“How do you know my sister, if you don’t mind me asking? She didn’t want to tell me anything without your consent when I asked her about it. I couldn’t help but notice that the depth of your relationship goes beyond the boss-worker one.” he said and could see Aria immediately tense up, so he put a hand over her smaller one and started rubbing a thumb over her wrist in slow circles. The motion managed to calm her down and she whispered,
“I met Meg a little over a year ago. I was… um... I was homeless at the time and she took me off the streets, gave me a job and a place to stay until I was able to afford my own. I owe everything to her.”
“You were homeless? For how long?” Will asked, feeling shocked at her abrupt confession. He had suspected that Aria has had a hard life, but the fact that she had been homeless before meeting his sister had caught him completely off guard.
Aria was such a cute and sweet person that he could not picture her out in the streets completely alone and just the thought of it made him want to hug the girl and protect her.
“Yes, for a little while, six months maybe but I am not sure. That time of my life is in a bit of a haze, even for me.” she said quietly while avoiding eye contact, clearly feeling uncomfortable with the topic of their conversation.
Will felt even more curious after that and he wanted to know more, but he knew that he shouldn’t push her. After all, they have just met so he had to give Aria some time to get to know him and to start trusting him enough to tell him her story.
He touched her cheek, for just a second, which made her finally look up.
“We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. Just know that I will be there to listen, when or if you are ready to share your story. I would never pressure you to say or do something you do not want to do. And I apologize if my questions made you feel uncomfortable, that was never my intention.” he said.
Aria’s big, blue eyes crinkled at the corners as a small, barely-there smile spread across her pretty face. “Thank you.” she whispered, and touched William’s hand, before quickly pulling it away.
As he stared at the little piece of skin that was until a moment ago covered with Aria’s Will came to a sudden realization that his heart was in a serious danger because the petite girl had managed in a handful of days, what no one had in years; she made him feel something other than apathy. What, not even he was sure yet, but something none the less.
William has been in love only once in his life, and it had made him feel invincible. He had loved and cherished that person and done everything in his power to make them happy. But certain things happened and all their plans for the future along with all of Will’s hopes and dreams were crushed with a snap of a finger.
Afterward, the disappointment and hurt made him grow colder by each passing day and he had sworn to himself never to fall in love again. But just like years ago with his ex, life had other plans for him.
Now, as he looked at Aria, Will realized that he had been wrong and that he could fall again and the thought made his stomach flip in dread.
~
They stayed at the restaurant for a long time, talking and laughing, as neither wanted the night to end. Aria told him funny stories about her best friend Nura, the brunette from the previous day, and Will could see that she loved her very much by the way her eyes sparkled and her smile grew wider whenever she talked about her.
She also spoke about school, her job and her dreams of traveling the world, visiting exotic countries and learning their customs which made Will almost wish to experience it with her.
He, in return, told Aria about his company, and about being adopted at the age of six and he could tell that she didn’t know that by the look of a shock on her face.
“So, you and Meg are not blood-related? She talks about your family all the time, but she’s never told me that both of you were adopted.”
“Meg doesn’t like to talk about that part of her life. She’s had a tough time while she was in foster care, until she was adopted but not even I know to what extent.”
Aria just nodded with a sad smile on her face and something told him that the girl now felt even more connected to his sister with this new revelation.
Once Will realized that they were the last ones in the restaurant, he quickly paid the bill, leaving a hefty tip, and then they left.
Once in the car on their way back to Aria’s apartment, they sat in comfortable silence. Aria was looking through the window with her head pressed against it and a relaxed smile on her face. Will kept glancing at her, Aria’s face pulling him in like a beacon that he barely managed to avoid crashing them a few times.
When they finally arrived, he stepped out of the car and quickly jogged to open the door and offer her his hand, prepared to be rejected due to her obvious wariness of being touched but she surprisingly took it without a second thought.
“Thank you for letting me take you out tonight. I had a wonderful time, and
