. hands on the button

[aisha van buren]

"You're so lucky you can just hang out here all day." Aisha is sat across from her school friend Florence Waterford, who was working at a Montauk restaurant similar to the one they're currently sat at across the summer. Though as wealthy as Aisha, her parents thought it would be character building for Florence-- Aisha, who didn't want to be left alone for the evening, thought otherwise. "Just skip out. What are your parents going to do, cut you off over one missed shift?" She sticks her fork into a large chunk of lobster from her lobster cobb salad, nibbling on it though she had no appetite. It's a losing battle and she knows it, having fought her friend on just this subject around fifteen times this month already. They're sat at a prime table, one she had sat at countless times this summer, the water lapping at the decking below them. A mostly full bottle of pale rosé sits in an ice bucket between them, taunting her with its fullness. As her friend continues to make excuses, Aisha glances over the bustling restaurant for a glimpse of someone else who might entertain her. As she does so, her eyes lock onto a familiar face. Instantly her stomach plummets. Skin prickling, she glances away quickly before he can catch her eye, urgently leaning across the table and taking hold of Florence's wrist. "You can't leave now. Freddie Beaumont is over there," she hisses, her head ducked down close to the table as she tightens her grip. Florence looks at her like she's insane. "Freddie? As in, your friend Freddie?" Aisha sighs heavily, still not letting go. "Tate's friend. I haven't spoken to him in years." Her heart is thumping in her chest as Florence turns to fully look at him. "Stop it! He'll see us!" Too late. Aisha lets go of Florence's arm as her friend stands and offers a broad wave, determinedly staring at her wine glass as Florence calls out. "Fred! Freddie, great timing, I was just going. Why don't you keep Aish company?"  Aisha looks up at her with a glare that would stop a nuclear missile in its tracks. As he approaches, she gives her most insincere fake smile, tilting her head as she finally turns to look at him. "Frederick. I'm sure you're meeting some poor misguided girl to get her tipsy enough to go back to your place, you'd better go wait at your table or she might get jealous."

[freddie beaumont]

It had now been three days since Freddie returned from the infamous Vegas trip. Nursing a hangover he fully anticipated, he spent the first day laying low and melting into his couch and or bed. Whatever happened to be closest when he attempted to act like a real human. Tate had booked them a trip to a near by vitamin infusion center to replenish their electrolytes and whatever was left of their dignity. It helped tremendously but it wouldn’t alleviate the anxious feeling that immersed once the reality of being home set in. Here’s to growing up, Freddie thought all day. The second day consisted of hitting the gym and trying to return to the groove of a routine. But it was interrupted by a phone call from his beloved mother. His mother insisted he made the trip out to Montauk for what could be ‘the last weekend of the best summer weather.’ She manipulated (only in the best ways) Freddie unlike anyone he’s ever known. He knew she was giving her best performance by stating Georgina was coming out as well and it wouldn’t be the same without him. Of course she had to throw out that this was probably going to be Georgina’s last weekend here for the season. His beer touches his lips as he glances over at his mother who’s got the biggest smile on her perfectly polished face. She’s talking directly to him but his mind is elsewhere. Truthfully, his mind is on the fact that he swore after Vegas that he wouldn’t drink for at least a week. The alcohol almost teasing him as he takes in the three empty beer bottles in front of his plate. Georgina sits across from him and smirks as Freddie nods his head to whatever his mom is saying, that he’s clearly not paying any attention to. He knows it’s something along the lines of ‘how nice is this, us three.’ But he’s in no mood for the cheesy family outing comments. It’s not who they were anyways. He itches his neck where he recently trimmed his bread and takes his final sip from the third beer. The waiter brings the check and Freddie doesn’t even hesitate when it comes to pulling out his card. Georgina mentions needing to use the bathroom, of course which is mom agrees she needs to do the same. Women and their bathroom breaks, he mutters under his breath and rolls his eyes. Freddie follows their direction not shortly after the waiter returns with his card. Freddie can’t help but pause in his tracks when he spots Aisha. He would’ve completely missed her had it not been for her obnoxious friend calling his name and flagging him down. Aisha looks beyond mortified, that thought alone brings a true smile to his face. Followed by a smirk in her direction, that he knows she picks up on as her friend quickly departs from the table. His hands come out of the pockets of his khaki shorts. He takes the now vacant spot across from her. “And miss this opportunity to catch up? Not a chance. This is too good. Been a while hasn’t it, Aisha?” He feels his necklace shift on his chest as he scoots the chair a little bit closer. His eyes can’t help but take in her always attractive demeanor. She looks good, especially for having a baby and all. Even if it’s been two years? “I won’t lie though, you don’t look super thrilled to see me. Maybe even a little scared,” another soft chuckle escapes him. Georgina takes that moment after he speaks to return. Freddie, are you ready to go? Georgina looks at Aisha with recognition immediately but says nothing. “Go ahead without me, I’ll catch up with you later.”

