Rosa fidgeted and paced in her room for the rest of the afternoon, managed to sit through dinner and then resumed pacing through the house. Her father finally banished her from the study, closing the door behind her. Her father’s words lingered in her thoughts. Was it really right of her, to try and change Aedan? Was that even what she was trying to do?

The doorbell rang at eight o’clock. The doorman had been told to expect Aedan and to let him up to the apartment. Sophie was heading down the hall for the door, but Rosa ran ahead, almost knocking the woman over.

“Rosa! Slow down.” Sophie stopped, hands on her hips.

“Sorry, Sophie.” Rosa shot the older woman an apologetic look, then opened the door, breathless as she greeted Aedan.

“Hey...” She grabbed his hand, pulling him into the foyer. “You remember Sophie? Did you meet her? Anyway, Sophie, this is Aedan. Aedan, Sophie.”

“Hi, Sophie.” Aedan barely had the words out before Rosa was pulling him down the hall to the study.

“Hey, Rosa...” He stopped abruptly, pulling against her hand and spinning her around into his arms. “Don’t I at least get a kiss?”

“Oh. Yeah.” She laughed softly and let him pull her against him, his lips finding hers. He held her for a moment, the restlessness replaced by the joy of being in his arms.

There was a not-so-discreet cough behind her. Aedan pulled away, stepping back from Rosa. She held his hand, feeling the tension in his grip, as if he wanted to bolt back down the hall. Her father was in the hallway, his reading glasses perched on the end of his nose.

“Hello, Mr. Thomas.” Rosa had never heard Aedan’s voice sound so formal. It was odd to hear the stilted quality and it made her uneasy.

“Hello, Aedan. Would you like to come in, have a drink? We can...chat.”

Rosa pulled Aedan forward, trying to ignore the questioning look on his face.

“Sure, Dad. We’d love to.” She tugged Aedan’s hand and he reluctantly followed her into the study.

“Anything you’d like?” Her father asked. “Soda, wine...beer?”

“A beer would be great.” Aedan was standing in the doorway, scowling at Rosa, myriad questions flitting across his features.

Rosa pulled Aedan toward the loveseat while her father poured himself a drink. “Here, sit. I’ll go get a beer from the kitchen.”

She flew down the hall, grabbing a beer from the refrigerator, colliding again with Sophie.

“Miss Rosa!” Sophie said reprovingly.

“Sorry...” Rosa’s apology was tossed over her shoulder as she hurried back down the hall. She arrived rather breathlessly back in the study, took a deep breath and handed the beer to Aedan. She dropped down beside him on the loveseat, taking his free hand.

“Aedan, Rosa’s been telling me a bit about your...situation.” Rosa felt Aedan squeeze her hand, not an entirely friendly gesture.

“I’m not sure what she’s told you.” The words seemed strangely hesitant.

“About your fighting...career, is it? She’s quite impressed with whatever it is you’ve told her. I have to be honest, I’m not quite clear on what it is you do, or are planning on doing. But, I trust Rosa’s judgment in most things and she seems to think you have promise.”

Rosa smiled at her father. She knew he was trying at least to not be dismissive. She only hoped Aedan would try just as hard to be receptive.

Her father leaned forward a little in his chair. “I’ve got a proposition for you, Aedan. I’ve an opening at one of my restaurants, nothing fancy. Entry level all the way. If you’re interested, I’d like to offer you the position. You’d have the time during the day to devote to your... To whatever you need to accomplish this...goal. The hours are strictly evening. Actually quite late some nights.”

Rosa had been watching Aedan’s face. He’d gone from wary to confused to something that resembled hostility. And then his face closed, that impassive look she’d seen at the party descending. She squeezed his hand again and he turned to her.

“Did you put your father up to giving me a job?” His voice was flat.

“I asked him if he would consider hiring you.”

“And I haven’t actually given you anything, Aedan,” her father cut in. “I’m offering. You need to accept it, if this is to happen.”

“And then what?” Aedan turned to look back at her father. “Am I your charity case? Your feel good for the week?”

