Chapter 22

A Q U I L A

Aquila sat down at his desk and tapped his pen on the pad in front of him. He could not contain his excitement welling up in his chest. He was supposed to meet Atiya tonight. It had been almost a week since they last spoke. He didn't hear from her after serving her own food. For some reason, April was the only person he could get on the phone at the store. She told him that Atiya was so busy that she had a dance rehearsal the next day. She told him Atiya would meet at the store at six. I hope Raquel leaves him alone today. Ever since he returned, she had arranged meetings for business dinners every night. Sometimes he and she were the only ones looking at each other across the table. She claimed she must have had an urgent call from her corporate investor, but after her third party stopped her, he wondered what she was doing. He said he was skeptical. But tonight it won't bother him. He told her that she had to look at other people because she was busy. He smiled as he tapped his finger and pen on the desk. Nothing prevents him from seeing Atiya tonight. He had already told Debbie to refrain from all phone calls. Tonight was all about holding Atiya in his arms. And perhaps he convinced her that he could trust him. There was a knock on the door, and as Aquila looked up Lemuel walked in. "Hi," said Lemuel , slumped in front of him. He pulled his ankle over his other knee. "Are you okay Dallas?"

Aquila nodded as he placed the cap on the pen next to the paper. "Yes. We closed a deal. They were a little apprehensive about expanding so quickly. I had to go down and move them off the ledge. "

Lemuel moved. "You cast Scott 's spell, right?"

"yes."

"What are your plans for tonight?" Lemuel unbuttoned his suit and pulled out his cell phone. "yes."

Lemuel 's eyes shifted to Aquila . "ah. Hot date? "

Aquila had Atiya 's red hair and freckles come to mind. Hot, sweet and incredibly interesting. All of the above. But he wasn't ready to share it with his business partners, so he just nodded. "Very similar."

Lemuel leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees. "Yes, that worries me."

Aquila threw himself off his desk and went to the window and looked out. "It's not like that. I'm just helping you."

"yes."

Aquila clenched his hands into fists. He couldn't lie to himself, and apparently his best friend couldn't lie either. There was something about Atiya Bailey that appealed to him. She was the exact opposite of everything he thought he wanted in life without realizing he needed it. "So what is this mysterious girl's name?"

Aquila turned around. "Atiya "

"And will the day come when I can meet Atiya ?"

Aquila grabbed the suit coat hanging in the closet and put it on. "no."

Lemuel gave her hurt look. "ah. Why not? "

Aquila raised an eyebrow. "TRUE?"

Lemuel just laughed. "Okay, okay. So, if you're ready, I'd love to meet this girl who seems to be screwing up her former stoic friend."

Aquila buttoned up his coat, leaned over and pressed the intercom. "Debbie, can you come in here?"

Lemuel stood there still laughing. "I'll guard the fort while you're gone," he said, nodding to Debbie as he entered the room. He waved at Aquila one last time and slid down the hallway. "Did you want me?" she asked as she approached her desk. Aquila nodded, his skin warm. He wanted to do something for Atiya . He wanted to be as kind to her as she was to him. "I need to send something to the bakery I was looking for a few weeks ago."

"To the Sweet Room Bakery?" she asked as she pulled out her phone and began tapping on her screen. "that's it."

"Okay. What should I send?"

Aquila swallowed. He didn't understand. But Debbie was a woman. He trusted her. "Whatever a woman wants. Maybe you have something in your kitchen? Mixing bowl? She looks at him through the reader and raises an eyebrow, "A spatula? Is that for Atiya ?" Aquila nods. "Yeah. She was the girl who dropped the donut."

Debbie nodded. "I remember. What was she trying to say? I don't know if Hera said it right."

Aquila shrugged. Opinion? Should he issue a statement? "No, no, just make it beautiful and practical. She said we were just friends. "

She clicked her tongue. "I have an idea."

It felt like a weight had been lifted from her chest. He couldn't come up with anything, so at least she had a good idea. A baker, she was already surrounded by delicious food every day. And the flowers didn't seem very pretty. Jewelry might make her hate. So he stayed. Her clueless "I'm here for you," she said as she walked from his office to her own desk. Aquila sighed in relief and leaned back at his desk. Now I only need to distract myself for 5 hours, after which I can see Atiya again. From his pounding heart and racing mind, he wasn't going to get much done.

It felt like an eternity, but at 6:30 that night, Georgia finally pulled up In front of her suite. Aquila spent more time choosing his clothes than he admits. After trying on six suits, he settled on a blue button-down shirt and dark jeans. He felt silly when he got out of the limousine. He wanted to go to dance practice. He should have worn something more comfortable. But it was too late for him to go home and change his clothes. "Can I wait, Boss?" Georgia asked, closing the door behind him. He glanced at the bakery, which seemed a little too quiet. Perhaps for philanthropic reasons, Page decided against the ballroom dance itself and quit. He raised his hand. "Let me make sure she's here before she goes."

Georgia nodded. "Okay, I'll wait for you first." She waved to her driver's seat, and Aquila nodded as he walked across the sidewalk to the store door. A few tugs revealed it was locked. He made his way to the door leading to the apartment. It was also locked. April said Atiya was coming here. Where was she He stopped in front of the shop window and peered inside. I could see the lights behind me. He reached out his hand and knocked on the window. After waiting a few seconds, he did it again. A movement caught his attention. He narrowed his eyes to see Atiya walk past the open back door. A wave of anxiety ran through his chest as she watched him. He raised her hand and waved her hand. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Her hair was in a messy bun. She wiped her cheek as she walked to the door. He studied her. Did she cry? The key clicked and she opened the door. He walked towards the opening. "Are you okay?" he asked, as the streetlight illuminated her puffy eyes and pink cheeks. She nodded, keeping her eyes on her floor. "Yes. I just had a rough night."

Aquila instinctively reached out and touched her shoulder. "what is wrong?"