Abandoned but Not Alone (18 page)

Feeling
emotionally drained, Jason wanted only to relax on the drive to and from the
restaurant.  He had given Bruce and Matt, his chauffeurs the night off as they
hadn't been needed for the wedding, so he called a cab, not wanting to drive.
The taxi deposited them outside what appeared to Aviva to be a very trendy area
of town. As she looked around lots of stylishly dressed people strolled past
canopy fronted eateries, emitting wonderful aromas to entice them inside.

Jason
placed a hand at the base of Aviva
’
s back,
guiding her towards an iron gate patrolled by a huge doorman who greeted him by
name, bowing them inside. They descended iron stairs leading to a basement
restaurant. At the bottom of the stairs the space revealed brick walls on which
hung artwork depicting models and well known magazine covers of a by-gone
sophisticated age.

Jason was
immediately greeted by the hostess who obviously knew him. They were led to a
table tucked away in a corner of the restaurant. Once they had taken their
seats, Aviva looked around the interior of the restaurant which was decorated
in black and red. The tables were laid with silver cutlery; plain cut crystal
water and wine glasses and black chargers topped with white plates. Beside the
place settings were red napkins encircled with a black holder. None of the
tables had a tablecloth and were made out of black wood, which exactly matched
the color of the wooden floor. The chairs were of black flock material
depicting small diamond shapes which ran together to form a continuous pattern.
The lighting was discreet lending itself to an air of intimacy.

The
restaurant had an air of sophistication and ultra-trendiness that would appeal
to people who wanted to be known for frequenting the hottest spots in town. As
Aviva continued to look around, she spotted two well-known models, a rap star
and one famous up and coming actor. Aviva craned her neck, slightly star
struck, wanting to see who else she could spot, but the layout of the
restaurant was designed to offer maximum privacy to its client
è
le. When she stopped twisting her head
this way and that, she realized Jason was watching her in amusement.

“
What do you think of this place?
”
He asked with a sweep of his hand,
indicating the restaurant.

“
It looks like a good place for spotting
famous people
…
it
’
s very trendy but
…
to be honest; it doesn
’
t seem like
your type of place.
”

“
Oh really, and why is that?
”
Jason asked resting his elbows on the
black table, his chin supported by his intertwined knuckles.

Aviva
hesitated, wanting to ensure she chose her words carefully, unsure if she had
just insulted him. 
“
Well
…
it just seems like this would be the
place to come if you wanted to be spotted. Say for example, a rap star who
wanted to be noticed by the right people, or a model who wanted to gain the
attention of a rap star or an actor. You just strike me as someone who doesn
’
t need to put himself out there like
that. And well
…
you don
’
t really fit in with all this trendy
arty-farty stuff, I mean...you just seem too old for this setting.
”

“
Too old, I
’
m thirty four, not Methuselah
…
you started off so well, then you had to go and spoil it,
telling me that I
’
m not
on-trend and too old to mix with the in crowd, thanks a lot. You sure know how
to flatter a guy,
”
Jason
replied to Aviva
’
s candid
observations.

“
Oh sorry, maybe that came out wrong. What
I meant to say was you are way too debonair for this place. Was that better?
”

“
Much better, and for that last comment
alone, I have decided to feed you, and to pay for the privilege. You were this
close to blowing it.
”
Jason
smiled, indicating a tiny space between his thumb and forefinger.

Before
Aviva could comment their waiter appeared, handing him the wine list and both
of them menus. Their selection for food and wine made, they continued a round
of light conversation until their plates were set before them.

Once their
waiter had departed, Jason engaged her in a more serious conversation.
“
Actually you
’
re right; this isn
’
t the type
of restaurant I would usually frequent. I have an ulterior motive in bringing
you here. I wanted to get your honest opinion on what you thought of this
place. It
’
s for sale,
and I
’
m thinking about
buying it. I
’
ve been
here a number of times and the service and food are okay, that
’
s the problem, everything is just okay.
Yes the right people come, but they mainly come to the bar rather than the
food. What
’
s the point
of having a restaurant on one of the most expensive strips in the city if
people don
’
t want to
eat here?
”

Aviva could
see his point but she was confused. 
“
Well why
would you be thinking about buying the place if it
’
s not making money. It is losing money, right?
”

“
Yes it is. However, I
’
ve taken a look at the books and the
building, and I think with some remodeling and a few changes, this place has
real potential.
”

They
continued chatting about Jason
’
s ideas
only pausing for the delivery of their various courses. When their coffee was
placed before them, conversation turned towards Aviva
’
s plans to stay in California for an extended period of time.

