"Do I really have to go? Can't we just relax and watch some movie like we used to?" Rachel whined for what felt like a thousandth time that evening. Her lightly painted lips were pouting.

Cole knew what was she doing. The minx was trying to get away from their arrangement. Unfortunately for her, he had become immune to her tricks. He couldn't believe that she was using them at the age of twenty-four, that too on a person who knew her for twenty years.

"You can do that as long as you have no problem with I and Rose doing the deeds next door." His eyes shone mischievously. "Oh! I forgot to mention she was coming over, didn't I?"

And that's how Rachel found herself sitting on the wooden chair in a secluded area of one of the newest hotels of the city. No matter what, she had no desire to witness one of Cole's wild nights. She couldn't believe he set her up for some stupid blind date.

She ran her long fingers through her brown locks. Her other hand adjusted the navy-blue dress Cole had chosen for her. She was nervous. She cursed herself. Why was she acting like she was in a high-school? This was not her first date. Hell! Richard had taken her to countless dates. Then it hit her. When was her last date? Yes! It was about a year ago, when Richard and she broke up, more like he dumped her for another girl. She hadn't gone out after that. She pushed away the chances of meeting new people or spending time at any new place. She avoided anything new. And this had affected her in many aspects. She didn't even find any inspiration to paint anything in this period. It was like when he left he took away old Rachel with him.

Her everything was at stake. That was why Cole took a charge of her life. He left his mansion to move in with her, doing everything he could, to take her out of depression. She knew he was afraid that she would harm herself. And honestly, she once did consider doing it. However, now that everything was better,  she was grateful to him. She believed that she owed her new life to him, so even if she wasn't ready she couldn't deny Cole when he proposed this idea. Truth to be told, he didn't know this man either. He just came across him on some website and after interacting with him for a few times, he was assured that this man was perfect for Rachel to move on.

She almost spat the water she was sipping when she heard,

"I am really sorry if I kept you waiting. New York traffic is terrible sometimes."

The gentle voice forced Rachel to turn around. Her hazel eyes landed on gray, stormy ones as she took in the man in front of her. Apparently, Justin Roberts was his name. In her opinion, the name didn't sound correct with the face that was sculpted so aristocratically. The artist within her couldn't help. She noticed his perfectly tan skin. His ruffled black locks were giving him a laid-back appearance. His arched eyebrows and thick eyelashes could put shame to female super-models. The pink plump lips just below his straight nose enhanced the beauty of his face. His jaw was sharp enough that Rachel wondered if it would cut her finger if she touched it. And then she realized what she had thought. She just imagined touching this handsome stranger. It surprised her. It had been very long since she desired some man, let alone notice him in such details. It was the ability that she thought she lost when her boyfriend of four years left her like she meant nothing. The realization brought back her senses. She cursed herself for thinking about the man for whom she had cried enough.

"Don't worry! I haven't been here for long," she assured as she gestured for him to take his seat.

He looked at the female in front of him. She was beautiful. With minimal make-up on her face, he could see her natural features. Her long hairs were looking so soft that his hands were itching to touch them. The milky white tone of her skin was reflecting the light perfectly. Her button nose and full lips were making her look cuter by every passing second. He knew she would call him a pervert if he asked her what was the flavor of the lip gloss she had used for those engaging lips. Shaking his mind he extended his hand and spoke,

"I am... Justin Roberts."

Why did he hesitate to use his name, Rachel wondered.

"Rachel Blue." She shook his hand, in an attempt to be polite.

What she didn't expect was the rush of excitement that ran through her body at this little contact. Was that her imagination? Or was it just the fact that she had no contact with opposite sex, except her family and Cole, for past year? It was the latter, she concluded.

However, she didn't know that she wasn't alone in the boat. Justin had felt that current too. Shaking his head, he added,

"So Rachel," He tasted her name on his tongue "you are different from how I imagined you."

She shivered twice.

First when he spoke her name.

And second when he admitted that he imagined her.

Composing herself, she replied,

"And how did you imagine me?" A slightly challenging smirk graced her lips.

"From how Cole described you, I thought you were older. Maybe in your late thirties."

Rachel looked at him. From what she could guess, he was no older than twenty-eight. And one thing she could never be wrong about was guessing people's ages. Her eyes didn't hide her disbelief.

"Are you implying that older women fascinate you, Mr. Roberts? Not that it is offensive." She raised an amused eyebrow at him.

