Chapter 2: His First Real Date

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Aiden Valen was a man of structure. Schedules. Forecasts. Predictable outcomes.

So why was he standing in front of his mirror, staring at his reflection like he was about to walk into a battlefield… just because he had a date?

A real one this time.

Not a private, safe, in-his-own-living-room session with a hired rental girlfriend—but an actual public outing with Lira, the girl who had somehow started to occupy more space in his head than he was comfortable admitting.

He straightened the collar of his navy-blue shirt for the fourth time, running a hand through his dark hair, frowning when it didn’t fall exactly right.

“This is ridiculous,” he muttered to his reflection.

Yet he didn’t stop adjusting.

---

Earlier That Morning…

“Again?” Leo blinked in disbelief, sipping from his oversized coffee cup. “You booked her again?”

Aiden glanced at his phone. “Yes.”

Leo grinned. “You're addicted.”

“I am… curious.”

Leo laughed. “Yeah. Curious about what her lips taste like, maybe.”

Aiden ignored the jab. “I scheduled an outing. A real-world environment.”

“You mean… like a date? Outside?”

Aiden nodded, unsure why his palms were slightly clammy.

Leo blinked. “You’re going to implode.”

Aiden looked up sharply. “I’m serious.”

Leo leaned forward. “That’s why it’s funny.”

---

That Afternoon…

7:01 PM.

He stood outside the restaurant he had chosen—an upscale garden-style fusion place nestled between marble buildings and glowing lantern trees. Elegant, intimate, but not overbearingly romantic. He had researched it thoroughly. Checked reviews. Made sure the noise levels were moderate. Reserved a private booth.

Still, he wasn’t ready when he saw her walking toward him.

Lira.

Wearing a soft beige sundress, light makeup, and a crossbody bag slung carelessly over her shoulder. She looked radiant under the twilight, strands of her hair catching the golden light like melted chocolate.

She waved casually. “Hey, Boss.”

He stared.

“You okay?” she smirked. “You look like you’ve never seen a woman in a dress before.”

“I haven’t,” he answered honestly.

She stopped. “…Wait, seriously?”

“I mean not like this. On a date. With me.”

Her smirk twitched into something more genuine. “You really are hopeless.”

And oddly adorable.

---

Inside the Restaurant…

They were seated in a cozy booth beneath a hanging garden of lights, menus spread before them.

“Anything catch your eye?” Lira asked.

Aiden was too busy watching the way her fingers drummed lightly on the table to notice.

“…Pasta,” he replied, forcing himself to look away.

“Good choice.” She grinned. “Always a safe bet on a first date.”

“This isn’t a first date,” he said automatically. “This is… a simulated dating environment intended to develop my understanding of interpersonal dynamics.”

Lira stared.

He cleared his throat. “Right. Sorry.”

She leaned her cheek on her palm. “You always talk like that?”

He hesitated. “Yes. It’s how I was taught to communicate.”

“Well, I hate to break it to you,” she said, smiling, “but women don’t swoon over ‘simulated dynamics.’”

“I’ve noticed.”

The waiter arrived and took their orders. Aiden carefully avoided using corporate language. Lira gave him an approving nod, like he passed a pop quiz.

When the drinks arrived—sparkling soda for her, ice water for him—Lira raised her glass.

“To trying new things,” she said.

Aiden hesitated, then clinked his glass lightly against hers. “To… unstructured experiences.”

She rolled her eyes. “We’ll work on that.”

---

30 Minutes Into the Date…

Aiden couldn’t stop watching her.

The way she gestured when she talked, the little pauses before she teased him, the way she seemed so at ease—like she belonged in every room she walked into.

She, in contrast, couldn’t stop noticing the small things about him.

How he barely touched his food unless prompted. How he always maintained a respectful distance, even when leaning closer. How he looked like he wanted to say more but didn’t know how.

“You’re not used to being seen, are you?” she asked quietly.

He looked up. “Seen?”

“As in… noticed for who you really are. Not the title. Not the suit.”

He was silent for a long moment.

Then, slowly, “No.”

She tilted her head. “You want to be?”

He looked at her—eyes steady, softer than usual. “Yes.”

---

After Dinner…

They walked through the nearby park, a quiet space surrounded by low lights and wooden pathways. Lira kicked off her heels, walking barefoot on the cool grass, while Aiden followed in his polished leather shoes like an awkward bodyguard.

She glanced back. “You ever walk barefoot?”

He shook his head. “There are risks. Bacteria. Glass. Insects.”

She laughed. “God, you're such a CEO.”

He raised a brow. “And yet you agreed to come again.”

Lira looked at him, smile fading into something gentler. “Yeah… I did.”

They stopped beneath a hanging willow tree, its curtain of branches swaying in the wind.

Aiden spoke softly, “May I ask something… personal?”

Lira turned to him. “Sure.”

“Why… do you do this?”

She blinked. “Be a rental girlfriend?”

He nodded.

She looked at the sky for a moment, then back at him. “It started as a side hustle in college. Paid well. Easy hours. I’m good at reading people, pretending to be what they need.”

“And now?”

“Now…” She shrugged. “It’s complicated.”

Aiden didn’t push.

Instead, he said, “I think I like who you are, not who you pretend to be.”

She froze.

“…You barely know me,” she whispered.

“I observe. Carefully.”

She smiled, but it was smaller this time. Real.

---

As They Parted Ways…

He walked her to her car like a gentleman. Quiet. Gentle.

She unlocked the door, then paused. “Tonight was… nice.”

“I agree,” he said.

“You weren’t as stiff as last time.”

“I practiced small talk this morning,” he admitted. “Ten minutes.”

She laughed softly. “Nerd.”

He smiled.

She opened the car door. Then closed it again, turning back to him.

“…Hey,” she said suddenly. “Next time, let’s try something simple. No planning. No script.”

He tilted his head. “Such as?”

“Like… a street food date. Or a movie night. Something normal.”

“I don’t know what normal looks like.”

She stepped a little closer. “Then let me show you.”

He didn’t move. Didn’t speak.

But for the first time in a long time, Aiden Valen felt something flutter—small, unfamiliar, but undeniably real.

“Goodnight, Aiden,” she whispered, getting into her car.

He watched her drive away, the taillights fading into the city night.

---

Later That Night…

Aiden sat alone in his penthouse.

He opened his journal—not the business one. The hidden one. The one he wrote in when he couldn’t sleep.

He scribbled:

> Second date: went well.

I laughed. She smiled. My heart… skipped. Do hearts actually skip?

She wants to see me again.

I want that too.

Then paused.

He added one more line:

> I’m starting to wish this wasn’t pretend.

He closed the journal and stared at the flickering candle on his table, her laughter still echoing in his ears.

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