[aisha van buren]

The water lapping below them is usually beautifully calming for Aisha, though right now she's imagining it's full of hungry great white sharks and there's a hole in the decking right under Florence's feet. Her full lips are sat in their trademark pout as her worst nightmare unfolds before her, Freddie Beaumont setting his bulky frame in the seat opposite, the impending sunset drenching him in a golden glow. He looks like a Greek god, with thick stubble across his chiseled jawline, deep blue eyes framed by lashes so dark and curled they reminded her of Aria's. That particular thought makes her stomach churn. "It hasn't been long enough." He chuckles and it's deep and gruff and she wants to impale her fork into his hand to punish him for making her feel things she has no business feeling, though instead she simply glares at him. Around them people turn to glimpse him, girls doing double takes to get another look. Every second is more infuriating than the last. Florence excuses herself with a stupid little smile on her face and Aisha tries to focus on planning her inevitable revenge, taking the moment to pick up her glass and knock back an almost full glass of wine. As she does so Georgina  appears and she too is beautiful, too beautiful to just be out walking around and acting normal. She excuses herself and Aisha's cheeks are tinged pink as she narrows her eyes at him. "The only thing I'm scared of is whatever venereal disease you've inevitably picked up from some Vegas streetwalker." She huffs, accepting defeat as a server comes to collect the barely eaten plates of food. "Please could you fetch him a fresh wine glass?" She leans back, forcing herself to look at that offensively handsome face. "You look terrible," she lies, pouring large servings of wine into both their glasses once his has appeared. "Since you're here you might as well tell me. How was Vegas?"

[freddie beaumont]

After he sits down and has his moment to survey Aisha, he feels his eyes wandering behind her. “I’ve been out to Montauk a lot, and it’s funny this is the first time I’m seeing you. Tate did tell me that you’ve been out here all summer though,” he nonchalantly mentions as he’s looking out towards the water. Not wanting her to think he is constantly asking about her. It’s not a secret that Aisha is a sore subject between the two. She’s been seated at a prime spot at the Montauk restaurant. The sky was already turning a shade of orange but the sun was still warm. He brings his full attention back to her though, noticing that the summer sun has been kind to her. The tan on her skin lighting a spark of lust a slight bit, but he’ll keep those thoughts to himself. Georgina nods her head then mumbles something about not causing too much trouble. Blue eyes follow in the direction of his sister joining with their mother. Mother gives him a little soft knowing smile and a wave before heading off towards the car. She still seems pretty indifferent to me, Freddie thinks as the server breaks up the nearly uncomfortable encounter between them. Plates of untouched food piled in their hand as Aisha orders another bottle of wine. She speaks with such defeat, as if she knows there’s no avoiding him with him directly in front of her. Not that he’s really even sure if she’s been truly avoiding him. Freddie leans back into the chair. “Don’t worry, no disease was picked up from a random street walker. You’re safe in my presence,” he laughs at her dramatic opinions. “For now, at least.” He adds on with a wink, slightly to rile her up a bit and to remove whatever awkwardness flowed between them. Tonight he chose to wear a button down t-shirt, leaving the first three buttons undone. It exposed his signature necklace and a bit of his chest. “Ha. Thanks,” he murmurs and his gaze drops down to her signature pouty lips as he speaks. His eyes float there for a second before coming back up to meet her stare. “Here I was going to compliment you and tell you that you looked great,” his response full of his classic charm. He knows he doesn’t look his usual hundred percent with bags supporting his under eyes. Her mean teasing doesn’t bother him though. It’s always been her banter towards him. The waiter returns with the bottle of wine and an extra glass for Freddie. It’s opened and place in the chiller that’s sat in the middle of the table. After they both mumble a thank you to the waiter, he reaches for it and pours her a glass. “Vegas was good. It always is when we go. Even won a bit gambling,” Freddie says as he finishes filling up his glass. “What have you been doing out here all summer?”

