Rowan bit his nails (a habit he had crushed in his teenage years) and paced the length of his kitchen as he waited for Azaria to pick up the phone.
His cat was perched on the floor, watching him go back and forth on her back, slowly mirroring his movements with her fluffy tail.
“What if she really goes to Rhodes, Astrid?
What do I do then?
Will that make us enemies too?
Because I remember that conference that Rhodes attended with us and their staff were just… rude.” The call cut off for the second time since he started calling and he placed it down on the counter when his oven timer rang.
He placed oven mitts on and opened it.
Suddenly, his phone began to vibrate and he quickly reached into the oven, pulled out the roated vegetables, set it on a cooling rack and picked the phone up after removing a mitt.
“Hey.
Azaria.
What’s up?
How did the interview go?
I saw your missed call.”
“I think it went really well.
He said he really wants me on board, but he has to consult a few others.”
“Who said?”
“The CEO.
I was so shocked, but the secretary told me Mr.
Rhodes wanted to interview me himself.
Apparently, he thought my resume was so impressive, he wanted do the interview, but I don’t think so.” There was shuffling on the other end.
Rowan took off his other mitt and frowned.
This information was a bit unsettling for him.
He would congratulate her on a normal day, but this was Rhodes!
He didn’t know what to say.
“Why do you say that?” he asked.
“Well, for one, he kept asking me why I left Aldrith.
He was a lot more focused on that and what I brought to Aldrith and if I could replicate it at his company than anything else.
He didn’t even ask questions concerning the job itself.”
Rowan nodded and squeezed his eyes shut.
That feeling was coming back.
Yeah, he didn’t trust that place.
They obviously wanted to use her to break down Aldrith and he wasn’t having it.
“Hey… I have the day off tomorrow,” he lied.
“Wanna meet up and have lunch or something?
It’s on me.
A little pre-cogratularions.”
Azaria chuckled.
“Pre-congratulations?
Again?”
“Till the day I die.
I will always pre-celebtate your achievements.”
She hummed.
“Alright, fine.
But last time we did that, Celeste Aldrith got my job and that’s why we’re where we are now.” She scoffed.
“You want a home cooked meal or what do you have in mind?”
“We could go to that Italian place by your apartment.
Beatrice was telling me about risotto the other day and I’ve never had it, so… I think I want Risotto.” He began busying himself with fixing himself a plate of food.
“Maybe you just like whatever Beatrice says she likes,” Azaria mumbled, but Rowan didn’t quite catch it.
“What?”
“Nothing.” She hummed like she hadn’t said a thing.
“So, like 12pm tomorrow?”
“Sure.
I’ll catch you then.
Have a goodnight, Zee.”
“You too, babes.”
They ended the call and Rowan let out a heavy sigh.
He hoped he could convince her to come back.
He didn’t even know what to say yet.
Does he just say “come back, I miss you?” and that would be it?
Would she agree?
He sat at his table and glared at Astrid when she hopped on the table, stating at the salmon he had on his plate.
He pointed a fork in her direction.
“Don’t even think about it, missy!”
__________________♤♤___________________
Rowan got to the restaurant first.
It was small and tucked between a bookstore and a closed boutique.
It smelled like tomatoes, garlic, and fresh spices.
A few people sat on the outside tables enjoying their food and the scenery.
He sat by the window where he had a good view of the bustling city and Azaria’s building not too far down the road.
He checked his phone, then set it face down.
Picked it up again, and set it down.
Should he have told Theon he was going to speak with Azaria today?
The man said to call after he had spoken to her, so he didn’t want to annoy him by telling him every single detail as it happened.
When Azaria walked in, he saw her right away.
She paused at the entrance for a second, scanning the room for his familiar face.
Then her eyes landed on him.
She gave a small smile and he waved at her as she walked over.
“You came early,” she said as she pulled out the chair across from him.
“You’re late,” Rowan replied, but there was no bite in it.
He grinned and leaned forward.
“I’m not late.
You’re just early.
We agreed to be here at 12 pm.
It’s 11: 55 now which means you were here too early.”
She sat down and placed her bag beside her chair.
