"David! David, please wait!" Kim hissed, trying to stop him from interrupting the dinner at the five-star restaurant, where as the night progressed Julia became quite tipsy, but that was no wonder, because Rob just kept her drinking all night long…

"But why should I wait? I can't understand what's the point in waiting at all…"

"I just don't want you to do something stupid, okay?"

"You really can't see what's going on here?!"

"She just have a good time that's all, she's fine!"

"How you mean she's fine?!" he asked with disbelief, "That bastard makes her drinking since we've arrived!"

"But it's not our business, David! We're here to protect her life and not to judge her decisions."

"You know what? I don't care what is my business or not, but I can't watch this any longer!" he stood up vehemently, when she grabbed his arm.

"David, please wait…"

"How long do you want me to wait? Until he rape her right here on the top of the dinner table or what?"

"Oh come now!"

"Just don't say that, okay? You didn't see how much he tried last time!"

"David…"

"I won't let him to do this…" he hissed and stepped to the table, "Excuse me, ma'am! But I think it's really time to go home…"

"What are you fussing about, bedtime is here or what?" asked Rob mockingly, but David just continued to Julia,

"I think you've already drank enough, ma'am."

"…"

"Who the fuck are you?! Just sit back and wait, that's your job after all," continued Rob then he started laughing, "Or maybe you're just too hungry, right?… I can order you something if you want, no problem, I guess the McDonald's will be already closed when you'll get home."

"You bastard…" remarked Julia with disgust, but it was too quiet as she was just taking a sip.

"No, but thank you, sir." answered David calmly. "And in return I have a tip for you… it doesn't matter how much wine you try to drink with her, she will faint sooner than you could take her to bed," said David and she just burst out in laughing,

"I think you're right… I should really go home now," she finally found her voice and tried to stand up, but actually a bit too quickly, so David had to catch her at the last moment, keeping her balance…

"Don't bother with him, just stay and drink a little more…" Rob smirked, but as he tried to reach the wine bottle David grabbed his arm…

"If you'll try to refill her glass again, I'll break your arm… sir."

"I guess that's what they call a final word," chuckled Julia as she was ready to go.

"But you can't go home yet, the night is still so young, come on just sit back…"

"This date is over… next one is starting," she smiled and took David's arm, leaving a very pissed off Rob alone… outside the dining area David offered his help on the stairs, but she was too light headed about this topic, until she realized her steps are not so sure for all those high stairs…

"David…" she called for him and he turned back, "Could you…"

"Yes, of course." he smiled and took her arm, keeping her safe on their way down… on the street the air was cool and refreshing, what she enjoyed so much. It was such a relief to breathe in some oxygen filled night air after those many glasses of wine…

"Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, just please give me a few minutes… this air feels so good."

"Of course, just take your time." he nodded understandingly, when he was already hearing Rob's voice from behind, "I can't believe it…"

"Can I give you a lift, Julia? You just ran away, so I couldn't even offer to take you home…" Rob tried one last time, but it was not a wise idea, because David turned around abruptly,

"What the hell do you think of yourself?!" he asked angrily and grabbed Rob's shirt, "Listen to me, because I won't tell it again… if you dare to go near her or call her or just…"

"David! David, please don't!" Kim ran over to stop him.

"…"

"Just leave him, okay?"

"…"

"David…"

"Right…" he sighed with resignation, "But make sure he goes home!"

"Of course I'll take care of that, don't worry…" nodded Kim, feeling relief that he finally let him go, so before anything would have happened she quickly waved a cab and pushed him into the car… seeing them disappearing made David relaxed, so he took a deep breath and went back to Julia, who was still waiting next to her ministerial car to get some fresh air,

"So are you feeling any better now?" he asked gently, touching her back to comfort her.

"Yes, thank you. I think I'm much better, but would you mind if we would take a walk? I think this cool night air helps me a lot."

"Sure, then Tom will follow us with the car…" he agreed and motioned to Tom as they started walking slowly on the empty street, what this time of the day bathed in cosy yellow light…

"Hey, what is it?" he chuckled, catching her on staring in front of her and just smiled.

"I just… " she looked up at him, "I just wanna say thanks."

"Thanks for what?"