[aisha van buren]

The heat of his direct eye contact makes her skin feel like it's enflamed. It was highly unusual for a man to have this effect on Aisha, who saw men more as a means to an end than a desirable end in and of themselves. It was especially strange that it should be Freddie to have this impact on her, her brother's lifelong best friend, a boy she had seen cry over scraped knees at the age of five, only to suddenly turn into a smouldering heartthrob when they were mere tweens. She had seen a great many girls melt into puddles around him, and it pissed her off to no end that he could have even the mildest effect on her too. "Yes, well, I haven't been going to strip clubs or brothels, so our paths wouldn't cross." In truth she had been spending the majority of her time at her family's beach house, willing Aria to stop crying and then, when she would not, willing herself to stop crying too. Aisha watches Georgina leave, wishing she'd come back. Lacking the distraction of her friend or his sister, she feels the pressure of them being alone together after such a long time of no contact, and she's glad for the distraction of wine being poured. "Don't wink at me," she warns, narrowing her eyes at him as if he's committed some egregious act. She's wearing one of Tate's old shirts, a blue Ralph Lauren number that's huge on her small frame, unbuttoned enough to reveal a white lace bralette. It's tucked in to white shorts and she pulls her knees up onto the seat, shielding herself as she takes another long sip. As always, he's completely indifferent to her bitchiness. She hates that his compliment secretly thrills her, so she ignores it. "Of course you won," she murmurs, rolling her eyes. She had always teased him, though she wasn't sure when it turned so nasty on her part... well, that's not strictly true, she knows it was almost exactly two years ago, she just doesn't want to interrogate why. "Sunbathing. Drinking. Teaching Aria to swim." She looks him directly in the eye, the hint of a challenge in her tone of voice as she asks the question, "you've met Aria, I assume?"

[freddie beaumont]

As he's sitting here in front of her, Freddie can't believe it's been over two years since they've crossed paths. After all, her brother was his best friend. Surely they should've seen each other or ran into one another with how closely their circles ran together. He can't control that his mind tends to go elsewhere when Aisha is involved. Though their dating was dubbed fake, the many nights she had spent in his bed were not. The way she was passionate and the want she showed towards him a mere memory. Now one would never guess that she looked at him that way, her facial expressions going from bored to disgust in a matter of minutes in their conversation, so far. Usually, it didn't bother him, her teasing manner strictly directed at Freddie. But tonight, it's striking a small nerve. He knows better than to react to her, giving her less emotion was always better. "You know, I don't just spend all of my time in strip clubs and brothels, right?" He questions her with a lift of his eyebrow. "I work now and I don't just fuck girls all day long?" Freddie offers with a laugh, not wanting to show any annoyance that she's grouped into the crowd that tends to think less of him. Granted, he's tetered the line of questionable thinking at times, he's the first to admit. The wink absolutely riles her up. The biggest smirk falls across his handsome face, just as he planned. She may be acting as though he's a venereal disease, but he sees how her body reacts and it's anything but displeasure. His hands come up in defense as she overreacts, much like usual. "No winking. Got it. What else is on my list of not to do in your presence?" He's human, so he can't help but let those blue eyes pierce into hers and then obviously down towards her exposed white bralette. An act that he knows she'll also make a comment or throw some more dramatic response. "I always win." A cocky comment but one he means. Freddie seemed to be always lucky when it came down to gambling or a few other things. A woman walks relatively close to their table and throws him a seductive smile, he nods his head knowing that Aisha is bound to make a judgment about his sexual endeavors. He makes no reaction on purpose when she brings up Aria. Knowing that whatever reaction he'll give, she will feed off of. But behind his facade, his heart does skip a beat hearing about the toddler. Of course he's met her. Tate all but shoved her into his arms once back in New York. He immediately handed her back. "Ah, yes. The infamous Aria. I have met her." He shrugs his shoulders as he takes a large sip of his wine. "She's got beautiful blue eyes. You must be proud." Freddie challenges her back. Knowing she could say one or two things following his remark about the blue eyes.

