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IMPORTANT. PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING!

***Note: any names of places mentioned in this chapter are not relatable to any names in real life. I just made up everything on my own to satisfy my desires. (i.e. I was too lazy to do research. :D)

Also, thank you Bleu_rein for helping me come up with the name of the restaurant.

Now that that's out of the way, please go ahead and enjoy the chapter! :)

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Aiden's P. O. V.

"So, where are we headed?" Nathan asked, eyes full of anticipation and curiosity as the car came to a stop at a red light and he scanned the streets outside the car window, for possibly some indication of where we were going.

Most likely he was going to use the surrounding structures to form a map in his mind of how he remembered the place to try and figure out where I might take him, but I only wished him good luck on such a pointless attempt, as he will never guess the right answer. There was no possible way he could even come to the conclusion of where I was taking him. Reason being, because he had been away at the time of the places construction.

I glanced over at him for a second, before facing the road again, a secretive smile spreading along my face. "You'll see when we get there," I replied mysteriously, finding amusement in the suspense I was keeping Nathan in.

Nathan scowled my way, not liking my answer, but didn't ask again, seeming to get the hint that no matter what, my mouth was sealed. Noticing his sulking appearance, a chuckle escaped me, and Nathan shot me an annoyed look, to which I raised my hands up in surrender to.

The light then turned green, interrupting our fun, and I resumed the drive to the restaurant we were headed to, soon arriving to it within a half an hour.

I drove into the restaurants parking lot and parked as close as possible to it, the parking lot being somewhat packed with cars already. It seemed like the place was more busy than usual, despite it not being the weekend, and instead just a Tuesday night.

Turning off the cars engine, I glanced over to Nathan. "We're here," I said before climbing out of the car and quickly walking over to the passenger side to open the car door for Nathan like the gentle man I was.

"How classy," Nathan commented with a smirk as he slide out and walked a bit away from me, his eyes turning to asses the restaurant, seeming eager to give it his words of criticism.

"Only for you," I replied lightly, low enough for him to not hear, and went to join him.

The relatively large restaurant was made up entirely of brick with a wooden patio that was as wide as the building itself. There was tables and chairs set up on the wooden patio area for guest that desired to dine outside. Low lighting lit the area, creating a romantic atmosphere that was amplified by the low music drifting out of the restaurant.

Simply Symphony was the name italicized above the entrance to the restaurant; it shined brightly with a yellow glow.

"Simply Symphony? Never heard of it," Nathan commented with speculation, his eyes seeming to hold judgment as he gazed at the restaurant and my mouth quirked upwards at the corners and a small smile formed, one that was filled with some hilarity caused by his caution.

"That's because this place wasn't built until last year, and its still not well known, but I can assure you that the food and service is, at its best, considered four stared," I said with confidence and in a boasting manner.

Nathan raised his brow in my direction, looking as if he didn't believe me so much, but then shrugged his shoulders in an uncaring manner. "Well, I was expecting more for our date, as you were so adamant about proving to me your love, but this might be unexpectedly interesting too," Nathan admitted.

"Awe, come now, don't be like that, this is just the start, there is more to come if you continue to stick around and appreciate my love," I said teasingly, a wide smile spreading along my face.

Nathan chuckled and shook his head at me disbelievingly. "So this was your motive all along, I see," Nathan replied with, though it seemed as if he had enjoyed hearing those words more than he let on, and my eyes sparkled with hope, knowing that I was slowly but surly winning him over.

Soon... soon you will come to realize my feelings, and in turn, come to love me just as much as I love you, I thought with patience.

However long it took to win him over, I would endure it all until the bitter end. I would not give up, no matter what, until I have successfully won him over completely.

"Of course," I replied with a grin filled with elation. "Alight, lets head in, before they give our reservations to someone else because they think we won't show!"

"Humph, they better not, you've taken me all the way here already, I'd be a waste if they did such a thing," Nathan said. "Plus, if that happens, then how would you be able to prove your love to me?" Nathan added with a cold huff of his breath.

I blinked at him, shocked speechless by his words, before bursting out with laughter. "No doubt it would be," I agreed, still chuckling, finding enjoyment in this sudden playful side of Nathan.

This new discovery was indeed a surprise, but I very much liked it and couldn't wait to reveal more sides to Nathan that were still unknown to me. And I could only think that since he was showing me such behaviors, that he was definitely starting to become more open and relaxed around me. This was a definite benefit for me, as it just meant that I was only that much closer to reaching my goal.

