Roman POV

"Yo Uce! What's up with you and the new girl?" Jey asked me as I set off to get changed myself.

"Nothing at all. We just had a little chat. Don't get all fired up." I replied.

"Oh please! A blind man could see the sparks that flew between you. Even in those few moments." he said.

I sighed deeply. Yes, maybe he was right, but that didn't mean it was what I wanted at the moment.

"You know that's the last thing I want to focus on right now. After all, the divorce has only just been finalized. Do you think I want to start something new right away? Nah... I'm fine." I replied.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you can't flirt with her. Because you definitely did. You even asked her out for coffee. That doesn't sound like 'no interest' to me." Jey then said.

I sighed deeply again. He definitely had a good point. But... Had I imagined it or had she been flirting with me too?

"I'll set the record straight. Besides, a coffee doesn't mean anything." I replied.

"Right... Tell yourself that." he laughed and then walked away.

I just stood there shaking my head. There was really no need to read anything into it. Or was there?

*****

Amali POV

A week later, I parked the car but waited a few minutes for the song to finish before getting out. With an iced coffee in one hand, I tried to get my suitcase and my other bag out of the trunk with my free hand.

However, this turned out to be anything but easy. Of course, I could have put the coffee to the side for a moment. However, now I was determined. In addition, I was quite stubborn.

"Do you need a hand?" I heard a deep, masculine voice ask.

Before I could turn around, a hand had already reached out for the handle of the suitcase and lifted it out of the car. I couldn't help but smile as I looked up at him.

"Thank you very much, Roman. A real gentleman, I see," I said as I closed the trunk.

"You do what you can. Why should I let you struggle?" he replied with a smile.

"You've been raised well. I'm sure your parents are very proud of you," I said.

"You bet they are. I see you already have a coffee. That's too bad. I thought we had a deal." he replied.

"Oh... I'm sorry about that. I was just so tired I couldn't wait. But I think I can handle another one later." I said, immediately feeling a little guilty.

"Relax Amali. It's not that bad. Who knows... Maybe I should invite you to dinner after all. Maybe tonight after the show..." he mused, almost lost in thought.

"Well, that sounds very nice, but I'm afraid I've got plans tonight. I'm meeting a very important man in my life for dinner." I replied.

"Oh... Well, I guess I'll see you sometime." he mumbled and I saw the blush rise to his face.

"Or maybe you could join us?" I suggested.

"What? Are you inviting me to tag along on a date?" he wanted to know.

I couldn't help but laugh at his face. Of course, it sounded weird when you didn't know who I was actually talking about.

"Sure, why not? After all, you've known him just as long as I have. I'm talking about Uncle Pauli, of course," I explained and then started laughing out loud when he realized what I meant.

"Sweetie, couldn't you have said that straight away? Or do you like teasing me?" asked Roman.

"Oh I don't know.... it depends on whether you like being teased." I smiled.

"You'd better watch out, Miss Amali. I can do that too and I'm not sure how much teasing you can take." he replied as his gaze held mine.

Now it was my face that was turning red. I couldn't stop it. But a moment later, I felt a little insecure. Wasn't it too soon to be flirting with a man again? Probably yes, but this came so naturally. I couldn't do anything about it.

Take it easy, I thought to myself. It didn't have to mean anything. And it certainly didn't have to lead anywhere. Just two adults having a bit of fun. Nothing more. Besides, Roman was probably just as uninterested in anything as I was, from what I'd heard.