Rosa thought she could hear the anger in Aedan’s voice but there was a desperate edge that sounded like fear. Or his wounded pride. “Aedan,” she said softly. “It’s not like that.” She tugged on his hand. His face remained turned away. “Look at me. I heard what Frank said today, about the gym fees. I know if you can’t pay, you can’t train.” She saw a flash of real anger this time in his blue eyes as he finally looked at her. Her stomach twisted nervously. Maybe her father had been right. “And I know that would kill you.” She could feel him trying to pull his hand out of hers, but she held on. “I know how much you hate to admit you need help, but I think you do. And we...I mean, my dad...has offered you something that might help.”

Aedan was silent, his lips set in that stubborn way Rosa had come to recognize either meant an argument or that he had shut down completely. She had hoped for a discussion or even an argument rather than a closed, silent Aedan. But her father interrupted her thoughts.

“You know, Aedan,” he said quietly. “You remind me of myself at your age. Stubborn, not willing to take a handout. But I’ll tell you something. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t accepted help when it was offered. And this isn’t a handout. It’s a hand offering help. You’ll have to work. This isn’t a free ride.”

Aedan looked down at the bottle in his hands, picking at the label with his thumbnail. He finally looked up at Rosa’s father, his expression resigned. “Alright. I’ll take the job.” He rose, walked across the room and offered his hand to her father.

Her father stood as well, accepting Aedan’s outstretched hand.

“Thank you, Mr. Thomas. I appreciate the offer.”

Rosa watched Aedan, her eyes taking in his stiff, unhappy posture. She had another moment of doubt, that this wasn’t the right thing to have done, but it was too late now. It hurt to see Aedan looking as if he had been backed into a corner. She rose, standing behind Aedan, taking his hand into hers. The tension in his grip was evident and she felt him squeezing her fingers.

“Here, this is the name of the restaurant and who you’ll ask for. Be there tomorrow at five o’clock. Dinner service ends at eleven. You’ll be working till at least one o’clock most nights.” He handed Aedan a slip of paper, and Aedan glanced at it before shoving it into his pocket.

“Like I said Aedan, this isn’t a hand out. You’ll have to work. No special treatment.”

“I understand. Thanks.” Aedan’s voice was emotionless.

He was squeezing her fingers harder now, making her wince. Rosa tried to subtly wiggle them, to let him know that he was hurting her. The grip didn’t loosen, and she saw her father looking at them like he might say something.

“Aedan, I think we have plans, right?” She forced a smile. “We don’t want to be late.” As she pulled him toward the door, she nodded at her father, a sign of her gratitude.

Aedan stalked toward the front door, disengaging her hand along the way.

“Wait.” Rosa trotted to catch up with him. “Where did you want to go?”

He turned, his eyes hard.

She stopped short.

“Out of here, for one thing. Then we can decide.” Aedan pulled the door open, heading for the elevator.

Rosa looked around wildly for her purse, grabbed it off the foyer table, and slammed the door closed behind her as she followed him out. “Aedan...you have to know...”

The elevator was waiting, the doors sliding open silently.

“Know what?” He was in the elevator, angrily smashing the button for the lobby with his thumb. “Know that you did something behind my back? That you feel sorry for me? That you think I can’t take care of myself. And you put me in a really uncomfortable situation with your father.”

The doors finally closed and he turned to her. “Rosa, I’m trying really hard to be patient with you...with this. But you’ve crossed a line here...” He took a deep breath, but the elevator chimed for the lobby level

The elevator doors slid open and Aedan strode across the lobby, pushing the doors to the street open, not holding them for Rosa. The doorman started to say something, moving toward the closing doors. She ignored him, pushing them open herself, following Aedan onto the sidewalk.

“Aedan, slow down. Stop.” She grabbed his arm. “Listen, please. I guess I should’ve asked you first...but I wanted to know if my father would offer you something before I said anything to you. I didn’t want to get your hopes up and then have him say no.”

Aedan had stopped on the sidewalk, spinning around. “You should’ve asked me! Should’ve said something to warn me. You can’t spring something like this on somebody and not expect them—me—to be upset.” He turned, stalking down the walk, but at a pace Rosa could match.

“You do understand I was only trying to help?” She slid her arm through his. “I wasn’t offering you money. Didn’t ask my dad to give you money, or borrow it to you. It’s a fair offer he made. That’s it.”

