voice coiled tightly at my center, making me shut my mouth and do just that.

    The waiter approaches us and I finally tear my eyes from Aden's stare of molten lava and eye the plate that's set down in front of me. The greens are centered on the plate with diced almonds and fruit sprinkled on top with a colorful mix of vegetables. He sets down a small gold antique looking creamer pitcher filled with what looks like a vinaigrette. I thank the man and he smiles at both of us, and tells us to enjoy as he sets down a fancy bottle of wine with a name I can't pronounce. Aden busies himself as he pours me a glass of wine and I thank him, not missing the way his hands nearly circle the bottle completely.

    I pour the vinaigrette over the leafy greens and grab my fork, digging in eagerly. I let out a small moan at the explosions of flavor in my mouth, my eyes flickering closed as I taste each note of flavor. The sourness of the vinaigrette mixed with the sweet apples and the crunch of the almonds dance together to a beautiful harmony. This is the best salad I've ever had.

    I take another bite and look up to Aden who watches me with a smolder in his irises, his jaw tensed and Adam's apple bobbing slightly.

    "Are you going to eat?" I ask him around a mouthful of salad. His smile tips up a bit at the corner.

    "I don't want to miss the show you're graciously giving me," He says in a dark voice. "Don't let me stop you, mo chroí." I sit back, dropping my fork to the plate and cheeks heating. I grab the small towel from my lap and wipe my lips softly, wanting to look anywhere but at Aden's paralyzing stare.

    "You're mesmerizing," He says again, his voice nearly a whisper. I'm mesmerizing? I refuse to believe that. He's got himself confused with me. I turn, half expecting to see a wall length mirror on the wall behind us, and he's truly just staring at himself. There's no way this man who just walked from a Calvin Clein ad thinks that I am mesmerizing.

    "Yes, I am talking to you, and only you." Aden says, as if reading through my confusion. He leans forward and stabs his fork into his salad, shoveling the fork filled with greens into his perfect mouth that I can't help but wonder what would feel like against mine. Are his lips soft? They definitely look like it. Would he kiss me sweetly, or with a fervor? Would his hands cup my face, or explore the curves and crevasses of my body? I focus back to my salad, suddenly feeling like the room is ten degrees hotter.

    "Do you have any family?" I ask finally, trying to steer the topic elsewhere.

    "I had a brother." He answers, his eyes not meeting mine.

    "Had?" I ask before I can bite the words back.

    "Yes, had. He died a long, long time ago." Aden takes a sip of his drink and his eyes raise, meeting mine and I swear I can see a flash of sorrow behind the guard he tries to hard to keep up.

    "I'm so sorry," I say, reaching forward and grabbing his hand that rests on the table in mine. The heat of his skin burns against my fingers in an almost comforting way. He stills, his eyes staring at the contact between us. I pull my hand away quickly, fearing I did the wrong thing.

    "Don't be, mo chroí. As I said, it was a long time ago."

    "Grief is a wound that never fully heals, it's only a scar that gives us the memory of the pain sometimes. It's not something that we can forget, even with time." I say, reciting the words I've told myself time and time again. "We simply just grow around the hole that we're left with."