"For taking me out from there… I guess you just arrived at the right time." she added, but suddenly she missed a step, so David had to catch her again, "Oh, thanks…" she chuckled on her clumsiness, when he stopped them worriedly,

"Gosh, your hands are ice-cold!"

"Really?…" she asked a bit puzzled, just looking at him with those big brown eyes.

"Yes, you're freezing, don't you feel it?"

"Not really… but maybe just about the alcohol."

"Yeah I think so, anyway you need something to warm you up, so here you are…" he quickly took off his jacket and gently put it around her shoulder. The cosy warm feeling immediately surrounded her and not just about his jacket, but about his arm around her…

"Thank you," she smiled lovingly. "It feels just wonderful…"

"Yeah, they say that's how women feel in my arms."

"And now I'm pretty sure of that," she chuckled, just enjoying his closeness. "Gosh, what a night! Two dates in one day…"

"Two dates?" he asked with a grin, could not decide she was just joking or not.

"Yes, walking on the street at night in a handsome man's jacket with his arm around my shoulder, I think it definitely seems like a date."

"You know that I have to keep you in safe no matter what," he smiled as he stroked her arm lovingly, "Even if it means from those bastards like your ex-husband or Rob…" her answer was a grateful smile, then she just took a deep breath, her voice was guilty,

"I… I know I shouldn't have stayed," she looked up at him. "But I was so hungry…"

"It doesn't matter why you have stayed, he shouldn't have made you drinking."

"Gosh…" she suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?"

"That you haven't eaten anything all day long… we have to get you some dinner!"

"No problem I'm fine, really."

"Of course you're not! You have to eat something… and I guess me too, because I need something to absorb this large amount of alcohol I drank." she remarked, then suddenly spotted a familiar neon sign down the street. "Fish and chips! That's simply perfect, trust me you'll love it!"

"Okay…" agreed David with a smile, when she wanted to change direction, "But where are you going now?"

"I just left my wallet in the car, just a sec…"

"Hey, what kind of a date where ladies pays for dinner, hm?" he asked as he stopped her, then she just answered cheekily,

"Oh, so then it's a date now?"

"But of course, it's definitely a date, so come on…" he winked and led them to the well known smell's direction…

OOOOOOOOOO

"Look at that!" cried the older man behind the counter as they stepped in, "My loveliest customer is finally here!"

"Uhm, so do you come here often?" David turned to her with a questioning look on his face.

"Well, actually yes… quite often." she bit her lip as she stepped closer to the counter. "I can't resist, best place in town."

"Lovely words from a lovely lady."

"We're actually on a date." she added sweetly and David's heart skipped a beat.

"On a date, really? While I'm still waiting for my turn, okay never mind…" added the man with a sigh and David could not resist to ask,

"Just from curiosity, how long have you been waiting?"

"Actually…" he was deep in thought, "I think at least for seven years, yes that's right exactly seven years."

"Wow, that's a pretty long time!"

"Yeah, it's almost like a real marriage, right?" winked the man at Julia, then added, "So the usual?"

"Yes, two for take away."

"Yours is free, of course…" he winked, "But for the young man the price is double."

"Okay," chuckled David pulling out his wallet, then he turned to Julia, "And what would you like to drink?"

"Uhm no need, thanks. You know, I have a bottle of wine at home, so…"

"Wine?"

"Well…" she knew he was right. "I mean, please add a bottle of water then."

"Gas or no gas?"

"No gas, thank you."

"And a peach flavored water for me," added David.

"Peach flavored, really?" she chuckled.

"You don't know what you miss until you've tried."

"Okay, then I want the peach flavored too."

"You won't regret it, I promise."

"Here you are…" said the man, then changed to a more serious voice, "And I really hope I do not have to say to take care of her!"

"It goes without saying…" nodded David, losing himself in her eyes for a moment, whispering, "Always…" then he just smiled and turned back to pay, but as he finished she was already outside, "Hey, I've thought you ran away…"

"And do you think I would leave all the food behind?" she teased him, drinking a bit from the water. "Hm, it's pretty good actually… strong flavor, I like it."

"I think peach flavor is a perfect match with fish and chips," he chuckled when she suddenly froze.

"Shit, we've bought fish…"

"Uhm, we were in a fish and chips shop, so I don't know what should I say to that…" he chuckled.

