After Cadence took a shower and had a bite to eat from the fully stocked kitchen, she felt a lot better. Even though her muscles were sore, and she expected them to be so for quite some time, she still felt like her body was beginning to recover from the most arduous workout she had ever experienced by far.

While she was in the shower, she finally had a few moments to think, and she spent most of them trying to decide whether or not she should try to find Aaron and ask him to go with her. She felt better knowing Jamie was going to be there, but she felt a little weird about what had happened in the gym earlier in the day. And she honestly just wanted an excuse to spend some more time with Aaron.

At 7:45, she decided to venture over and see if her neighbor happened to be home. She really wished there was some way to just show up inside of his apartment, the way he snuck into her room, but she figured he had some sort of alarm system to guard against that anyway even if she would’ve been able to get past the lock. She stood outside of his door for a few moments, afraid to knock in case he was there and when she asked, he said he didn’t want to go with her. Or what if he had company? She finally decided to just do it. If he wasn’t alone, she could make something up and pretend she needed to borrow a cup of sugar or something ridiculous like that.

She had only knocked once when he opened the door, much to her surprise. Had he somehow known she was standing there the entire time? He said he couldn’t read her very well, but was it possible that Aaron could feel her nervousness penetrating through the door?

“Hi,” he said smiling. “Everything okay?”

The door had opened so abruptly, she was in mid-swing and was thankful she didn’t actually hit him on the second knock. “Hi, uh, yeah. Fine everything's fine. It’s just….”

“Do you want me to come with you?” he interrupted.

“Yes, please,” she said, thankful this time that he was able to ascertain her intention without her having to ask.

“Sure,” he said, opening the door wide enough for her to step in if she wanted to. His apartment was immaculate and looked every bit like a single man lived there--a single man with impeccably good taste. Of course, his sofa and loveseat were black leather. (What other color would they be?) The dining table was black, and the art on the walls was contemporary. It appeared that he was working on his laptop, even though he had clearly worked all day, and Cadence was aware some of the team members were going on a hunt later that night. She wondered when he ever had the opportunity to do anything fun.

“Jamie is on his way,” he said, throwing on a jacket. She stepped back into the hallway and he followed, closing the door behind him. She noticed his key system was different than hers. She assumed it locked and unlocked using the IAC, and her door didn’t have that yet because she wouldn’t have been able to get in or out.

“I actually need to grab my coat,” she said a little embarrassed that she had just decided to run next door and ask him on a whim.

“Okay,” he said. “We may as well wait for Jamie in your apartment. He’s on the fourth floor so it will be a minute.”

Cadence unlocked the door and let him inside. She was determined to keep her apartment clean so there was nothing left out to feel embarrassed about, except, perhaps the Cosmo on the coffee table.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“They really did a nice job in here,” he said looking around.

“Didn’t they?” she agreed. “I mean, I didn’t see it before, but I just love it.” The coat she intended to wear was in the closet in her bedroom so she ran back to get it and then rejoined him in the living room, where he was studying the art on the walls.

“This is one of my favorites,” he said, indicating one of Monet’s “Water Lily” paintings.

“Oh, I love that one, too,” she agreed. “My art teacher had that exact one in the art room at my high school.”

“Well, not this exact one,” he replied, catching her eyes.

“Oh, no, I mean, you know how Monet did a lot of ‘Water Lily’ paintings? She had this one... one just like this one... in the art room. I didn’t mean she had exactly this one.”

“I knew what you meant,” he said, “but this is an original, so I’m pretty sure, unless your high school art budget was astronomical, she probably didn’t have this one.”

“It’s an original?” Cadence repeated, hardly able to believe her ears.

“Um hmm,” he said as he walked toward the door.

“I have an original Monet hanging on my apartment wall?” she asked. How could that could possibly be true?

“Yes, they are all originals,” he said nonchalantly.

She gasped. “All of them?” There were some pretty amazing artists represented in the collection.

He just nodded, one hand on the doorknob, as if he knew precisely when Jamie would knock.

“Why?” she asked. “I mean… that’s awesome. But what if I do something to them?”

He didn’t seem to think her question needed an answer so he didn’t say anything, just flashed her that crooked grin. Aaron pulled open the door, catching Jamie in mid-knock, the same as he had Cadence. “Hey, Jamie!” Aaron said. “Hope you don’t mind, but I’m coming, too.”

The look on Jamie’s face was one of surprise and a bit of awkwardness, likely because he happened to be holding a bouquet of flowers. “Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting my boss to open the door. You’re coming, too?” he repeated, obviously startled.

Aaron nodded, stepping back so Jamie could enter if he wanted to.

“Okay,” Jamie said almost as a question.

In an attempt to alleviate uncomfortableness, in the room, Cadence stepped forward. “Oh, Jamie! Are those for me?” He offered her the flowers, and she took them.

She heard Aaron mumble, “I can guarantee they’re not for me.”

Jamie didn’t seem to know which remark to address first, so he turned to Cadence and said, “Yes, I just thought they might make you feel better, since you were so nervous.”

“Thank you, Jamie! You’re so sweet! Let me throw them in a vase really quickly.”

Aaron had been holding the door open anticipating their departure, but Cadence heard him close it behind Jamie as she went off to the kitchen. Since it was attached, she could hear them, though she didn’t think they cared.

“I guess I didn’t realize you were coming,” Jamie said to Aaron, awkwardly.

“I guess I didn’t realize this was a date,” Aaron retorted.

“It’s not,” Jamie sighed. “I know that. I just thought she wouldn’t be so nervous if, you know….”

“If she had something pretty to look at waiting in her apartment?”

“Well, no, not exactly. I just wanted to set the tone, you know. This is going to be a fun, positive experience, and you’ll be happy you did it.”

“Do you mean… like a date?” Aaron asked as Cadence approached them.

Jamie had a deformed smile plastered on his face, clearly fake. She was certain she wasn’t meant to hear what they were saying now. “No, I know it’s not a date, but you could have told me you were coming.”

“She just came over and asked me to go.” Aaron seemed much more nonchalant about the entire situation--and slightly amused

“So? You could have told me instantaneously.” Jamie replied, opening the apartment door.

For the next several moments, they continued to look at each other, as if they were still talking, but Cadence couldn’t hear anything at all. She soon realized what was happening. “Hey, guys,” Cadence said as they stepped onto the elevator. “Thank you both for being so kind as to accompany me. Now, stop arguing through your little eye computers, or I’m going to permanently remove both of them.”

Whatever Aaron had said to him, Jamie looked more comfortable now, though he let out a small sigh. Aaron still looked amused, but he didn’t say another taunting word toward Jamie, and Cadence was thankful. Making Jamie uncomfortable didn’t bode well for her either.