His nose was set back in place- Nate would lie if it was the first time- but his face was still bruised. It was a painful reminder of what he had done to his best friend (granted, Kal probably no longer saw him that way), and while Nate avoided looking in the mirror, it didn’t make much of a difference. He knew he fucked up, and yet, he still didn’t completely regret it. Granted, that meant doing a lot of things he typically didn’t do, like going to gyms he typically didn’t, because he found himself wanting to avoid his best friend as often as he could.

Which was exactly how he found himself at the gym of a building he worked in, and while the place was great, he simply felt like he didn’t belong. “Sorry-” He approached one of the people there, not really wanting to disturb yet wanting to get on with his plan as well. He had so much to get home to, after all. “-were you using that? Do you mind if we swap?”

The gym helped him clear his mind. Exercise had always had the effect for him. He had his headphones on and was working away, lost in his own thoughts, when a slight figure appeared in front of him. For a moment, he ignored the boy until he realised the other was speaking to him. He frowned slightly, pulling his headphones down to rest around his neck casually. 

“I’m pretty much done,” he replied, settling the equipment back into place. And he was - he had no qualms about telling someone to wait if he had to. This just wasn’t the case. He took a moment then, as he wiped at his towel, to look at the younger man before him. His brows furrowed again. 

“Everything okay, man?” He asked, noting the bruises on his face and around his nose. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think the kid had a broken nose. “Should you be workin’ out in your condition?”

BREAKING NEWS! ((AIDEN BURKE)) who looks an awful lot like ((ALDIS HODGE)) has just been seen around Nuntium House. Apparently ((HE)) is ((34)) years old and have been in the New York City for ((TWO MONTHS)). They work as a ((LAWYER)) at ((NUNTIUM)). If they had an article byline it would read ((A SWEET HEART CAN STILL HOLD STURDY)) - but we have yet to make up our mind if that is accurate.

Aiden couldn’t help but chuckle a little at the strangers words. He was sure he’d spent a good chunk time giving out wrong direction the first time he’d lived in NYC. He could relate. “I’m sure they do. And really, if they haven’t looked up where they’re going on Maps or whatever first, then that’s on them,” Aiden told him with a slight shrug. “Besides, there are about as many tourists and there are native New Yorkers around. It’s a pretty big risk to just ask someone off the street anyway,” he mused, sipping at his coffee. He grinned gently then, nodding at the question. “It used to. But I’ve only been back in the City for about a week now. So,” he shrugged. “You pretty new to New York, then?”

It had been over 5 years since Aiden had been in New York City but the place still held its impressions. Coming out here had been a sort of a whim. Professor Greenberg had always wanted him to join their firm and Aiden had considered it, back when he’d just graduated. He’d ended up moving back to California, yet still kept in touch with Greenberg. He was grateful for that now. 

The offer of a job interview seemed to have come at the perfect time and in the perfect pace. If Aiden believed in fate, which he didn’t, he’d have attributed this good fortune to it. Wilhelmina was in New York City. He’d known for a few months now and had to figure out what he was going to do about it. The angry, petty part of him had wanted to send the divorce papers straight to her - but, he couldn’t. He’d needed to talk to her, see her again…

Aiden shook his head. No. He couldn’t think about about Mina right now. He’d had the interview with Greenberg and the partners, now he was simply going to catch up with his old mentor. Sliding out of the cab, Aiden straightened out his suit, striding confidently up the courthouse steps. He was going to meet Greenberg there, then go for lunch or a drink together. 

Eventually he got through security into the lobby, mind firmly on the get together with his former professor. It was as he was digging into the pocket of his slacks for his phone that he noticed her. The dark hair, her lithe frame, the gait of her walk. For two years he’d been missing her and he felt his heart clench painfully in his chest. He knew she was in New York but he hadn’t thought he’d run into her like this. 

He thought he’d have more time. He wasn’t even sure what he wanted to say to her yet. He’d had two years but still, she took his breath away. 

Without thinking he drifted towards her, long steps closing the distance between them quickly. She hadn’t seem him yet and secretly he hoped it wasn’t her. Even as he tapped her on the shoulder, breathing in her perfume, face carefully blank. “Wilhelmina?”

( @courtrait )

-

Mina held the pages up, squinting at the face that stared back in brightly coloured soft pastel. The defendant’s gaze was direct and unflinching in-spite of hiding the rest of their face behind bejewelled fingers and a stark white tissue, the latter of which billowed as they blew their nose with a loud and conspicuous honk.

