“You look beautiful!” said Clark. For him, Aria somehow looked even more breathtaking every time he saw her.
Aria blushed and thanked him, “I could have just come over to your driveway, you do know I live right across from you?”
Clark chuckled, “Come on, we are going on a date. The guy should always pick up the girl from her house, even if she is just a few steps away.”
He caught her staring at him. “What?”
“You know, you are adorable, right?” Aria said with a big smile on her face that grew wider when she saw him blushing. “So, what have you planned for today? You were so secretive about it!
“It won’t be a surprise if I tell you.” He winked at her.
Aria was excited. The entire drive was pleasant as she told him all about her pitch. Clark was a good listener and assured her that she would get the job. It wasn’t like the awkward first dates where you don’t know what to talk about. Clark was relieved that they were comfortable with each other.
“Where exactly are we?” Aria was so immersed in giving Clark a minute-by-minute account of what happened at the pitch that she barely paid attention to where they were going. Then suddenly she noticed that they were driving on a dark, gloomy road.
“You’ll see.” Clark refused to share anything more.
Aria felt her heartbeat escalating. “Relax,” she told herself. There was no reason to be worried. She had known Clark for months now. But who takes someone on a creepy road like this on the first date. She wondered. Okay. Stop being negative. She can trust him. Right?
While Aria's head was exploding with these thoughts, Clark noticed her discomfort.
“Umm… are you okay? Don’t worry; we are almost there.”
Aria took a deep breath to calm her nerves. “You aren’t going to kill me, right?” she nervously laughed. She instantly regretted saying that when she saw the look of shock on Clark’s face. However, within seconds, he composed himself and laughed. “I promise I won’t. We are here.” He got out of the car.
Aria looked around. She could only see trees all around and a path leading further on. Clark opened the passenger door for her. She was hesitant but got out. With a broad smile, he asked, “All good?”
Her mouth felt dry. A part of her was screaming at her to run, but she was sure he could be trusted. She nodded and watched him move towards the back of the car and take something out of the trunk. “What…? Aria was confused.
“Don’t look. It’s a surprise. Umm… ugh! Okay, I don’t know how to hide this.” He looked embarrassed as Aria walked towards him to see him holding a picnic basket.
She started laughing. Clark was scratching his head, looking confused. “I did not think this through.”
Aria giggled. “And you were hoping I wouldn’t see that massive basket? …. Wait, you cooked!” She just realized what the picnic basket meant.
Clark nodded sheepishly.
Looking around skeptically, Aria said, “We are having a picnic here!”
“Oh! No, we have to walk a little to get to the place. I hope you don’t mind.”
Aria smiled, and they started walking on the path. Clark led the way towards a clearing, and her jaw dropped open when she saw the sight in front of her. They could see the entire city from that spot. Her eyes widened as she took in the glittering lights of the city. “What…” she was speechless.
Clark was waiting for her to say something. Aria turned to him, “What is this place? Everything looks so beautiful from up here.”
“I know, right! I call it my secret spot. I stumbled upon it when I was hiking here a few weeks ago. Well, I might have gotten lost, but I am glad I did. I sometimes come up here when I want to be alone. It is very peaceful.” He smiled as he looked at the view.
They stood there for a few minutes, mesmerized at the view, and then Clark took out a large blanket from the basket and started setting up. “Okay, full disclosure. I am not that good of a chef, so I just made us tons of sandwiches and a salad. Also, I picked this up.” He said, holding a big bag of Cheetos.
Aria hugged him, “It’s perfect,” she whispered in his ear. He could feel her racing heartbeat as she looked into his eyes and traced his jawline with her finger. Clark put his arm around her waist, pulled her closer, and leaned in to kiss. Aria thought her heart might explode as they kissed. Suddenly, he pulled pack, “I am sorry. I couldn’t stop myself…” he said nervously. “I know it’s too soon.”