[aisha van buren]

Hot off the heels of her very public breakup with Joe, her brief faux romance with Freddie had intended to be something of a joke. A distraction, a pretence, something for people to talk about outside of her unceremonious dumping. Before then she had teased him almost as much as she did now, though their friendship had come first... when they started "dating", she had never intended to actually sleep with him. But somehow, the act of pretending had made her wake up to how incredibly hot he was, and she hadn't been able to help but throw herself at him the second they were left to their own devices. "I give it two weeks before you're fucking your secretary." Sitting across from him, he's only managed to become sexier, and Aisha wonders what sort of deal with the devil he must have made for that to even be possible. Trying to reign her emotions in was proving difficult, especially as she watched his eyes trace her body. It was so unlike her to feel shy but yet again her cheeks burn and she has to hide behind another sip of wine. "No winking. No flirting. No smirking, so wipe that off your face right now. No mentioning the past, no eyeing me up, and especially no touching. Are we clear?"  Aisha looks at the girl smiling down at him and her face is a picture of pure disgust. "Ew." He responds to her Aria question and she pictures him with her, Tate mindlessly waving the poor baby in his face. She knows the thought must have entered his mind and she's relieved that he's never pursued it, and doesn't seem to be keen to now. "She got it from her momma," she says dismissively, looking out as the sun started to dip behind the water. It's a romantic setting and she knows to the untrained eye it would look like an idyllic date. "When are you leaving? Montauk, I mean, but also this restaurant."

[freddie beaumont]

The sky behind Aisha is turning more orange every second of their showdown. The golden hour touches her frame and once again makes Freddie frustrated that he’s not able to reach out to touch her. To run his thumb over her pouty lips or better yet to kiss along the sunkissed shoulder that’s now exposed from her oversized shirt. Freddie throws his head back, laughing at her comment about him and his secretary. If she only knew that his secretary was pushing towards retirement and that he was anything but attracted to her. He shakes his head, still chuckling to escape the thought of him and sweet Maria. Freddie was beyond thankful for her job as his secretary, but she was married and nearly sixty years old. “Aw come on, I’m not that cliche. Besides, she’s not my type anyways.” He leaves it at that to keep her guessing on the subject of his secretary. Freddie reaches for the chilled wine in the center of the table again. She’s given her glass a few sips so he fills it up a bit more. Topping off his now empty glass as well. She’s beginning to go off on him about the winking and his eyes roll as the glass of wine comes up to his lips. The wine tasting crisp on this warm summer night. “Got it. Sounds like zero fun, but whatever you say.” Freddie teases as he sets the glass down and leans towards her, his forearms placed on top of the table. He can’t help but picture Aria when Aisha states she got it from her momma. Her blue eyes are identical to his. And the blue eyes paired with long eyelashes, a trait of his as well. But he keeps his lips sealed. Clearly she doesn’t want anything to do with him and especially not as some father figure. Which was for the best anyways. His eyes narrow at her last statement. Her ‘hatred’ of him now more obvious than ever. “Alright, what’s all this about?“ Freddie motions to her attitude and back to him. His reply filled with annoyance. “I’m always down to go back and forth with you. But to a point,” he mutters as his eyes lock directly to hers. “Now you’re just insulting me every sentence, so please enlighten me what I’ve done this time, Aisha.”

