XVI ‖ night out

LONDON
January
Location: Bar, Aqua Nueva

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I arrived at the location which I received from Isaiah a few moments ago. Walking towards the bar, the host greeted me politely, "Good evening Miss, how do you do?"

"How do you do?" I smiled.

"May I ask if you have a reservation?" the host returned the smile and enquired in a jovial manner.

"I'm—"

"Reservation for two under the name Gaillard, thank you." From behind, I heard a familiar voice with a deep accent as he presented the reservation information.

The host took over the reservation and tapped onto the tablet in front of him a few times before gesturing towards us, "Please follow me this way, Mr. Gaillard and Ms. Laurent."

Isaiah turned towards me and gave me a small wink while I returned it with a wide smile across my face. Following the host, we were brought towards the seats at the bar. I slid the coat off my shoulder and placed it neatly on the backrest of the stool before settling myself in it. Isaiah also did the same and hopped into his seat. He asked, "Can I get you a drink?"

"GNT would do."

"A very classic drink," he laughed, waving his hand slightly towards the bartender and read out the order, "Gin and tonic for the lady and scotch on the rocks for myself, thank you."

"A very classic man yourself too," I commented.

"Prefer to have my drinks simple," he smiled.

"I doubt simple is the way to describe whisky." I raised a brow at him.

Our drinks were served in no time, placed upon a coaster on the reflective surface of cold, expensive marble. I lifted the glass towards him and our glasses clinked against each other before I took my first sip of the bubbly goodness.

"Iva, how have you been?" Isaiah asked, resting his arm on the countertop and leaning his head onto a closed hand.

"Fair enough," I chuckled a little. "What about you?"

"Overwhelmed by work," he complained, taking a sip of his drink. "Called you out tonight to take a breather."

"I hope I make a good drinking buddy then," I laughed.

"Oh, definitely." A smile pulled at his lips and he turned to look at me. "If you don't mind that I ask what do you do for a living?"

"My area of work is relatively sensitive, I'm sorry that I won't be able to tell you about it," I responded politely. "Though I wouldn't mind if you would like to tell me about you."

"Family business and it's anything but interesting." He shrugged his shoulders lightly. "I don't really talk to others about my work too. Don't get me wrong, it isn't that it's sensitive. It's just something that I hadn't sign up to do voluntarily."

"There's really not many people out there who get to do things they really want, isn't it?"

"You're right," he nodded. "Everyone is born to shoulder a certain amount of responsibility."

"Shake it off your shoulder for tonight, handsome," I smirked at him playfully, wanting him to let loose a little because the conversation definitely added some weight into the air between us.

"Aren't you a cheeky one too?" he laughed heartily, tilting his glass slightly as he lifted a brow towards me.

"Never said that I wasn't." I bit lightly on the rim of my glass and smiled against it.

◩

Just out for one drink or two was definitely a lie. The convivial atmosphere of the bar and the pleasantness of talking with a like-minded individual definitely equated to more drinks. Adding up to the list, I'm not exactly a person of alcohol and quite a lightweight.

"Hey Iva, I guess you should hold up a little for the night," Isaiah advised, seeing that I was hardly sober anymore.

"Really?" I laughed a little. "I'm feeling pretty okay."

"You can't be serious."

"Oh, I'm as serious as wanting to punch this asshat in my life—" I blurted out. "He's so annoying and confusing and he's infuriatingly handsome and I don't know, ugh, he's just annoying?"

"I'm not comprehending, are you in favour of him or not?" Isaiah laughed.

"I hate him," I scowled with a fit of initial anger when Jax's face flashed across my mind, but my voice quickly softened as I mewled, "But I don't at the same time."

"Then, you're definitely in favour of him," Isaiah grinned, with the cheekiest smile I had ever seen on his charming face.

"I guess I am. No, wait—" I frowned. "You're my friend, you should stand by me!"

"Yes, yes, beautiful." The smile only grew wider on his face. "But en oinōi alētheia."

