#zhion

Fucking newspapers, man.

Despite the god awful cold that had now encased the city in a solid layer of ice, Aria was enjoying how warm she was feeling in the coziest spot in the Angel’s Café. Nestled on the brand new red couch right next to the fireplace in an oversized pink sweater and a steaming drink between her hands, everything was pretty much perfect. She had first fought against the idea of taking a day off, but the chief had insisted, given how bad the roads were. She knew that wasn’t the real reason—after all, law enforcement couldn’t take a snow day; but the trail of her current case had gone cold. With no connections between the victims, and no new additions to the list of lost lives, they were starting to run out of straws to grasp.

                The thought crossed her mind and creased her brow, but she shook it off. She was determined to have at least one stress-free day. It helped that Damon was nearby. She would have never expected it, but he had become an unusual bright spot in her life. He was just so cheerful and extremely helpful around the apartment; it had never been so clean and comfortable. He was sitting at the table closest to the barista bar so he and Heria could work on their homework together while she worked, but every once in a while he would look towards her and wave or smile. He was such a sweet boy.

                She took a breath and sighed into her mug. She wasn’t entirely sure what was in it, but smelled wonderful and had whipped cream streaked with chocolate on top, so she found no reason to complain. She took a sip and licked her lips and gave a pleasant little shudder.

                “Don’t drink that too fast, Aria,” Julian cooed as he walked past with a tray full of other delightful looking beverages. “I’d have to call you a cab and they’d probably charge you extra for driving in the snow.”

                Aria’s lashes fluttered and she cocked her head to look at him. “What do you mean?”

                “There’s real Kahlua in it.” He gave a little laugh. “I thought you knew.”

                For a moment, she looked back at the seemingly innocent drink as if she was unsure, but then shrugged and took another sip. “I thought that was just a fancy name for chocolate…”

                Julian clicked his tongue at her even as he set down the decorative hot chocolates for the couple that sat at the table behind her. Aria cast a glance over her shoulder. The blonde woman was very pretty and had her hand on her rounded stomach, and she was sitting close to her dark haired companion who was frantic in making sure that there was nothing in the hot chocolate that could harm the baby. Apparently he had heard Julian’s remark about Kahlua.

                Aria couldn’t help but to laugh and went back to minding her own business. They were very cute together, but she knew very well that she didn’t have time for something like that. Being pregnant would only slow her down, and Damon was proving to be more than enough to activate that maternal instinct. She was getting her fill of motherhood as it was. And relationships? She shuddered at the thought of her last failed attempt at one. The man, Tristen, had turned out to be a complete ass. The very thought of his smug face made her want to spit.

                By the time she was done brooding over her ex, she realized that her mug was nearing empty, and she was feeling a lot warmer. She huffed and set it down, rubbing her face. She probably should have listened to the barista, but it wasn’t like she had anywhere that she needed to go. She would be fine by the time she was ready to leave.

                The bell to the front door rang as it opened, and judging by the squeal from Julian that followed, Aria glanced up expecting to see Silas walking in. But instead, she saw a tall, dark and familiar presence in the doorway shrugging off a heavy coat. She sucked in a sharp breath and snatched up the newspaper that was on the coffee table in front of her and snapped it open in front of her face.

                What was he doing here? She could only imagine that Zhion had a much more comfortable place to go back when he wasn’t working; probably some sprawling penthouse or maybe even a mansion. The guy was loaded, so why would he have to come to this tiny little café? Well, besides to see Julian. The blatant logic made her frustrated and she gripped the newspaper tighter. She forced herself to read an article about some festival that was supposed to be happening downtown around Christmas and how they were having a tough time funding it, and when she was done, she folded the paper closed and went to reach for her mug, but froze as she saw Zhion sitting two cushions away with his arm propped up on the arm of the couch and that irritatingly charming grin on his face

                God damn it.

                “Surprise?” he mused.

                Aria blinked, stared, then picked up her mug to busy herself with her drink so she wouldn’t have to respond right away. Ever since she had started to go out with him for drinks after work, she was finding more things to like about him. And she hated that. He wasn’t her type. She knew hardly nothing about him due to his skillful evasion of most personal questions, and he had a frustrating way of getting all sorts of information out of her. And he never let her pay for anything, which made things feel a lot more complicated than they had to be. She didn’t want to owe the man anything, and she certainly didn’t want him to get the idea that he was entitled to something. It almost bothered her more that he hadn’t already begun to; why couldn’t he just be another asshole like the rest of the men she had ever bothered to get involved with so she could be done with this?

