Jake finished getting ready earlier than the agreed time because he already knew that Aliya was never gonna finish getting ready if she didn't see him already dressed.
And that proved to be the right choice because Aliya changed outfits three times.
Jake sat on the couch in the living room of his parents' house, one arm stretched along the backrest, as he watched the process with the kind of patience he rarely gave anything.
Every few minutes she would step out of the bedroom, pause in front of the mirror near the wall, study herself from two angles, then disappear inside again with a dissatisfied expression and a muttered comment he was pretty sure he wasn't meant to hear.
He didn't rush her. He didn't comment either.
Normally, he would have. He would have already told her to just pick something and move on, especially if they had somewhere to be. But tonight wasn't about efficiency. He hadn't brought her here just to feed her and take her back home. The dinner meant something, even if he had no intention of making a speech about it.
So he let her take her time.
When she finally came out for the fourth time, she stopped in front of him and turned slowly, almost as if presenting the result of serious work. She had settled on dark jeans and a soft cream top, with light makeup that she had clearly spent more effort on than usual. It wasn't flashy, and that was probably why it suited her. She looked polished without trying too hard.
"Well?" she asked.
Jake looked up properly, took a second, then nodded once. "Good."
Aliya narrowed her eyes immediately. "Just good?"
"Yes."
She stared at him in disbelief, then let out a dramatic sigh. "You are actually impossible."
But she was smiling when she said it, and Jake could tell she approved of the outfit enough to forgive his lack of poetic praise. "Mom and dad might be home soon so we need to leave and I don't feel like explaining why we are driving instead of calling a cab."
Aliya responded without even looking at him as she was admiring herself on the living room mirror, "Well, sooner or later you are gonna have to come clean you know?"
"Yeah I know, but I'd rather that day not be today." Jake said as he stood up pick up his phone and wallet.
A few minutes later, they were already in the car and on the way.
---
Dine Palace.
Jake had chosen the restaurant because unlike The Meridian Hotel, this was less popular and crowded despite being a 4 star restaurant. It sat on one of the quieter streets in the central district, tucked between two modern office buildings and just far enough from the busiest nightlife areas to avoid the usual noise.
It was elegant without being theatrical, the kind of place people chose when they wanted a night to feel memorable without making a performance out of it. Warm lighting spilled through the large glass windows, reflecting softly across polished floors and neatly arranged tables inside.
Jake parked across the street and stepped out and opened the door for Aliya. "I didn't know that you can be such a gentleman." She said with a smile.
"Well, tonight I'm with my little princess instead or of the little goblin I usually have to deal with at home." Jake said softly as he closed the door.
"I heard that," Aliya shot him an annoyed look then stood beside him and looked up at the building for a moment before turning slowly toward him. "This looks expensive."
"It's reasonable for tonight," Jake said.
She gave him a long look. "Your definition of reasonable is evolving. At least your taste has improved."
That got a smile from him, though it was something close to a chuckle. "We should go inside," Jake said as he started walking. "Can't keep standing here all night now, right?"
Aliya nodded slightly and they crossed the street together and stepped inside.
The hostess greeted them with a practiced warmth which Aliya seemed to enjoy. "Good evening, how may I be of service to you tonight?"
Jake responded politely, "I reserved a table for two, The name is Rivers, Jake Rivers." That earned a small chuckle from the hostess. "Ok Mr Rivers, let me check it for you."
Aliya nudged Jake a little and said, "I think she likes you."
"You are imagining things." Jake said as he tried to keep a straight face.
"Your table is table number 29, would you like me to take you there?" The hostess asked with a smile. "Yes please." Jake replied.
She then led them to a table near the window. Soft music played somewhere in the background, low enough to disappear under the quiet murmur of conversation. No loud laughter, no plates crashing, no chaotic energy from too many people trying to be noticed at once. The entire place felt composed.
Jake casually sat down whilst Aliya sat carefully, taking in the room with open curiosity that she made no attempt to hide.
"If you are ready to order please press that red button and a waiter will come to your table." The hostess said as she pointed to the button on the table. "If that's all then I'll take my leave." Jake nodded and she turned around and went back to her position.
After the hostess left, Aliya began commenting on the experience. "This," she whispered, leaning forward slightly, "is definitely rich-people atmosphere."
Jake replied her as he picked up his menu. "Relax. Just check out the menu and order what you would like."