Placing the piece in her book, along with the rest that would each need a few layers of fixative on them once she’d neatened them up a little at home, she looked up as one of the clerks called out to her.  “Still on for coffee tomorrow?“  "Sure – so long as session doesn’t drag past 5.”  "I’ll lodge an official request with the judge!”  Mina smiled at that as she sanitised her hands, an expression still frozen on her lips in the moment she felt that tap to her shoulder—

Today was supposedly a day like any other; she’d selected her palette for the day, a collection of jewel tones that would hold up well against the navy charcoal paper; then, with the aforementioned in-mind, she selected her suit for the day – a deep burgundy, so the chalk might not stand out quite so starkly come the inevitable mess, coupled with the turtleneck that the winter months typically necessitated and the heels that commonsense argued so strongly against; her bag weighed heavily upon her shoulder and, as per usual, she was already massaging her collarbone by the time she’d reached the subway station and had found herself a seat – she’d be massaging the back of her neck on the ride to the NYT offices.

“—Aiden?” Mina wasn’t quite so skilled at doctoring her expression; the smile fell, of course, replaced by a look of sheer panic as her eyes grew wide and her throat jumped with a visible gulp as she craned her neck to look at him properly. “You–”

He looked the same. He’d grown something in-between a beard and stubble since the last time she’d seen him, whereas before he’d been clean-shaven, and there was something different about the cut of his suit, but beyond that? It could have been a week. It wasn’t, not even close, but to look at him? It could have been. She wished it was.

Well, this wasn’t actually his courthouse. If anything, it was probably more hers. Still, even though he’d known she was here in NYC, he hadn’t actually expected to run into her here. Stupid of him really, though. This was the one place he should have known she’d be. A courthouse was after all, where they met.

He sighed, heart sinking a little as Mina said his name, her face panic stricken. She looked horrified to see him. Aiden had known it wouldn’t be easy to see each other again, after the way she left and the two years that had passed by. But he’d never in his life thought that she would be so panicked and scared to see him. He hadn’t thought he’d ever done anything to cause her to be scared of him. 

Aiden took the slightest of steps back. He didn’t want to crowd her and he knew the kind of image he could present at times. Slowly, he let his eyes run over her, taking her in like a thirsty traveler sees a mirage in the desert - it had been so long since he’d set his eyes upon her. He still missed her, even after everything. Mina still looked gorgeous as ever and he hated the fact, just a little. 

So wrapped up in his thoughts, he almost missed her question. He shook his head, once it registered. “No. No, I’m not here for a case. I...came to meet with Greenberg. My old law school mentor, I might have mentioned-” he gave her a strained smile and shook his head again. “Anyway, I had a job interview. We were going to get lunch. I didn’t...expect to see you,” Aiden explained. He dithered for a moment, about whether to tell her that he’d known she was in New York and that he had planned to track her down. 

Looking at her, he couldn’t help but let the words spill forth. 

“That’s not completely true. I knew you were here, in the City. I was going to track you down. It just wasn’t supposed to be, yet.” 

“Yeah! Yeah, you turn left up at the end of the block and then take another right, and it’ll be another five minutes or so. Have fun,” Cameron waved to a mother and son, taking a step away and letting out a sigh of relief. Another day, another time being mistaken for a Columbia student. He couldn’t say no when they asked for directions towards the campus, and he thought he knew the layout of his neighborhood by now (spoiler: he didn’t). “I definitely sent them in the wrong direction… God.” Foot took a step forward, nearly ready to go back and correct his mistakes, but he saw someone else nearby. “They have phones, right? They’ll be fine.” An uncomfortable laugh followed. “Tourists, always asking for directions… Does that happen to you too?”

Standing in front of the full length mirror in her bedroom, she examined her appearance carefully, down to every last detail, even taking a few seconds to admire how the figure-hugging dress looked on her. She had to look perfect and the night needed to go well… she desperately didn’t want to screw up her chance with him. They had such chemistry, and she hadn’t felt that way towards someone for a very, very long time. 

Upon hearing a knock at the door of her apartment, Elise’s gaze shifted towards the hallway and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves. She was incredibly excited, but nervous at the exact same time. It wasn’t everyday that one would go on a date with their boss, and there were a million thoughts buzzing around in her mind. What would their superiors think? What about her co-workers? Surely she’d get accused of sleeping her way to the top, and that was certainly something she would never do. But the worry was there.

Without wasting any time, she made her way to the door, opening it swiftly to reveal Sean looking as handsome as ever. The moment the word ‘love’ left his lips, she swooned. God, he was so gorgeous… she couldn’t get over it. “Well, hello there.” She grinned, leaning in to press a kiss against his cheek. “How are you? You look… wonderful. Very handsome.”

“Thank you. You look beautiful,” he replied with a chuckle. “These are for you. A little cliche maybe but, I’m old fashioned,” Sean continued with a smile. 

He took a little step back then, not wanting to crowd her. After all, this was only a first date and there was potentially, a lot on the line if things didn’t go well. As much as he tried not to think about it, their jobs could be at risk and though he saw romantic potential with Elise; he didn’t know where that would lead yet. 

