Chapter 9

Aaron was right; the traffic was a lot lighter once it got to after nine. But it wasn't the lightest. After cruising over Brooklyn Bridge, he drove South, around to Battery Park, pointing out various points en route, cutting past the Bull statue on Wall Street to take Broadway North. It meant they bisected Manhattan of a fashion and with only small detours he could point out the new World Trade Centre, the Empire State Building, and then, against his better judgement, he did something he wasn't sure he'd done in the ten years that he'd lived in New York, he drove through Times Square, hell on earth ANY time of day.

Every time he glanced at her, she was staring out of the window of the car, eyes wide, mouth hanging open. But then this was an amazing city, and he sometimes became complacent to that, seeing it through a fresh pair of eyes was liberating. She asked him questions, constantly, about everything they saw; her enthusiasm was both contagious, and pleasurable. If there was ever a doubt that he'd done the wrong thin opening his house to her, then her reaction here thwarted that, she deserved to be here in the city, this was her.

"So you really haven't eaten?"

He glanced at her as he stopped at yet another red light, she nodded, "you said something about 'after dinner', and there was nothing in the house to cook...and I wasn't sure about times..."

Nodding, he cut through Columbus Circle and took the west side of the park, past the museum, laughing as she squealed in recognition, then cut across to a cross section deep in the Upper West Side, pulling his car to the kerb, he nodded across the street.

"That is the greatest restaurant in town...in my opinion anyway. Though it's more like a deli...you like pastrami? Chowder?"

She moaned, "I love everything!"

That was music to his ears. Getting out of the car, he led her across the intersection to the building, then ducked inside the door.

A small swarthy dark haired man looked up from the counter and smiled at them, "Ah, Mr Harding! Long time."

His accent was strong New York, and he fitted the interior perfectly, beside the small gingham covered tables, the walls covered in posters of yellow cabs and NY landmarks. Before they could make it to the centre of the room, he'd crossed to them, hand extended. "And this is...?"

Julia extended her hand as Aaron offered, "Hi Felix. This is a friend, from London. Julia Curtis, this is her first day in the city."

The older man grinned, "it is? That's amazing. How are you getting on?"

She grinned, "I love it!"

He nodded, "this is a place seeped in more history than a lot of this relatively young country...if you ever want to know more about this place, you come find me?"

When she nodded enthusiastically, Aaron leaned in and stage whispered, "She's here working in the Natural History Museum...she WILL take you up on that."

Felix widened his eyes, "maybe I need to come to you for some stories."

Julia smiled, "anytime."

"Take a seat; I'll grieve you a few minutes to choose?" He handed them both a menu when they sat, then asked, "drinks?"

"I'll take a light beer," Aaron replied then looked at Julia. "You want a beer too?"

Julia nodded, then reached for her menu.

"So you come here a lot."

Aaron paused from perusing his own menu...not that he needed to look; he knew it off by heart. He looked at her, but she'd dropped her eyes back down to her own. "Not as much as I'd like...geographically hard to get here most of the time."

She nodded, her cheeks flushed, but her eyes still on the open page in front of her. "He seems nice, Felix."

His eyes narrowed, "Julia?"

There must've been something in the tone of his voice, because she looked up at him, "what?" When he merely lifted an eyebrow, she rolled her eyes. "He thinks we're like a couple. So I presume you bring other dates here."

He almost blushed; did she want this to be a date? He wasn't getting that vibe off her, then he realised she felt uncomfortable.

"I never bring anyone here, least of all dates. That's why Felix was surprised. But as a fellow Brit...even if you're a Southern softie, you deserve to know the best places. This is one of them."

The tension in her immediately eased, and that made him relax.

"And I thank you once again for stepping above and beyond. I'll have the pastrami sandwich with extra pickle." She said it with a wink of mischief, and once again Aaron felt wrong footed by the woman who tied him up in knots.

"You are right...that was amazing!"

Julia sat back, hands linked over her now full stomach. She'd lost weight the last few weeks, not because she was deliberately not eating - which had been a huge coping mechanism in the past; but because the anxiety over everything seemed to outweigh her hunger. But she'd just had the greatest, fullest pastrami and pickle sandwich on rye bread, that she thought she might either die of pleasure, or pop from over eating. Both manifested as a bloated stomach.

Aaron chuckled, "you look like you've eaten a horse."

Grinning, she nodded, "feels like it. Great food though."

Suddenly, looking around, she noticed that Felix was turning out the lights and packing things away...they were the only ones left.

"Looks like we should leave."

Aaron nodded, then reached for his wallet. She tried to protest, but he wouldn't listen to her attempts to pay the bill.

"You're my guest, I invited you here."

She rolled her eyes, "I'm staying in your home...I should be at least trying to make it up to you."

He reached out to squeeze her hand around the purse she was trying to open, "I have this. Please."

She hated feeling indebted to him, but he really wasn't letting her pay her way. All she could do was shop, cook...try to make things up slowly.

Back in his car, a slinky low saloon, she sighed, she hadn't eaten such a filling meal in a long time, and could quite early curl up and sleep.