"But it's a date… so what will be about the kiss in the end?"

"…" David tried to process what he had just heard, but she was faster,

"No problem… then we're gonna kiss first!" she smiled and pulled him into a nearby doorway, kissing him right there without any hesitation. David was so surprised that when he began to wonder - that with kissing her - he was taking advantage on her or not, she already filled his senses… her sweet peach flavored lips and the way she snuggled up to him… he felt he couldn't stop kissing her, only Tom's tooting took him back to reality. Fortunately the man behind the steering wheel didn't see much, because they were in a dark corner and David's back hid them from the outside world…

"I think that's for us…" smiled David as he slowly broke the kiss, still holding his head against hers, stroking her face lovingly,

"Yeah, what a shame indeed…" she added sweetly, feeling a bit dizzy from his closeness, when Tom hit the horn again,

"Just a minute!" cried David, turning back a bit.

"We should really go Skip, it's getting late."

"Yeah, I know, but I think it's better if she won't puke in the car, right?"

"Okay…"

"Hey, what are you doing?" asked David, turning back to Julia with a smile, who splashed a bit from her water to the ground as if she would have been puking, "How crafty, I like it…" he grinned and couldn't resist to leaned in and kissed her again, just one last time before he would had to let her go… and despite this kiss lasted only for a moment, they still felt as if the world had stopped spinning… after Julia regained her senses, she just passed the bottle with a chuckle, waiting for a few seconds before she could step out, "I feel much better now, thank you… so I think we can go home."

"Certainly, this way ma'am…" smiled David and helped her into the car, "I'm sitting back, Tom… just in case if she'd need help," he explained, while she was just happy to hear it. The journey was definitely pleasurable for both of them, because she took the opportunity to pretend sleeping and laid her head down on his shoulder, enjoying his closeness, while his arm was around her waist all way long, just to keep her safe… and close enough, of course.

When they arrived Julia was already half asleep, but David successfully woke her up,

"Ma'am, it seems we've arrived…"

"…"

"Ma'am?…" he tried again softly, when she opened her eyes.

"Are we there yet?"

"Yes, we've just arrived. Can you walk on your own or I can take you upstairs if you want?" he asked with a smile, but before she could agree to take her to his arms, Tom cut in…

"If you'll take her, then I'll help with the food and the doors," he remarked and Julia immediately responded,

"No need, thanks. I'm… I'm fine, really."

"Yeah, Tom. You can go home, we'll manage it." added David quickly, helping her out of the car.

As they reached her flat on the first floor, after a little clumsiness she successfully opened the door and while he took out all the food and drinks, she just kicked down her shoes and curled up on the sofa,

"Could you bring in some plates and a fork for me?" she asked on a sleepy voice, decided to rest her head on the pillow, just for a single moment… but when he got back, she was already sleeping. David just smiled, then put down everything on the table and took her in his arms carefully, trying not to wake her up and carried her to bed. He was never been in her bedroom before, but he found everything quite quickly and covered her with a soft and fluffy blanket. After she was in safe and warm, he prepared a big glass of water and some aspirin to her nightstand, then he put a plastic bowl right next to her bed… just in case.

For a moment or two, he didn't know what to do… just hesitated between leaving or not, but in the end he decided it's obviously better to stay with her, if she wakes up and needs something… that was the thoughtful thing to do, after all it was his duty to keep her safe and absolutely not because he was just dying to be with her…

So after he decided he'll stay, he just switched on the night lamp and sat down on the sofa with his dinner, realizing she was absolutely right about the fish and chips… it was the best he has ever eaten, hot, spicy and was covered with some crispy batter, simply perfect not to mention that he was literally starving… he could easily eat both boxes, but he rather put her part into the fridge, just in case if she would wake up and feel hungry…

Finishing with the food, he just laid down on the sofa, thinking of all the things what happened that day, from the anger and jealousy he felt in the restaurant until the sweetest kiss he's ever had… he couldn't decide she was just too drank or that was how she really felt, but there was one thing he was absolutely sure of… that if he has the slightest chance to be with her, he has to find out how she truly feels about him…

