CHAPTER (IV)

They exchange pleasantries, each trying so very hard not to cross a line or push something too much. In truth they were both nervous and tensed but tried hard not to show.

He already knew what he was going to order but still held the menu, she in turn studied the menu in detail, she liked to be fully aware of what she was eating. As she read, she could feel him staring at her and whenever she looked up, she would catch him staring but he would quickly drop his head and pretend to be buried in the menu. She smiled to herself, leaving his heart pounding hard, how embarrassing that must have been. 

They made their orders and after what felt like forever, their food came, he had gone for a Lamb Shank, rubbed with chili, served with a vegetable medley. She had gone for the Smoked Berkshire Pork Chop.

Normally, they wouldn't really pay attention to how they ate, not that they ate badly, but around each other, they became so self-aware in anything and everything that they did. He had that effect on her and she on him.

"What do you write about?" He asked and she looked up from her plate, taking her napkin and wiping the corners of her mouth.

"A lot." She said and they laughed. "Depends with what he says." She added.

"So, it's a he?" Kian went on.

She hesitated for a moment, as if in doubt on whether she had intended to reveal that piece of information to him. "Yeah."

"How does that work exactly?" He asked. "I hope you don't mind me asking."

"Not at all." She assured him with a smile. "How does what work?"

"The whole ghost-writing thing? Who comes up with the story lines, the characters, the title and all that?"

"Umm," she was silent for a second, trying to figure out how to best answer him. "Its more complicated than that."

"How so?" He wanted to know.

"Sometimes he comes up with an idea and we talk about it, agree on how best to develop the plot and characters, sometimes we just brainstorm ideas together, and sometimes I present him with ideas I come up." She explained.

"How has that worked out so far?" Kian continued.

"So far, so good." She answered with a smile.

"I assume it's exhausting."

"Yes, it is, you get physically and mentally exhausted. Because you have to really push your mind to come up with brilliant ideas that no one has written before to stand out, then I submit it to him. If he dislikes something I have to re-do the whole scene, sometimes the entire chapter or if there is something he wants me to add." She explained as the waiter cleared their table and presented them with dessert menus.

"If it's that exhausting why do you do it?" He asked.

"Well it's simple, I adore writing," she started. "It gives you this power that no one can control, it's only you. You make and break the rules at will without consequences or fear of being judged."

"But aren't you giving that power to someone else?" He paused. "I mean yes, you get to write whatever you want and make and break the rules like you've said but at the end of the day you surrender that power to someone else. You are doing all the hard, dirty work then someone else gets all the credit."

He made sense. A lot of sense.

"Well I don't really care who gets the credit, as long as my work is out there and hopefully having an impact on someone's life I am oaky."

"Do you really believe that Kaida?"

She went silent because she didn't believe in that statement. In all honesty, she hated that all her brilliant ideas were being accredited to someone else.

He was about to say something but the waiter came in to take their dessert orders. That had been intense, they could both feel it. But neither complained.

The bill came after dessert, it was only right that he pays but she stretched out her had to pick it. Her hand got there first and his ended up on top of it. She for sure felt that little jolt when his hand touched hers, she wasn't sure if he had felt it too. Both their eyes looked at their hands that remained together. "I got it." He said with a polite smile.

"No, allow me. It's only fair that I pay considering I kept you waiting." She replied.

"It's okay, I don't mind." He went on.

"Kian, I insist." She said with a smile. He didn't push on. He pulled back his hand.

As they walked towards the exit, he found himself smiling. It had been a good night, could have been better but he certainly wasn't complaining. Outside, they stood for a minute or two as they waited for her uber. "Can I ask a question?"

"If I say no will that stop you?" She teased.

"No." He said and they both laughed. "Why can't you be an independent writer? If you write for whoever you write for and the books are a success then what is stopping you from being independent and stop living in someone's shadow?"

She smiled, mostly because she was amused and amazed by his reasoning. "It's not that simple Kian, if it was, then I would have. I've thought about it a lot but the dynamics around it just don't work in my favor." She explained.

He didn't push it. She liked that about him.

"Is there a chance that you could tell me who he is?" He tried his luck.

"I don't think I'm allowed to." She informed him and added a smile to cushion the impact of her words.

"I thought so." They laughed at that. It was quite astonishing that they were so comfortable around each other as compared to when the night had started.

"You know in all this you haven't told me what you do." She pointed out.

"My bad," he admitted. "Um, I work in the tech world."

Her uber arrived and it was time to say goodbye. They both hated that they had to part because the night had bee so good. They didn't say it out loud but that had been the highlight of both their weeks.

"Well here's my ride." She stated the obvious.

There was a moment of silence and the air grew very tense around them as their eyes met and held before she broke it. "Tonight was beautiful." There was a genuine smile attached to that.

"Yes, it was, thank you for doing this." He also had a smile.

"It's nothing, and I'm really sorry for keeping-" He didn't let her finish.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. It happens." He assured her and she smiled. "We should do this again." He suggested and hoped he didn't sound cocky.

She did that thing again, that thing where she studied his face in silence before she spoke, it made him really nervous and she liked it. She loved it.

"Yeah we should." She agreed. Why wouldn't she, she enjoyed his company, he made her feel comfortable. "Have a goodnight Kian."

"Yeah you too Kaida." He finished with a smile.

He watched her get into the back seat and stood as the car drove off. A few seconds later, his uber arrived and he hopped into the back seat.