EIGHT

Juliet

Oh God, he's good looking. I thought with a bit of panic.

As if he wasn't already stunning enough, he smiled.

“Sorry I disturbed you. All the other tables are occupied. Mind if I join you?”

Dimples.

“Sure!” I agreed, immediately regretting it.

“Thanks”, he said, taking a seat in front of me.

Having been married to a man like Declan, I had grown to be able to socialise with strangers. But those were under specific conditions and I was always mentally prepared.

There was no way I could have a normal conversation with a man who came from nowhere and not be awkward.

In a bid to avoid him, I turned back to admiring the view while sipping my drink.

“Beautiful view isn't it?”

I simply hummed an agreement.

“Everything about this city screams extravagance”, he said.

I looked at him. There must be a ‘why do you think so’ on my face, because he continued.

“Just look at the buildings from this view. Exaggerated structure. It looks like some sort of a competition if you ask me”, he said.

“Really?” I frowned, sitting up.

“You don't think so?” He asked, with a small smile playing on his lips.

“I don't think it's a competition. Stanton has high standards when it comes to buildings. I mean it's the seat of architecture, you can't expect anything less”. He must be new to the city, else, he would understand that it's more than just a competition.

“Hm”, he hummed with a nod, then called the server.

“Look, see how that building twists?” I gestured to the one that stood out to me.

“Some people might think it's just showing off, but the rotation reduces vortex shedding. The exposed diagrid on the facade is carrying a surprising amount of the load which is why they could get away with those ridiculous overhangs. And if you…”

Shit, I’m rambling again.

I paused with my hands in the air, watching the unreadable expression on the man’s face.

“Sorry”, I said awkwardly, hoping he didn't think I was odd.

“No, it's okay”, he shook his head.

“Your drink is almost finished”, he pointed out.

“Oh, thanks”, I said, before telling the server to get me another one.

The man smiled softly at me. “So you're an architect?” He asked.

I shook my head. “Em… no. I just studied it in school”, I answered, pushing down the feeling of dejection.

“Why didn't you pursue it as a career?” He asked, looking a curious and confused.

I shrugged. “I figured out it wasn't for me”, I said quietly, ignoring the sting I felt in my chest.

The man clicked his tongue. “That’s a shame”.

I furrowed my brows at him.

“My friend is also an architect. He can spend hours talking about his work nonstop”, he said with a small smile.

“Oh”.

“So, do you stay in the hotel?” He asked.

“No. I came with a friend”, I answered.

His perfect brows slightly drew together. And then he relaxed.

“Well it's a good thing he left”, he said casually.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “She had an emergency”.

His brows rose. “Ohh. Sorry”. He paused. And then,

“It will be odd for any man to abandon you on a date”.

I gave him a pointed look. Where was he going with that?

He looked confused for a moment before his expression turned alarmed. “Oh no… I shouldn't… I’m sorry I assumed your date was a man”

“What?”

“Or it wasn't a date. I mean women go out all the time. It doesn't always have to be a date”, he rambled.

I watched him in confusion. The man bit his lips, looking… embarrassed?

“Sorry”, he muttered.

And then I laughed at him. It felt good to watch someone other than myself fumble a conversation.

“What's funny?” He asked, confused.

I shook my head trying to hold back my laugh.

And then he smiled. “Glad you find my predicament amusing”.

“What about you? Do you stay here?” I asked.

“Yes. I’m here for business, actually”, he said, his confidence seeming to return.

“That's nice”, I nodded.

I looked around, noticing something. And then the idea to tease him struck my mind.

“Now that I’m actually looking, there are some empty tables”, I said, raising my brows at him accusingly.

His eyes shifted. “Good observation”, he said lowly with an amused smile.

“So why did you choose to sit with me?” I asked.

“I saw a gorgeous woman sitting alone and decided to take my chances”, he said, his dark eyes on mine.

I suddenly became aware again of how attractive he was. Plus, he thought I was gorgeous.

My cheeks heated up.

“Okay”, I took my drink, looking away.

“And I just realised I haven't introduced myself”.

I looked at him.

“I’m Noah”, he said.

“Juliet”, I replied.

“Juliet”, he tested, nodding.

Just as I was about to dwell on how much I liked the sound of my name in his mouth, it suddenly started to pour.

“Shit”, he swore.

For something that started too sudden, it was heavy. My clothes were instantly wet.

“Let's get out of here”, he said, getting up.

Everyone at the rooftop rushed down, while I followed Noah until we were inside the hotel.

“Are you good?” He asked.

I nodded. And then I noticed his eyes trail down to my chest. I followed his gaze, only to see that my white dress was now see through, revealing my entire cleavage and bra.