Page 24 of Unbroken

They made small talk as they drove to the obscure Italian place he’d chosen. He wanted something small and intimate where she wouldn’t feel like she was on display. Though she’d told him she didn’t care, it mattered to him. He never wanted her to be uncomfortable, especially with him.

Inside, he seated himself in the booth across from her.

“Afraid to sit beside me?” she teased.

He could hear the thread of insecurity in her voice, so he leaned forward and took her hand.

“I wanted to give you space. Plus, I like sitting over here.”

Her brows drew slightly together, and her eyes flooded with confusion.

“Why?”

“Because I like looking at you, and I can see you better from over here.” Her cheeks flared, and satisfaction welled up inside him. “Besides, if I sat next to you,” he admitted, “I don’t think I could keep my hands off you.”

The waiter showed up to take their orders, promising to be back soon with drinks and appetizers. Once he was gone, Aiden set his hand on the table, palm up, silently prompting Maya to take it. After a moment, she twined her fingers with his.

He smiled. “In case I haven’t said it recently, I’m really glad you decided to come on a date with me.”

Her smile was so soft and sweet it hurt his heart.

“I’m glad you asked. Thanks for this.”

“My pleasure.”

Silence fell for a moment, and his gaze flitted around the intimate, dimly lit restaurant before he faced Maya again. She’d never really explained why she’d shown up out of the blue.

“I was a little surprised you came to see me,” he admitted.

She bit her lower lip. “I’m sorry. I know it was unexpected.”

“You know I don’t mind that.” He shook his head. “But I imagine seeing me brought back a bunch of memories you’d probably rather leave behind.”

She was silent for so long that his stomach began to twist into knots, and he shifted uncomfortably in the booth. He was just about to tell her not to worry about it and change the subject when she spoke.

“I replay that night in my mind every single day, imagining what I could have done differently.”

Aiden sensed she wasn’t done talking, so he kept his mouth shut and let her gather her thoughts.

“I could have asked Dani to stay with me. I could’ve been more careful. A huge part of me wishes it had never happened.”

His heart clenched with sympathy, and he lightly squeezed her fingers.

“I can understand that.”

Those pretty blue eyes lifted to his.

“I’m not sure you do. Because there’s this other part of me that thinks it happened for a reason. It’s crazy to think that way, I know it is, but I can’t help it. Every time something bad happens, people always justify it by saying things happen for a reason, right?”

Aiden nodded at the rhetorical question. It was crappy, but he was a firm believer that bad things just happened. He’d seen way more than his fair share of people doing terrible things, and there was no worldly explanation for them. Sometimes, a person could do everything right and it still wouldn’t be enough.

Maya stared at him. “I really like you.”

He opened his mouth to return the sentiment, but she shook her head. “It’s not some weird case of hero worship or anything. I feel like there was a reason you walked into the coffee shop that morning. There was a reason that you were put into my path. I don’t know what it is, and I don’t know what will happen between us, if anything. I just…”

She trailed off for a second, then licked her lips. “I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am that I had the chance to meet you. Even though this past year has been filled with bad memories and experiences, you were the one bright spot in all of that.”

His heart thundered in his chest, and he wondered if she could hear it from where she sat across the table. This woman was killing him with her brutal honesty and openness.