Ariel Jones, Tristan was quickly coming to realize was either very brave, or as crazy as they came. Or perhaps she was a weird combination of the two. Whatever wavelength she was running on, it was not one that most people were on.
When he had rescued her from the crooks trying to get to her, he had thought that she would be out of her mind with fear. But to his pleasant surprise, once in the car, with the threat behind her, she had pulled herself together quickly.
Tristan was impressed.
If she were to agree to his crazy plan. Her ability to gather herself quickly would come in handy.
Despite being impressed though, Tristan kept the feeling to himself. He had to make sure that she could be trusted first.
When he had not found her at her food truck, he had gone as far as to drive around the general area.
Him driving around, instead of just leaving had paid off, not just for him in finding her, but for her as well. It seemed that when Tristan had shown up, she had either just been about to be mugged, or had been about to be kidnapped. But now, as the two of them sat in silence in his car. He decided that it was time for him to bring up one of the reasons why he had come looking for her. Her answer, and whether or not he believed her would decide whether or not he could ask her to be his wife.
It made him feel a little low that he was about to ask something huge of a woman who had clearly just gone through something very serious. Tristan did not like what he was about to do, but he was backed into a corner, and he had to act.
But before that, she needed to know that what she'd overheard in the office could not be known to anybody else. Or else he too would be amongst her long list of problems. He opened his mouth to let her know, but to his surprise she spoke up first.
"I know that it is not a coincidence that you happened to be there just when I needed you. Whatever it is that you are here to talk about. I get the feeling that I have a pretty good idea what it's going to be. Can we not mention it right now?"
Tristan stole a glance at her before focusing back on the traffic ahead of him.
"Are you really in any condition to be telling me when and how to talk about the things that I wish to speak of?" He asked, his voice flat,( internally he winced, he needed to stop himself from antagonising her). From the corner of his eye, he saw her shrug, the paper bag on her lap crinkling as she held it closer.
"I am not in any position to make demands of you. Which is why I am asking. You can still talk to me about it later. But for now, I just wish to thank you. That is all,"
"For all I know, you have a hero complex and you go around saving people. But what you did back there, not many people would have done. You were in as much danger as I was in for a few seconds, but you still came for me," That left Tristan stunned. He had not actually thought of that. He had just spotted her from a distance, realized that she was in trouble, and to him it had made perfect sense to just put himself in between her and the danger. If Lucy were ever to hear the story, she would have his head.
"And just what request is it that you are making of me?" He asked, a little bit curious.
The paper bag crinkled once more. A clear sign of nervousness, but when she spoke up, her voice was strong and steady.
"Let me cook for you. My food truck is nearby. As I'm certain you already know. One meal that is all. I will make you something to eat as a thank you. Then after we are done you can say what you need to say and the two of us can go about our days,"
Of all things, Tristan had not expected that.
To be honest, it was really quite tempting. He was not in the habit of cooking. And when he did eat at home, it was mostly pre-prepared meals that had a balanced calorie intake. Everything was healthy, bland, and predictable. Lucy called it rabbit food, but Tristan preferred to think of it as convenient. It was healthy and it got him through the day. For him, that was what food was, but she was a chef, so most likely whatever she served him would not be too bad. If anything, food would pave the way, making conversation easier.
"Very well then, Miss Jones.
I will take you up on your offer," There was a startled gasp from beside him, like she actually had not expected him to agree.
As they drove Tristan wanted to ask her many things, and he was ashamed that the most vital question of 'will you marry me?' was not at the forefront of his mind. Instead he wanted to ask things like... Who were those men? Did you know them? Do they work for the loan shark that you owe money or are they just a couple of chancers trying their luck?... Realizing that he was gripping the steering wheel a bit too tightly at the thought of the strangers. Tristan forced himself to loosen his grip and focus on something else.
If things went well, they would be having a very delicate discussion. It would not do him good to get worked up before that. Reaching over Tristan played some music, the smooth jazz filling the confines of the car. Next to him, Ariel leaned back in her seat, her eyes closed. He let her stay that way for the few minutes it took for them to reach her truck. When the car pulled to a stop, she opened her eyes and without a word the two of them got out.
