Anonymous Caretakers - Aaron Hotchner

13. The date pt. 1

TW: Hinting towards sex, but nothing graphic and no smut-related stuff.

Totally not a real restaurant. It's based on something I went to a few years ago on vacation :)

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Samantha made a final spin in front of the mirror before putting on her heels. Now she only had to wait for the location message. She was shaking at the thought of seeing Aaron in real life. What if he was disappointed? She made some small talk with the babysitter to push her thoughts away until her phone buzzed, with the address and a little text.

[Aaron:] Don't be late

[You:] I wouldn't dare.

Samantha took a taxi, it was only a 20-minute drive. The nerves made her sick, and they got worse every second they came closer. The car stopped, and she almost forgot to pay the driver. After mumbling a quick "sorry," she turned around to look at the restaurant. It was a beautiful old building, decorated with flowers. Le Château Du Vin, the fancy golden letters above the door said. There was a man, opening the door for the customers.
"Okay, this is fine, I'm fine," she whispered to herself before walking in.

Samantha observed the room. There were a lot of couples.
"Looking for someone?" a friendly employee asked. She nodded.
"There are a few people waiting over at the bar, maybe they're there." She scanned everyone near the bar, feeling a little lost.

And then she looked straight into the eyes of an absolutely stunning man, her heart skipped a beat. He was around her age, maybe a bit older, and had the prettiest brown, enchanting eyes she'd ever seen. His hair was dark as well, it suited him. He had the typical body of an agent. Broad shoulders, big hands, and probably a muscular body under his suit. It had to be him, right? He stared back for a second with big eyes, before quickly standing up to meet her.
"Samantha?" His low, captivating voice gave her goosebumps. Without thinking it over, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Wow, you're beautiful!"

-

A few minutes earlier:

Aaron was early tonight. Samantha wasn't there yet, and the waiter almost forced him to get a drink already. Not that he minded. He made his way to the bar and sat down next to a stranger. His stomach was twisting, and all he could think of was how much could go wrong.

"You're waiting for your date?" Aaron looked at the bartender, who poured him a drink. "What makes you think that," said Aaron dryly. The barman chuckled.
"I don't know if it'll help calm your nerves, but a wine restaurant like this is always a success. Two drinks and the uncomfortable feelings are gone." The man gave Aaron a glass of scotch.
"Well this isn't very French," he mumbled, and the bartender smiled.
"It's the owner's favorite, and so he decided he wanted it on the menu. That's me by the way, I'm Matteo." Aaron forced himself to smile.
"Just out of curiosity, how many dates do you think go well in this restaurant?" Matteo shrugged. 
"Not sure, like 75 percent?" Aaron sighed, it wasn't that much.
"Hey, don't frown like that. I'm sure you're very interesting." He leaned closer as a hint for Aaron to start talking. And so he did. About the children, the way Samantha irritated him, how they became friends, the way she texted him more inappropriate comments, about everything that happened after his birthday, and finally how he asked her out.

"I bet you hear a lot of stories like this," Aaron ended. Matteo started laughing.
"What? No, of course not." He tapped on Aaron's glass. 
"This one's on the house," Matteo smiled.
"For what?" 
"For romance, agent." He looked over Aaron's shoulder.
"Well if that's your girl, you have nothing to worry about."