How To Lose Your Billionaire Alpha Husband In 365 Days (Or Less)!-Chapter 44: Rooftop Dinner...

JASMINE’S POV

The drive to wherever Aiden had planned was quiet, but not uncomfortable. The silence stretched between us: soft, unspoken, filled with an unspoken tension that wasn’t quite dangerous, but wasn’t entirely safe either.

He hadn’t told me where we were going, only smiled like he had some devilish secret tucked behind his teeth.

Typical Alpha Frost behaviour.

"So, are you planning to kidnap me?" I asked, smoothing the hem of my dress as the city lights streaked past the windows.

"That depends," he replied, eyes on the road. "Would you try to escape this time?"

"Probably," I said, turning my face toward the window to hide the smile curling on my lips. "But only to see if you’d chase me."

"Oh, I’d chase you," he said, voice dropping an octave. "Catch you, too."

My heart thudded a little too hard.

"Is that a threat or a promise?" I teased.

He flicked a glance at me, amused. "Yes. Maybe this time you won’t find yourself just married... but also pregnant."

My eyes widened at that, and I turned to look at him.

He immediately raised his hands in defence. "Just kidding, just kidding."

Gods. He was insufferable.

And yet...

We pulled up outside a rooftop restaurant, elegant, intimate, glowing with warm lights and soft music floating through the air.

Aiden didn’t even wait for the valet; he was out of the car and already opening my door like some timeless, broody prince.

"Your table awaits," he said with a smirk.

"You’re laying it on thick tonight," I murmured, taking his hand.

"You’re worth thick," he replied smoothly.

I choked on a laugh. "That sounded dirty."

"Entirely intentional."

We were escorted to a corner table overlooking the glittering skyline. There were candles. Real ones. A violinist in the corner. Wine already chilled in an ice bucket.

He was pulling out all the stops.

"Okay, what did you do?" I asked, eyeing him suspiciously as I sat down.

"Nothing... yet," he said, taking his seat across from me. "But I wanted tonight to be just about us."

"Us," I repeated. "You mean the fake marriage, real tension, hot-and-cold thing we’ve got going on?"

"Exactly," he said with a wink. "That us."

The waiter arrived with menus. I skimmed mine, though it was hard to focus with Aiden watching me like I was the only thing worth noticing.

"Do you always stare this much?" I asked, peeking at him over the top of my menu.

"Only when you’re trying to pretend you’re not enjoying it."

"I am not enjoying it," I lied.

He grinned. "You’re glowing, Jasmine."

I rolled my eyes. "That’s the candlelight."

"No. It’s you."

And just like that, the teasing dipped into something deeper. Something real.

I lowered the menu. "You’re serious."

He nodded. "I am."

The waiter returned.

We ordered something seafood-based for him and grilled lamb and roasted vegetables for me, though honestly, I barely remembered the specifics. My focus was on the man sitting across from me, his fingers drumming lightly on the table, and his hard-to-read expression. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

When the waiter left, Aiden leaned forward, folding his hands.

"So tell me something," he said. "No sarcasm. No deflections."

"That’s a big ask."

"Humour me."

I sighed. "Fine."

"What scares you the most?"

The question hit like a quiet storm. I blinked, unsure if I’d heard him right.

"What?"

"You heard me."

I sat back. "You’re really not playing around tonight."

He shrugged. "We’ve danced around too much. Might as well sit still for a moment."

I looked away, watching the skyline. The scar beneath my collarbone pulsed faintly, reminding me of the truth I didn’t want to face. So I gave him another one.

"Losing myself," I said softly.

He didn’t speak, just waited.

"I’ve always been in control," I continued. "Or at least, I tried to be. But this world... this bond... you... it’s all too much sometimes. I’m scared that one day, I’ll look in the mirror and not recognise who I’ve become."

When I looked back, his gaze was molten gold under the low light.

"You haven’t lost yourself," he said. "If anything, you’re becoming more of who you were always meant to be."

I swallowed. "You sound like you know."

"I do." He leaned back. "You hide behind sarcasm and sass, but under all that fire is someone strong enough to change everything. You just haven’t realised it yet."

My throat tightened. I reached for the wine glass, took a sip, then narrowed my eyes at him.

"Okay, your turn."

He arched a brow. "My turn?"

"You don’t get to play therapist without paying a fee. Your biggest fear. Go."

He didn’t even hesitate. "Losing you."

The words hit harder than they should have. I blinked.

"You barely had me to begin with."

"And yet, I’m still terrified," his voice was low and steady. "Not just because of the bond. Because of what you mean to me, Jasmine. What you’re becoming to me."

I looked down at my hands. My chest was tight in the best and worst way.

"This thing between us... it... we aren’t supposed to be real," I whispered.

"Yeah," he said softly. "But here we are."

Dinner arrived, and for a while, we let the conversation drift back into safer waters. We teased. We flirted. He stole bites off my plate. I flicked breadcrumbs at him. He said something about wine and silk sheets that made me almost choke on a shrimp.

But under it all, the air between us was charged. Honest.

"I didn’t think you had this side," I said as we finished dessert, something chocolate and dangerous and entirely too rich.

"What side?"

"This soft, charming, romantic one. Thought you were all brooding stares and business threats."

"I’m a man of many talents."

"And many moods."

He leaned forward again, elbows on the table. "Jasmine?"

"Yeah?"

"If you let me," he said slowly, "I’ll give you every reason to forget this was ever supposed to be pretend."

What followed was silence, really quiet. Almost like a heavy fog had settled in. I could have just laughed it off or made a joke to change the subject.

But I didn’t.

Instead, I whispered, "And if I’m not ready yet?"