She shrugged and opened hers, and a second later her eyes widened. "Jake."
He looked up. "What?"
"These prices." Aliya said with a crackling voice as she realised there was no item on the menu with a price below 500VM.
"Don't worry about the price, just pick what you want." Jake replied her without looking up from his menu.
Aliya stared at him for a moment, clearly trying to work out whether he was being serious or just pretending confidence. When she realized he meant it, her expression shifted, and she looked back down at the menu with new concentration, like the decision had suddenly become more important.
Dinner settled into an easy rhythm almost without effort.
At first they talked about ordinary things. Her classes. A lecturer she was convinced had made it his life mission to torture students through unnecessary assignments. The latest campus gossip she claimed not to care about and then described in suspicious detail. Jake listened more than he spoke, which wasn't unusual, but tonight there was something lighter in the way he did it. He wasn't distracted, wasn't half-thinking about charts or next steps or the next problem waiting to be solved. For once, he let himself just be there.
Aliya noticed, even though she didn't bring it up.
By the time the main course arrived, she had relaxed completely. She no longer looked like someone worried about using the wrong fork in an expensive restaurant. She looked like herself again, just dressed a little better and eating food she would definitely describe to her friends in painful detail later.
Halfway through the meal, though, she set her fork down and looked at him properly. "Okay," she said. "I have a real question."
Jake took a sip of water. "Ok, ask." She hesitated, which was unusual enough on its own that it made him pay closer attention. When she spoke again, her voice was softer. "You're doing really well, aren't you?"
Jake didn't answer immediately.
He wasn't avoiding the question. He just didn't want to answer carelessly. Aliya was the first one who knew, and he felt like he owed her the truth at least.
She went on before he could respond. "You don't have to tell me numbers or anything. I'm not asking that. I just..." She searched for the right words and then gave up on making them perfect. "I just want to know if you're okay. Like actually okay."
That actually landed more deeply than he expected.
For a moment, the restaurant around them seemed to blur into background noise. The low music, the conversations, the soft clink of cutlery from other tables—none of it mattered much. It was just the two of them in the warm light, with her looking at him in a way that had nothing to do with curiosity and everything to do with care.
Jake leaned back slightly in his chair. "I'm more than stable for now," he said at last. It wasn't a full answer, but it was an honest one.
Aliya held his gaze for a second, then nodded slowly. "Good."
She picked her fork up again, but something about her expression had changed. The teasing was still there somewhere, but softer now, held back by something more thoughtful.
"I knew you'd figure things out eventually," she said after a moment, trying for a lighter tone. "You always do."
Jake didn't respond out loud but something in his chest eased anyway.
After dinner, Jake went to settle the bill at the reception and found the same hostess. "I would like to pay please."
"Ok, please give me a moment," she said as she started typing on the computer. "That would be a total of 14 367.00."
"Ok, I'll swipe." Jake replied casually as took out his wallet to pay. But unknown to him, that earned an interest from the hostess. 'He's good looking and apparently loaded, and that lady there seemed like a friend or sister right?' as she was thinking this, she subconsciously looked at Jake a bit longer than intended which made her blush when she realised it and looked down.
When Jake saw her looking down he simply ignored it and swiped his card and completed the payement. "Thank you." He said as he began walking back to Aliya.
'No, he's leaving... But I didn't get his contacts. Did he think I was weird?' The hostess began crashing out as she saw Jake leave.
---
Jake and Aliya stepped back out into the cool evening air. Aliya drew in a breath and stretched her arms a little. "That was amazing."
Jake glanced at her and smiled. "Good. I didn't spend fourteen thousand just for you to complain." She turned to him with immediate delight. "That number was not necessary you know, but thank you. Also, I'm definitely not telling Mom and Dad anything. This secret life is way too beneficial."
Jake shook his head, though there was no real disapproval in it.
"Ooh, and that hostess was totally into you. She couldn't stop blushing when you went to pay." Aliya said with a grin. Jake shook his head with amusement but said nothing.
"I'm just saying, you have a pretty good shot with her. And she's very cute too. Probably an eighty five, and that tight suit really showed her figure." Aliya said as she enjoyed the teasing.
"You are just imagining things," Jake said as he began walking to the car. "I'm just saying you know." She said with a giggle as she walked behind.
They walked to the car together, and once they were inside, Aliya ran a hand lightly over the dashboard as if she still hadn't entirely accepted that it belonged to him. "You really did it," she murmured.
