Chapter 2

"Well, I think it was quite a night…" smiled Julia with a sigh, as she put down her things on the sofa, while David closed the door behind them,

"It was indeed, ma'am. And it really turned out 'pretty well' as you mentioned before."

"How did you say it?…" she asked from the living room, "I think we've already agreed that you call me 'Julia' when I'm at home."

"Yeah, sorry… I meant 'Julia' of course," he repeated her name with a smile, loving that being alone just the two of them, meant something to her.

"See? That's much better now," they exchanged a smile, "Anyway, I told you this night wouldn't be that bad as you expected."

"Yes, you were right indeed."

"As always…" she teased him with a smile, as she was on her way to the fridge,

"… so how about Friday?"

"Friday?…" she turned back at a loss.

"The date… I think Friday night is perfect for dating…" he was waiting for her answer with his boyish smile,

"Well, uhm…" she smiled a bit surprised, "Actually, I just wanted to help… you saved my life, so now I saved yours in a way. I know that these two cannot be compared, but…"

"These are more than equal, believe me." he added kindly, "If I would have to spend a whole evening with Chanel, I really don't know how would I survive it."

"So that means we're quits now?"

"Yeah, we're definitely quits." he nodded with a smile, then she continued sweetly,

"However, thinking on Chanel's gaze as we left… probably you have to save me more times in the future."

"But that's no problem, because you can count on me… always," he answered, losing himself in her eyes for a moment, "And I was serious, I would really like to take you on a date."

"…" he saw the hesitation on her, so he switched gears.

"Unfortunately I cannot cook, so we would go to a restaurant instead… or I can heat you the best frozen dinner of all time, it's only up to you." he added, and she couldn't help but chuckled. "And please remind me to say thanks for Tom, because if he doesn't create this opportunity by chance, I don't know when I would have gathered my courage to ask you out… by the way, how does one ask their boss out on a date?" he asked with a smile,

"Good question, I never tried…" she answered with a chuckle,

"So does this mean you'll go out on a date with me?"

"Well, I…"

"It's totally risk free…" he continued his campaign speech, "We have at least a hundred witnesses who can prove that you go for charity."

"…"

"So if you wouldn't like it, which I clearly doubt…" he added with a smile, "Then you can say it was only a one time occasion and forget it."

"And do you think I could forget it?" she asked teasingly,

"I think it's impossible," he flirted, "So… would you like to date with me?"

"Yeah… yeah, I think so." she answered softly, loving the happiness on his face.

"And are you okay with a public place, showing up with a bloke like me?"

"You mean showing up with a national hero in public?… hm, yeah I think I can handle that." she teased him, what made him blush a little,

"I wouldn't go that far…"

"Saving a few hundred people's life, then saving mine, I think we can definitely call you a hero." she added and could see the pride on his face, knowing she sees him as a hero, "So of course I'm okay with that… and anyway, I'm sure you heard that I like to be seen."

"Yeah, but that's no wonder… you're simply just too beautiful to hide," he answered with his boyish smile, and she started to feel those butterflies in her stomach,

"So…" she pulled herself together, "Which restaurant are we going to go to?"

"Let it be a surprise, okay?"

"Yeah, sure…" she nodded with a smile,

"Then what would you say if I'd pick you up at seven?" he asked, heading to the door before she could change her mind,

"That's perfect."

"Then date on Friday…" he declared happily from the doorway,

"Yeah, date on Friday…" she repeated with a smile as she closed her front door slowly, standing there for a few more moments, still holding the doorknob… thinking on dating with him, she had that excited warm feeling in her, which she forgot about long ago… a feeling, which was actually a bit strange, because she never liked this particular type of men, the too good looking, too handsome ones… she always thought they were too conceited, too full of themselves and they always irritated her in a way, just like David at the beginning… in her entire life, she always fell in love about certain qualities she could admire in a man, and usually only after that she could found that man physically attractive... but recently she noticed that she left her gaze on David quite frequently… admiring his boyish smile, those ocean blue eyes and his perfect physique under those tight shirts on him… she thought she started going crazy, losing her mind entering her forties… then she suddenly realized there's only one explanation that makes sense… that she must have fell in love with him…

When she started thinking on this, everything just fell into place. At the very beginning when she didn't really like him, they had quite a few fights, which often ended up with simply throwing him out, but she must admit that even those days, she still admired his real man behavior… that he can stand up for his beliefs, even if it will hit back on him, and she always found it so attractive… the very first time she realized the power of his closeness was when he offered his shirt and she slipped it on, feeling as the warm cotton and his intoxicating scent instantly embraced her… then the day which changed everything, was the day when he saved her life, and what happened and not happened that night between them… how sweet he was treating her, when she felt so miserable and lost. Since then she was attracted to him with such power, that sometimes she even felt herself shaking when she was so close to him. It was a new feeling for her, because she never felt like this with any other man before, and she really loved his effect on her… it was all new and exciting, but so familiar at the same time… a feeling she knew it must exist, but never met with it until now… she knew being alone with him, feeling him near was quite addictive, so she couldn't decide dating with him was a good idea or not, but she didn't want to think about it… the only thing she knew, that she wanted to date with him…