"What did you say?" I dropped my head to the side as I continued to look at him with a frown on my face.

"Alcohol brings out the truth, milady."

I made a shape of a circle using my hands and giggled towards him, "Circle of trust or you'll be damned into the ninth circle of hell."

Isaiah asked, "What's in the ninth?"

"Suckers who betray friends." I huffed an angry exhale.

"You're unbelievable."

"Incredible, you mean," I tittered, swaying with the constant change of my mood. "I hadn't felt like this in a long while."

"I hope you're having a good time." His bubbly laugh reduced into a smile and I stared towards his handsome face, scowling. Gods above are fucking unfair.

"Stop smiling, the ladies at the other end of the bar nearly fell off their seats," I tutted.

He looked towards the two brunettes that had been staring at him for a while now and he nodded with a polite smile. My face pulled back into a frown when I heard them squealing despite being quite far away from us before I stared towards the man with impeccable manners. Upon my gaze, he only grinned wider at me.

"I think that you're about to fall of your own seat if I don't end the night here," he snickered and got down from his seat. His hand circled towards the small of my back. "It's late now, let me bring you home."

Pulling me off the barstool, he grabbed my coat and slid my hands through, carefully wearing it properly for me. His arm held me firmly by the waist and walked us out of the bar. My head was already spinning from all the alcohol and my entire body leaned against him for support.

"Holy crap, stupid Iva, you drank too much," I scolded myself, shaking my head to clear my sight but nothing worked.

"Haven't met someone drunk enough to still remember to reprimand themselves for having too much," Isaiah burst out a laugh beside me, still keeping his steady hold onto me.

In a moment, I was placed gently into the backseat of a car and Isaiah entered from the other door, sitting right beside me. He asked, "Iva, your address."

Clouded by all the haze in my head, I mumbled my apartment address and leaned back onto the headrest of the seat. My mind was empty with lost capacity to think but I trust Isaiah enough to be a gentleman and bring me back to my own abode. On the whole way home, I was eternally grateful that the driver was skilled enough to make this a smooth and comfortable ride.

Eventually, the car slowed to a stop. Isaiah pushed lightly on my shoulder as he called me, "Iva."

I was already half-asleep, and wishing that I could sleep in the car. When he called me, a frown pinched the skin between my brows and I shrugged his arm on me off. Turning my body, I faced away from him and continued to curl against the comfortable leather seat. I only heard a quiet chuckle before there were sounds of door opening and closing which I couldn't be bothered until I felt a rushed of cold air when he had opened the door from my side. I whined and complained incomprehensibly against the cold as he moved a hand across my back and pulled me up from the seat. Without strength, my whole body fell against his and I murmured, "Sorry."

"You don't have to apologise for that," he whispered a respond. "Come on, beautiful. Let's drop you home."

He walked me to the apartment lobby and I recognised the faint cedarwood scent from the reed diffuser placed on a small display surface beside the lift. Both of us went up together and he stopped in front of the door, laughing, "Are you sober enough to remember your passcode?"

"Finger," I slurred, trying my best to decide the location of the fingerprint sensor when right in front of my eyes were three visions of my apartment's door lock, complicating things further for me. And I swore Isaiah was having a good time watching me making a fool of myself from the way he chuckled beside me. Then, he held onto my hand and guided my finger towards the sensor before the door clicked open. He stood at the entryway and held me into his hold while removing the heavy coat off my shoulders. His foot was one step away from stepping into my apartment when I scowled, "Shoes!"

"Sorry?"

"No shoes in the house!" I shouted.

"Yes, yes, anything you say," he complied and removed his shoes before bringing me into the house.

Pulling the blankets aside, he placed me down into the soft sheets and covered me with my blanket. He gentled smoothed away strands of my hair away from my face and I was already almost asleep but I heard him saying, "I had fun, Iva. Let's hang out again next time."

I smiled towards him, making a soft sound from the back of my throat as I drifted off into deep sleep.

◩

isaiah: friend or foe?