Jake started the engine. "Don't worry, I'm working on being better." He said with a smile. Aliya didn't respond, some things didn't require a response.
City lights slid across the windshield as he pulled back onto the road. Traffic had thinned enough that the drive felt smooth, the spaces between intersections longer and quieter than earlier in the evening.
Aliya leaned back in her seat and looked at him from the side. "So where are we going now?"
"Home." Jake replied as he focussed ahead.
She kept watching him. "Your new home or ours?"
Jake's eyes stayed on the road. "Mine."
She didn't respond immediately and a few seconds passed before she gave a small nod and turned toward the window again.
Westbridge Residences looked calm under the night lighting when Jake pulled into the underground parking. The building seemed even quieter now than it had during the day. Aliya stepped out of the car more slowly this time, taking in the surroundings with that same open curiosity she never quite managed to hide.
"You really moved huh," she said as they walked toward the elevator. "Yeah," Jake replied with a smile as he felt a sense of accomplishment.
When he unlocked the apartment and pushed the door open, she stepped inside, took three steps, and stopped.
The silence hit her first. Then the soft lighting. Clean lines. Minimal furniture arranged with deliberate restraint. Nothing extravagant, but everything intentional. The apartment didn't look like a student place. It looked like someone had chosen it carefully for a reason.
"Jake..." she said, and this time there was no joke attached to his name.
He closed the door behind them while she wandered farther in.
She moved through the living room slowly, then toward the second bedroom where his desk setup stood ready. Laptop. Monitor. Organized cables. A clear surface. Everything arranged with the kind of discipline that said more about him than the apartment itself did.
"You built all this," she said quietly as she felt proud of her brother's success. Jake leaned against the doorframe. "Step by step."
Aliya turned to face him.
The teasing had disappeared completely now. No dramatic commentary. No clever line waiting to rescue the moment from sincerity. She just looked at him with something that felt deeper than surprise. "I'm really proud of you," she said.
The words landed harder than he expected.
Maybe because they were simple. Maybe because there was no performance in them. Or maybe because some part of him had been moving so quickly through each new milestone that he hadn't really stopped to think about what it looked like from the outside—how much had changed, how much work it represented, how visible the climb was to someone who had seen where he started.
Jake nodded once. "Thanks, sis."
It was all he said, but it was enough.
Aliya looked at him like he had said something heartfelt. "I don't remember the last time you called me that." Jake didn't respond but just smiled at her.
They stood in the quiet for another moment before Aliya clapped her hands together suddenly, the sound sharp enough to break the mood on purpose.
"Okay," she announced. "Emotional moment over. I still expect my allowance every Thursday."
Jake let out a breath that was almost a laugh. "Yeah, of course you do."
She grinned, satisfied that normal order had been restored. "Good. Now drop me home, rich man. I have school tomorrow."
They left the apartment and Jake took her home. Jake parked in the public parking space and waited for Aliya to get out. "Thanks for tonight, bro." She said as she walked to the house without giving Jake a chance to respond.
Jake simply watched her till she got in the house before returning to his apartment.
The apartment felt quieter without her presence, but not really emptier. If anything, it felt more settled than before, as if her presence had confirmed something he already knew but hadn't fully let himself feel. Someone else had seen what he had built. Someone who knew enough of the before to understand the weight of the after. And that mattered more than anything.
He sat down at the desk in the trading room and opened his laptop.
The charts loaded and the account updated.
1,103,800 VM
Still climbing. Still steady.
Jake leaned back in the chair and looked at the screen without any urgency to act. Tonight wasn't about trading. It wasn't about pushing for more or trying to extract meaning from the next move. It was about perspective.
He had crossed a major threshold and from here, growth would mean something different than it had before. He wasn't only trying to survive now, or solve immediate problems before they swallowed the next week. The shape of the goal was changing.
Jake closed the laptop and walked out to the balcony.
The city stretched before him in scattered lights and distant movement, thousands of lives crossing paths without knowing that his had quietly changed direction. Somewhere out there people were still dealing with the ordinary small crises of a Saturday night. Arguments. Deadlines. Regret. Hope. Plans for the week ahead.
And here he was, standing in the dark with his hands resting lightly on the railing, aware that his life had entered a different stage without anyone really noticing yet.
For now, everything still felt calm.
---