“
So, you
’
re going to be in town for a while?
”
At her nod, Jason continued.
“
Where will you be staying?
”

“
The studio has agreed to foot the bill
for a short term let. I
’
ve been
looking at a few places online while I was still in New York. I
’
ve shortlisted three apartments I like.
As a matter of fact, I have appointments for viewings tomorrow.
”

“
Where are these apartments?
”
Jason asked, somehow managing to refrain
from asking her to remain at his house, with him, while she was in California.

“
Two in Burbank and one Glendale which
should put me in close proximity to the studio where I
’
ll be working.
”

“
So you
’
re going to be working on Carlos
’
album?
”

“
Yeah, the track I wrote for his last
album did really well. So when he asked me to co-write this album, I jumped at
the opportunity. I
’
ve never
taken on so large a project for such a well-known and established artist.
Normally I just write songs and if someone takes them up, I let them go, move
on to the next. If I
’
m
completely honest, this project scares the pants off me. The hours in the
studio are going to be long and tiring, and I
’
ll be there, face to face with one of the most respected R&B
artists in the world, working with him, attempting to do my part to make his
next album a success. I just hope my creative juices don
’
t let me down when I need them the most.
”
Aviva finished with a small smile,
realizing she had said too much, revealing her insecurities about the project
she had agreed to.

“
Stay with me.
”

“
Pardon me?
”

“
Stay with me, at my house.
”
  Jason repeated, holding her eyes.
“
I know you feel this thing that
’
s developing between us, even if you
’
re not ready to acknowledge it. We
’
re both going to be putting in long hours
working and I want to see where this could lead; in order for that to happen,
we need to have time together, time to get to know each other.
”

“
I don
’
t know Jason
…”

“
It
’
s a big house Aviva, I have the space. You
’
re there already so why not stay and let
’
s see how things develop. Just think
about it, that
’
s all I
ask.
”

Aviva was
taken aback and thrilled at the same time by Jason
’
s proposal but her overriding feeling was one of uncertainty,
things were moving too fast. Jason on a certain level frightened her. The
feelings she had for him had swamped her from the moment of their meeting. She
had never felt anything like it before, and it scared her. She had her share of
boyfriends in the past and she couldn
’
t say she
was disappointed when the relationships had come to an end. They were okay but
had never rocked her world. However, she had a feeling Jason was capable of
more than rocking her world
–
he could
probably devastate it.
“
I
’
ll think about it.
”
Feeling confused and unsure, she excused
herself to go to the powder room.

As she
walked towards the back of the restaurant thoughts of Jason
’
s offer ran through her mind, should she
accept his offer, was it too soon to take such a big step? He didn
’
t seem to think so. Jason by all
appearances had it all; a successful business, good looks and the acumen and
charm to carry it all off. Yet something was missing, he seemed lonely, even
surrounded by all the trappings of his obvious wealth. Touching up her makeup,
she stopped, lip gloss in her raised hand, where did that thought come from?
The more she thought about Jason being lonely the more solidly the thought
lodged in her mind. Aviva recognized the look in his eyes, it was the same look
that stared back at her when she looked in the mirror. Reaching the decision to
accept his offer, she quickly finished applying her lip gloss and left the
powder room.

With
hurried steps she made her way back to the table, eager to tell Jason she
accepted his offer of staying at his house while she remained in California. As
she neared one of the tables on her right, one of the men sitting there caught
her eye. Jason must have seen someone he knew and had switched seats to speak
with him. But, something continued to bother her, the man looked exactly like
Jason facially but
…
different.
Of course, she realized a split second later, it was his brother, why the sight
of this Jason lookalike had thrown her she had no idea. As she came abreast to
the table she stopped and greeted the man and his companion, who also bore a
striking resemblance to Jason, the main difference being, he had dark hair.
Again she was momentarily thrown, something nagging at the back of her mind,
but was unable to tie it down.

“
Hello I'm Aviva, I
’
m having dinner with Jason, I
’
m sure he'd like to see you both.
”
Both men politely stood as she spoke to
them. They were very tall, as tall as Jason and just as broad across the
shoulders.
“
You guys
look so much alike, I bet you get that all the time right, that twin thing?
”
She said looking at Jason
’
s lookalike.
“
Please come and join us, I
’
m sure he
’
d want to
see you both.
”
  A strange
look passed between the two men, one Aviva was unable to decipher. Looking down
at her the Jason lookalike spoke for them both.

“
Yes, of course
…
we would both very much like to see
…
Jason. Please lead the way.
”

Well jeez,
Aviva thought, they could show a little more enthusiasm as she retraced her
steps towards their table. Jason appeared to be signing the check for their
meal and was therefore not looking in the direction. When he spotted her, a
smile came to his face as he rose from his chair in greeting. Then it happened.
His eyes moved sharply up and behind her.