                She finished her drink and put the mug down, then opened the newspaper again. She was not doing this today. Especially not with Damon nearby. He was already starting to ask questions about her late nights coming home and that was just something she did not need to go through.

                But much to her shock, Zhion moved closer and took one half of the newspaper out of her hand. She recoiled immediately, which allowed him to slide right next to her, so close that their thighs were pressed together. Despite having come from outside, he was still warm.

                “What are you reading?” he asked her, his voice dropped much lower.

                For several seconds, she fumbled for an answer, stunned by this man’s audacity. “I… what are you—“ She huffed and made sure to keep her eyes on the tiny newsprint. “Nothing.”

                “What’s the matter?” he all but crooned and the richness of his voice made her head swim.

                “I can’t be seen with you,” she whispered. “People are starting to talk.”

                Zhion never seemed dissuaded by anything she had to say because he just snorted. “What is there to talk about?”

                “I don’t know!” She did well to keep her voice down. “But they’re going to think something is going on.”

                “Likely because you wouldn’t talk to me until we were hidden by a newspaper,” he pointed out, and Aria slapped him in his thigh. “It’s true,” he added, not even sounding apologetic.

                “I’m trying to read,” she muttered, trying to ignore the fact that she could just feel his smirk.

                “You just said that you weren’t. I would have never thought that you’d act so strange in public.”

                “Damon’s here. I don’t want him to see you.”

                “Why?”

                “It’s complicated.”

                “No, it isn’t. We’re just getting to know each other, that’s all. We’re adults, Aria. We’re allowed to do that.”

                Aria growled and finally looked at him. He was waiting for a response with an expectant arched eyebrow. He was right, as usual, but she did not want to explain herself to her friends and colleagues who so frequently berated her about being antisocial—especially if she wasn’t sure where this was going to go. But after fighting with herself about it, she sighed and put the paper down.

                “Hello, Zhion.” She half drawled. “Are you happy?”

                Zhion smiled, undoubtedly pleased. “Very.” But the smile disappeared in favor of an expression that looked much more perplexed. “Wait.” And much to her surprise he lifted the paper again and she had to as well to keep it from ripping.

                “What?” she was barely able to ask before he leaned closer and sealed his lips over hers.

                Bewilderment is what kept her firmly rooted in place, her eyes wide and the newspaper crumpling between her fingers, but before she could even gather her thoughts enough to try and pull away, his tongue traced the seam of her lips and she melted. Her eyes flickered shut and she allowed herself to settle into the kiss just for a moment, parting her lips to allow it to deepen before she got ahold of herself and pulled away.

                “You had something on your lip,” he commented, that rotten smirk making another appearance.

                She was so tempted to yell and beat him with the newspaper she now had a death grip on, but that would cause a scene, and as far as she knew no one had noticed them yet. She instead just put the paper down, giving him the sourest look she could manage out of the corner of her eye as she surveyed the room. Damon was still busy with his books now that Heria had come to sit beside him and point things out, Julian was talking to Dicorio who had just come in covered in snow, and no one else present knew her enough to say anything.

                She took another haughty breath and pulled the paper back up to cover their faces again. “What the fuck was that about?” she hissed.

                “I already told you. And whatever you were drinking was very good.” Zhion mused.

                “You said we were just getting to know each other!”

                “We are, and now I know you a little better. Wouldn’t you agree?”

                God, he was good. She narrowed her eyes at him. “You bother me.”

                “I can’t be bothering you too much, signora. Otherwise, you would have moved a long time ago.”

                Aria glared at him for a few seconds longer before she sighed and leaned up to returned the kiss. It lasted only a handful of seconds longer and their fingers steadily wove together between them. When they parted, Aria took a breath and looked away.

                “We’re not dating,” she mumbled.

                “We’re not,” he agreed mildly. “This works fine for now.”

                She allowed her eyes to drift back to the words on the page, but she carefully shifted so she could lay her head on his shoulder. “…There’s some festival happening downtown when they’re gonna light the Christmas tree.”

                Zhion was quiet as he looked for the article then clicked his tongue in the same way Julian had. It was still hard to believe they were brothers, but she could see some faint similarities. “I won’t be in town.”