She heard him exhale sharply. “Yeah, I get that. I do. But...”

“What?”

“I don’t take charity. I’m not someone’s project. One of those idiot friends of yours called me that the other night at that party. And I don’t want to be that. I want to be...”

“Be what? Aedan, what do you want?”

He stopped, turning again to Rosa. “I want us...to be on equal footing, equal in whatever this is between us.” He waved his hand. “Now, I feel like I owe you something. I’m in your debt. Or your father’s.” He shook his head. “And that just complicates everything. Links us in a way I’m not comfortable with.” He started walking again. “I don’t like owing anybody anything.

“I’m sorry. I guess I didn’t think...” She took a deep breath and let it go again. “We are equal, Aedan. Me talking to my dad doesn’t change that. And it’s not a handout. It’s a job. That you actually have to do. It’s just... an open door.” She looked over at him. “It’s networking. People do it all the time.”

Aedan didn’t answer.

They walked in silence for a few blocks, up past the Museum. The night was cool and Rosa wished she’d grabbed a sweater, but she didn’t want to bring it up. Finally, she felt the tension start to leave Aedan’s body, his posture relaxing. He took her hand, winding his fingers through hers.

“Did you eat, Aedan? You hungry?”

He looked over at her. “No, I came from the gym. I wasn’t sure what you had in mind.”

“There’s a little place around the corner from the Museum. It’s quiet. We can talk.”

He took a few more hesitant steps. “Rosa, you know I can’t afford...”

She held up her hand. “I know. And it’s a pride thing. But.” She smiled. “You want to be equal, right?”

That startled a laugh out of him. “I don’t think that’s really fair.”

“It’s perfectly fair.” Rosa bumped her shoulder against his arm. “There’s this thing called compromise, which you’re really bad at, by the way.” She stopped walking and Aedan drew her close, looking down at her. She softened her tone. “I know you’ve had to fight for everything in your life, but let someone else take over for a minute. Even if it’s just for dinner and a drink. You’re not giving up your dream if I feed you.”

He opened his mouth, probably to object but she cut him off before he could say anything.

She gave him a mischievous grin. “Think of it as practice. You practice letting me buy you dinner. You see what happens. If you don’t spontaneously combust for some reason, maybe we can do it again sometime.”

Aedan laughed, shaking his head. “You’re not giving up on this, are you? Fine.” He kissed her, his lips firm against hers. She could feel the residual tension in his lips, in his fingers against her skin. She carded her own fingers through his short hair.

“No. I’m not. And I’m not giving up on you either.”

They found the small bistro in the lobby of a hotel. The maître d escorted them to a small table in the back of the dark restaurant, leaving them each a menu.

Aedan picked his up, and frowned at it. Closed it. “Okay. I’ll admit I’m out of my depth here.”

“This just makes you really uncomfortable, doesn’t it?” Rosa looked up from her own menu, studying his face.

“Yeah.” He sighed. “It does. Like being against the ropes and not knowing what to do. It’s uncertainty and I don’t like the feeling.”

“But it’s me, Aedan.” She grinned at him over the top of the menu. “You’re not uncertain when it comes to me, are you?”

He shook his head. She finally saw a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“Not you as much as everything that comes with you.” He reached across the table, taking her hand. “I’m trying, beautiful...really. It just doesn’t look like it sometimes.”

She squeezed his hand. “I know. That’s all that matters, that you give me a chance.”

The waiter showed up before she could say anything else, and she ordered for both of them, watching Aedan frown as she spoke.

“What exactly am I getting for dinner?”

“You’ll like it. I promise.” She took a sip of water. “Tell me about the gym. What exactly do you do? I mean, what’re you training for specifically?”

“Frank has a match in a couple months he wants to line up for me, one with scouts from the pros. He thinks I’m ready now, but he wants to wait.” Aedan tapped his fingers against the table in a silent, impatient rhythm. “The matches coming up are with higher level contenders than me; he’s playing this cautious for some reason. I keep pushing him to set something up sooner, but he won’t budge.”

“Is there money involved in these?”

