“Roark- you’re early.” Breathless and a little high pitched, my voice portrayed my surprise as Roark stood up to greet me. The restaurant was almost empty, and I scanned his suit-clad body none-too-stealthily even while he did the same. Smiling even as heat suffused my cheeks, I carefully shirked off my coat before he spoke up.

“It’s wonderful to see you, too, Ally. You look beautiful.” My heart did a pitter-patter at the compliment, and Roark took my coat to hang it up behind him. Glancing down at myself, I smoothed my slim, forest green dress as nerves tingled my fingertips. The fabric clung to my thighs and waist, and I reached to pick at the bunched, modest neckline.

“Thank you. You’re very handsome as well. I was surprised when you brought up this restaurant…” Guilt nibbled at my gut, and my smile turned slightly sour. “I- I might have looked you up last night. I’m sorry.”

“Oh no- it’s fine. That’s actually what I wanted to explain. So, what did you read?” A hostess wordlessly gestured to us, and my heels clicked on the hard floor as I followed her with Roark behind me. Pursing my lips together, I tried frantically to organize my thoughts on the short journey to our table. The place hadn’t changed very much in the past year, and we slid into a surprisingly comfortable booth before I answered his question.

“I know you were in a car accident and a coma for three months. That’s all for sure- I didn’t want to put too much stock in anything.” Left alone to look over the menu, I turned my attention to it while Roark sighed. Over the rim, I watched him frown slightly, and his brows furrowed deeply as he picked up his own menu.

“It’s definitely been a trial. I lost my memories of the five years prior to the accident.” Tilting my head, I held my breath in tight lungs as that tiny bit of information zinged through me. Across the table, Roark gave me a sort of grimace, and he shook his head at a question I didn’t even realize I had silently asked. “I regained most of my memories- a lot of my business empire and stuff. But, when I woke up, I couldn’t remember being married, the ensuing separation, and when I started the divorce proceedings.”

“You never mentioned you were married…” Speaking slowly, it was my turn to frown as guilt and shame flittered weakly across Roark’s expression. My chest tightened, and my abdomen fluttered between butterflies and betrayal.

I couldn’t believe that the ‘other woman’ was a home wrecker, but that didn’t make me feel any better about the situation.

“No. From what I’m told, my marriage was insanely toxic. A few friends told me that during my separation, I went on a few first dates with a few different women- you included. Those dates were what made me make the decision to get a divorce. Not to say you were the defining factor, Ally…” Discomfort settled in my gut, and I nodded quietly as I struggled to process what Roark was saying. His hand wrapped around mine to squeeze, and I blinked at him as the action brought me out of my mind. “I apologize. It’s hard to explain when I don’t remember, but I wanted you to know.”

“Ehm- w- well… that’s very thoughtful… I’m kind of glad now you declined to sleep with me…” My muttering wasn’t low enough to be missed, and Roark’s brows shot up. Clenching my jaw, my face flamed at the surprise that he showed. “You said you wouldn’t because you liked me and didn’t want to mess it up. That was on our first date. Then, on our second date, you were convinced you made a mistake by saying ‘no’, but you wouldn’t back out of it. I managed to convince you to come to my apartment on our third date, and afterward, you said work was about to swamp you- but I’m guessing that was a lie.”

“Oh- probably… My lawyer told me that I filed for divorce four days later… but, for what it’s worth, I don’t think that declining had anything to do with my marriage, Ally. That was the truth.” Letting out a breath I didn’t know I was holding, I smiled small as my body temperature began to drop. Releasing my hand, Roark smiled back before clearing his throat softly. “I don’t remember the first two… but I do remember you crying over a pizza crust while we were watching that movie. I don’t know why that’s what I remember. When I saw you yesterday, that was what came to mind even before your name.”

“I would’ve cried even without the wine. That movie always gets me.” Giggling at the memory, I turned my eyes back to my menu to scan the page to distract me from what Roark had revealed. The dishes were eclectic; anything that went well with wine was on display. “The last time we were here was my first date since my ex of six years broke up with me. You and I were pretty awkward, and I was surprised when you asked me on a second date.”

“What happened, if you don’t mind my asking?” An intense flashback hit me, and I sucked in a sharp breath at his smooth, deep voice enveloped me. Roark had asked the same question in the exact same tone on our first date, and I glanced over my menu to find him staring at me with intense, bright eyes.

“We just… fell out, I guess. I don’t really know, but over time, we drifted apart. It was fairly amicable, but I’d been with him since my freshman year of high school. Dating as an adult was difficult- is difficult. I took this job at Wells because everyone I knew was trying to hook me up with their friend or cousin or whatever.” Shrugging my shoulder, I licked my lips as I eyeballed the wine selection absently. “I never thought anything was wrong with me, but it was hard to imagine myself dating someone else. It was like the idea of a proposal stressed us both out too much, and it ruined our relationship.”

“I had the opposite problem, I think.” Arching a brow in question, I tilted my head as I spied a particularly delicious sounding pasta dish. Across the table, Roark’s eyes dropped from me, and the weight of his full attention lifted from my shoulders. “Carla wanted to get married and never stopped talking about it. I remember dating her, and I guess, with foresight, it’s so clear that she was just manipulating me. My parents have a lot of money, and I was always set to inherit their businesses. Then, everything after about a week into our marriage is blank. My doctors said it was my brain’s way of protecting itself from stress, and with everything that happened during the divorce, I’m not too keen on trying to remember.”

My heart ached for Roark, and I hummed quietly. I’d seen the tabloid articles online depicting his nasty divorce, and I was disgusted to be the same gender as that woman.

“So, then, you’re still running your companies alright? I read that your father had taken over right after your accident, but that you were back at it fairly quickly.” Changing the subject easily, I set down my menu just as a waitress sauntered over with glasses of water and cutlery. She looked bored beyond belief, and my conversation with Roark paused as she took our orders.

I couldn’t help but smile when Roark ordered the same dish he’d had last time, and he requested the same bottle of wine.

“It’s weird how work for most people stresses them out, but not for me. I suppose it doesn’t help that a lot of it runs itself, and I don’t have to do much in terms of daily operation. But- to answer your question- yes. Most of my memories of the empire came back faster than I’d expected, and my father was around to fill in the blanks. This was actually the first time he felt comfortable leaving me, so he went to China with my mom to discuss the expansion of what he kept for himself.”

“I see.” My mind whirled at the story Roark spun, and I took a sip of my water to relieve my dried throat. “I didn’t know you had a sister, either. You two don’t have the same last name, right?”

“Ah- no. Julianne has my mother’s maiden name. She’s not meant for the spotlight, as I’m sure you’ve noticed.” Roark’s voice darkened, and something flashed behind his eyes. Just as quickly as it overtook him, the change had disappeared, and I scrunched up my nose. Keeping my lips tightly together, I decided to ignore it for now.

“So, you don’t remember anything surrounding your ex-wife, but most everything else is there? How does that work? I bet my brother would love to forget his ex-girlfriend.” Trying to keep the conversation going, I propped my elbow on the table and held my chin in my hand. I knew it wasn’t proper, but I didn’t really care.

I needed to avoid awkward pauses at all cost or I’d start fantasizing about Roark naked just like I did a year and a half ago.