Chapter 44 - Missed opportunity

"Do you have any place you want to visit?" Noah asked starting the car. After he had won the argument on who would be paying the bill, they continued with their so-called 'date'. Aria had still not yet realized Noah's trick, or he would have had it.

"Umm. I am open to other options. Do you have someplace in mind? Before that, yes I have some shopping to do." Aria said, putting on her seat belt.​​

"Okay then. How about this? Let's go to a place I want to take you to and then we will do some shopping. After that, we will take a ride on the London eye and we will end the day having dinner. Is that fine?" Noah asked, giving Aria a glance who was busy with her phone.

"Yes. I am fine with it." She said, absentmindedly.

"Perfect." Noah smiled.

"So, what are you doing here in London?" Aria said, after sending Ivy a text message.

"I have a business meeting to attend." Noah lied. How could he say he had made this trip just for her.

"Nice. Anyway, how is your grandfather now?"

"He is fine. Ian is there to take care of him."

"Have you known Ian for long?"

"Yes. We are childhood buddies along with Joshua."

"You mean Joshua Martin?" Aria said. Now her attention was completely on Noah. She observed that even from the side, he looked deadly handsome.

"Have you met him?"

"Yes once."

"Hmm."

"Are you in a relationship?" Noah asked, taking a look at her. He was now crossing a personal line, so he had to be careful.

"No." Her answer made him very happy. He smiled a little, flowers started to bloom in his heart.

"Why?"

"I never got time for that kind of stuff." Aria shrugged.

"So you mean to say, you have never been in a relationship before," Noah said, this time his smile reaching his ears. If his efforts were successful, then he would be the first man in Aria's love life and preferably last too.

"Yes. Is it something bad?" Aria tilted her head a little. She looked so adorable with her head tilted that it was making Noah feel things he had never felt before.

"No, no. Definitely not." Noah said with pride.

"How about you? How many girls have you been with?"

"Other than the casual flings and one night stands, I been with only one woman before," Noah replied honestly. He wanted to come out clean in front of the woman he wanted to be with.

"Ohh. That was less than I had expected." Aria said shaking her head.

"Why? Did you think I would have a lot of failed relationsh_i_p_s?"

Aria remained silent. Noah laughed at her cuteness, making her gaze at him. She wanted to poke those cheeks whenever he laughed.

"So, here we are," Noah said, giving her a smile.

"What place is this?" Aria looked in front of her. There was an archway with steps behind it. Beside the archway, there was a board on the wall, that read Holland Park.

"This is the Kyoto Garden. You will love it." Noah said, holding her hand. By now, Aria was accustomed to him holding her hand. In fact she liked how their hands perfectly fit into each other. His warmth was making her heart flutter.

There was nobody around. Noah's men had made sure of it. They walked inside and Aria was immediately mesmerized. It was beautifully landscaped and very peaceful. There were peac_o_c_ks and herons roaming around. There were numerous varieties of flowers and trees and waterfalls. Aria looked at the pond in front of the waterfall. Beautiful koi carp fishes were swimming in it.

"Do you like the place?"

"Noah, this place is amazing." Aria was so happy that she immediately gave him a hug. Noah's smile froze. His brain short-circuited with the sudden hug. He did not know what to do. He was ecstatic. The girl he had taken a liking to was finally in his arms. But before he could hug her back, she had released him.

Noah's arms lay hung in the air, which he immediately pulled back. He regretted not reacting fast. He turned to look at his guards who were secretly taking their photographs. They gave him a thumbs up, indicating everything had been captured.

Noah chuckled at Aria's failed attempt at catching a peac_o_c_k. Whenever she went near one of them, they would run away from her. She humped and sat on the ground. She was a little tired with all the walking and running. He sat beside her and stared at her.

Noah's men captured the beautiful moment on their cameras. The four guards were hiding in different places, so they could take photos from different angles. The scene in front of them so perfect. Their Boss looked so good with the lady beside him. They were like the divine couple who had graced the earth. Also, they had never seen their Boss this blissful. The smiles he had given them before were creepy, like a beast ready to unleash its wrath. This time his smile was genuine.

"Thank you Noah for bringing me to such a beautiful place."

"Save your thank you for the last. There is a lot more you have to see before the day ends."

Aria stared at him after listening to his words. She had never felt this happy since her father went missing. Nobody had ever made her feel this special. She had never dated anyone before. So, she did not know how it felt to be in a relationship. But now, after spending time with Noah, she realized that it was not actually bad to have someone who cared for her.

Noah looked at her staring at him. He knocked her forehead. "Hello, earth to Aria."

"Ouch." Aria rubbed her forehead in pain.

"What was that for?" Aria asked, still rubbing her forehead.

"To bring you back from your wonderland. Does it pain a lot?" He was a little worried now. He had not used a lot of force on her.

"What do you think?"

"Let me take a look." Noah leaned in to take a look at her forehead. His sudden closeness made Aria take a deep breath. She could smell his manly scent. His eyes immediately met hers and he gazed at her deeply.

The bodyguards, who were hiding, became excited looking at the sight in front of them.

"Boss, go for it."

"Boss, you can do it."

"Kiss her. Kiss her. Kiss her."

"Boss, don't miss this chance."

They were screaming in their minds.

Noah immediately pulled back looking at their close proximity. Aria looked away in embarrassment. Her cheeks were as red as a tomato.

Noah would have loved to kiss her. But he didn't want to scare her. He had all the time in the world. When Aria confesses her feelings to him, he could kiss her senseless. And he would make sure to kiss her a lot after that happens. Until then, he had to control himself.

'What Boss? You missed a good opportunity.'