Don't Get Caught

Chapter 7 - Ariel

My third date with Alessandro arrived and my stomach bubbled with nervous excitement. Now fully detached from Danny, I was free to pursue this new thing and the third date seemed like the ideal time to take things to the next level.

The perfect gentleman as ever - he'd organised our date down to the finest detail, picked me up, paid me compliments, opened doors - and I was finally free to make the most of his charms. I wore a more modest dress this time with only a hint of cleavage, carefully accessorised with chunky bracelets and a necklace. A grown-up outfit for a grown-up date. My date, meanwhile, outshone me in a head-to-toe designer outfit consisting of a tight-fitting shirt, tie, even a waistcoat - he was half Italian after all. With the extra effort we'd both put in, clearly tonight was the night.

Alex had picked a new Italian restaurant in the city centre called Mangia E Zitto! but we defied the name and talked throughout. My face hurt from smiling by the time it was over.

After dinner, we headed across town to the cocktail bar where we had met on my birthday. He held my hand in his sending electric pulses up my arm. Nothing beat the excitement of dating someone new. That's why I did it so often and my adult life was littered with dates. I was excited for this new adventure with Alex however brief it might end up being.

But as I found us a table my phone buzzed.

Having fun on your date?

Danny. Had he spotted me? A quick scan of the room - mostly full of couples - told me he wasn't in the cocktail bar. He must have seen us walking through town; no doubt prowling the streets and lurking in shadows again. I cringed as I reread his short message. Alex was still at the bar, so I typed out a response, changed my mind and deleted it. He was just trying to get into my head.

But it had worked. Alex and I discussed and tasted each other's cocktails, me trying to guess the ingredients of his, but all I thought about was Danny's message. Was he jealous? Was he just being a dick? Was he annoyed?

My phone buzzed again but I decided not to look at it. However, as soon as Alex excused himself to use the bathroom, I opened it up.

Need rescuing from him again?

So, he'd recognised who I was with, too, and he was fishing for a response. I wouldn't give it to him. Instead, while I waited for my date to return, I watched the skilled barman tossing cocktail shakers in the air, pouring spirits from great heights into tiny glasses and arranging fruit with precision. Tom Cruise in Cocktail vibes oozed out of him.

Alex and I left the bar around midnight. The street outside was deserted apart from one lone figure smoking a cigarette across the street. Great. What a creep! Why was he always out and about alone?

He walked towards us and my stomach knotted. "You coming back to mine tonight?" Danny asked, ignoring Alex who had his arm around my shoulder.

Alex tightened his grip possessively. I didn't like it.

"I'm on a date," I said, my eyes shooting daggers at him.

"I can see," he retorted, his own eyes sparkling as he gave Alex a once over.

"So, can you leave us to it then?"

Alex went to say something too, but I cut him off.

"I've got this."

Danny seemed to catch himself. "I'm sorry. You're right. Enjoy your night." He turned and walked away.

"What the hell was that all about?" Alex asked once the blond man was out of sight.

"I really don't know. I'm sorry."

And I didn't know. I wished I did. But the spark that had been there earlier in the evening had gone. I no longer wanted to go home with Alex. I wanted to go home alone.