                “Going away for business?”

                “Unfortunately. But I’ll be back before the year ends.”

                “So?”

                “So, I hope you don’t have any plans.”

                “And if I did?”

                “You’ll have to do some rescheduling.”

                She rolled her eyes a little. There was nothing left on this page to read, so she sat up straight and let go of his hand so they could set the paper down. “I’m going to get another drink. Do you want anything?”

                Zhion opened his mouth to answer, but expression suddenly became unusually hard as he glanced down at the sound of his phone vibrating in his pants pocket it. He read a message and let out a very annoyed Italian curse before he stood up. “Next time. Something’s come up.” He tucked the phone away and cast her another smile. “I’ll see you soon.”

                Aria caught herself frowning and brushed some hair out of her face with a half nod, half shrug. “Yeah. I’ll call you.”

                He surprised her by laughing and went to go get his coat. He was gone by the time she had gotten back up with her mug to take back to Julian, who was singing along with the radio and sweeping up something behind the counter.

                “What’d you do?” she asked, leaning on her toes to try and see what sort of mess he was cleaning

                “Oh, I just dropped coffee filter. No big deal.” He glanced up at her with a sunny grin. “Ready for another drink?”

                “Please. I’m trying to stay warm.” She pulled out a five dollar bill and put it on the counter. “Skip the Kahlua this time, though?”

                “Hey, you ordered it the first time.” He took the five and put it in the register, then put the rest in the tip jar when she waved away the change. “I’ll bring it to you in a sec, okay?”

                “Don’t drop it,” she teased as she slipped back to her space on the couch. It was just as warm as she had left it.

Aria takes her lunch break on an apparently not-so-good day.

“The fresh air will do you good,” Aria muttered to herself, giving her best impression of a Spanish accent. She rolled her eyes so hard that she felt a strain and blew at her bangs to get them out of the way, without much success. There was nothing fresh about the air outside—it felt stagnant with all the construction going on in the streets. Dust seemed to hang over the city like a cloud, choking many of its inhabitants, including her. It just wasn’t enough that she was getting over a cold, was it?

                She sneezed, but caught it in the crook of her arm, and ducked her head to half bolt up the rest of the street. There had to be someplace where things weren’t being torn apart. Not too far from headquarters, of course; she was only supposed to be gone an hour. Ricardo was convinced that she needed to take two, with all the overtime she was pulling, but they were just so close to closing this case, she couldn’t back down now.

                She turned the street corner and took a few seconds to rub at her stinging eyes. Allergies, she decided, were the real enemies of the world, and should be stopped immediately. When she looked up, she realized she was standing beneath the awning of a building that was a bit familiar. Just as the thought crossed her mind to try and remember where she was, the glass door swung open. This time, she was about to step out of the way before it struck her once again. Not today, Satan.

                “Oh. Scusi, sign—“ came the voice that sounded just as surprised as she was. Zhion’s brows raised as he recognized her. “Aria…”

                Briefly stunned, Aria just stared. What were the odds of this happening twice? Zhion seemed to be thinking the same, but recovered much more quickly and his lips pulled with an amused twist.

                “This is a surprise. It isn’t raining, you know,” he pointed out as he stepped out to let the door swing shut behind him.

                “I’m well aware of that.” It came out haughtier than she intended, but she did not take well to being teased. “You almost hit me with that door again.”

                “Unfortunately, the glass isn’t see-through.” He gestured to it with a jerk of his thumb. “It sheds too much light into the lobby and bothers our receptionists and clients.”

                Aria furrowed her brow as she leaned slightly to her right to peer around him. Sure enough, the glass was tinted. But was it truly so dark that no one could see out of it? Wasn’t that some sort of hazard?

                “Well, if it isn’t the weather, then what brought you this way?” he asked as he began to walk, as if expecting to be followed.

                Aria had no other reason to be there, so she fell into step beside him, her steps much quicker to keep up with his long strides. “I was taking my lunch break, but the inner city is a mess with construction. It was fucking with my allergies.” She scowled a little as she quietly sniffed. She would have to take some medicine if she was going to make it through the rest of her shift with a clear head. “And what about you? Leaving a little early, aren’t you?”

                “I am on my break as well.” He glanced her way with a damnably charming smile. “Call it a happy coincidence that we ran into each other again.”