Aria giggled. “No, no, don’t worry about it. I liked it.” He smiled and picked up a sandwich, “Hungry?” “Starving,” Aria said as she took the sandwich. They snuggled in closer and dug into their food while enjoying the panoramic view of the city in front of them.
Chapter 3: The Offer
“Tell. Me. Everything!”
As soon as Aria stepped out of the elevator, Tanya was on her case. Aria was still in her dreamland after her amazing date with Clark. They had spent hours, talking and eating, before realizing it was almost midnight. She sighed blissfully.
“You are killing me, Aria,” Tanya stood in front of her with her hands on her waist. Aria laughed. “Relax. There is nothing to tell.”
Tanya rolled her eyes “Lies!”
“I told you it was a great date,” Aria walked past her towards her office.
“Woman! I want the details. You are glowing! I am sure there is plenty to tell,” Tanya was following her.
“Hush! Don’t announce it to the world!” Aria said, urgently looked around, making sure no one was listening. She’d rather keep her love life private. They walked into her office, and Tanya immediately closed the door and turned to her, “Spill!”
“Ugh! You can be so annoying, T!”
Tanya smiled proudly, “I consider it one of my greatest strengths. Now, don’t you try to change the subject.”
Aria sighed, “We only kissed.”
“Aww, you are blushing!” Tanya teased.
“Shut up! I am not!”
“So, what was he like,” Tanya said excitedly.
Aria glared at her, “Don’t you have any work to do?” Tanya just waved away her question and looked at her with her eyes wide. Aria knew her friend wouldn’t leave her alone until she got all the details. In reality, Aria was rather excited to share her perfect date, so she started telling her about the spot where they went. Amidst Tanya’s squeals of delight, Aria felt her heartwarming up again as she thought back about that date. Clark was so charming, and he excited her. She flushed.
“God! He sounds dreamy. When are you guys meeting again?” Tanya asked, “More importantly, when am I meeting him.”
“T!! We just started going out. I don’t want to scare him off by asking him to meet my friends so soon,” Aria switched on her computer. “Stop being so nosy.”
Tanya sniggered. “As your friend, it is my job to judge the guy you are dating. I can only do my job well if I meet him in person.”
Aria laughed. “What will I ever do without you?”
Tanya chuckled and got up to leave, “Well, I shall be back for more …” she stopped in her tracks when she heard Aria gasp loudly. She quickly turned around to see Aria staring at her computer screen with her eyes wide.
“What?” Tanya asked, looking concerned.
Aria kept looking at the screen silently.
“What happened?” Tanya practically screamed, worried sick.
Aria slowly turned to her and whispered, “I got it.”
Tanya pursed up her lips, “What?”
Suddenly, Aria jumped up from her seat and hugged Tanya. “I got it, T! I got the Cooper account!”
Coons was sitting at his desk, lost in thoughts. He sighed. He knew Aria would get the account; there was no doubt in his mind. Wayne was good, but Aria was smarter and had a way with people. He got up from his seat and gazed outside the window, staring at the hustle-bustle around the building. People were still hurrying off to work, many of them with packed breakfast in hand. A few lucky ones were sitting
leisurely on the benches in the park nearby.
He didn’t know what to do. Aria is smart; she can take care of herself. He thought to himself. But, is she up for this kind of responsibility? Coons took a deep breath. No use worrying about it now, what’s done is done. “She will be fine.” He told himself. “Should probably go and congratulate her.”
Coons was supposed to deliver the news personally, but things had been uneasy between them. He figured it would be better to send an official email to both Aria and Wayne. He might just manage to avoid Wayne’s whining about it too this way.
He made his way to Aria’s office, knocked and opened the door to see Aria and Tanya have already started celebrating. “At least she has people backing her up,” he thought to himself as he smiled broadly at Aria. “Congratulations Aria, you deserved it!”
She was hesitant at first but then smiled. Aria shook his hands and decided to let her resentment towards her boss go. Coons let out a sigh of relief as he realized things were okay between them.
