Chapter Thirteen

C hapter Thirteen

A rna

H e came to my flat. Andy Gloss stepped foot into the septic tank where I currently lived and was now probably wondering why he ever agreed to work with someone as pathetic as I was. Someone who, at twenty-seven years of age, did not appear to have their life together.

I inwardly cringed. The whole thing would have been humorous if I wasn't so bloody embarrassed.

After we stepped out onto the street, I felt myself relax a little as the night air soothed my flaming neck and cheeks. I needed to move out of this place before I committed amicicide. Although, it was a big stretch calling Paul my friend. Some days I could punch him straight in the face and feel absolutely no guilt and today was one of those days.

Babe .

Gag. I would NEVER be his babe.

I mean, I couldn't ignore how he always made sure there was sourdough and Vegemite in the cupboards as well as copious packets of popcorn because he knew they were my favourites. But he needed to learn to read a room and quit telling people I was his girlfriend.

"Sergio, this is Arnabelle Frost." Andy's low timbre sliced through my simmering irritation as he gestured towards the man who stood by the car parked at the kerb.

"Good evening, Ms. Frost." Sergio bowed slightly in my direction and waited for me to approach.

"Hi, I'm Arna. It's lovely to meet you, Sergio." Extending my hand, I noted the look of shock lining his features and quickly glanced back to Andy, who also held a semblance of surprise. Sergio shook my hand briefly, before taking a step backwards to let us enter the car.

What the hell was that all about, I wondered, as Andy turned his body to face mine.

He looked good. Capital gee Good. He wasn't wearing a hat tonight meaning I could really see his face and what a sight it was. His gaze resembled a rich mahogany reminiscent of freshly brewed coffee and he had soft laugh lines creasing the edges, a sign that despite his spicy exterior, there was a personality buried in there somewhere. His brown hair, slightly longer in the centre, was cut short around the sides and lightly faded into the subtle stubble which lined his jaw.

He wore a short-sleeved, pale blue collared shirt which contrasted deliciously with his sun-kissed skin and his beige chinos held tight against his clearly strong legs. Just my luck. The first man I was physically attracted to in all the dates I had been on, was of course a work associate.

"Thank you for picking me up. I'm so sorry about Paul." I said, hoping the lack of lighting in the car would hide the flush which crept back to my cheeks. The captain of the Hearts saw the squalor I called home, and then introduced me to his driver. The contrast was laughable really. For the sake of my dignity, I would need to ensure any potential future meetings were as far away from my place as possible.

"Interesting guy," he said, a smirk on his face. "What's the story there?"

"Aren't I supposed to be asking you the questions?" I said, deflecting flirtatiously to hide the quiet discomfort which lingered from whatever judgement he probably made about my living conditions.

"Touché." He laughed, and again I bathed in the feeling of making him happy. When he fidgeted a little, readjusting in his seat, I followed the movement, watching the way his hands moved to rest against his thighs. Flushing, I had to look away as I wondered what it would be like to straddle him.

Seriously, what was wrong with me?

I was giving myself a hot flush with the inappropriate thoughts and suddenly wishing I was a cowgirl was the mildest of things coursing through me. Consequently, the sooner we got out of the back seat of this car, the better.

"Believe it or not, Paul is actually quite a nice guy. Just lacks an understanding of women."

"Most of us do." Andy retorted and I laughed, nodding in agreement and thinking back to when I had thought the very same thing.

"He's been my roommate for a few years now and while he's innocuous, I'm on the way out. Just need to save a little more. Sydney is expensive, you know?" I said, shrugging. "Anyway, you don't care about my rental history. Sorry." I said, waving my hand through the air before continuing despite my apology.

"I talk A LOT. This is probably why I spent not even one full semester at university studying the art of interviewing because I talk too much. Again, you do not care. Oh my god, I need a muzzle." I gently slapped my forehead, willing myself to shut the hell up.

When I snuck a side glance at Andy, he was staring at me with a huge shit-eating grin and it transformed his entire face. He was undeniably noticeable with his usual scowl but with mirth in his eyes, he was deadly.

"You're an enigma to me, Arna." He was still smiling, a soft humour in his tone which emphasised the compliment in his words.

"Ummm, thanks. I guess I've been called worse." I said, smiling back at him.

We settled into a comfortable silence, the soft sounds of the radio echoing from the front seat.

"Question, why did you and –" I pointed towards Sergio, not wanting to be rude when he could likely hear me, "Give me a strange look back there when I introduced myself?"

He shook his head briefly. "Like I said – enigma."

Still not sure what he meant, I was prevented from seeking any further clarification when the car came to a stop. We were here already? Time seemed to fly when I was in his presence and I wasn't sure what to make of that but the tension was only going to thicken with how desperate I apparently was, so fresh air was necessary.

Thanking Sergio for the ride, we headed into the restaurant. Andy walked close behind me, my breath hitching slightly when I felt his hand rest against the small of my back. Doing my best to contain my shiver, I wondered what Darren would think if I conducted the feature, but also took Andy for a ride. I mean, just for a night.

For research purposes, obviously .

Was that frowned upon in the journalism industry? A question which was slightly concerning given I was only half-joking. The heat from his hand was clearly muddling my very horny brain and I needed to move away from his magnetic pull before I turned around and launched myself at him right here, job be damned.

Thankfully, the waiter arrived, offering a distraction as he directed us to our table in the back of the restaurant, away from most of the other patrons. Andy waited for me to slide into the booth, my body suddenly cold with the absence of his touch, before moving in next to me. He settled, leaving only a small gap between us and while I pictured tonight being far more formal, with us taking opposite sides of a table, I was not complaining.

"Thanks, Dale." Andy said, and I turned to him with my eyebrows raised questioningly. "I don't venture out much because of, I guess, well – this is one of the few places which offers privacy if I don't want to eat alone in my apartment. I just message Dale – he's my manager's son – and he does the rest."

"Kieran, right?"

"Yeah. Pup was sick of me ordering pizza, I think."

"Pup?"

Andy chuckled at my puzzlement. "Have you seen that movie with the huge St Bernard – Beethoven?"

"Yes." I replied confused.

"When Kieran first came into the locker rooms, one of the guys told him he resembled the dog with his big eyes and cheeks. So, the name Pup was born and unfortunately for him, it stuck."

I giggled, shaking my head. "Poor, Kieran. Well, I'm glad we were able to meet here tonight," I gesticulated to the restaurant. "Although sometimes I forget these chats are work." I added honestly.

Andy watched me, his face unreadable. "I don't want to talk about me tonight. I want to know more about you, Arna." He said, pouring us both a glass of water from the jug situated on the table.

"That is literally the point, Andy. I'm interviewing you , remember." I remarked, smiling shyly before taking a sip of my drink.

"Thanks for the reminder," he said teasingly. "Look, you already know I hate interviews. I find it easier to talk when I forget you are only here with me for your job. So, how about we trade information? Hell, you can make yours up and I wouldn't even know, although, I uhm - I guess I would prefer it if you didn't." He looked so vulnerable that my heart pinched a little and I softened.

Was he used to people only showing an interest in him when there was an ulterior motive? There was so much more to him than the character portrayed to the world and suddenly I was desperate to know it all. Especially why he was so guarded.

"Deal. What do you want to know? We could move from my childhood to my blood type, to my favourite band, with literally no rhyme or reason because if you give me no direction, I will likely speak for an hour and next thing you know I've taken all our time. Shit, see. I'm jabbering already."

Chagrin, I took another sip of water and swallowed in relief when Dale reappeared ready to take our orders.

Get it under control, Arna .