                “Those aren’t the exact words I would use.” Aria averted her gaze to their surroundings instead and jammed her hands into her coat pocket. How could it be getting cold and yet the air still managed to feel thick?

                But Zhion seemed unbothered all the same, even chuckling a little. “Not feeling very sociable today?”

                Aria sighed as her shoulders sank and the tension truly began to set in. “Sorry. It’s just… work, you know?” She slid him look that was close to apologetic. “It’s been hectic around the headquarters.”

                “You aren’t on the trail of that criminal in the papers, are you? It has been on the front page for days now.”

                “I’m not supposed to talk about it outside of work, but yes. And we’re going to hunt that bastard down.” Aria hissed. And it very well might be. One of their officers had gone MIA during the investigation just a week ago, and no one had heard from him since. The body count was rising for this killer who was still on the loose, and no one could really get a hold on this guy. His pattern was sporadic at best, and all of his strikes couldn’t be pinpointed in a singular area. Maybe all the victims in the surrounding cities and boundaries weren’t related, but Aria just had a feeling, and she couldn’t ignore that.

                “Aria?” She didn’t realize Zhion had been talking to her until he grabbed her elbow to keep her from walking into the street. She blinked and looked up at him before shaking her head to banish the fog of her mind. She would definitely need those allergy meds.

                “Did you say something?”

                “I asked if you had eaten today.”

                She crinkled her nose and began to cross the street as the white hand flashed on the sign. “That’s a weird question.”

                “It isn’t if I’m offering to buy you lunch.”

                She paused in mid-step as her foot hit the curb, and looked up at him. He was grinning at her again; pleased that he caught her off guard, no doubt. She furrowed her brow and folded her arms over her chest.

                “Why?”

                “Why?” he repeated and he laughed. “What do you mean?”

                “I mean, why? You don’t know me.” Her face coloured as her suspicions flared. “It doesn’t make any sense for you to-- did Julian put you up to this?”

                “Of course not.” Zhion’s expression had fallen into something akin to confusion, perhaps even a bit offended. “Why would you think that?”

                Unable to form a proper response, she bit her lip and looked away again, scrubbing her hand through her hair. She was jumping down this man’s throat and all he had offered to do was buy her lunch. It was no secret that he was, at the very least, decent. Otherwise Julian wouldn’t have spoken so highly of him, and he wouldn’t have shared him umbrella that day those few short weeks ago. She dragged her hand over her face.

                “I’m sorry.” She said again, though it was a bit muffled from behind her hand. “You’re right… I had no reason to suspect anything. I… don’t even know what I was trying to suspect.”

                There was a small bit of silence before she felt her hand being pulled away and she dared to flick her eyes up. Zhion was bending down just a little to try and catch her gaze, and when he was able to, he gave her another smile.

                “You’re stressed,” he said very simply.

                He hit the nail on the head with that one; Aria gave a weary nod.

                “Then that is all the more reason for me to buy you lunch. And a drink, after work. You sound like you need it,” he added knowingly.

                Aria studied him for a moment, biting on her lip as she thought. “Tonight?” she finally asked.

                “At ten, if you can spare the time. There is a bar not too far from either of our jobs, and they pander to the overworked. There isn’t a lot of noise, but their drinks are strong.” He grinned. “It sounds like something you might enjoy.”

                “How would you know?” she murmured, glancing down at the hand that he still held.

                It was unexpected when he brought it up to brush his lips over her knuckles, just enough that the warmth she felt spread at once up her arm, radiated in her chest and heated her face.

                “Because you and I are a lot alike.” He smiled at her again.

                She was silent, maybe a bit paralyzed by this sudden turn of events. But instead of floundering like a fool, though it’s how she felt, she cleared her throat and politely slid her hand from his grasp.

                “One drink,” she declared as she began to turn and walk. “And I get to pick the place for lunch.”

                “Fine.” Zhion sounded amused again as he followed behind her. She could feel his eyes on her, and it made some small part of her quiver. She wasn’t sure if she liked his attentiveness yet, but it was definitely getting a reaction. “Where are we going?”

                Frankly, she wasn’t sure. So she chose not to answer until they arrived at a restaurant just a few short blocks down the street. It was a small French bistro adjacent to the city’s topiary garden, with outdoor seating and the scent of freshly baked bread wafting from within. Her stomach gave a little leap and she detoured into it, pulling Zhion along by the sleeve of his coat. Despite the autumn chill, they still took their seats on the patio; it was a bit quieter due to the sounds of the city being further away, and the inside was bustling with the life of a lunch rush.

