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Chapter three

"You know, the bar is normally for drinks. Not breakfast. " Dahlia said from the other side of the counter. Nick stared back at all the seats and the few people sitting on them enjoying their meals.

Definitely not him. This place was too........ Fancy for him . With all the people clinking their champagne glasses as they talked about vacations they'd had. Or about how great the weather was.

Hypocrites,he thought.

People who assumed they could find the answer to all their problems at the bottom of an expensive wine bottle. People who thought that they were simply better than others because they knew a little French or Italian. Not well enough to hold a conversation but enough to pronounce the names of foreign countries. Or of exotic dishes well enough to show off to their company.

Nick knew multiple languages. Back when he was young he had thought he would be able to fit into any place if he understood what people said. So he'd learnt as many languages as he could.

He was wrong though.

The human race is so complex that even he, a well trained thief and an expert in the art if lying couldn't understand it. Though the same couldn't be said about the woman standing across from him. Dahlia Jones was a natural when it came to both understanding and reading people. She was really nice and he didn't mind her company. She was also stunning. With eyes that outshone the emerald stone she wore around her neck. Probably a gift from her boyfriend Miguel.

Although Nick didn't really give much attention to physical looks, but it was impossible not to realize just how pretty she was.

"You know I'm pretty sure there was a time in your life when you used to talk a lot. So what happened? You just woke up one day and decided to be grumpy for eternity? " Nick spared a second to glance at her then proceeded to take a bite of his so called Whole Wheat Raspberry Ricotta Scones. He had to admit that Dahlia sure did know her way around a kitchen.

And how could she not with a cooking expert for a boyfriend. He particularly remembered one day when Matt had dragged him to a diner at noon. He'd just finished a meeting with Miguel and Matt had also invited him.

Both he and Matt had ordered cheeseburgers and when the waitress had asked Miguel what he wanted, the guy had clearly said " I'll have a scallop soshimi with Meyer lemon confit and perhaps a bottle of your best vintage wine. And for desert I think a red wine velvet cake with whipped mascarpone will do. "

Everyone had turned to him then and even Nick who wasn't usually prone to human responses was amused. Of course the diner had none of those things and Matt had laughed until he almost fell .But a taste of the food cooked by Miguel himself the following day had them both speechless. Saying he was skilled was an understatement.

" You seem awfully interested in my life. Tired of Miguel already? " she rolled her eyes. Then she leaned in and smiled.

"Anyways, tell me, when are you going to give me the pleasure of hearing you laugh. I'm not planning on leaving this world without hearing you do so. "

"I'm afraid you'll die disappointed. "

"What if I tickle you? "

"Then your death will be sooner than you thought. "

Nick said it in that serious straight to the point way he said everything else. At first, Dahlia used to wonder whether he just had a strange sense of humor. But now she knew better.

Joke or not, Nick was not someone whose words you took lightly. Unless you were Dahlia of course.

"Don't you have other customers to tend to? " Nick asked though he never took his attention away from his food.

"I do but I know that you don't want me to leave. So I am gonna stay right here, " She sounded extremely confident.

"And where exactly did you get that idea from? "

Dahlia tapped the side of her head and smiled.

" Don't deny it. We both know it's true. You come here every morning, the first place you look is over at that table right there....." she pointed to a table at the far corner. "...because you know I like sitting there when I'm not working. You might threaten and nag me but you never tell me to stop bothering you and as we speak you are looking for a response that will both intimidate and make me shut up. So in other words, you like and consider me your friend though you would never admit it. "

She was right and Nick hated that she was. This is why he made sure not to fully trust Dahlia.

"Nice try blondie," he then said and Dahlia placed her elbows on the counter and locked her fingers before resting her chin in top.

" Miguel told me you're looking for a job, " she said. It was lie. One he'd told in order to get Miguel off his back.

" You gossip about me?" she scoffed as if the mere thought was just ridiculous.

" if you want I can hire you here. We're short on waiters and you could fit that position just fine, "

If Nick laughed he would have done so right about now. But he settled for a subtle smile and shook his head.

"Goodbye blondie. I have to go, your Prince Charming is expecting me, " He said as he got off the bar stool. He reached into his pocket and paid the bill. Though dahlia was always against it. Saying something about them being friends. How he'd gotten so close to both her and her boyfriend was still a mystery to him.

