Gio was already at a table when Aria arrived. Thanking the hostess who brought her to where Gio was sitting, Aria tried hard not to show her nervousness. But seeing him playing with his napkin and avoiding eye contact made her nerves tick up.
Hoping to defuse the tension, she decided to act as normal as she could, saying, “I’ve already decided on the butter chicken. How ‘bout you?”
Her brows arched as she waited for his answer.
Finally looking at her, he answered, “Tikka masala chicken. You know better than to ask. It’s by far the superior choice.”
Aria feigned shock as they repeated their longstanding debate, hoping this meant she was wrong about what she thought he wanted to say.
The server hurriedly took their orders, looking flushed from the rush of customers.
Nervously rolling the edge of his napkin again, Gio took a noticeably loud inhale before speaking.
“Aria, I, I’ve wanted to talk to you about something for a while now. But I’ve been waiting, hoping—” He pushed his dark curls from his forehead and straightened in his seat as Aria tried not to look like a deer in headlights.
She could hear the clanging of plates around them, hushed conversations, the melodic beat of the music playing over the speakers. Picking up her own napkin then setting it back down, she mentally prepared for what she thought was coming next.
Gio cleared his throat as he launched into his speech. It gave her the impression that he needed to blurt it out before losing his courage. She couldn’t look him in the eye just yet.
“I want you to know that I like you. I-I’d love to be able to take you on a date and see if this friendship could become more,” he said hurriedly, exhaling on the last word like he was taking his last breath.
It was a moment of clarity for her. She had wondered for some time how she would feel if he ever said the words out loud, had even entertained the idea of agreeing to see what could happen. But as easygoing as their friendship had been, there had never been a spark.
Carefully weighing her words, Aria made eye contact with him.
“Gio, you are a wonderful, kind, and generous man. You have no idea what this friendship has meant to me. And as a colleague, you have elevated my business with your attention to detail and unending talent.”
Her insides tightened at the sight of his disappointment. He slumped back into his chair, his head hung down, averting her gaze. This was more painful than she had imagined.
Grateful for the interruption, Aria put her hands in her lap when the server laid their plates in front of them, smiling and asking if they needed anything else.
“No, we’re fine. Thanks,” Aria replied.
She leaned back in her seat and continued.
“I’m so sorry that I can’t reciprocate your feelings, but I really don’t want to lose you as my friend. And selfishly, I hope we can move past this so that our work relationship isn’t affected.”
Gio sat in silence for several minutes. Lifting his chin up, his eyes met hers again.
Through gritted teeth, he asked, “It’s Alex, isn’t it? He’s interested in you. It's not hard to imagine why because you're an amazing woman. But I don't trust him. He roams the world with no stability or commitment. What could he possibly offer you, Aria?”
She grimaced at his angry words.
“Gio, I can see that you’re hurt, and I promise that was never my intention. But you have no right talking to me about my private life in this way.”
Her outrage at his impertinence was fully displayed as she pushed her plate away and straightened. She hid her trembling hands when her arms crossed in front of her chest.
He slowly reached for her, but she pulled back quickly, turning her face from his, reigning in her anger. She didn’t want to make a scene; a few heads had already looked their way.
“I’m so sorry, Aria. I’m a moron,” he whispered as he looked around nervously. He drew his hand back and rubbed his forehead. “I’m messing this all up. I wanted to finally get the courage to tell you how I felt about you, see if you’d even consider pursuing more with me, but I let my jealousy get the best of me. I’ll never forgive myself if you end up hating me,” he said, his eyes pleading.
“Gio, I?—”
“No, I'm sorry I upset you. I won't bring Alex up again. I can’t help feeling protective of you, Aria. I hate seeing you hurting or in pain.”
Turning back to look at him and softening at his words, Aria replied, “I appreciate that more than you know but I can take care of myself. Right now, I need to know if we can move past this.”
“I want that, too. I hope I haven’t made a fool of myselfandlost my job,” he scoffed.