                Time went by quickly as they placed their orders for hot coffee to keep them warm, and their meals came soon afterwards. They didn’t talk much as they ate, but the sparse conversation was not uncomfortable. If anything, Aria was glad. She needed to give herself time to decompress, and she could think of no better way to do so than with a delicious meal and quiet company. The coffee was just okay, though.

                As promised, Zhion picked up the tab with a generous tip for their blonde waitress (who had been terminally delightful), and he held the front door open for her as they left to head back to their respective jobs.

                “You knew your way around the menu,” he commented as they walked. He was close enough that their shoulders were brushing with every other step. Aria didn’t mind; it was starting to get a little colder, like it might rain again. “Do you go there often?”

                “No, but it’s the food I grew up with.” She shrugged a little. “My Father knew his way around the kitchen.”

                “You’re French?” he asked with a grin of piqued interest.

                She gave a nod. “I moved here when I was seven. Good to know that you don’t think I have an accent like the rest of them,” she muttered, but she was smiling despite herself.

                “You do,” he corrected her, then laughed when she gave him an affronted look. “But it is faint, and I couldn’t tell what it was. But now I understand.”

                Aria rolled her eyes and nudged him with her elbow. “Whatever.”

                His mood was not lost however and he laughed again, but stopped her with a hand against her stomach. She blinked, flustered, and looked up at him to protest, but saw that they were in front of his building.

                “Oh. I guess, I’ll see you later.” She began to step around his outstretched arm, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her back another step or two.

                “Ah, ah. You said one drink, remember?” He reached in his pocket for his wallet and produce a single white business card with his name and a phone number on it.

                She hesitated, just for a moment before she plucked it from his fingers. She turned it over once, then tilted his head. “What? No, title? No company name?”

                “The people who contact me know what to expect. I hope that you do as well.” He turned to go inside, but paused to look back at her and add: “Je vais vous voir ce soir.”

                His pronunciation was impeccable, and it gave Aria a head rush that she had not been prepared for. She sucked in a sharp breath and pivoted to march away. She was going to be late for work, goddamnit.

                  Zhion watched her go, a slow smile finding his face as the captain’s figure steadily grew further away. He would have to move some things around, but he was looking forward to tonight. Aria was already proving to be much better company than he’s kept in years.

Aria didn't get the typhoon memo. And I don't know how to end things.

The rain was coming down in sheets—thick enough to cast the entire city in a fog. Aria couldn’t see two feet in front of her face, but still she ran as quickly as possible. She had to get out of this rain; she knew that she would be the one to catch the nastiest of colds if she didn’t have a chance to warm up. Of all the days for her car to break down. She had even taken the time to curl her hair this morning.

                “Lousy fucking weather man…” she hissed to herself as she stopped underneath the awning of a nearby building. There hadn’t even been rain in the forecast. Where had this storm come from?

                There would be no point in trying to run through it anymore—they were on the cusp of solving one of the biggest cases that had ever fallen into her lap, and she would be damned if she had to miss any of it because of cough and a runny nose. She took a breath and wiped some hair from in front of her eyes. Maybe she should try and go inside and dodge the rain a little more, possibly call Ricardo to come pick her up. She had called plenty of favors for him, after all.

                She turned and pulled on the handles of the building, only to find that they wouldn’t budge. She blinked then tried again, and in a fit of rage she pounded her fist against the door again.

                “Damn it!” She kicked the door and turned back around with her arms folded to stare back out to the horrendous weather. She was going down to the news station and strangling that asshole meteorologist.

                And then, suddenly the door rammed into her backside, sending her stumbling a few steps forward. With another sour curse, she whirled around to shout at who had been so stupid as to open the door on her. Much to her surprise, she would have been screaming at a chest in a finely tailored suit.

                “Me spiace, signora,” a deep voice rumbled from it, and Aria’s eyes very carefully flicked up to its source.

                He was tall. She cocked her head as she had to tip her head to get a full view of his face. Even in the dreary surroundings, she could see how vibrantly green his eyes were. His hair was black and pulled into a loose ponytail, save for a few loose strands that hung quite charmingly over his brow. With his strong features and his sharp suit, he looked a bit intimidating; some sort of business man, no doubt.

                “Excuse me?” she asked with a little crinkle to her nose.

