The FIRE in You

Chapter 6: The First Date

"Miss Kendriks, we're here. Should I wait for you?", Jenkins said looking around as if he was worried. "No need. You can go have fun. When was the last time you did such a thing?", I asked while getting out of the car before he could answer.

'Feed n Drink Diner', looked like a cozy diner. I liked it. I walked to the bar area and sat on the high chair, before I could order, I felt a hand on my back making me turn and there he was.

"Hey, gorgeous. I didn't think you'd come", he said kissing my cheek. "Why is that?", I asked with a smile as I took in the smell of his cologne. "I think it's the nerves. Come on, our table's this way", he said pulling me off the chair. I followed quietly. He moved around smoothly as if he knew the place inside out. The decor was mostly wood. It looked homey, I like homey places.

We reached a table that was on the corner, away from the music. He pulled a chair for me. "Thank you", "You're welcome", he replied. He kept staring at me without saying a word until a waiter came to our table. "Hey, Jax... well hello there. Max... at your service, what can I get ya?", the waiter said with a wink.

He was so young and energetic which made me giggle. "I don't know Max, what's good here?", I asked trying to figure out the menu and what it meant. "Oh first timer? You must be special", he said then turned to Ajax who was glaring at him. "Chill big guy, it's not my fault she finds me way more interesting", he teased making me laugh. "Ok genius, go away, I'll handle this one", an old man that looked like Ajax said patting Max's shoulder. He walked away looking disappointed.

"You must be Aubrey. Welcome to my diner", he said with a warm smile. I found myself smiling back. "Thank you so much. This place is amazing", I said while looking around. "Thank you. So, are you afraid of getting your hands dirty?", he asked. "Definitely not, what did you have in mind?", I asked excitedly making him laugh and turn to Ajax. "What a sight for sore eyes", he said making Ajax nod.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to overwhelm you like that", Ajax said nervously and I could finally see his nervous face. "I swear I don't mind. Is he your father?", I asked. "How can you tell?", he asked sarcastically making me laugh. "You have similarities but he's way hotter than you", I joked as Max returned with two beers. "Oh sorry, I don't drink beer", my answer surprised them.

"What would you like?", Ajax asked with a smirk then licked his lips. I knew what he was thinking, I rolled my eyes at him making Max chuckle. "Can I have a Jack and Coke please?", "Waoh! Absolutely", Max said excitedly then went back to the bar.

"This must be the most terrible date you've ever been on", he said avoiding my eyes. "Why is that?", "Well the waiter was hitting on you, didn't even bother asking you what you wanted to drink and on top of that my dad had to come and introduce himself because, he just wanted to brag that he owned the place", he rambled making me smile. He looked cute and all I wanted to do was ride him till dawn.

"Did I complain?", "No, but would you be honest if they did bother you or you didn't like something?", "No way. If I do that then I won't get a chance to get my hands dirty", I said recalling what his father asked. His eyes went darker and I knew he was having evil thoughts. "I have an idea or two that can make that happen", he said then sat properly as if adjusting his pants. "Here ya go. Let me go get your food", Max said making me shift my attention to him. "Thank you Max", i said and he nodded his head as he disappeared.

"I missed you", he said looking at me in the eyes with lust. "I missed you too", I said sipping my drink. We just stared at each other while listening to the live band that was playing in the other corner of the diner.

It was like we were in our own bubble with wild thoughts going back and forth. The way his dark green eyes assessed me and the way my eyes roamed on his body.

Just perfect.

"Here it is. Sticky pork ribs with french fries and coleslaw. Enjoy", Max said then went back to serving other tables.

The food was amazing. And his dad didn't lie because the juices were all over my hands, I had to lick them a couple of times making Ajax look at me like I was a crazy person but I didn't care. "This food is amazing. Complements to the chef", I said wiping my hands with tissues. "I'm glad you liked it because the chef surely liked you", "Your dad is the chef?", I asked and he nodded with a smile. "That's amazing", I cheered making him laugh

"What does your dad do?", he asked after Max cleared our table and gave us another round of drinks. I guess it was the part that I was waiting for. "Uh... he used to be a businessman", he looked at me questioningly so I had to explain. "My parents died eight years ago. I've been taking care of my young sisters since then so yeah. What about you? Any siblings?", he was still in shock. It made me smile. "Ajax?", I called him making him blink a couple of times.

"How old are you?", he asked looking troubled. "I'm 35", I said shortly not sure where his question was going. "So you were like what 27 when they passed?", he asked and I nodded. He reached for my hand making me smile. "It was a long time ago Ajax", "It doesn't make it bearable. No one should go through such a tragedy. I'm so sorry... Tell me about your sisters", he said and that made my smile even bigger.

"Well, I have two. Simone and Maya. They're amazing, let me show you their pictures", I said then took my phone out of my purse. Ignoring the texts and missed calls I saw. I opened the gallery making him move his chair next to me to see them properly.

"This is Simone, she works in a modeling agency and Maya is an attendant at the Cinema", I was busy talking about them when I noticed he was looking at me with admiration. "You're an amazing sister", he said making me smile. "I try", I said noticing how close he was, making me look away, feeling shy.

"So tell me about you", I said turning to face him properly. "Well, I'm an only child. You've met my dad. My mum owns a garage and I work in the fire department", he said making my eyes go wide with shock.