Just because of the stealthy people of the media, I had to cover myself up in order not to be caught in their lenses again. Sometimes I hate my job as there is no personal space of my own. My every move, every action, and every single word that leaves my mouth are recorded.

But still, I had to take a chance to free myself from the guilt so, I was hiding behind the lamppost, outside the XDS building, waiting for Daniel to come out. No matter what, I was going to talk to him tonight. He had been avoiding me for four days now and my patience was wearing off.

Evan didn't like the idea of me being captured in the camera at the same spot that too every day so he was insisting me not to come here anymore but I forced him to stay back home and I came here alone in a taxi.

I was cautiously looking around when suddenly a car came to halt in front of me with a loud screeching sound. Due to the sudden event, my legs involuntarily pulled me back preventing me from any mishap. For a few seconds, my body went into a state of shock. When I recovered from the shock then only I saw the face of the person who dared to stop the car close to me nearly giving me a heart attack.

"Up for food?" Daniel asked with a smirk.

"You almost killed me!" I looked at him with wide eyes.

"Almost." He flashed a toothy smile. "Now, if you want to talk then get in."

He himself asked to have a conversation so without thinking twice I sat in the car beside him.

"Umm... Where are we going?" I inquired as he pulled the car into the street.

"Restaurant to dine and to talk." He replied looking straight at the road.

"I'm underdressed to go to any restaurant. Why don't we talk here, in the car?" I suggested.

He glanced at me and again flashed his dazzling smile. "According to me, to eat...clothes don't matter, the only thing matters is... the voice of your stomach which growls due to hunger."

"But you're wearing a suit." I frowned.

He looked at me with raised eyebrows; his eyes glistening with mischievousness. "Are you implying that I should remove my suit? Well, I won't mind but I think that would gain extra attention as no one must have seen a man entering a restaurant almost naked and you? Will you be able to concentrate on eating when a handsome man is sitting almost naked in front of you?"

I blushed profusely at his remark. "I didn't mean that." I looked away and shut my eyes tightly when I heard his throaty laughter.

I was satisfied that he was back to his normal self which would make apologizing a little easy for me.

He stopped the car in front of a small one-story diner which was located in a deserted area as there were not many shops or any building near it.

"Make sure to hide your face. We don't want unwanted attention. Right?" He said looking at me. "And don't worry about the clothes." He assured me. I nodded my head in affirmation.

We both stepped out of the car and I lowered my head a little so that no one could recognize me. Instead of taking the entrance, Daniel started stepping behind the diner.

"Wait! Entrance is this side." I pointed at the front door.

"We'll enter from the back door." He stated and I frowned in confusion. "I know the owner as I come here frequently. It helps to avoid attention." He explained.

He knocked on the back door and we were greeted by a man who seemed to be in his late 20's.

"Daniel, man... welcome back!" He hugged Daniel in a friendly manner.

"Hey, Asher."

"Who is this lady here?" Asher looked at me. "Oh my, Eloise Nicole?" He asked. I removed my glasses and smiled at him.

"Hey." I waved my hand in hesitation. He glanced at Daniel and raised an eyebrow at him.

"We're here to eat and umm... to discuss...work," Daniel explained.

"Work? That's... Great." Asher smirked at him and then again looked at me.

"Well, It's a pleasure to have you in my diner." He gestured for us to come inside.

"Daniel, your regular spot is waiting for you. And as we have a special guest here; I'll be at your service tonight." He bowed in front of us.

"Don't be dramatic, Asher." Daniel hit him on his shoulder. "Come with me." Daniel led me upstairs.

I was first confused as to why he was taking me upstairs but as soon as I stepped there I was surprised to see a rooftop garden with a cozy sitting area lit up with less vibrant lights. And the most extraordinary thing about this place was the dark sky where stars were twinkling and the moon which was giving natural light to the rooftop making it a very peaceful place.

"This is Asher's personal resting area. He makes it vacant for me whenever I dine here. You like it?" Daniel asked.

"It's beautiful and there is no disturbance," I replied.

"That's why we're here. Come, sit." Daniel pulled a chair for me.

"Thank you," I said as I sat on the chair.

"Let's decide what we gonna eat," Daniel mumbled.

I scanned the menu card and decided to go for a Greek salad.

"Have you decided?" Daniel asked me.

"Yes, I'll go for a Greek salad," I replied placing the menu card back on the table.

"Greek salad? Are you deciding to starve yourself?" He frowned.

"Starve? Do I look like that I starve myself?" I frowned. "I have a strict diet plan to follow to maintain my figure and that doesn't mean that I starve myself."

"I get it!" He raised his hands in surrender. "But what kind of life do you live by eating just salad? Don't you feel like eating something cheesy and deep-fried heaven?" He asked in disbelief.

"I do but I have to restrain myself." I shrugged.

"But it's not gonna happen tonight! When you're with me there is no rule for eating. Especially no holding back and besides you can always exercise." He announced.

"Mr. Adams, I can't..."

"Then we can't talk!" He exclaimed.

I sighed. "Guess, I would be doing the extra workout. Okay, fine." I agreed with him just to make sure he doesn't get back into his serious self.

"That's the spirit!" He flashed his dazzling smile again and I couldn't help but swoon over it.

My eyes went wide when I realized what thought crossed my mind. Swoon over his smile? Where did that come from?

"Hey, Is anything wrong?" He asked.

"Uh... No! Everything is fine." I hastily replied. He nodded his head and called Asher to order the food.

"One portion of butter roasted salmon with roasted veggies and a cheeseburger." Daniel placed his order.

"And you Miss Nicole?" Asher asked me.

"Same for me too." I had no idea what to order so I decided to order the same as Daniel. Asher went away leaving the two of us alone.