He blushed. Deep red. It wasn't something he wanted to talk about at the moment.

"Not exactly," he continued, "the way he portrayed you, made me believe that you were a mature woman." His tanned cheeks crimsoned, which she found cute.

"Are you implying that only older women can be mature?" Her tone had a slight edge to it.

He panicked. He couldn't believe it. Not even ten minutes and he was ruining his chance to be with someone who might be different from the people he interacted with on the daily basis.

His turmoil didn't go unnoticed from Rachel's eyes. To her, his emotions were like reading the words from some open book. Completely clear. Not wanting to push him anymore, she opted to calm him down. After all, she was in no mood to hear Cole's rants about how she was a people repellent.

"Relax Justin," she mumbled, a smile dancing on her lips. "I am just teasing."

At this, he relaxed visibly. A smile, that graced those lips, almost took away Rachel's breath. To her, it was enticing.

"You got me there," he confessed. Now that he relaxed, he could be himself. He tugged at the long sleeves of the maroon t-shirt he wore. A twinkle in his eyes showed Rachel that he was ready for further conversation.

Then they talked.

And talked.

And talked.

Forgetting everything around them. For them, there were just them, and everything else was blurred. No one else mattered.

By the end of that night, Rachel felt like she knew him longer than a span of some dinner date. She told him she was a painter, who hadn't painted in a long time. And when he encouraged her she realized, how silly she was being for almost abandoning one thing that she had loved all her life. The only thing for which she discarded higher education. She realized how much she needed this, just talking to someone who didn't know a thing about her. It surprised her, how much she had held up within herself. And with how easy it was to talk to him, she could tell him anything.

Justin didn't realize what the time was until a manager of that hotel had personally come to inform them that it was closing time. He told her that he was working in a company. Which company and what position he kept away, but other than that he shared everything that wasn't personal. He couldn't believe how easy it was to talk to her either. Though they were in completely different fields, he found he could relate their lives, their careers. Her passion towards painting and everything artistic amazed him. He felt lighter. He was happy with himself for listening to his heart and not canceling that day's plans with Rachel.

The night was about to end, and so was their date. They were walking side by side on the road that leads to Rachel's apartment. The silence between them was not a single bit awkward. If anything, it was soothing and relaxing. Once in a while their hands would brush, then they would look at each other and shyly put some distance between. Their minds were processing how that night turned out different than what they anticipated. It was better. Better than whatever they both had pictured.

Rachel looked up to see that they were in front of her place. With a heavy heart, she turned to look in his direction.

"So this is it," Rachel mumbled.

"This is it," Justin replied. "Goodnight Rachel."

"Goodnight Justin."

She was about to turn but stopped when she felt a warm hand on her wrist. Despite the warm weather, another shiver shot through her spine.

"Wait," he said, "I have to tell you something."

His eyes shone with determination. There was no trace of hesitation.

"What is it, Justin?"

He grumbled something incoherently.

"Will you forgive me if I say my name isn't Justin," he asked her innocently. "You have all the rights to be angry with me for not telling you my real name, but I was unsure about the way you will act around me if I tell you who am I. After all, online portals can't guarantee you that person you will meet will not be an opportunist or a gold-digger."

So, her intuition of him not being "Justin Roberts" wasn't false.

She pulled her hand away from his hold, suddenly unsure about herself. "Was that the only thing you were hiding?"

Seeing her so vulnerable he cursed himself. This is not how he wanted to progress things with her.

He placed his hand on her chin and gently made her look at him. He spoke softly, "the only thing that I hid from you is that I am Dominique Costas."

"As in 'Costas industries' Costas," she asked in disbelief. Wait! Wasn't Costas a Greek name? Of course, he had to be some Greek god, she huffed internally.

Unaware of her thoughts, he nodded his head. "Everyone treats me different because I am a Costas. I was so done with this. I always wanted to spend some time away from everything. That's why I used the false name. I am sorry if I hurt you, but now that I want to spend more time with you, I couldn't let you keep my false identity, so will you please give me a chance and go on another date with me?"

Insecurities about reality was something that Rachel could relate to very well. She looked at him and smiled. "I will, but only on my terms."

"Anything," he promised.

"No more secrets and you will let me paint you."

He laughed. This was one of the sweetest gesture anyone had done for him. "Only if you painted us together."

"Deal," she spoke breathlessly.

"Deal," he confirmed.

And that was a start of a new relationship.

~*~*~

I hope you liked this story. Thank you all!!!