A waiter came over and handed them menus.
Rowan said he already knew what he wanted and ordered the risotto.
Both the waiter and Rowan turned to Azaria then.
She looked down at the menu and didn’t waste time with her choice.
“I’ll take the bolognese,” she said after a second.
“And to drink?”
She hesitated, then looked at Rowan.
“Wine?”
He nodded.
“Yeah.
Wine.”
“Red,” she added.
The waiter nodded and left.
Azaria leaned back slightly in her chair.
“So… Beatrice’s risotto?”
“What?
She told me to try it,” Rowan said and smiled when Azaria wiggled her brows at him.
He shook his head at her antics.
“You’re letting her pick your food now?”
“It sounded good.”
“Did she also tell you to sit by the window for a good view while you eat?”
Rowan laughed.
“She did, but she wasn’t even talking about this restaurant, so you have no point here.”
Azaria smiled and relaxed.
“So,” she said, resting her elbow lightly on the table.
“How did it go?”
“You tell me.
It was your interview.”
She exhaled softly.
“I told you already.
It went well.”
Rowan watched her for a second.
“That doesn’t sound very convincing.”
“It wasn’t bad,” she said quickly.
“It just wasn’t… what I expected.”
“What did you expect?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged.
“Something different.
A normal interview, not interrogation about Aldrith and why I left.”
“It kind of made me a little uncomfortable how he kept bringing up Aldrith,” she said.
Rowan frowned and looked at his hands, intertwined on the table.
“And?” he asked.
“And nothing.
It was just strange.” She set the glass down.
“I thought he would focus more on Rhodes and my position there.
He focused more on me replicating what I did at Aldrith.” She shrugged.
Rowan exhaled through his nose and scratched his chin.
“That’s because Rhodes doesn’t have anything original to focus on.
You know they want to beat Aldrith so bad, they’d copy it.”
Azaria gave him a look.
“Rowan.”
“I’m serious,” he said.
“They copy everything.
That’s why Aldrith even has its janitors signing NDAs.
It’s not even something to joke about.”
She stayed quiet as her fingers traced the edge of the table absentmindedly.
The waiter came back with their wine.
He poured for both of them, then left again after leaving the bottle.
Azaria picked up her glass and held it for a moment before taking a small sip.
Rowan did the same.
“To your interview,” he said gently.
She gave a faint smile and lifted her glass slightly.
“To my interview.”
They drank.
For a while, the conversation stayed on simple things.
They talked about small things.
The traffic outside, a movie Azaria had watched the night before, a story Rowan half told about someone at work before stopping halfway through.
The food arrived not long after.
Azaria’s bolognese was placed in front of her, steam rising from the bowl.
Rowan’s risotto came next.
They thanked the waiter, then picked up their forks.
Azaria tasted hers first.
She nodded.
“Okay.
This is really good.”
Rowan took a bite of his.
He paused, then nodded once.
“Yeah.
It’s good.
Risotto could be my favourite thing now.” He picked an oyster from his plate.
Azaria laughed.
“You’re sure it’s not because Beatrice recommended it?”
“She was right and I stand by that.”
Azaria smiled again, a little more this time.
They ate in silence for a few minutes.
It was just the sound of cutlery and low voices around them.
Then Rowan set his fork down and Azaria looked up when he did.
“What?” she asked.
He looked at her, then at his glass, then back at her again.
He decided to just go ahead and say it.
“Would you… ever consider coming back?
To Aldrith.” he asked.
Azaria stared at him like she was trying to decide if he was serious.
She put her form down then let out a breath and shook her head.
“No.”
Rowan leaned forward slightly.
“You didn’t even think about it.”
“I don’t need to.”
“Azaria–”
“It’s out of the question, Rowan,” she said, cutting him off.
Her tone was calm, but very firm.
Rowan’s jaw tightened.
“You haven’t even heard me out.”
“I don’t need to hear you out.”
“You don’t know what’s changed.”
She gave a small, humorless laugh.
“Nothing has changed.
They’re still the same people who look down on others who don’t have wealth, connections or big names!”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do,” she said.