Being aware of her own feelings, she still tried to stay rational, not indulging herself too much, if it doesn't turn out the way she may hoped for… life already taught her a few times, that what she thinks, what she is so sure about, isn't always the reality… but staying rational didn't mean she wouldn't select a dress for Friday, just quickly, with not much fuss of course… after all, it's better to know what to wear than picking up something quickly in the last moment… about finding the right piece of clothing, the only thing she knew that she wanted to wear a dress, because although she rarely wear one, she really liked dresses… then she realized he didn't tell her where they will go, so she didn't know what would suit for the place. She could imagine that he will take her to a five-star restaurant just to impress her, or he can also take her to a smaller and simpler place, which he already know… but she ended up it didn't matter, because she already knew what she wanted to wear… the red dress… that silky, but simple, red shirt dress which was her favorite dating piece, not because of the pleasant memories she had, but because of the way she was feeling herself when she was wearing it…

OOOOOOOOOO

The time passed quickly until Friday and she just finished getting dressed, when she heard her doorbell ringing… as she opened the door, there he was with his boyish smile, standing in her doorway with a beautifully wrapped bouquet of flowers in his hand…

"Wow, you look… you look absolutely amazing," smiled David admiringly, making her heart beat faster the way he was looking at her,

"Well, uhm… thank you," she answered happily.

"You should definitely wear dresses more often…"

"Actually, I would love to, but unfortunately in my profession I'm taken more seriously in pants. You know, it's a man's world."

"I bet only men saying that, because they just want to protect themselves from this view… otherwise they wouldn't be able to say a word, only to admire you."

"I really love the way you're thinking…" she chuckled, "By the way, you look… you look great too." she didn't want to say how sexy he was in that navy suit with a light blue shirt on him, which made his eyes look bluer.

"Oh, and this is for you…" he smiled and handed her the flowers, which she accepted with a sweet smile,

"Flowers?…"

"Classic date with classic details."

"How thoughtful, thank you." she smiled and peeked inside, "Wow, purple tulips. I think I never seen them before, so beautiful and special."

"It's actually lavender colored, just to be stylish…"

"I'm loving them anyway…" she smiled happily, "And I'm glad you chose this one and not roses… or any other flower instead." she added quickly,

"Of course, because I perfectly know how much you hate roses… and that tulips are your favorites."

"…" she was really surprised, "But… how did you know that?"

"I think I read somewhere on the net."

"And did you remember it?"

"Of course, I remember. My memory is quite sharp when something is important…" he smiled at her lovingly and those butterflies came to life in her stomach again,

"I… I think I'm taking them to water, then we can go."

"Sure, just take your time."

"You know, I don't know the last time I got tulips…" she continued as she stepped to the sink, "Roger never bothered buying me some, maybe he couldn't remember or just… well, more likely he just didn't care," she remarked, while he just watched her as she took out a vase from the cupboard, got some water and started preparing the flowers… he found this scene so cosy and comforting, he could watch her like this forever.

"…"

"So?"

"I'm sorry, what did you just say?" he asked back, as he came to his senses from admiring her.

"Can you tell me now where we're going?" she turned back with a smile, "Or will it still be a surprise?"

"Oh, of course. My aunt and her husband has a little Scottish restaurant not too far from here. A nice family place with fantastic traditional food and a wide selection wines."

"That sounds lovely…"

"But we can choose something else if you have a concrete place you want to go."

"No, this is gonna be perfect."

"Great. The car is already waiting for us outside the door… and I convinced the guys to leave us alone in the first car, so they will follow us with the backup vehicle to give some privacy."

"I think we can already call it an exciting evening, I don't know the last time I sat on the passenger seat," she chuckled,

"See? Life is full of adventure with me," they exchanged a smile, as she grabbed her purse and they started the evening…

OOOOOOOOOO

"Are you sitting comfortable enough?" asked David as he fastened his seatbelt, turning to her.

"Yeah, I'm absolutely ready to go…" she answered with a smile, then looking into the rare view mirror she added, "Uhm, why is Tom showing us a thumbs up and smirking so much?"

"Gosh…" he checked it with an awkward smile, "Just don't bother with them, okay?"

"Uh-uh…" she tried not to laugh,

"I think it's quite a sensation here going on a date with the boss, so…"

"Yeah, that's quite understandable," she chuckled.

"Not to mention that I'm sure most of them want to be in my place now."

"Oh, really?" she chuckled, "Then tell me something I don't know…"

"No way," he shook his head with a smile, "I'm not crazy to give advantage to the competitors."

"So you think you have a competitor?" she asked on a flirting way,

"I really hope I don't have any…" he smiled and started the car, "And speaking of which…" he continued as he pulled out to the road, "There's something I haven't told you before."

"Really?" she asked, couldn't imagine what it would be.

"Yes, so… my family is pushing me for a while to fix my life, start dating again, that kind of things…"

"Ah, I see." she smiled softly,

"So when I said to my aunt that we're going to have dinner at the restaurant, well… she was so excited about us that I couldn't say a word, and now she thinks…"

"She thinks what exactly?…" she knew this will be fun,

"Well, she thinks that we are together for a while… and now we finally start dating in public."

"I see…" she smiled, "So you want me to stick to your background story, right?"

"Actually, I haven't got one, so we should improvise a bit if it's okay for you…"

"Yeah, of course it's okay," she chuckled, "My original profession is all about improvisation, so let's start the fun…"

To be continued…