The night was cosy and quiet, both of them was sleeping peacefully, but after a few hours of rest she woke up on feeling thirsty… opening her eyes she immediately realized the dim light filtering from the living room and the big glass of water on her nightstand… as she wanted to sit up she accidentally kicked into the plastic bowl, but a warm smile appeared on her face, knowing that he takes care of her even in her sleep… after she finished with the water she went to refill her glass and on her way through the living room, she realized that David was sleeping calmly on her sofa… for a few seconds she just watched him and that cosy warm feeling filled her up as always when she was near him, she bit her lip as she was thinking about last night's events… she was awfully hungry, that's why she had stayed at the restaurant first… but as time went by, she could clearly saw the tiny little signs of jealousy on David's face… and she couldn't resist, she had to know if it was real or not, so she kept drinking, but she was far not that drunk as she may had been seen… it was like when you are sleeping and you perfectly know it's only a dream so you can do whatever you want without consequences… and everything what happened after that, was wonderful… his arms around her, his closeness and that kiss in the hidden corner of the street… it was all wonderful and he was still there… so she just took out an extra blanket from the wardrobe, covering him gently and as she went back to sleep she couldn't stop smiling, because against any odds, it felt so right to be with him…

OOOOOOOOO

Next morning as she woke up he was already in the kitchen, making some coffee in an uplifted mood…

"Good Morning…" she smiled sleepily as he turned around, just watching her lovingly for a few moments…

"You know, you're beautiful in the morning as well…" he remarked kindly and handed her a cup of coffee, what she accepted with a grateful smile.

"Thanks, but I… I feel like I'm still in pieces."

"But you do not seem so," he smiled. "So how did you sleep? Any headache?"

"No, everything is fine. Thanks to that water you left on my nightstand."

"That reminds me, do you have any ideas about who put that blanket on me?" he teased her and she just chuckled.

"Sorry, but I have no idea at all…" she answered cheekily and sipped a bit from her coffee, "Sleep well?"

"Yeah, absolutely. It was quite a night."

"Uhm, yes… I've just wanted to say that how sorry I'm about last night."

"…"

"I mean I'm sure I told you so many stupid things."

"No, absolutely not, you don't have to worry."

"Just because I don't remember too much…" she added nonchalantly, hoping he won't spot she's not telling the truth.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I had a serious black out."

"Then you probably won't even believe me if I would say that we had kissed yesterday."

"Yeah, sure!" she started laughing, "Nice trying, sir…"

"What a shame you can't remember, because it was not a forgettable thing at all."

"Really?" she kept playing, "Then tell me, what was that 'kiss' like?"

"Wonderful… sweet… amazing and totally unforgettable."

"I'm glad to hear that…" she chuckled, and started to feel those butterflies in her stomach. "What is it?" she asked, because his expression suddenly changed as he was listening his earpiece.

"Shit…"

"What?" she asked as David stepped to the window.

"That bastard is here."

"Oh, I totally forgot about Rob, I'll have a meeting with him at nine."

"On Saturday and in your flat…" he murmured without thinking, then he added. "Sorry, I did't mean it like that…"

"No, it's okay. You know, sometimes I have to work on weekends too, but probably I shouldn't meet with him in my own home… maybe that's why I can't get rid of him."

"He is a bastard, that's the reason, but you have to know that there's a sure solution to stop him."

"Really?" she asked, concentrating hard.

"Yes, you just need a…"

"Need what?"

"You just need another man, that's all."

"Are you serious?" she started laughing. "Because it's just as easy as that, I can't even go to public anymore and I'll just find a man as a snap, of course."

"You don't have to go anywhere, I can be that man if you want…" he grinned, then he added quickly, "But just if you're okay with it."

"Would you… would you really play the role?" she asked, but it wasn't what he really meant it, 'playing'… he would rather be a real man in her life, but if he can be with her this way, then let it be…

"Of course, no problem."

"But I really don't want you to lose your job…"

"Look, I don't care about that, so you don't have to worry." he smiled, then added. "But maybe it's not a wise thing to do in your position… you know, it would be a huge scandal if it would turn out."

"Oh, Rob would never tell it to anyone. First, he would not be able to admit that he had lost… and second, his payment is so high, that he would rather cut his tongue first."

"So if you're okay with it, then…" he grinned.

"Yeah, sure." she nodded with a cheeky smile, "Let the game begin…"

To be continued…