                “I said, ‘I’m sorry, Miss.’ I didn’t see you there.” His words were still accented. A foreign business man. Of course. “The office is closed.”

                “I was just trying to get out of the rain,” Aria responded, glancing over her shoulder. The rain hadn’t let up at all in the last few seconds since she’d checked. “Guess it didn’t work.”

                “Well, were are you going?” He shifted the bag he held on his shoulder to properly open the large umbrella he had in his hands. “It would make no sense to leave you standing in the rain.”

                “I…” Thrown off by the man’s kindness, Aria found herself speechless for several seconds, but sputtered a response. “You’re leaving work to go home, aren’t you?”

                “I would like to, but I have some things I’d like to check on first.” He gave her a light smile. “But if your destination is nearby, it couldn’t hurt.”

                She hesitated, giving him a wary look but she shrugged. “May as well.” She took a moment to glance around. “I’ll just go your way and have my partner come pick me up.”

                He gestured for her to walk with him and they stepped out into the elements, but managed to stay dry. She was extremely grateful. “Your partner?” he asked with an eyebrow raised.

                “Not that kind of partner. My work partner. I work for the police department,” she amended quickly.

                “I see. Good to know.” He chuckled a little and looked ahead. “In which field?”

                “Homicide. I’m the Captain of my department,” she added with a swell of pride.

                “Oh? You wouldn’t happen to be Ariane Solon, would you?”

                Startled into silence, she squinted up at him, half tempted to stop walking. She was sure she had never seen this man before in her life. She would have remembered the face and the accent.

                “The city isn’t as big as you think, signora. I’ve heard quite a few things about you.” His grin was easygoing, as he hadn’t just given off creepy stalker vibes.

                “And who exactly are you?” She couldn’t help herself—she jabbed her finger into his shoulder.

                “Zhion Thorne,” he replied with ease.

                It was again her turn to look surprised. “The Zhion Thorne? That business investor that’s been buying the block?”

                He gave a light snort. “That isn’t exactly what I do, no. My name just happens to be on the buildings.”

                “What’s someone like you doing walking anywhere? Shouldn’t you have a valet waiting on you hand and foot?”

                “A common misconception, I’m afraid. I enjoy a good walk every now and again. Though not always in this weather.” He gave a light shrug. “What about you? Where’s your ‘valet?’”

                Aria flushed, just a little. “My car broke down and I can’t take cruisers home. So I walked. It’s not really that far from my place, just… not in the rain,” she muttered.

                “What a shame.” He turned the corner unexpectedly, and Aria panicked, not wanting to get anymore wet and latched onto his arm. He laughed this time, but offered the limb with ease. “You won’t melt, Miss Aria, I promise.”

                She glowered up at him and folded her arms over her chest again instead, trying not to look so ruffled. “Where are we even going?” she demanded a bit haughtily.

                “Hm? Oh, a café just up the block. You don’t mind, do you?”

                Her expression softened a little as realization struck her. “You mean the Angel Café? No, that’s actually perfect.” She could go for nice hot cup of coffee right now.

                Zhion gave her a smile and opened a door for her. “Watch your step, signora.”

                “Welcome to the—Oh!” Julian’s voice was instant the second she stepped into the thankfully warm café. “Oh, Aria, you look like you got dragged through a river! Poor thing…” He was around the counter before she could even explain with a few towels and began helping to dry her off. “What on Earth were you doing out there? It’s so ugly out.”

                “I had to get home. Damon’s not a big fan of storms,” she said with a wry smile.

                “Is that right?” Julian tipped his head. “Because he and Heria ran in here laughing minutes ago.”

                Surprised, she glanced around the café. Sure enough, Damon was over by the fireplace with a towel around his shoulders while Heria was busy drying off her hair as well. She pulled the towel down and her hair fluffed up, causing the young Greek to laugh.

                “Huh. I could have sworn…” she murmured.

                “Ah, don’t worry about it. Here, sit down. I’ll get you something to warm up.” Julian began to bounce away from behind the counter, but he stopped in his tracks as he glanced over his shoulder. “Wait a second…”

                Zhion was hanging up his jacket and had his umbrella resting against the wall, but he looked up as well and gave a little wave. “Bonjourno.”

                The squeal that came from Julian was unreal as he sprinted across the café and latched onto the much taller man. Aria’s eyes were wide as she stared, especially shocked that Zhion didn’t at all seem surprised, and was even patting him on the back lightly.

