The Bodyguard

A Date

"So where are we going?" Emilia calls to Alexander, curious as she watches not the nicest parts of town flash by, run down pieces and graffiti decorating almost every building. It wasn't that she particularly minded, she hadn't grown up in the nicest of areas, her house a little two story thing with barely a backyard, and only blocks away from that place where you walk at night you will most definitely get mugged or shot, but she hadn't expected to be brought back to such a place on a date of all things.

"You will see." Is his coy response, making a scowl darken her features as she watches the gloomy clouds overhead, ready to break open at any moment upon them, her favorite weather. She loves surprises but hates them at the same time, always excited to receive them, but also hating the suspense that always comes before their answer. Besides, what if she hated the surprise, then she would feel bad. He didn't even know what foods she liked, other than the obvious of chocolate and whipped cream, what if he picked something spicy that she couldn't eat? 

Suspense eating at her stomach, she sticks her hands beneath her legs and bites her lip, trying not to be extremely childish about the whole thing. She knows she has much more serious things to worry about, especially with their conversation that morning, but her head is so full of everything that he had told her, that at the moment it is very happy to not be on hyperdrive. 

She doesn't want to think about what her mom had gotten them into, what they were involved in, and how far it goes. Her father had clearly been involved some how, Rose might have been, but how far did it go? Did her mother really have no idea about any of it? How was she so oblivious? So in-love with the idea of having someone to love her, someone with money and that would not leave her, not like her father had, that she would look past every odd thing that happened to just live the life of luxury. 

Trying to shove sudden disgust with her mom to the farthest corner of her mind, she glances back out the window as they slow down, pulling into a very tiny, run down parking lot just outside of a tiny strip mall with several interesting looking places inside. In all honesty, it was definitely not the type of place that she had expected to be taken to on a first date with him. 

She wasn't someone that cared about money, never was, but she wasn't exactly sure that this area was incredibly safe, maybe for him, but for her, probably not so much. He was big, and muscled, and had a gun, and she. . . She had really crappy self-defense moves she had learned after Rose had been murdered.

Stepping out of the car as he opens the door, accepting the hand that he offered to help her out and stepping into the surprisingly litter free lot. However, once officially out of the car, his hand doesn't let go of hers immediately, holding onto it for a little while longer than necessary, before instead he places it at her back, guiding her gently towards the glass door that had the words Turkish Cafe in bold, green letters on the inside.

Alexander is silent, still not one to make unnecessary conversation as he pushes the door open, holding it for her as she walks in slowly, looking around in curiosity at what such a tiny place has to offer.

It is surpisingly adorable really, decorated in a very traditional middle eastern style, even having an entire area where you could sit on the floor instead of a table, decorated with pillows and rugs, low hanging chandeliers over the tables lighting it perfectly. One of the not so charming aspects however, was the host stand, with clearly unfinished paint job, and leaning slightly to the right with one of the feet missing completely.

The man standing behind it was leaning with one elbow, on his phone and clearly ignoring everything going on. It was rather obvious that they aren't expecting customers at only 1 in the afternoon. By logic, their lunch rush is over and dinner rush is far from beginning yet.