I smile and pull on my blazer. "I could have gone into detail, but I didn't want to butt into our lunch time. Ready?" I grabbed my purse and pushed in my chair.
"I'm starving," He said, standing up as well. He ran his fingers through his trimmed brown hair and held out his arm for Tara to take. She smiled and wrapped her had around his forearm and walked down the hallway toward the elevator. They stepped in the small box and pressed the button down and the door closed.
The man's name was Noah. He was twenty nine years old, four years older than Tara was. He was short and skinny, his trousers fit awkwardly around him and his button up shirt hugged his long torso, making the ink across his chest visible. He went to law school with Tara three years ago. They were both freshman in college when they met, but Noah didn't start school until three years after he graduated high school.
Noah and Tara were like Batman and Robin, Tara was Batman and Noah was Robin. Tara was obviously passionate about her line of work. For as long as she could remember, her mother read old British mystery books. It wasn't until she was thirteen she picked one up and skimmed through the first page. Since then, she's always dreamed of solving crimes and catching the bad guys. Noah, however, was never as into the line of work they were in. He needed money and he heard that law pays decently, so he decided to go to school. He absolutely hated it, he wanted to drop out as soon as he stepped through the double doors of the school. However, he turned and saw the dirty blond haired girl in the corner nose deep in a book and knew that he couldn't just get up and leave.
Since then, Noah has been by her side through everything. When she got promoted, when her first boyfriend broke up with her, and when her mother died he has always been by her side.
Noah wanted to be more than friends. He was infatuated with her, it was like every time he looked at her, the sun shined.
He wanted to tell her how he felt, he wanted her to know how much he loved her, but he couldn't. She had told him that she would never fall for another man again, she wanted to focus on her job.
He respected that, so he didn't say anything.
They got to the bottom floor and went toward the sidewalk, walking arm and arm. The sun was peeking out from behind the clouds and the wind was blowing cold air, causing the leaves on the sidewalk to fly.
The restaurant was on the corner of the block, with empty tables and chairs outside the small business. The inside smelled of coffee and maple syrup and the walls were lined with colorful paintings and framed pictures. They took a seat near the back of the business and took off their coats, smiling as they looked through the menus.
"I think I've tried everything here already." Noah chuckled, setting his menu down.
"Me too," Tara responded smiling. The restaurant was Noah and Tara's tradition. Every Wednesday they'd go downstairs and have lunch in the small business together. Tara loved being with him. Noah loved being with her. But Noah loved her in a different way than Tara did.
Halfway through the meal, Tara's phone buzzed and she smiled, holding the phone to her ear. "Hey Dad, what's up?"
"Tara..." Her sister, Wiki, sobbed into the phone.
"Wiki? Babe what's wrong?" Her eyes widened and listened closely.
"Dad's dead. I found him an hour ago, you have to come right now and see this." She stuttered.
Tara's jaw dropped and she jumped out of her chair. "What's wrong?" Noah asked, watching her.
"Dad's dead." She muttered under her breath and slipped her blazer on quickly.
Noah pulled a bill out of his wallet and put it on the table and stood up as well. "I'm coming, we'll take my car, I'll drive, too." Tara nodded in agreement and rushed out into the busy sidewalk and toward the parking lot.
