Before us✔️

Chapter Eleven

We arrive at a Italian restaurant called Olive Garden. It was small, but still had a modern touch to it. Hung around was tiny warm toned LED lights hanging around the decking of the outside area. Lucky, the weather was Temperate and we arrived at the best time.

The brilliant orb of amber and tangerine sunk lower and lower in the sky until it dipped down into the horizon, painting the sky in magnificent hues of fiery red and crimson. The colors faded from maroon to neon pink and majestic purple.

"Do you see the sky Aiden?" I say in a soft voice still mesmerised by it's beauty.

"They are symbols. Each showing you the good tomorrow could bring."

And then he gives me a smile that just seems so genuinely sweet with just the right touch of shyness that unexpected warmth rushes through me. Aiden takes my hand and guides me into the restaurant never loosening his grip.

The waitress walks us over to a single table in view of the small aquatic coloured waterfall that contains little fish in it. 

Aiden kindly pulls out a chair for me, I thank him, before sitting down and tucking the chair in. 

The waitress, who's name was Alison, introduced herself and said she would be accompanying us during our stay.

She walks over to the bar, grabbing two medium sized menus that has fancy writting on it and plants it infront of us, saying she would came back soon to take orders.

"So, what do you want to eat Maddison?"

Aiden asks picking the menu up and scanning the menu.

"I think I'll have the Fettuccine with broccoli and chicken please."

"Of course, anything else?"

"No, thank you." I say nervously, he was being unusual nice today. And it's making me feel slightly on edge.

"I'm going to go for a margarita pizza." Aiden looks up from the menu and stares into my eyes.

"You can never go wrong with pizza." I laugh.

"I know."

While waitress takes our orders to the kitchen, me and Aiden begin talking small talk.

"I want to know more about you, Maddison." Aiden puts his hands together.

"I'm sure if you ask your friends, they would know." I say, jokingly, they knew everyone and everything about anyone.

"If I'm being honest, I don't know much about you, you seem interesting and different from the others."

"Okay." I say on edge.

"So what do you want to know?" I ask, already regretting agreeing to his questionnaire.

"Why do you like to read so much?"

I gulp down and reply  "I've loved reading ever since I was little, my mum and dad used to take turns reading me a bedtime story before bed. And I think that's why I like reading. It's kind of asking a stereotypical teenage boy why he likes football."

"Maddison, your hilarious." Aiden says sarcastically.

"Well, thank you I try to be." I smile, playing along.

"Now tell me about your family."

"Well, my mum runs her own catering business and my dad is an accountant who manages people's money. And my brother Ryan is joining Oxford next year."

"Sounds like you have a perfect family."

Aiden looks to the ground, sadness present in his voice. I could help but think, that there's more than what meets the eye. And that Aiden who is  labelled 'the player of Oxford' has personal problems too like everyone else but he chooses not to share or express his feelings, than to push them away.