Aedan shook his head. “Not the one Frank wants me to take. The one next month has a purse though, which is why I’m interested in it. But Frank... He’s smart, he’s got his reasons. He says I need to learn patience, not just in the ring but in the rest of it, the business end of it. He’s worried about injuries from lack of training or conditioning, thinks if I’m not prepared, I’ll get hurt.”

Rosa was quiet for a moment. She wasn’t sure how to approach Aedan with what was on her mind. She wasn’t sure it was the right decision to approach him with it at all. But she had to know. “Do you ever think about doing something else? Or what you’d do if you couldn’t fight?”

Aedan stared at her. “No. Not since I started training seriously with Frank.” He took a swallow of beer. “When I first started at the gym, it was more just a place to be, rather than on the street. But after Frank took an interest, started training me personally, it’s all we’ve ever worked for. Frank says I’m his million-dollar baby.”

She felt a little rush of hope. “Is this more Frank’s dream than yours?”

Aedan shook his head. “No... Not by a long shot. He’s made me see my potential, given me the tools and the guidance. But this is me, all me, my dream. Frank’s part of it, but it’s mine.”

That was out, then. Rosa sighed internally. Her father had been right. Thinking about trying to change his dream was... silly. Maybe even wrong. But it didn’t make her any less afraid for him.

Their food arrived and the look on Aedan’s face made Rosa laugh.

“It is a steak, Aedan. Just with a fancy name and some odd vegetables. You’ll like it.”

Aedan cut a tiny piece from the steak, gingerly tasting it. Rosa watched as he closed his eyes. “Damn. This is amazing.” He cut a bigger piece off and stuff it in his mouth. A groan escaped.

Rosa laughed. “That bad, huh?” She teased. “Will you let me take you out for dinner more often, if we come here?”

Aedan shook his head. Then paused. “Maybe,” he said finally, the single word forced from his throat. He took a swallow of beer.

“Equality,” Rosa said, grinning at him.

“Don’t push it,” Aedan shot back, but there was a smile playing at the corners of his eyes.

They ate in silence after that, Aedan devouring everything on his plate, tasting some of Rosa’s scallop salad, asking for more, finishing it and then finally sitting back.

“You actually look happy, Aedan Kearney. I don’t think I’ve seen ‘happy’ on your face all day. Except at the gym or during...” she blushed slightly, “sex. You seem happy then.”

Aedan grinned. “That’s a whole different kinda happy.” He sighed and licked his lips. “I’m full, and that makes me happy. And you... You usually make me happy.”

Rosa pouted. “Usually? I just ‘usually’ make you happy?”

His expression grew serious. “Up until tonight.” He looked down at his empty plate, then back up at her. “I am—I was—really upset with you.”

Rosa nodded. “I know and I’m sorry. It seemed like such a great idea. It is a great idea, honestly. But I got so carried away with the idea I forgot about how you might feel about it. I should’ve asked you first. I won’t do that again. I promise.” She reached across the table, running her fingers over the back of Aedan’s hand, smiling. “I think I have a way of making it up to you though.”

She signaled for the check, not letting Aedan see what the total on it was. After a moment he gave up with a huff of annoyance. Outside, he found them a cab in what seemed like record time.

“You have a real knack for getting us a ride, Aedan.” She laughed up at him, her dimples flashing, as she slid into the cab.

“When I have a beautiful girl and the promise of make-up sex, there’s not much that could keep me from that.”

They sat in heated silence. Not from anger but something else building in pressure. Fingers touched, then knees, then lips. The cab driver cleared his throat and Rosa tossed him the money as they slip out. Aedan didn’t even argue. He let them into the apartment, not bothering to turn on the lights. He pulled her to him, resting his forehead against hers.

He spoke slowly, hesitantly, as if the words were foreign to him. “Rosa. Thank you. That’s not something I say very often. I told you that. It makes me... I guess I’m scared. No one has ever bothered to really care before or at least never bothered to show they care. I don’t know what to do...I don’t know how to react. I don’t trust any of it. But thank you anyway. I know how hard you’re trying.”

She watched his face in the soft dark of the living room. “I know. I don’t want to force you to do anything you don’t want to...”

“You’re not, really. But...” She squealed as he suddenly scooped her up. “I think you said something about a way of making this up to me?” His hand slid up her thigh.

They were both panting as he carried her through the bedroom door.