"Bye grumpy," she cheerfully answered as she picked up the dishes and headed out back .

He decided to use the washroom first. The ones at Miguel's building were always crowded with the strangest types of people and Nick doubted he'd be able to fight the urge to punch a few of them.

He looked around. Men's rooms were to the right, he knew because he'd heard Dahlia tell a number of confused customers over and over. She'd planned on putting up signs but she must have forgotten since it had been two weeks since she said she would.

He walked past the tables, most of which were empty and headed right. At least he was sure there was no one else around this early.

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Crystal dragged her suitcase into the washroom. The tiles in there were extremely clean. Same to the walls. The owner of this place was clearly keen on hygiene. There were a number of stalls in there with their doors locked.

She must be the only one in there, she thought as she unzipped her suitcase which she'd laid on the floor. She knelt down beside it and fumbled through her things. What to wear...... What to wear? She pulled out a pair of black jeans and a plain white top. Then she searched for something to wear on top and settled on a blue blazer. She really was going to look like a boring secretary. She decided to switch her platform heels for a pair of blue wedged ones.

Then she instantly stood up next to the mirror to check her makeup, it wasn't too much so she let it be. She looked around one more time just to be sure she was alone.

She was.

She unstrapped her shoes and kicked them off then she hurriedly stepped into the jeans, trying her best not to trip over . Once they were on, she undid the belt on her wrap dress and let it fall to the ground. She then picked up the top and hurriedly turned the sides.

Why did she always leave everything inside out? She was about to put it on when the door opened.

She gasped and was completely startled. So much so that the top she held fell to the ground.

She wasn't shocked that someone had gotten in. It was the someone himself that struck her dumb.

Yeah....... Himself .

Because before her was perhaps the tallest person she'd ever seen. She looked up at him and wasn't quite sure about what she saw. His features were completely expressionless. No shock, just the most compelling pair of grey eyes she'd ever seen.

She felt the hair on her body rise, but not out of fear. It was something completely different. Something she couldn't quite understand.

Everything went still. He didn't move from where he was standing right inside the door. His hand still on the knob. He might have been wearing an overcoat but she could see the outline of his flexed muscles. He looked so......... Captivatingly cold. Despite the fact that he was dressed in a suit.

She watched as he took her in, then his eyes started travelling southwards and Crystal seemed to recall where exactly she was.

In a washroom, half-naked apart from a pair of jeans and a stupid lace bra, standing next to some sort of Greek warrior ! She quickly bent down and picked up her wrap dress, using it to cover up.

" What......Who......What are you doing here? " she struggled to ask, beginning to panic.

" Well?..... Leave or else I'll call management and tell them -" he took a step towards her and she gasped again. A short little sound that she seemed to be really fond of.

"Don't come any closer or I'm gonna scream ! " And she truly was planning to. God! This really isn't how she'd planned on dying. Because this person was clearly capable of that, that and much more.

"I'm warning you. You have no idea what I'm capable of..... " Man, even she could tell she sounded crazy. What was she thinking? The most harm she could do to him was probably use her perfectly manicured nails to scratch him just a little before he got a hold of her and had his way. And even that was highly unlikely.

He stood an arm's length away from her. Why wasn't he saying anything. In her book, only serial killers were usually quiet. Well, those and people who couldn't actually speak.

Maybe that was it, maybe he was mute and had lost his way and needed someone to give him directions to his psychiatrist or something. Cause he was clearly not normal. Jeez! She was losing it. Her heavy breathing was all that could be heard. That and the sound of her heart pounding.

"Do you know where you are? " he asked and God, that voice.

That deep, low and nerve-racking voice. She could hear and feel it penetrating her skin and pushing it's way to her core. She found herself wanting to hear it again. And although part of her was freaking out, the other part was mostly curious.

She recalled what he'd asked her and she shakily looked around.

"Yeah. Do you? "

"I believe so, unless of course they decided to rebuild this place overnight and turned the men's room into your bedroom, " he said but instead of answering, Crystal was busy asking herself whether it was possible to fall in love with someone's voice. Cause if it was then she was head over heels here.

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