He tried hard to be very gentlemanly during the rest of the weekend. He took her out on dates again. She’s more about the scenery and the food. When they went shopping, she pulled him into a bookstore.

“So, why do you wear skirts?” He asked as they were seated for dinner. A fancy restaurant near a man-made lake. It was Sunday and tomorrow he’ll be back to work.

“Personal preference. There’s no mystery in it. Do you want me to ask why you wear pants?” Her comeback is what he expected. Okay, he’s starting to learn what to expect from her.

“Tell me about your last boyfriend.” He thought he might get a glimpse of her relationship if he asks about it.

“Oh, the guy who cheated on me? I’m pretty sure he’s still the same. I wasn’t keeping tabs. He’s probably cheating on another poor woman.”

He paused as he listened. Okay. Maybe it wasn’t the best question. He cleared his throat. Something else.

“Why did you choose this place for your vacation?” There, that should be neutral territory.

“Well, you know. A number of states clustered together. I could visit many places in a few months. I do have a few states I’d like to see. Others, not much.” She didn’t sound very enthusiastic about it.

“Yeah?” He frowned as he tries to figure her out.

“Truth be told, I’m not fond of traveling.” She even winked at him. Ah, that would explain a lot.

“So, why bother with a vacation?”

“Well, I’ve got a passport for so many years and I haven’t used it once. Now, I do.”

Right, a peculiar answer from a peculiar person.

“You know, I should really be the one to do this interview. Come now. Don’t ask anymore. Let me do the questioning.”

“Hm? Alright.” He gestured for her to continue. Their food arrived in that moment and Jill contemplated on what to ask.

“Tell me about your last girlfriend.”

He almost choked at the lack of originality.

“Uh…”, he searched his mind for an answer. He wouldn’t actually consider all the women he bedded as proper girlfriends. He noticed her stare at him. She had her eyes narrowed on him.

“Too hard, Sherlock?” She teased, but he’s not sure what she actually thinks. She picked up her glass of champagne to take a sip, all the while watching him.

“Let’s just say I don’t call them girlfriends.”

“Not one girlfriend in your past?” Her follow-up question…

“None.” He honestly replied.

“Fuck them and leave them, huh?” Somehow, hearing it from her ticked him off the wrong way. He doesn’t want her judging him.

“Oh, look. Is this pork? What did the menu say again?” She diverted the conversation with that, calling a server over to ask for the menu again.

“It’s a lamb chop. I’m not sure what to feel about that.” She did look a bit queasy after realizing it’s lamb meat.

After dinner, they walked around the lake. The landscape is beautiful but nowhere as beautiful as the garden in his house. She wonders who tends to it and if Josh gives specific instructions about it. That would be something and real unexpected.

He held her hand as they walked. He’s still unsure how to deal with his past. It feels as if it’s hindering his future. He glanced at Jill, who’s staring at the sky. She would trip at this rate if she’s not careful.

He pulled her to a stop. “Does it bother you that I slept around with women?”

Jill thought he’s about to say something serious, by the way he looked. She rolled her eyes at his question.

“Jeez, dumb ass, isn’t that a no-brainer?” Her reply made him extremely uncomfortable.

“It’s not like I can change my past, is it?” He tried to argue.

She relented, “There is that. What you need is a serious change. That is, if you want it. Do you want to sleep around or not? That is the question.”

Truth be told, she is a little irked by his past. Her last ex is a cheater, this one here is…

She looked down at their joined hands. It’s actually very easy for her to fall in love. One time, she simply stared at this guy and thought all of his good qualities and his cute appearance and she’s in love. It was also easy to dismiss, though. She simply tells herself that it wasn’t real. Looking now at Josh… her heart started beating faster and she knew she made a mistake. Why try it on him? Damn her. She cursed herself and Josh noticed her internal struggle. What’s going on in her mind right now?

She exhaled as she looked somewhere else. She was tempted to pull her hand away, it started sweating.

“Do you mind?” She asked as she did pull her hand away. Having no napkin or whatever, she wiped it on her skirt. Josh pretended not to see as he inserted his hand in his pocket. She looked restless.

What a way to fall in love. She sucks. It will take some time for the artificial feelings to go away. She would have to distance herself from him. Out of sight, out of mind. That works well for her. Good thing he’ll be back to his office tomorrow. What would she do during the hours he’s at home, though? Can she safely hide for a few days? Maybe she could lock herself in her room, pretending to work on a project. That could work. She legitimately does that sometimes.

He didn’t help her matters, though. Monday evening, when he returned from work, he bought her flowers. He actually brought her flowers. Couldn’t he pluck a piece from his garden? Why a whole bouquet? And why pink roses? She did a research on flower meanings before. Grace and gentleness? Admiration and happiness? What?

Apparently, she couldn’t hide from him. She stared at the roses, a smile forming in her face, then she turned to look at him. He’s smiling, too. Relieved that she actually like the flowers.

“Let’s have dinner together. I’ll just change.”

As he went, she stared after him. She let out a silent scream, clutching the bouquet in her hands. Why do you do this to me? She mouthed at his back.

She tried to calm her beating heart. It just went on overdrive. She could hear her own heartbeats as she stood there in a daze.

Ryan coughed from the side and she turned to look at him. He averted his gaze as she felt embarrassed and exasperated. She followed him upstairs to store the flowers in her room. They look good and smell nice.

The downside is that she can’t shake off her feelings for him.

He was also attentive to her during dinner.

“Since when were you a gentleman?” She voiced it out and he froze at transferring her favorite meat into her plate. He continued before settling on his seat.

“I am a gentleman.” He replied without any shame. If she’s to remind him of every wrong move he made before, they can’t move forward. He decided to ignore any digs she makes about it.

She was planning to escape into her room early but he pulled her into the couch with him. His touch made her feel more. How is she supposed to get through this?

She did her research early today. Apparently, alpha males are highly misrepresented. She guessed that’s why the words are quoted as “alpha males” to mean the subject weren’t really alpha males. It’s more like pretending to be alpha males. As she studied the subject, she tried to analyze Josh. He’s definitely successful and he has his own proven methods. He isn’t easily intimidated. On the other hand, he can intimidate others, but… okay, there’s the catch. A true alpha male won’t abuse or misuse that. Josh… he did try to manipulate others. Huh, minus points. She grinned. Maybe she can dispel her artificially developed feelings by focusing on his bad traits.

Living more of life? Kind of hard to assess. Does Josh live more of life? When it comes to material things, he’s definitely comfortable. Satisfaction? Fulfillment? She sighed. She doesn’t know much about him to get to the bottom of it all.

Maybe she should start?