Grabbing Nathan's hand, and secretly being joyful when he did not shake my touch off, I guided him to the restaurants front door. I then opened up the door and walked in, bring Nathan with me. As soon as I stepped inside the music, which had sounded low from outside, grew loud, and laughter and chatter could be heard from all around.

Vibes of happiness and peacefulness seemed to swirl about, brining my mood up a notch, and I peeked over to Nathan to find him with look of slight surprise on his face. It would appear, the atmosphere was affecting him to in a positive way, and soon his eyes began to glow, and I couldn't help but marvel at how handsome it made him out to be, more so than before.

I quickly looked away before he discovered my unrestrained look. My gaze then trailed over to an unexpected familiar person who was standing behind a large desk, waiting to greet any new arrivals.

"Hey Elizabeth, its been a while," I laughed when I saw her and strolled over to where she stood. However, secretly, I had been hoping to not see her. It seems like my wish was not granted.

The moment her eyes landed on me, they lit up with delight. "Aiden, its good to see you. Indeed its been a while, you haven't stopped by for a couple months now," she said, seeming disappointed by this. Her eyes flickered over my attire, lingering on my face slightly longer than necessary, a complicated look in her eyes, before it disappeared and was replaced by joy.

"Yeah, sorry about that," I said a bit sheepishly, and scratched the back of my neck, suddenly feeling awkward, mostly due to the look she had given me, and also because I had actually been avoided this place purposefully. I began to feel heavy hearted, but quickly shook the feeling off, not wanting such emotions to show on my face.

"No worries, I'm sure you've been busy," she replied with an indifferent wave of her hand, though I could tell she was actually saddened by this; however, she hid the emotion well.

I let out a sigh, glad she had left it at that, and changed the subject. "Anyways, it seems that while I was away, this place got even more popular. Its pretty busy from what I see," I commented, glancing around at the couples and families that occupied the restaurant.

"Yeah, its great and all, but that just means more work for me," Elizabeth complained, a flash of annoyance going through her eyes.

"Lazy ass," I replied with a roll of my eyes.

Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders uncaringly in a way that seemed to agree with my words, which was entirely like her, before seeming to take notice of Nathan, who was standing silently behind me, a dark scowl on his face.

"Oh, who's this?" Elizabeth asked, her eyes filled with curiosity, as well as some suspicion when she saw how close we seemed to be, and the way I unconsciously stepped in front of Nathan, as if to block him from her view.

I had not done that because I was worried she would find interest in him and try to go after him, but because I feared she would uncover the truth of the matter and discover my feelings for Nathan, as she was a clever girl and I would not put it past her to be able to put two and two together. I also had no way of knowing how she would react to finding out such a secret, and could only cautiously stare at her while seemingly hiding such worries.

"Just a friend," I said hurriedly, causing Nathan's scowl to deepen, and I couldn't help but wonder if it was due to jealousy, but then mentally shook my head and dismissed the thought, even though I secretly hopped that was indeed the case. "Elizabeth meet Nathan, Nathan meet Elizabeth," I introduced the two, a bit nervously.

There was reason for my worry, one that was obvious by now, and I hopped it would not ruin any progress between Nathan and I.

See, a few months ago, before Nathan had reappeared in my life, I had actually had a 'thing' going on between Elizabeth and I. However, it never worked out, as I could not accept her feelings in the end, and I was afraid any lingering feelings could cause her to harbor any animosity towards Nathan due to my feeling for him, that is, if she ended up finding out about my feelings in the end.

"Nice to meet you," Elizabeth said brightly, a wide smile on her face, bring about a pleasant expression that brought out her beauty, and offered her hand to be shaken.

Nathan stared at her hand, but did shake it, only gave her a brief nod of his head in greeting before turning away. This action of his caused a small frown to form on my face, and I looked over to a stunned Elizabeth apologetically.

"Sorry about that, he's got a horrible personality," I said jokingly to lighten up the mood.

"Aiden!" Nathan protested with a huff, earning a delighted laugh from me as he glowered a me with a hint of anger in his eyes, as well as some hidden amusement that was not undetected by me.

Elizabeth chuckled at us, seeming to find the both of us entertaining, before growing serious. "Alright, enough with that, I'm sure you're both hungry, so, are you here to meet up with family or friends, because I can escort you to them if you want?" She questioned, her hand posed up top the small sign in book that rested on the desk and looked to have a large list of names, no doubt they were the names of those families that either currently occupied the restaurant, or had already left. Another list was written on the side, some names crossed off, and the words "reservations" was written above the writing.