“I booked us at a little restaurant in the inner city. If that’s okay with you?”

Sean frowned, dropping his hands down into the pockets of his coat. A defensive action. His eyes glanced around the street and the buildings, not settling on any one thing and certainly not on Elise for the moment. He heard her start to speak and apologise and he shook his head. 

“No, no. You don’t have to apologise Elise,” he told her clearly, finally looking her in the eyes. “This shouldn’t have happened. We work together. I’m basically your boss. I shouldn’t have led you on,” Sean told her, wincing a little as he spoke. 

“I’m the one that is sorry,” he told her genuinely and sincerely. “Why don’t we just…forget this happened, yeah? We’ve been out, had a bit too much to drink,” Sean suggested. He didn’t want to hurt Elise and the kiss had been wonderful but it just didn’t think it could happen.

There it was. Rejection. Elise was starting to feel like an idiot. That was why she was so apprehensive about dating in general… she always found some way to ruin it. She didn’t blame Sean, though, he had a very valid point. He was most definitely her boss, and of course, it wasn’t right to mix work with pleasure… something she thought she’d already learnt after the demise of her marriage.

“Exactly, you’re right. How stupid of me, I don’t know why I did that… but it’s fine, though. I understand completely.” The newsreader trailed off, her gaze drifting to the footpath, trying her hardest to avoid eye contact with him. She couldn’t look at him without feeling utterly embarrassed. 

Let’s forget this happened. Yeah, Elise probably wouldn’t, but she certainly wished it had never happened. Stupid, stupid, stupid. That was how she felt about herself. “You don’t have to apologise either, I was the one who did it. This is why I don’t drink much. I tend to do things without thinking of the consequences. Forgetting about it sounds like a good idea.” She replied, her voice cracking a little as she spoke. “I better go. Um, thank you for walking me home…”

“No, you’re not stupid. Please don’t think that,” Sean insisted, hating that he’d made Elise feel that way. It was the last thing he ever wanted to do. “I’m sorry Elise. I really am,” he continued, shaking his head a little. God, was he sorry. 

“Are you okay?” He asked, even though he knew he probably wouldn’t receive an answer. He grimaced, rather sheepishly then, nodding his head. “You don’t need to thank me. It was the polite thing to do,” he informed her, taking a few steps back. 

“Goodnight Elise,” he said as he turned away.  

“I’m sure we can figure something out,” Sean said with a grin and a nod as she mentioned the Brixton experience. “There are some great food places around honestly.”

They had been walking and talking and it had all felt so natural. In fact, Sean found he always felt a sense of comfort around Elise. This time they’d spent together had just confirmed it in a way he was surprised by. Now they were coming to a stop, slowing in front of what he assumed was her apartment. 

He turned to her as she spoke, smiling genuinely. He found he agreed with her sentiment, his eyes casting over her softly as she stood so close. His brow creased a moment, as he watched her - feeling like something was changing and very quickly. 

Sean froze when her lips met his in a kiss - taken by surprise. 

A spark passed between them. It took him only a moment however to kiss her back, just as gently and sweetly. A hand moving to settle chastely on her waist. He hadn’t been expecting this but suddenly it felt like it was the right thing to do. Kissing Elise felt good. 

However, a voice protested in the back of his mind that he worked with Elise. He was essentially her boss! Sean pulled back with a start, sighing as he dropped his hand from her waist and took a step back. 

“Uh…Elise,” Sean murmured, a hand coming up to scratch the back of his head. He didn’t know what to say.

Surprisingly, Elise was acting relatively calm for someone who was making such an enormous step. Internally, on the other hand, she was freaking out. Kissing Sean was exciting, as well as nerve-wracking due to the fact that technically he was her superior, and her career would be on the line if he took her actions the wrong way and completely reject her. People had done crazier things for love, surely.

The kiss was everything she’d imagined it to be. Gentle, sweet… just right. The spark between them was undeniable, and in that moment she was relishing in the moment, almost forgetting where she was at the point… until they eventually broke apart. Shit. What the hell was she doing? She began internally cursing herself. “Um… yeah… I… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have— oh my god. I’m so sorry, please forget I did that…”

“No, no. You don’t have to apologise Elise,” he told her clearly, finally looking her in the eyes. “This shouldn’t have happened. We work together. I’m basically your boss. I shouldn’t have led you on,” Sean told her, wincing a little as he spoke. 

“I’m the one that is sorry,” he told her genuinely and sincerely. “Why don’t we just...forget this happened, yeah? We’ve been out, had a bit too much to drink,” Sean suggested. He didn’t want to hurt Elise and the kiss had been wonderful but it just didn’t think it could happen.