"You can wait here," She told him.
'As if I will let you out of my sight,'
Tristan wanted to say, but the words seemed uncalled for. She had shown no signs of trying to run, and he'd scoured through various social media posts. No one had said anything about his arranged marriage to be, ( one that even if she did not know it yet, she was like to play a key role in). So even if it was in a small way,
Ariel Jones was proving that with this at least, he could give her the benefit of the doubt.
"No, I would rather come with you. The car is a bit too claustrophobic," He said instead, and she nodded. With that, the two of them made their way to her truck, and when she got inside to start cooking, Tristan followed her in.
It was not a particularly large vehicle, just as he had seen from the pictures. But the inside was tidy and everything was arranged well. Pulling out what was no doubt food that she had not used that day. Tristan watched her work. Garlic, tomatoes, onions were chopped. Then there was a drizzle of oil onto a hot pan, the chopped vegetables followed. He watched as she placed a bit of rice in her rice cooker.
He had no idea what she was making.
And though he wanted to ask, a larger part of him wanted to be surprised more. So he just stood in the corner and watched her work, occasionally handing her a few things...spoons, spices, herbs, containers. Soon enough, she was done. And he realized that she'd made them a simple stir-fry.
Spooning the meal into two disposable plates. She handed him his and took her own in hand.
"Come on, I know a really great spot where we can sit while we eat,"
Tristan had no idea why he was humoring her. But once again he followed her out and the two of them ended up on a bench that afforded a bit of privacy while still allowing them to see the people who were enjoying the park that evening.
Once they sat down, Ariel did not waste any time. She simply dug into her meal, not looking at him. And that simple act took Tristan by surprise. Every time that he shared a meal with someone, be it for business or with family. There was always a conversation beforehand. Usually some barbs exchanged, subtle threats made. That was what he was used to.
But it was nice to just be able to dig into his meal without that familiar yet painful dance. With that thought, Tristan dipped his spoon into the stir fry and began to eat.
After the first spoonful, he paused, his eyes widening at the burst of flavour that instantly assaulted his tongue. Oh, he glanced over at Ariel, but she was still busy with her own meal.
The food was spectacular. Why on earth was she borrowing money from loan sharks, and working out of a tiny food truck? She was a Michelin star chef and being that he often ate at the most expensive restaurants in the world, Tristan was not kidding. To be able to bring such flavor to a simple dish...that took skill. Biting his cheek to keep from moaning in pleasure, he pulled the plate closer to himself and ate in earnest.
Once the meal was done, Tristan fought the urge to ask for seconds. It would be shameless of him. After all, he was not there for pleasure.
"I came here originally to threaten you and tell you not to-" She sighed, like someone who'd had their long held suspicions confirmed.
"As I was saying, initially I came here to threaten you into silence, but I won't do that,"
"Oh," She said softly and the tension that he had not realized was therein her frame, instantly eased out. Clearly she too had thought she was about to be threatened.
"What changed your mind?" She asked. He shrugged. "You have not told anyone anything so far. And back at the office, you did not play the situation to get the upper hand on me. Despite everything else, I think that is reason enough to give you the benefit of the doubt. So, Jones, I am trusting you not to leak the fact that I have to be in a contract marriage to anyone. Is my trust misplaced?" He asked. She shook her head.
"No. Everything that I heard in that office will stay between the two of us. I will not be telling anyone,"
Tristan breathed a sigh of relief. But then his nerves kicked in out of nowhere.
She had passed the first test...now came the hard part. Switching from 'don't tell anyone' to 'be my wife' was not easy at all. But Tristan had not gotten where he was in life by taking the easy road.
Picking a random spot to stare at in the darkness, Tristan began to talk again.
"Have you figured out how you are going to pay off the loan shark?" He asked, staring at her own spot in the darkness, Ariel took a while to answer. When she did speak, she suddenly sounded unbelievably tired.
"Not yet," It was now or never.
"I might have a solution...for both of us... You get to pay off your debt, and I get to keep being the CEO,"
"What solution?" Feeling her eyes on him, Tristan turned towards her, and forced the words out.
"Marry me,"