                “Yes, yes. Hello—you’re making a scene…” Zhion murmured.

                “You came! You actually came, I knew you’d come! It’s so good to see you!” Julian sounded close to tears in his excitement.

                “Wait, you know this guy?” Aria spoke up, pulling the towel over her shoulders.

                “Know him?” Julian laughed a little and gave Zhion another squeeze. “He’s my big brother!”

                Zhion cleared his throat and politely pulled away from Julian, straightening his suit. “I told you I would come to see you, didn’t I?”

                “Well it only took you, four months. You haven’t even told me where you moved to—“ Julian’s words trailed, then looked between them for a moment. “You two came in together… You know him?”

                “You know her?” Zhion countered, glancing Aria’s way.

                “She’s a regular customer of mine,” Julian said with a little smile.

                “He offered to share his umbrella, since I can’t find mine,” Aria answered.

                Julian took some time to look between them again before he shrugged a little and pulled Zhion over to stand near Aria. “This is the one I told you about, sorello,” he murmured with a sly grin. “The police Captain?”

                “I remember. We already discussed it.”

                “You told him about me?” Aria half glowered at him. “Why the hell are you telling strangers about me?”

                “What? You’re like my best friend, of course I’m going to tell my,” he paused and leaned over to her to whisper, “extremely single…” Then stood up again, “brother all about you!”

                “…You can’t be serious.”

                “Oh, very serious. He hasn’t even been married yet.” Julian was laughing until Zhion promptly swatted him across the back of his neck.

                “Please excuse him. He has a terrible case of meddling in other people’s affairs.” Zhion narrowed his eyes a little bit at him, then looked to Aria. “But, he has told me a bit about you.”

                “All good things,” Julian chimed. “Why don’t you two have a seat? I just made a fresh pot of coffee.”

                Aria gave a little nod and went over to her normal seat and Zhion went with her, sitting across the way from her. With his jacket off, he looked a little more relaxed. He was still a brick wall of a man, but at least he was a little more approachable now.

                “So… you and Julian are brothers?”

                “Through our mother.” Zhion looked up and nodded in thanks as Julian set down two red cups of steaming coffee by them. “Grazie. What time are you off?”

                “I don’t remember, I’ll get back to you. Talk to your new friend!” Julian laughed a little and kept walking.

                Zhion chuckled a little and picked up his mug. “To new friends, then.”

                Aria couldn’t help a little smile and held up hers as well. “To new friends, I guess.”

                She clicked mugs with him and just as she was going to take a sip, she heard another voice. “Matera?”

                She froze and her eyes slid to her left where Damon was walking over, his brow slightly furrowed. Heria must have gone off into the kitchen to begin her shift. Damn, she was hoping that he would have stayed distracted a little longer.

                “Matera?” Zhion repeated. “You’re... a mother?”

                “No, no… he’s my host son, he’s from Greece—Damon!” Aria tried to look stern. “Why aren’t you home?”

                “It is raining the cats and frogs outside,” Damon gestured to the window.

                “So close…” Julian murmured as he walked past to deliver a drink to another customer.

                Damon blinked, then shrugged a little. “Why are you not home?”

                “It’s… raining.” Aria looked back down at her mug. “Damon, this is Mr. Thorne. He’s Julian’s brother and he was kind enough to lend me his umbrella.”

                Zhion offered his hand to shake the young man’s hand. “Hello.”

                Damon stared at his hand for a moment before a little frown turned his lips, but he shook it. “Hello…” He then glanced towards the counter. “I am going to talk to Heria. Let me know when we are leaving, Matera.”

                “…Okay.” Aria blinked a few times as she watched him edge away, before looking back at Zhion again. “I’m sorry about him. I’m not sure what’s wrong with him.”

                “Jealous, perhaps?” Zhion offered with a laugh. “Perhaps he’s grown accustomed to being the only man in your life.”

                Aria sputtered on her drink and sat the mug down again, giving it up.  “What makes you think something like that?”

                “Am I wrong?” he asked with a little smile.

                Aria said nothing, pursing her lips and looking away as she drummed her nails on the table. When she decided to look back at him, he was still watching her with a smile.

                “Can I help you with something?” she murmured.

                “Not just yet, but soon, I’m sure,” he replied as he took another sip of coffee.