[aisha van buren]

Aisha's slender fingers settle on the stem of her wine glass and she twirls it between them, watching the pale pink liquid swirl around, catching the sunlight. This wasn't how she would have planned a reunion with Freddie, if she were ever to plan one at all, but she's glad that she's at least tanned and maintaining her goal weight. The weight of his stare feels heavy, though she's hardly a girl unaccustomed to being looked at. "You have a type? Beyond 'has a vagina' and is vaguely willing?" Her teasing continues to sharpen and that last barb feels sour on her tongue. She looks at him, her eyes betraying more emotion than the blasé bitterness her words suggest. She can hear herself and she sounds like a bitter ex, which is ridiculous when things had simply petered out on their own, and the relationship itself hadn't been serious to begin with. He agrees to her conditions and she feels inwardly disappointed, though she has no right to. "Thank you." Her eyes fall to his forearms, strong and tanned with prominent veins that make her heart skip a beat. Suddenly he acknowledges the obvious, calling out her bitchiness and making her almost choke on her wine. Usually people would simply walk away from her when she was in one of these moods, since confrontation would only encourage her. She's surprised by the annoyance in his tone, and she's also surprised by how irritated she is too. What was her problem? It was obvious to her, now she had to think about it; as much as she didn't want to share Aria and was relieved she didn't have to, she was also offended that he could be so totally disinterested. To her, Aria was the most incredible thing in the world, and his lack of interest caused a twinge of offence that had grown to a tsunami over the years. But she can't say that, so she opens and closes her mouth a couple of times, struggling for an excuse. "You've been-- I haven't-- you..." she shuts her mouth, furious with him but also with herself for her lack of articulation. "I just... I think you're an asshole."

[freddie beaumont]

Part of Freddie regrets that this is how they see each other after so much time. He came to Montauk to get away from the city, like most do, and instead his circle always follows. He expected to see some people he knew though. With their upbringing, it was no surprise that many people spent the summer weekends out in the Hamptons. Just seeing Aisha brought up an emotion he didn't necessarily want to delve in deep to interpret whatever it meant. "Yes. I have a type. And it's not every vagina," he scoffs that she thinks he sleeps with everything in sight. Freddie enjoyed sex, that wasn't a secret. Everyone around him knew of his sleeping around and the habits that he associated with 'relationships.' The phrase thank you slipped from her lips and it's the first time Aisha's actually been agreeable towards him. Freddie finds his hand reaching up towards his neck, itching the bread that he trimmed too closely this go around. It's also an uncomfortable tick, he has. The shock touches her features after his confrontational words. Freddie knows that usually when confronted she fights back with fire. But for some reason, her defensive approach towards him was irritating. They weren't best friends by any means but she wasn't ever this cold. Maybe that's what drove him to speak out. Flaws are something that he has many of, but he's still only human. Aisha's rendered speechless based off her reply. Pride fills him a little bit, that he's been able to stump the queen of confrontation. The best that she could come up with, was that he was an asshole. But he wants to push her more. "But why am I an asshole? Have I hurt you in some way?" Freddie challenges back. He's walking a fine line. Knowing that at any given moment she could say that 'unsaid' secret between the two of them. Freddie isn't as heartless as she makes him out to be. IF she wanted him to be Aria's life, he would. But two can play the game at pretend, if that's what she chooses, he thinks to himself. "Just tell me, Aisha." He softens his tone, all the annoyance from his previous statement replaced with sincerity. His charm slipped into every word.  "Or you don't have to. But at least give up on this hatred towards me, yeah?"

[aisha van buren]