“What will you have, boss?” asked Tanya.
“What will I…?” Coons asked, confused.
“Yeah, I am ordering a lot of food. It’s party time,” Tanya smiled widely. “And Aria is paying, so don’t hesitate to order a lobster or something.
Aria laughed. “Shut up, T!” and turned to Coons, “But seriously, it’s my treat. Let’s have a big breakfast spread at work, and everyone can dig in.”
“Yeah!” Tanya smiled. “You can treat us with lobster dinner at your party boss.” She said cheekily to Coons.
“My party?”
“Your retirement party!” Tanya reminded him.
Coons smiled. “It’s still months away, Tanya. But sure, we can arrange a lobster for you.” He shook his head fondly, looking at the two ambitious girls standing in front of them, making a list of food for everyone. Yeah, they will be fine. He thought to himself as he turned and left the room.
The whole day went by in a state of celebration for Aria’s victory. Aside from Wayne, who was sulking and hiding in his office, people were genuinely happy for Aria and kept telling her that she will be their boss soon. Even though she kept brushing it away, she couldn’t stop but feel synced for things coming her way. She knew that getting this account was a significant win. If she played her cards right, she might even be in the running for the head of the department. She knew that she wouldn’t even come close to how well Coons managed the department, but she will still do a good job.
Feeling on top of the world, Aria decided some self-pampering was in order. While making her way towards her car, she was contemplating whether to opt for takeaway or dine in. “Takeaway would be better, I guess,” she thought to herself. “I can light up candles, dim the lights, and watch Netflix with dinner!”
Happy with her decision, she started digging in her bag for keys. Aria was startled by the screeching of tires. The garage was almost empty; almost everyone usually left before Aria, unless there were deadlines to meet. She turned around to see a car leaving the garage. She let out a sigh of relief; she always found empty garages creepy. “I should probably stop watching thriller movies,” she said to herself as she finally found her keys.
Suddenly she felt goosebumps on her forearm. Something didn’t feel right; she felt as if someone was watching her. Keys firmly in her hands, she turned around once again. She could see a few cars parked nearby, but the furthermost side of the garage was in total darkness. The building management typically switches off most of the lights in the garage after eight since most of the people leave. So, this wasn’t unusual.
“Just stop it!” she told herself, trying to calm down. “You are way too paranoid today.” She quickly got in the car and locked the doors. Just then, something caught her eye. “Shit!” her heart was pounding loudly. Someone was standing behind a pillar!
She looked over again, but there was nothing there now. Why would anyone be standing in the dark? Aria started her car and rushed out of the garage, keeping an eye on the rearview mirror. She didn’t see anyone. She figured it might be a reflection, or maybe someone was heading to their car. Soon the incident was forgotten, and she was taking out the food from the bags. Now to start a movie and snuggle up on her sofa.
Before she started eating, she had an idea. Taking a picture of the food, she sent it to Clark with a message, “Join me?”
The reply was quick. “Will be there in 10. Keep the food warm.”
Her goofy smile instantly turned into a frown when she looked at her worn-out PJs. “Should have thought this through,” as she raced to her room to find something better to wear. Just then, the bell rang. “Uggh!” Aria hesitantly pulled on the nearest clean shirt and went to open the door.
“Hey, gorgeous!” Clark smiled widely.
Aria’s heart filled with joy as he gave her a quick kiss. “Wow! That’s a lot of food!” Clark chuckled as he saw the food spread out on the table.
“Yeah, I am celebrating!” Aria grinned.
“Celebrating? … Oh, you got it?” Clark’s eyes widened. She nodded proudly. “That’s amazing! I knew you would nail that pitch.”
Aria grinned, feeling grateful to have such a supportive guy with her. She grabbed his arm, “Come on, the foods getting cold.” They settled down to eat and watch a cheesy rom-com that they barely paid any attention to.
