Chapter 664 - Dinner at the rooftop terrace

Sarah was pleasantly surprised to see that at the rooftop terrace, there was a table elegantly setup for two, and freshly made dinner was served.

"When did you manage to train the staff?" Sarah asked as she sat in the chair which Aiden pulled for her. All this, perfectly arranged with amazing timing without noticing a living person, made Sarah remember her experience on the island with staff which Aiden trained.

Aiden smiled at the thought that she observed this as 'his touch' and explained: "I didn't, yet. I swapped staff which we hired for the one on the island. New staff is being trained there by people who already know how things work. They should be back in a week, and then I will polish them up."

Sarah's eyes lit up at the thought that staff from the island is available here. "Does that mean that I can get True Love?"

Aiden smiled seeing her excitement. Every time her eyes lit up like that, his heart skips a beat and he finds it impossible to say no to her. "Yes, if that is what you wish. But I prepared something else because I remember your enthusiasm to try beverages I used to drink."

Sarah loves this idea! And she loves even more that he is offering one of his favorite beverages without her asking for it. But then she remembered that (except for the beer) all drinks he offered so far were very bitter.

"Can we have True Love as a backup?", she asked in a quiet voice.

"Sure." Aiden didn't object or ask for clarifications. He knows that she found previous few beverages bitter, and even if that is not the case, he has no objections to give her whatever she wants.

Sarah guessed that he knows why she is looking for a backup beverage.

Dinner was perfect. Food was delicious, sunset was breathtaking, company was divine. Even the drink was not bad, so they didn't resort to having the True Love cocktail.

Sarah was enjoying this heavenly experience with her Greek God, lost in the depth of his dark eyes.

She became aware of the soft music only when Aiden invited her for a dance.

They danced on the rooftop terrace of their Cliffside home.

Aiden held her tightly and thought how Sarah is the strongest and at the same time the most delicate girl he ever met. He is glad that she likes the landscape and the dinner… and he was pleasantly surprised that she didn't ask about different furniture in the living room. Again, Sarah showed that she trusts him.

Aiden looked at her face for a second, before their eyes locked on each other. He reached out and pushed lock of her hair behind her ear and instead of retracting his hand, he cupped her cheek, leaned in and planted a kiss on her lips.

Sarah and Aiden moved slowly following the soft music, their two bodies pressing on each other while they exchanged light kisses.

Sarah's heart was pounding in her chest, and she was telling herself not to get carried away. Last few weeks Aiden rejected intimacy so many times, and she doesn't want to hear one more 'not now' .

Sarah repeated in her mind to enjoy what is happening, and not to have any expectations… but it is hard not to get carried away. She can feel the warmth of his chest against hers, and firmness of his back muscles over his t-shirt under her palm, and his bewitching smile, and intense gaze… and sweetness of his kiss and how he gently sucks her lower lip occasionally… and that woody-flowery scent… it's impossible not to get carried away.

Sarah realized that she can't proceed like this anymore if she wants to keep her sanity. His proximity is too stimulating, and based on last few weeks, his rejection of anything beyond kissing is inevitable. She has two options… one is to try going further and risk another 'not now' outcome, and other option is to step away from him, to stop descending further into madness and to calm herself. 'Maybe with a shower…' Yes, shower usually works, at least a little bit.

She reluctantly inched away, breaking the kiss.

Sarah took a deep breath and decided not to run away, not immediately. She will give him ten seconds. Yes, that will suffice. If he wants to go beyond kisses, he has ten seconds.

She started a countdown in her mind. '10… 9…' Sarah looked Aiden in the eyes and tried to see what is on his mind. '7… 6…' If he wants more, he will initiate it. Right? '5… 4…' She knows that he loves her, but is he finally willing to go all the way? He gave some hints on the day when she got her period in Fairfield, but it would not be the first time that he teased her. And her period is over, and he knows that… '2… 1… 0…'

She could not see anything beyond his gentle gaze. His hold on her didn't change, and neither did his expression.

Sarah closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She wiggled out of his embrace and spoke while avoiding his eyes and doing her best to keep her voice steady: "Dinner is over. Thank you, it was lovely… I'm going to shower."

She walked away without looking back. This time Aiden didn't reject her, at least not with words… probably because she didn't give him a chance to do so. But she still felt heaviness in her chest which made it difficult to breathe. For who knows how many times in last few weeks she asked herself, what is she lacking? Is she really not good enough? What changed? Sarah does not want to show him that she is hurt, because he probably has his reasons and he will tell her that she is overreacting.

Aiden looked after Sarah and shook his head helplessly. He turned toward his landscaping-handiwork and saw that just at that moment photo-sensitive lights went on because sun dipped below the horizon fully. Delicate lights speckled the area following paths and trails, creating various shapes. Few stronger lights are pointing at the fountain, gazebo and a small waterfall that cascades into the pond with koi fish, marking them as centerpieces.

He wanted Sarah to see this. She would appreciate the symmetry and maybe she recognizes that patterns made out of lights are from doodles she did while sitting next to him in the classroom. The whole landscape is made to follow those patterns, but it's not obvious unless lights are on, and unless one knows what to look for. But he believes that Sarah will be able to recognize it as something that came out of her notebook.

"Maybe tomorrow…", Aiden murmured and walked after her.