This is not a conversation she wants to have in earshot of so many people, particularly when they were only ever a few degrees of separation from their wider social circle. Tate would no doubt hear that they had been seen together and would wonder if it was an intentional rendezvous, as he was still pissed off by their brief romance almost three years before. "Tell me your type, then. And don't try to flatter me, I won't care either way." Another sip of wine. Awkwardness was making her drink much faster than usual, which was not ideal when she'd barely eaten all day. In an incredibly uncharacteristic move, she waves a waiter over and orders a side of French fries, deciding she can forgo dinner if it means making less of a fool of herself via lips loosened by wine.  Her eyes follow as he scratches at his neck, a telltale sign that he was uncomfortable. Having grown up together she knew him well, but she had always bought in to his public persona; flirty, flighty, hedonistic. Insincere though their relationship was, it had given her time to look at her brother's best friend in a new light, and she knew that deep down he was a good guy. So she does feel bad when he presses her for more information, though her simmering resentment outweighs the guilt. She wants to snap at him, her tongue sharp and insults coming easily to her. But she holds back, sulking silently as he continues. He speaks with a sincerity and softness, and she's shocked to find that being treated kindly by him makes a lump rise in her throat. Mortified, she chases it down with more wine. "I might not have reached out to you for years, but you didn't reach out to me either." She pauses, and the next words flow out of her before she can stop them, driven by a total lack of human connection that went way beyond just Freddie Beaumont. "I had a baby and everyone just disappeared. It's like I stopped existing."

[freddie beaumont]

The waterfront restaurant is growing louder since he joined her at the table. Much to his surprise no one else has popped over to say hi to either him or Aisha. It’s then he’s reminded that they are in public, with many eyes around to see the two seated at a pretty romantic table. He mumbles a curse under his breath for only him to hear. Tate already had given him a strike for messing around with Aisha in the past.. but in his defense tonight was unexpected. And right now it was nothing but innocent between them. Nothing for Tate to be concerned with. Well, if you called Aisha reaming him innocent. It gives Freddie flashbacks to their Blair days, where they had their own little gossip girl floating around to report what the mischievous students were up to. “I like to keep it in my same tax bracket. As fucked up as it sounds.” Freddie feels comfortable enough to admit that to her. “The Beaumont name is a lot so I can’t date everyone and honestly our lifestyle would sending anyone running,” he says with a shrug. “What about your type? Who do you tend to go to these days?” His curiosity wanted to ask about how the sex was since having a baby, but he buries that question deep in the archives. He takes the moment she speaks to the waiter about fries to down what’s left in his wine glass. “Think we could actually get another bottle?” He asks the waiter before he scurried away. She surprises him with her response. He was expecting the dramatics to come out. For her to reach across the table and potentially claw his eyes out over asking such a personal question. But she meets his sincerity with her own. “I might not have reached out, but I didn’t think it would be two years of not seeing each other,” he’s honest with his words. “Plus Tate made it very clear that I was not to go down that path again. So don’t take it as I didn’t want to…it just probably was the best at the time?” The server drops her plate of fries off directly in front of her. The wine that was previously in the chiller is pulled out and the remainder of it poured into their two glasses equally. A new bottle opened and plopped into the chiller for the pair. Her last sentence sticks out to him. The emotions she must have felt while life went on around her and hers was completely changed. “I’m sorry you feel that way. You didn’t stop existing. Not to me,” he murmurs and he knows it sounds cheesy. For once in his life he’s not trying to charm or seduce her. He’s trying to offer comfort to someone who’s obviously held a vendetta against him and the others. “Have you talked to anyone else about that?”

[aisha van buren]

She can't help the small smirk that spreads across her face at his mention of dating preferences. It was no secret that Aisha was an absolute snob, who had been utterly dismayed at her brother's decision to date beneath their social strata. It had taken her years to warm to Rosie even slightly, and even then, she still wouldn't classify her as marriage material. "Boys in bands." It's an outdated answer, her groupie phase truly well behind her - it was not a compatible life with having a baby, and she'd had her heart broken more than once going down that road. She eats a french fry tentatively, relishing the salty crispness and putting any thought of calories out of her mind. "Freddie, we'll be wasted," she says, eyeing the fresh bottle that sits chilling between them, though her tone has softened to him. The wine helped. She's easing into this chance encounter now, allowing herself to warm to him as the sun set beside them. She's shocked by her own confession. After some coaxing from Daisy a few months beforehand she had been diagnosed with postnatal depression, but she hadn't told another living soul about it, not even Tate or Cora. "I haven't seen as much of him lately," she admits. He was initially furious with her over the Freddie thing, then confused over the pregnancy, then finally she was too reclusive to really seek him out. "You didn’t stop existing. Not to me." Immediately her eyes prick hot with tears, and she squeezes them shut to stem the flow. She would sooner die than be seen crying at a busy Montauk restaurant, especially sat with him... mortified again, she quickly wiped the tears on the back of her hand, taking a deep breath and composing herself as quickly as she can. She can't bring herself to look at him, so she clears her throat, looking out at the water. "Thank you." Her voice is quiet and she takes another few seconds to steady her breathing. Finally, she looks at him again, trying to smile. "This is really, really embarrassing. I'm sorry. No, I haven't, which is why I'm such a wreck. I'll get it together."