"So, Miss Nicole, what you wanted to talk about?"

Miss Nicole again? I don't know why but it was bothering me.

"Umm... Well..." I cleared my throat and blew a breath. "Mr. Adams, I wanted to apologize for my behavior of that morning. I'm extremely sorry for what I said. I was not in the right mind at that moment and blabbered whatever came on my tongue. I didn't think twice before speaking. At that time I didn't know that your family..." I paused and looked at him and found him staring at me with unreadable emotions.

"I'm sorry. I...I surfed the internet." I lowered my eyes.

"Weren't you too curious to know about me?" He asked. I heard the seriousness in his voice.

"I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have pried in your personal life but..."

"You're forgiven!"

My head shot up and I looked at him in bewilderment. "What?" Did I hear him right?

"I said you're forgiven!" He said solemnly.

"Just like that?" I was surprised.

"You want me to take longer to forgive you?" He raised his eyebrows at me.

"No. That's not what I mean."

He chuckled and leaned over the table by placing his forearms on the table.

"You earned the apology. The fact that you regret what you said is enough reason to forgive you." He said looking straight into my eyes.

"And besides, you agreed to eat greasy food despite being on a strict diet just to earn the apology so I don't see any reason not to forgive you." Here, he was back with his playful remark.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Adams. You don't know how much it was weighing me down." I gave a satisfying smile.

I never thought that he would forgive me so easily. I thought he will show some arrogance and will make sarcastic comments but no, he simply let go of all the things.

"You should smile more often, it looks good on you. It makes you even more beautiful than you already are." He spoke out of nowhere which made my heart skip a beat. I was stunned.

I gazed at him intently to see any kind of mischievousness on his face but there was nothing. Did he really mean that? No, he did not, he said I look crabby.

"But you said I look crabby and grumpy," I mumbled.

Suddenly the area got filled with his laughter which confused me as to what made him laugh so loud.

"You believed that? Don't you trust yourself?" He laughed even more. "I said that so that you could make an effort to smile without any reason."

"So tell me did you try to smile for no reason?" He asked, his eyes gleaming with mirth.

I felt the heat crawling up my face because I did try to smile for no reason. I tried it in front of the mirror when no one was watching me.

Asher chose the moment to arrive with food. He placed the food on the table and went away. Daniel, in a moment, picked up the burger and took a big bite of it. My mouth watered while looking at him.

"What are you waiting for? Dig in." He mumbled.

I picked up the burger and took a bite out of it and when the sauces and the cheese hit my taste bud I couldn't help but moan.

"This is so delicious." I took another bite and didn't care about the mess I was making. It's been so long since I had this kind of food.

"I know, it's the best. You know when you're upset or feeling angry, just eat without caring about the content of the food. It helps brighten up your mood. I'm not saying you always eat fatty food but sometimes you should." He said as he took another big bite.

He was right, the mouthwatering cheesy heaven did lit up my mood instantly. I never knew that just a burger would help me see things differently.

At that moment I was just thinking about the person sitting in front of me who was munching on his food like there's no tomorrow. His carefree approach made me think about my lifestyle. Where I ponder on what will people think about me and Daniel never pays heed to any of them. He makes his life joyous and makes others happy too.

"You want anything else, Miss Nicole?" He asked when we were done with our food.

Miss Nicole again! For the first time in my life, I was getting irritated with my name.

"Mr. Adams, can we be friends?"

Damn! What did I just say? Goodness, think before you speak Eloise.

"I mean..."

"Do you think I'm at the age of making friends?" He asked. I didn't miss the teasing in his tone.

"I mean... Can we cut the formalities?" I was a heap of embarrassment at the moment. I didn't know what was slipping off my tongue.

"I was never formal." He said in a heartbeat.

Yeah, he was not. I forced him to be so and I was regretting it.

"I'm sorry. Can we start over?" I mumbled lowly.

"Well, that's the offer I can't refuse. So, let's become friends, Eloi." He grinned and extended his hand for a handshake. I shook his hand enthusiastically. I was never this happy before.

"Friends, Mr. Adams."

"Now you're being formal." He frowned.

"My mistake. Daniel." I smiled ear to ear.

"That's more like it." He let go of my hand. And for the first time, I felt disappointed while letting go of his hand.

Asher came back to take the bill. Daniel and I put the credit card on the table together.

"Keep it back. I'm paying." Daniel said giving back my card to me.

"Why would you? I was the one who asked you to have a talk then I must pay." I coaxed.

"But I bring you here, so I'm paying." He said in finality.

"Then let's share the bill," I suggested.

"No."

"Why? We're friends right and friends do chip in! And If you think I'll let you pay then you're mistaken." I crossed my arms across my chest.

"Okay fine. You win. Let's share the bill." He finally gave up.

"Final decision?" Asher laughed. I literally forgot that Asher was standing there, listening to us.

"Yes, final," I said. "And Asher, the food was really delicious. I would definitely come back here." I smiled at him.

"Well, thank you. And you're most welcome anytime." He bowed down dramatically.

Daniel And I shared the bill and then left the diner. Daniel drove me to where I live.

"Thank you again for forgiving me," I said as he stopped the car in front of my apartment building.

"Don't mention it." He smiled.

"Umm... So, good night."

"Good night." He said.

We both got out of the car and I walked towards the entrance of the building when I heard him call me again.

"Eloi."

I turned around and sauntered towards him.

"Yes, Daniel?" I asked.

"Next time, instead of a flower bouquet send me a food parcel. That will make me happier. And I'll not make you wait for long as I did this time." He said rubbing the back of his head.

"I'll keep that in mind." I laughed.

"And keep smiling." He added.

"I will."

With that, I walked inside the building feeling contended and was smiling like a fool. I felt like my old self who used to laugh and smile more often.

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