“I got passed over for a promotion because of that!
You were angry too!”
Rowan picked up his fork, then put it back down again without using it.
“Rhodes is just as bad, if not worse.
It’s a terrible competitor,” he said.
“You saw it yourself with his shady questions.”
Azaria’s brows pinched together.
“They try to copy Aldrith all the time,” he continued.
“They don’t have their own direction.
They just follow.”
It was true.
She knew it was.
It had been clear in the interview.
The way Aziel kept bringing up Aldrith.
The way he wanted a duplicate of her system.
But that did not change anything.
She shook her head.
“I don’t care,” she said.
Rowan frowned.
“You should.”
“Why?” she asked, looking back at him.
“Why should I care?”
“Because you know how things are done there.
It could be worse than just losing a promotio… You know what Aldrith is capable of.”
“And?” she said.
“And you could be part of that again.
You could be part of that with me and our department.
We need you back.”
Azaria let out a soft, disbelieving breath.
“Aldrith didn’t care about me,” she said.
“Why should I care about them?”
Rowan leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair.
“It wasn’t like that,” he said.
“It was exactly like that and you know it!”
The noise of the cafe seemed louder now, like it was pushing in around them.
Rowan picked up his glass and took a longer drink this time.
“You’re making a mistake, Zee” he said after a moment with a calmer, softer tone.
Azaria’s hand tightened slightly around her fork when she picked it up again.
“Stop,” she said.
“I’m trying to help you.”
“I don’t need your help.”
“Yes, you do.
Stop being so stubborn about this.”
Her fork hit the plate with a clink.
“I said stop, Rowan.”
Rowan, in fact, did not stop.
“They’re not good for you,” he said.
“You saw that yesterday.
You know it.”
“I said stop.”
“They don’t value what you bring.
They’re using you.” He leaned forward again, his voice lower now but more intense.
“You belong somewhere that actually–”
“I don’t belong there,” she said and felt a pang in her chest, similar to what she felt during her interview.
The words came out louder than she meant them to.
A couple at the next table glanced over before quickly looking away.
Azaria pushed her plate slightly away from her.
The food she had been enjoying a few minutes ago now made her feel sick.
“I don’t want to hear any more of this,” she said.
Rowan opened his mouth to respond, but she cut him off again.
“I don’t want to hear it,” she repeated.
There was something in her voice now that made him pause.
He exhaled slowly and leaned back again.
For a second, it seemed like he might drop it.
Then he spoke again.
“You’re letting one decision define everything,” he said.
Azaria stared at him.
“You think this is about one decision?” she asked.
“It is.”
“It’s not.”
“Then what is it?”
She did not answer right away.
Her throat felt tight and her chest felt heavy.
She reached for her glass, but her hand stopped halfway.
“I love you, Rowan” she said instead, “but this is too much,” she continued.
“Even for you.”
He did not speak.
She picked up her bag from beside her chair.
“I’m leaving,” she said.
“Zee–”
“I don’t want to do this right now.”
She stood up and began walking away.
Rowan stayed seated for a second, like he was still processing what just happened.
Then he quickly reached into his pocket, pulled out some money, and placed it on the table.
“Wait,” he said, standing up.
Azaria was already walking toward the door.
He followed after her.
“Azaria,” he called.
The door opened and she stepped outside, the warm air hitting her face.
She kept walking and Rowan pushed the door open behind her and came out onto the street.
“Azaria, wait.”
She slowed down, but only for a bit.
“Can you just listen to me?” he said, catching up to her.
“I’ve listened enough.”
“No, you haven’t.”
She turned slightly, shaking her head.
“I have.”
“Then listen one more time.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Just one more–”
She stopped walking and Rowan almost ran into her.
He maneuvered his body awkwardly to avoid hitting her.
Before he could say anything else, she looked ahead and her body went rigid.
Rowan followed her gaze.
A tall figure stood directly in front of her, blocking her path…
It was Theon Aldrith.
Okay!
I went a little overboard here with the word count, but i was feeling it and couldn’t stop.
Drama to come!
Baby girl, listen to Ro!
Stay tuned and Vote, Lovelies!