Chapter 121 - 120

Aiden replied, "I wanted to take you somewhere special."

"Oh no, I don't have any energy to go to the movies or dinner right now," Sophia groaned.

Aiden chuckled and replied, "Relax, I already know what type of person you are by now, so I have chosen something I know you'd appreciate."

"We'll see about that," she stated.

Sophia was surprised, "A museum?"

"Yes, but it's not just any museum. This is one of the oldest museums in the country. Invited guests and important people are the only ones allowed to view the collections because of the highly prized items they have curated over the years. And now you are one of the few to witness it," he said.

"Really? Let's go then. I'm curious to see what they have inside," her eyes widened in excitement.

After spending time with Sophia, Aiden concluded that choosing any touristy or cheesy destinations recommended online would not earn him any points in Sophia's book. So he wracked his brain the whole night, and her comment about documentaries being interesting led him to the museum. The museum had been closed to the public for a while now, and he hoped that Sophia had never visited it before.

Being an Aristocratic heir gave him special privileges around the city, and visiting the museum was one of them. 

The museum housed jewelry dating back to the kings and queens that ruled the country way before they were both born. Paintings, that were collected from all over the world. All first edition literature, and works from very famous artists. Sophia looked like a kid that had been released in a candy store. Her eyes were full of life, and unlike the movie they watched at her house, she looked like she enjoyed being in the museum very much.

Whereas Aiden had been really bored. He spent all his time just gazing at her. So she did not see that he was staring at her the whole time.

"Aiden, thank you for taking me to see this museum, I really enjoyed it," she said as they finished the tour. It made him smile, his mission had been a complete success.

"All that walking got me hungry, do you mind?" she asked on their way home.

"No, I don't mind. Let's go find a restaurant around here," he said as kept his eyes peeled out for somewhere to eat. But they were out of luck every restaurant they found had been closed.

Sophia had spotted a food truck and ordered Aiden to stop.

"Hmm… do you think that place would be good? I think we can go a little further, we're bound to find a better restaurant that's still open," Aiden hesitated. 

"It's going to be okay. Plus, I'm really very hungry, I'm not sure I can wait any longer," she said as her stomach grumbled.

"Okay, but don't blame me if we both get sick," he joked. Though it was a little uncomfortable for him to eat at the food truck, since he's never been to one, he did it for Sophia anyway.

They both ordered the taco combo with two tacos, rice, and beans. 

"Oh my god…," Sophia spoke with her mouth full of food, "this is the best... taco I've had in a while."

Aiden chuckled while eating his plate with enough grace that made him look like he was eating at a fine dining restaurant, "Slow down, you're going to choke if you eat too fast."

She shivered a little, the temperature had dropped while they were in the museum. She did not anticipate them to be out so late that she left her jack in her car. 

And Aiden, always the gentleman, removed his coat and placed it around her shoulders. Sophia nodded and pulled the jacket closer to stay warm.

"Don't you think that was the most delicious taco you've had?" she asked, and Aiden shook his head no. 

"What? Are you kidding me? That's the type of food you eat when you're really very hungry, and it tastes better the hungrier you are," she shook her head, disbelief in her face, "Tsk, tsk, I can't believe that didn't hit the spot for you. Let me get something that would make it all better."

And before he could speak, she went to the counter to order smoothies, "Here, drink this. There was only mango left, I hope that's okay," she said, handing him a to-go cup.

"Yeah, that's fine. You know…," Aiden noticed Sophia was not paying attention to him, her face had gone pale, and she was looking at someone behind him. Her hand was shaking as she crushed her cup, spilling her drink. 

He frowned and looked back to what she was looking at, but all he saw was a man's arm closing his car door before the sports car drove away.

"Sophia…," he wanted to ask what happened.

"I'm ready to go. I can't drink this," she threw the cup in the nearby trash can and stood beside his car. 

He was curious about who she saw in the sports car that affected her. He knew she was rattled because as she sat in his car, he saw her fidgeting and looking out the window angrily to see if someone was following them. 

Knowing Sophia would not talk to him while the issue was hot, he kept silent and tried not to pry about the situation. But it really worried him that she was bothered by someone.

-=-

After their date at the museum, Aiden had been busy, so he thought of spending the weekend with Sophia. But when he knocked at the door there was no response, he was sure that she was home because she had nowhere to go. Her routine during the weekend was to stay at home and keep on working. 

When his banging and shouting at her front door did not do anything, he knew something was wrong. Thinking of ways to get into her apartment, he remembered that their balconies were adjacent to each other, so he jumped the small space between them and tried to open the door. Luckily, it had been unlocked.

A smile formed on his face when he saw Sophia asleep on the table, she had files scattered around her as she laid her head on the table. "I was right she worked too much again," he thought.

But as he drew closer, he became concerned, her cheeks looked flushed as sweat dotted her face.

He could feel the heat emanating from her body when he tried to feel her forehead.