"No, I have a reservation for two already set up under my name," I informed her.

Elizabeth raised her brows when she heard this, and her eyes flicked between the two of us, shadowed with suspicion, and if she had not guessed by now that we were on a date, then it would not be long before she did.

"Oh, well then...," she trailed off and glanced down at the reservation list, as if to confirm my words, before crossing out my name and gathering two menus in her hand. "Follow me, I'll take you to your table."

With that being said, she then turned on her heels and made her way to our table, Nathan and I trailing after her. As we followed, the restaurant opened up for our eyes to explore, and immediately my eyes were drawn to the center of the restaurant, where a relatively large dance floor resided, several people already busting their groove and having a fun time dancing to the music that played.

Being used to the scene already from the countless times I had come before, my eyes only casually swept over the dace floor and around the restaurant. I looked over to the small bar that was packed full and tables that were nearly all occupied and sighed.

It really is more busy than what I remember, I thought briefly before glancing over at Nathan to see how he was taking all this, and a smile couldn't help but spread along my face when I saw his stunned expression, a bit of awe mixed in.

"What do you think of this place so far?" I questioned with a raised brow, eagerly awaiting for Nathan to admit that my choice place for a date was not going to be as boring as he had originally thought.

"Unique indeed," Nathan agreed. "How'd you even find a place like this?"

"Actually, I found this place by accident, and since then, I've come here quite often," I laughed, glad to see that he liked the place, for now at least. I still had to wow him with the kind of amazing food they served here.

"Hmm, still, from outside, I had expected this place to be more romantic," Nathan said, his gaze wandering around. "It actually gives off a feeling as if I'm attending some sort of club."

It was obvious as to what he was referring to. Given the open bar and somewhat loud, upbeat music being played, it did indeed seem that way, but it was really just a place where friends and families came to have a good time, not your regular restaurant that had low lighting and slower, more soothing kind of songs being played. This place really was one of a kind, in my opinion.

"Oh, well, what's the fun in that? Such overused settings just don't fit my style, don't you agree? So instead, I thought I'd try something different for a change, spice things up a bit from how one would view a normal date," I said, seeming quite proud of thinking such thoughts.

Nathan blinked at me, seeming at a loss for what to say, before finally muttering out with a chuckle, "You're such a weirdo."

I couldn't even deny those words.

We arrived to our table then and took our seats after Elizabeth placed our menus on the table. She then turned to fully face the two of us.

"Your server will be right with you in a minute, enjoy your dinner," she said with a bright smile, though eyes flickered with an unknown emotion as she gazed at the two of us for a moment longer, before spinning on her heels and briskly walking away.

I winced as I watched her depart, knowing she had finally figured everything out, but not really caring all that much about it, as I don't see myself even needing to explain myself to her, let alone try to make up with her. Nathan was more important to me right that moment after all, how could someone who I have not known for that long, and don't have such attachment to, take precedence over Nathan?

So, I discarded such insignificant worries for now and instead focused on Nathan, who was still deeply engrossed with his surroundings. It wasn't until our server arrived at the foot of our table did he snap out of his wonderment. We then ordered our food, and when the man left, Nathan give his full attention to me.

"So, Elizabeth, huh, you guys seemed quite close?" Nathan commented offhandedly all of the sudden, startling me, and I shot him a hesitant look, but then let out a resigned sigh and told the truth, seeing no point in lying to Nathan.

"Yes, I used to be in a relationship with Elizabeth, but it ended a while ago, there's nothing between us anymore, were just normal friends now," I admitted, making sure to emphasize my words.

"Hmm," was all Nathan responded with, a slight frown on his face.

I blinked at Nathan in surprise, laughter soon after sparkling in my eyes as I came to realize something. "Could it be... perhaps your jealous?" I questioned.

Nathan's eyes widened a fraction, before narrowing as he looked away, his expression carefully blank. "In your dreams," he retorted, and I laughed loudly from his obvious denial, my expression one of delight.

Feeling in high spirits, I stood up and walked over to Nathan's side, causing him to give me a curious look. "While we wait for our food, would you care for a dance?" I asked like the gentlemen I was, and offered him my hand.

"Why not?" He replied after a moment of quiet debate, seeming to grow excited as he grasped onto my hand and followed close behind me as I guided him to the dance floor.

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This is all for now, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and will be patient for the next one.

Thank you for reading! :)

V/C/F

Until next time, peace out!

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