As he pulled out of the space, and headed back towards the sights and sounds of the city, Aaron glanced over at Julia, "you can close your eyes if you want. You look shattered."

She shook her head, "no way. I'm in the fantastic N.Y.C.!"

He chuckled, "you're here for a while, you have time."

Shaking her head, she smiled at him, "live for the day. I might have to go home before I've done everything. What are your favourite things to do in the city?"

He turned onto Broadway, contemplative for a moment; he'd long since out grown the novelty of Manhattan. It was the centre of his working world, that was all he knew. But he had fallen in love with it when he'd arrived ten years earlier.

Glancing across at Julia as he stopped at a red light, her blond hair a luxurious curtain around her heart shaped face, she looked young as she looked out of the window with wide eyes, not wanting to miss a thing. "It's been a long time since it's been more than a grindstone to drive my nose against...but I loved Central Park, from the moment I saw it. Then there's the Rockefeller tree at Christmas, and the little church down near where the twin towers stood...covered in messages and pictures. You HAVE to see that." He accelerated off onto Broadway, then added, "I think my favourite thing, is the view from the roof garden."

Her head snapped around to look at him, "You have a ROOF garden?"

That made him laugh, "Carrie didn't show you?" When she shook her head, her blue eyes wide in surprise, he chuckled again, "well the access is from my bedroom...did she show you that?"

The blush that swept over her face was adorable, then she floundered for a moment, "why would she?"

"Because...well. Wait and see when you get home. Ok?"

The basement of the block was an underground car park, the only reason that he had a vehicle, because there was nowhere to park for miles. Aaron pulled into a space, then got out, joining Julia and calling the lift. Once inside the apartment, he spotted Julia staring anxiously up at the mezzanine floor that was his bedroom.

"It's ok!" He announced, marching towards the wrought iron spiral staircase that led up from the room. He was halfway up before he realised she wasn't following. "Come on. It's worth it...and I don't bite!"

He made it humorously, but she turned whiter than she had been at that comment. An impossible task.

"I swear...the view..." he rolled his eyes, then continued the climb. If she didn't want to join him, it was her loss.

Julia watched the space that was suddenly empty. Fear and anxiety washed over her, stepping into his bedroom seemed like asking for trouble. But he had disappeared....and he said the view was worth it...and she was here to see things.

Her heart was pounding in her chest as she climbed the ladder, lights had switched on behind the glass wall, and she could see as she reached the floor that it wasn't a complete glass wall. The three foot wide panel in front of her, was set back by three foot, creating an almost corridor. When she rounded that panel, she appeared at the end of a huge bed. There was no headboard, no footboard, just a large expanse of flat mattress, topped with a sage green cover. There was a photograph hanging above the bed, another huge canvas, a forest scene...the tail of a fox disappearing between two trees, the autumn leaves covering everything in vibrant colours. It was a beautiful picture.

"I took it myself."

She glanced to the left, either side of the bed was a door, the left one framed Aaron, he'd loosened his tie and lost his jacket.

"You took that?" She asked staring up at it, pretending not to notice the proximity of him.

He nodded, rolling up his shirt sleeves, "back on a break from Uni, years ago. Still my favourite."

She sighed, "it's amazing, so professional."

He blushed, and that made her smile, "thanks. You like my room?"

"Very masculine," she offered.

Laughing, he cut further to the left, then opened another door, one she couldn't see from her position, "come on."

It was a dark night, but there was a light shining onto the small balcony that led along the side of the building, she could see him round the corner, and when she followed, she gasped. Another metal spiral staircase.

A little of the anxiety had eased.

Climbing that set of stairs, she looked around her wondering what this wonderful view was, because all she could see was the roofs of nearby buildings and a few trees in the park.

"Where are you?" The words froze on her lips as she stepped on to the platform that was the roof. A flat area covered in what looked like fake grass, buckets and troughs filled with flowers framed the bench, table, chairs, a couple of loungers and a huge barbeque. But it was neither the equipment nor facilities that took her breath away, or the man stood there beaming at her. It was the picture postcard view of the Manhattan skyline. She'd never seen anything like it.

"You like?" He asked breaking the silence.

She nodded, aware that her mother was hanging open like the dumbstruck idiot that she was. She could see it all, every iconic skyscraper, and most of them were lit...especially the Empire State Building, who seemed to be putting on a show. Then slowly turning to him, she sighed, "it's magical."

He laughed, "when I bought the place there was no access up here. But I checked legally, and it was my area to develop...but you are right, when I step up here I feel like I did the first time I set foot in the city. Brings back the magic that the humdrum of life beats out of you."

She knew EXACTLY what he meant, "I get that, but I didn't take you for a romanticist."

That made him splutter with shocked laughter, "I've been called many things, but never that."

She eyed him knowingly, "I think he doth protest too much!"

Rolling his eyes, he cut across the open area to the wall that provided a background to the garden, and opened a small door to reveal a small glass refrigerator.

"Beer? It's kind of essential when you're up here."

Julia nodded, "sounds amazing."

Aaron sat opposite Julia as they talked, openly, about her job, her day...his family - briefly, all the while ignoring the fact that he was being collected for his flight to Chicago in less than five hours time.