The Serial Negotiator

IS THIS A DATE?

Chapter 2: Is This a Date?

Bella was leaving the office of her supperior Rose Hillar. There was someone waiting for her outside...

"What is it officer?" Bella spoke with indifference in her voice.

"Hello Bella, I'm not on duty in the moment, so just Chase is fine. How about we go for coffee?" Chase spoke with a smile on his face, he seemed to be rather laidback in his every day life.

"Sure." Unexpectedly Bella agreed rather easily to his proposal, Chase was ready to stay there as long as needed for her to answer affirmative so it's great she agreed so fast. 

***

At Cafe Blanc'

"Let's just get down to what you want to hear. It's about the case right? Well I'm sorry to tell you but I have nothing to do with-" Bella was cut off before she could finish her sentence.

"It's not about the case. We recieved the report as well. There is nothing more you need to tell us." Chase said as he took a sip of his coffee.

"If it's not about the case than what is it?" Bella who seemed stressed about this conversation had began stuffing her mouth with sweets.

"It's a date." Chase said and looked at Bella's eyes.

"A wha-.." Bella still had sweets in her mouth so Chase smiled after seeing her like that.

"How old were you again?" Chase asked the confused looking woman.

"I'm twenty eight so?" Bella answered after swallowing the sweets.

"I just thought it was interesting how you act very serious on scene but you are rather childlish otherwise." Chase said to the woman laughing lightly. He was in a good mood.

"How old are you anyways?" Bella asked as she thought she was being made fun of.

"I'm 33 a little bit older than you." Chase answered in a cheery voice.

"Huh old man... You act all serious on scene but you’re actually such a laidback person." Bella said to try and get back at the man but it somehow didn’t land as she wanted it to.

"Haha it's only five years difference." Chase laughed off the woman’s silly try at a comeback.

"Doesn't matter... But wait, what did you say about this being a date?" Bella went back to the topic that had made her so flustered in the first place.

"It's a joke, no need to worry about details." Chase said to calm down the flustered negotiator.

"It's not a detail. I don't like things like that." Bella answered in an angry tone of voice.

"Things like?" Chase knew what the woman meant but still wanted her to say it.

"Dates, holding hands, things like that." Bella said with complete disgust written all over her face.

"Have you been in a relationship before?" Chase asked in wonder.

"*Cough *cough, does it matter?!" Bella blushed hearing such a question. She wasn’t planning on answering.

"Haha, no sorry for asking. Then why don't you like them?" Chase asked as he laughed at Bella's childlike embarrassed expression.

"I just don't it's whatever. Why are you even asking me?" Bella asked looking even more confused than before. She thought this conversation was about the case but since it wasn’t she was out of her comfort zone.

"No, but I have someone I am very interested in." Chase said smirking and looking at his female companion.

"Aah good for you. I wish you happiness." Bella said sarcasticly not noticing Chase was looking at her. She didn’t like to make eye contact with people.

“She is such a beautiful, intelligent, yet socially awkward and distant person. She’s also very bad at getting hints so it’s probably not going to be easy. But I will continue trying.” Chase said knowing the woman still didn’t get it.

“Did I ask?” Bella said as she hadn’t asked what kind of person the girl he was interested was. She had no interest in knowing such things about the man.

“Haha~ no you didn’t, but I thought I’d share something about myself since we’re here. How about you also share something about yourself?” Chase suggested.

“Sorry but I have nothing to share.” Bella answered without even entertaining the idea of speaking about herself.

“Then should I continue sharing things about myself?” Chase asked with a cheery voice looking very excited to continue talking.

“No, I’d rather not burden my memory with things like that.” Bella outright rejected listening any more to her companion’s personal life.

“Well we can’t just sit here without talking.” Chase said looking a bit disappointed he was rejected so harshly.

“Fine, what do you want to talk about? But it shouldn’t be about our private lives alright?” Bella finally agreed to continue the conversation but only on the condition that is concerned neither one of their private lives.

“Of course that’s fine!” Chase quickly agreed to her conditions. He didn’t mind what they spoke about. He simply wished to spend more time with her.

 After spending about an hour in the café talking about various things with each other. They both began understanding each other a little bit better.

“You’re a rather interesting guy. I wasn’t expecting that.” Bella said in praise of the man in front of her. She usually wouldn’t give such praise but this time she seemed to be in a good mood.

“I wasn’t expecting you to be so laid back and cheerful in your everyday life.” Bella continued.

“Really? Then what were you expecting I be like?” Chase was very interested to find out what the young woman thought of him.

“I thought you’d be a more serious and hard to read person.” Bella said with her voice a little bit softened.

“You too, I wasn’t expecting you to have such a sweet-tooth for a grown woman.” Chase said with a cheery voice.

“What! Is that all you could take away from our conversation?!” Bella exclaimed as she thought she was being made fun of.

“Haha!~Don’t get so-” As Chase was about to calm down the woman in front of him he got a call from the police station telling him to head back. “I’m so sorry I have to leave.” He said while standing up and leaving money on the table covering the bill.

“It’s not a big deal.” Bella answered then checked out her phone just to see a notification that she too had work to do.

The peaceful moment those two had was lovely but reality hits hard when neither of them have this kind of time to spend leisurely.