[freddie beaumont]

"You still haven't out grown your boy band phase?" Freddie scoffs as an image of her with a musician flows through his mind. Aisha and Joe were together for a long time, but for some reason he could never see them being end game. But stranger things have happened in life. Growing up together, he knew she loved the thrill and the lifestyle of everyone knowing her business. Maybe a musician wasn't as far off as he imagined for her. The thought of settling down made his throat go dry. It's never been in his plan or apart of his goals. Though his parents have a decent marriage, he's seen others in their lives around them fall apart. Freddie also can't stomach the concept of being tied down to one person forever. What if it was the right person though? Is often a thought that steps into his brain for just one second before he refuses to allow it to be further processed. "Us businessman are much better. You need to broaden your horizons," he wants to tease her but given her warning he lets the comment slide out like a normal statement. He watches her bring the wine glass up to her lips after her the comment of them drinking too much. "And would that really be that bad? Sounds like we could use it. Plus it's helping my three day hangover." Freddie flags down the waiter and asks for a pitcher of water and some glasses. "And I promised I wouldn't make any moves, so you're safe," he reassures her.  Freddie feels a a sense of prrotectiveness towards Aisha when he hears of Tate's lacking. He was his best friend, of course. It infuriated him to hear that he really hasn't t seen much of his sister. Although he knew their relationship had it's ups and down, much like any sibling one. But it wasn't Freddie's place to correct his actions or step in to say something to his partner in crime. He doesn't miss the tears that fill up in her eyes after his words. His hand reaches across the table to grab hers. His thumb circles the skin on top of her hand. Once he realizes what he's done, he lets it go instantly. "I know you said no touching, but sorry it was just my first instinct." He's happy to see a smile come across her face, even if it's a forced one. Probably the first one she's given him since their unexpected meeting. "It's really fine. You need to let that shit out. Keep talking to me. I'm all ears and have no where else to be tonight." He murmurs softly and a small smile now reaches his lips too.

[aisha van buren]

"I'm getting there." He insists businessmen are better and she tilts an eyebrow. "Is that so? I've tried them before, but they're usually too married to their work." She lets an edge of suggestiveness creep into her voice, easing in to more of a familiar dynamic between them. Freddie was always an easy person to flirt with, since it came naturally to him and he was guaranteed not to take it too seriously. Still, she can tell he's respecting her wishes, keeping a healthy distance from her and avoiding his usually innuendo-laden jokes. Whilst she might be just a tad disappointed, it hasn't gone unnoticed and she respects a man who knows when to reign it in. Maybe he was growing up after all. "Anyway, since when are you a businessman? Have you started up at the family firm?" She sits back and eats another couple of fries, starting to enjoy herself despite everything. She shrugs as her glass is topped up; she'd already pumped her breast milk and she had absolutely nowhere to be, not today, tomorrow or any day really, so sure, why not get wasted? "Promises are harder to keep when you're wasted, Beaumont." Still, she picks up her glass and clinks it against his. "Cheers." Though the wine definitely contributes to her inability to keep her composure. It's been so long since she actually spoke to another adult that wasn't the nanny, or her parents, that she can hardly get over the rush of mixed emotions. Absence made her forget how protective he was of her, and the warmth of knowing he cared meant more to her than she'd ever anticipated. As soon as he withdraws his hand she misses it and wishes he hadn't, but she's too stubborn to say so. "Thank you," she repeats, trying not to let her voice crack. "No, I'm boring. All I do is sit and watch Bluey all day, scrolling on social media. Tell me about you, what have you been up to?"