Blood Oath (Ruby Rose/Ares fan fic)

Eleven

"We've stopped. Why have we stopped?" I think as I stare at Ares confused while she's parking the car. We left the hotel half an hour ago but I wasn't paying attention to the road since I was focused on the screen of my phone and my virtual world as always. I just assumed that we were heading home but I don't recognize this street with three-floor buildings, there's a square connecting four streets down the block and lots of trees everywhere... something like this is weird in Manhattan, at least in the area of the city around the hotel where there're only skyscrapers, which is the area I'm familiar with. The assassin stops the engine and unfastens her safety belt to get out of the car but, when I'm about to do the same, she places her hand on my waist and stops me. She takes her gun and checks it to make sure that there're enough bullets in the magazine before holstering it again. She gets out of the car with her hand always touching the grip monitoring the surroundings for a few seconds before jogging around the car to open my door. She urges me to get out with a wave of her hand.

I stay next to her with my phone in my hand not knowing what to do while she's locking the car, always alert and looking around. With another gesture of her hand she points at the pavement and orders me to start walking, shoving me slightly to force me to stay on the buildings side while she uses her body to protect me just in case someone attacks from the road. She puts her arm over my shoulders and her other hand snakes under her jacket, I don't need to look to know that she's grazing her gun's grip with her fingers. We walk slowly while she remains vigilant, it's a beautiful day although a bit cold but I'm comfortable with my turtle neck sweater. I can't help but look at her captivated, she seems to have everything under control: the street, the buildings windows, the people strolling, the parked cars... How she does it? I guess in the same way I can control six screens and three laptops at the same time, it's a matter of skill and training. I like this, we almost look like a normal couple... "Don't go there, Nira," my conscience warns me.

We've barely walked for three minutes when Ares stops in front of a dark wood door and takes a glance inside the place through the windows, she seems happy with what she sees so she steps back to let me in first. 'Corner Bistro' I read on the sign at the entrance. The ceiling is cover with tin tiles, the walls have exposed bricks and the long wood counter bar has matching high stools, the lamps have a retro vibe... this place seems very old but well-preserved. It's almost empty at this hour of the morning and my bodyguard sighs relieved when she notices it. Quietly, she pushes me towards the back of the restaurant and choses a little table from which she can control the back door and all the windows. The waiter, tall and with broad shoulders, gives us the menu after greeting Ares with a smile... obviously my companion is a regular. I look around curiously, I still don't know what we're doing here. The assassin taps my upper arm to get my attention and she points with her finger at one line of the menu: Bistro Burger with cheese and crispy bacon, the she points below: French Fries. Has she taken me out for some burgers? It's true that we couldn't finish our breakfast earlier in the morning because we rushed to see Winston but we could have waited to get home and grab a bite there. Suddenly, I remember...

Did you ever go out with your friends to grab some burgers? Then, you've never had a date?

Ares has taken me out to grab a burger... Is this a date? No, I don't think so, however eating out with my bodyguard means that I'm having a more active social life than ever so I'm not complaining. I smile happily and nod to tell her that I agree with her selection. When the waiter comes back to put two bottles of water on our table, she orders our food but she keeps monitoring the restaurant and the customers that walk in occasionally. For the first time in a while I'm not focused on my phone so I keep busy looking around, staring at the ketchup and mustard on the table, rearranging the position of the salt and pepper shakers, playing with my napkin and folding it to make a paper boat... I don't know what to talk about. The assassin taps gently on my phone with a finger and then pretends to type with her thumbs. Frowning, I unlock my screen and open a text box for her. A few seconds later she hands me the phone back.