Broken Wings

Part Twenty - Upping the Ante

Chapter Twenty

They finished their gin, then ordered another teapot full. It was over an hour later when they finally left, and Aaron hadn't mentioned the tension that lay between them since. He'd talked about everything but, pulling Julia further out of herself. It there was one thing that he was good at, it was working people. She was relaxed, the earlier comments forgotten if only temporarily, because that's what he needed, to get her to relax so that he could up the ante. She said she wasn't interested, but he knew she was. This ridiculous wall she was hiding behind was just that, a wall, and he was going to have great pleasure smashing that down, but first he had to win her over...and accommodate his brother and Abi.

He was looking forward to seeing his bro, that was a given, but he couldn't have them walking into the middle of anxiety and tension, if for no other reason than Abi would be after his balls for upsetting her friend. He had a week to make this good.

"Let's get some champagne, take it on the roof when we get back?"

Julia looked across the taxi to Aaron and shrugged, "I'm ready to turn in."

He shook his head, "it's midnight, and the night is truly young, let's spray champagne everywhere first."

Leaning forward he directed the taxi to a nearby liquor store that he knew would still be open. Rushing in, he emerged with a bottle in each hand then sat beside her giggling like a teenager. She liked seeing him laugh, and her anxieties linked to him retracted even further.

Stood on the roof garden, Julia held on to two champagne flutes as Aaron wrestled with the bottle. Before he popped the cork, he gave the bottle a shake.

"Put the glasses down," he offered, extending an arm to her. She did and joined him, her hands wrapping around the bottle with his. And as the cork flew off into the dark night, the straw coloured liquid jettisoned out of the bottle in a spray the stretched what seemed like a few metres in the air.

She squealed, a ridiculously girly sound and that made Aaron laugh even more.

"I feel like Louis Hamilton!" His own voice was rather animated and then Julia burst out laughing as he turned the bottle to his mouth and he drank like a fountain as the energy left the drink. He seemed uncaring that it was pouring down his chest, soaking through his shirt.

Grabbing the glasses, he filled them, then put the half empty bottle on the table. They tapped their glasses together then took a sip, before Julia giggled at the bottle.

"Most of that is in the garden and the streets of Brooklyn."

He shrugged, "so what? We're celebrating."

"Maybe next time you could just burn a hundred dollar bill!"

That made him roll his eyes, "you're worth it. Now drink up."

Julia's head was pounding, that was her first thought as she tried to open her eyes. How long had they sat outside, drinking, talking? For a moment she couldn't remember going to bed, but as she rolled over, the two dogs rolled into a different position on her bed, she remembered her and Aaron taking them to the park for a quick leg lift before they went to bed.

Too much alcohol...again.

But not because she needed it, because she was celebrating, and was light hearted, and happy. Not something that had happened in a long time, definitely not without her best friend in cahoots. Aaron was a good man...then his words at the Speakeasy came back to haunt her.