The next few months went by in a blur. Aria and Coons selected three more people in the team to handle the Cooper account, including Tanya. Wayne was also working with them, much to Tanya’s dismay. The team was putting in long hours since the account was rather significant, and they needed to get up to date about all the finances of the company in the past year.
While Aria had to stay late at the office every day, she still managed to see Clark at either dinner or breakfast. Often, Clark would come over with food as soon as she got home, or he would make breakfast in the morning after they had a steamy shower together. She was feeling a tad bit guilty - like he was the only one putting in the effort while she just enjoyed the perks.
“Stop being such an idiot!” scolded Tanya one day when Aria expressed her guilt. “There is nothing to feel guilty about. He is a gem, definitely, and that’s how a woman should be treated. That’s the problem with us. Most men mistreat us… like they own us or something, and when we manage to find one who treats us nicely, we start feeling like we are taking advantage of them… don’t you roll your eyes at me!”
Aria laughed. “Okay! Okay! I know what you mean.”
Tanya gave her a look, “Just relax and enjoy yourself.”
“Enjoy what?”
They both turned to see Coons and Wayne entering the boardroom.
Aria quickly said, “Oh, nothi…”
“Her new guy,” Tanya smirked.
“Ah!” Coons smiled.
“Poor guy!” scoffed Wayne.
Coons gave him a warning look, and Wayne held up his hands in surrender. “Let’s get started.”
After a few hours, they voted to take a break for an hour before regrouping. Aria was famished. Tanya was heading out for an appointment, so Aria decided to go to a nearby café. She grabbed her car keys and left. Just when she opened the door to the car parking garage, she stopped into her tracks. Standing near a pillar, deep in conversation were Whitney Fox and Clark. At the sound of the door opening, they both looked up.
“What?” Aria looked at them, confused.
Clark broke into a broad smile, “Ah! There she is.” He started moving towards and hugged her tightly.
“What are you doing here?” asked Aria. “Hello, Whitney!” she greeted Ms. Fox as she followed Clark towards her.
“Yeah, she is the new star of our company,” Whitney said. “You are lucky!”
Aria couldn’t believe her ears. Whitney Fox thinks she is a star! She mumbled thanks as the woman went past them in the building. Aria turned to Clark, who kissed her before she could say anything.
“Do you know her?” Aria asked, breaking the k
iss.
“What? No. I don’t,” Clark looked confused. “Are you okay?”
Aria gave him a reluctant smile, “Yeah, I am just surprised to see you here, talking to her. She is Whitney Fox, a board member.”
Clark’s eyes widened. “You mean that, Whitney Fox! Ah, I wish I knew I would have begged her to make you the department head.”
Aria giggled. “So, what …?”
Clark shrugged, “I just wanted to surprise you at work and see if you are free for lunch. I was showing a client a house nearby. I was honestly lost when I entered here,” he said, laughing. “I think I was supposed to enter through the main gate.”
Aria smiled at him, “Yeah, this place is a bit confusing. So…”
Clark held her hand, “So, do you have time to grab a bite? I am starving; the client was so annoying!” Aria led him to her car as he ranted about his client. She was glad that she had company for lunch. Her head needed a break from work, and Aria knew if she had lunch alone, all she would be thinking about would be work.
“When’s the party?” Clark asked.
They were sitting at the café, waiting for their food to arrive. Aria had completely zoned out and was staring in space. “What party?” She had lost track of the conversation.
“The retirement party of your boss?” said Clark.
Aria looked at him blankly. “How do you know about it?”
Clark looked at her, concerned, “You told me a while back. Aria, are you okay? Is something wrong?”
“Yeah! I am just overworked. I think I need a break. I have been only thinking about the Cooper account, and I think I am going bonkers,” said Aria pressing her forehead with her fingers.
Clark gave her a sympathetic look, “I understand love. Maybe we should take a vacation together.” Aria looked at him, “I can’t! Coons is retiring in like less than three months, and I need to get as many things as I possibly can get done before that.”
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