Disclaimer: I don't own Hayden, his family or his production company....no disrespect is meant toward Sienna Miller in this fiction -- its clearly just fiction and not supposed to be a portrayal of how she is in reality....
~~~
Cara rushed home after work and began sorting through her clothes for the dinner date.
Steph stood in the doorway, surveying the scene.
"What's going on in here? Clothing tornado," she commented.
Cara looked over her shoulder, "I'm trying to find something to wear for dinner..."
"Ooh, do you have a date?" Steph asked, walking into the room and sitting on Cara's bed.
"Yeah, sort of," Cara said.
Steph smiled, "...and with who?"
"You're going to laugh...after all of the complaining I've done," Cara said. "I'm going to dinner with Hayden."
Steph only grinned, not looking a bit surprised.
"What?" Cara asked, noting her expression. "You're not surprised."
"Nope," Steph said. "It's kind of obvious...it was only a matter of time before the two of you bitched and fought your way into a date."
~~~~
Hayden had gotten directions from Cara at work and picked her up promptly at 8.
"I was thinking about taking you to Mirabelle over in West Hollywood. They have excellent Mediterranean cuisine," Hayden said, pulling his Escalade out into the L.A. traffic.
"That sounds terrific," Cara said.
For the first time, the two had a pleasant conversation on the way to the restaurant. Hayden asked her about college, Cara asked him about his film career and life back home in Toronto.
They found that when they quit arguing, they actually very much enjoyed the other's company.
Soon, they had arrived at Mirabelle.
"I had made reservations here," Hayden said slyly. "...but I would've just cancelled them if you hadn't wanted to come here."
Cara smiled, "this place sounds perfect."
They were seated in a special section of the restaurant with a gorgeous view of the patio and the posh setting around them. This area of the restaurant was completely candle-lit.
A waiter approached their table and Hayden ordered a white wine and appetizers.
"This is very nice Hayden," Cara said with a smile after the waiter left the table.
Hayden returned the smile, "I told you...I'm on a mission to prove that I'm not always the way I seem."
Cara nodded, "I know you're not...and neither am I....I know I'm pretty feisty. I've always been like that - my mother always said it would get me in to trouble."
"Feisty can be good," Hayden said with a glint in his eye and a hint of flirtation in his tone.
"So, what's next for you?" Cara asked.
Hayden looked at her, "what do you mean?"
"I mean, your career. Do you have any projects lined up or are you taking time off?"
"Well, I've been taking the past six months off," Hayden said. "I'm looking at a couple of scripts right now....so, soon it will be back to work. I'm a different person when I work -- you wouldn't even recognize me."
"How so?" Cara asked, taking a bite of the oysters from the appetizer platter the waiter had brought.
"I can be very intense when I work...I just take it very seriously. That's why I don't have a very high tolerance for people who cause trouble on film shoots. Some actors get the whole attitude power trip thing going - they want to hold up a film shoot a few hours because they know they can...I don't deal well with that sort of thing...I respect my co-workers and expect the same."
"Of course," Cara said in agreement.
"...the Bentley's are actually wanting me to consider a role in the Headley film."
"Oh really?" Cara asked with interest. This had been the major project Forest Park had just landed.
"Yeah, but I'm not sure if that would work so well," Hayden said. "There could be a potential for more issues...and I'm not sure I'm ready to go back into all of that."
Cara didn't press further -- she figured this was the reasoning behind the initial hesitancy Hayden had shown when the Bentley's were pushing for Sienna Miller.
"...but enough about work," Hayden said smiling.
Cara smiled too, "I thought that's why we were here...to form a better working relationship."
"Perhaps," Hayden said, gently rubbing Cara's hand. "...but I wanted to ask you to dinner tonight to get to know you better...not just to talk about work."
Cara wasn't sure what to say or how to respond.
The chemistry between them was palpable...that much was obvious....but Cara was concerned about what complications could arise if they didn't keep this in check.
Cara was silent for a moment and Hayden tried to gauge her reaction. He bit his lip and asked the question that had been on his mind for the past week.
"Why did you leave that morning?"
Cara looked at him, almost surprised and almost relieved. This unanswered question was finally out there in the open.
"I left because I didn't want things to be awkward," Cara said. "I kind of had you pegged as the type of guy who did that regularly....so, I figured it was nothing special and I shouldn't overstay my welcome."
Hayden was silent for a moment. He couldn't exactly deny that one night stands were rare for him. Unfortunately, they had been far more frequent lately than he'd like to admit.
All he could do was shake his head.
"...but I think we can move past it, we can evolve," Hayden said.
Soonafter, their meals arrived and they resumed talking about lighter subjects. They tried each other's meals and laughed and talked. Everything was turning out perfectly.
Maybe he's not who I thought, Cara thought to herself.
Hayden was being very respectful, attentive and sweet.
The two decided to end the evening with a drive and a moonlight walk on the Santa Monica Pier.
They stopped near the edge of the pier.
Hayden looked out over the dark water, the moonlight shining over them brightly.
Cara stood next to him, looking out over the water.
Maybe it was the gorgeous setting, maybe it was the glasses of wine she'd had with dinner...whatever it was, it compelled her with an overwhelming force. Her attraction to him was becoming more difficult to rein in - so she gave in to it.
She stood up on her tiptoes and pulled his face towards her and kissed him.
Hayden returned the kiss. The two were like that for several moments.
Things began to get very heated between the two when Hayden pulled away.
Cara stood looking a little confused and embarassed. She didn't know what had come over her.
"Why don't we go? It's getting awfully late," Hayden said, touching her arm gently.
"Alright," Cara said.
She wasn't sure what Hayden was thinking.
The two walked back to his SUV and got in.
The two were pretty quiet during the drive to Burbank.
Cara sat, looking out the window and biting her lower lip. She had been the initiator - once again, not something in her nature. She'd only known Hayden a little over a week and he'd already caused her to act out of character on several occasions.
Get a grip, she thought. Your attraction to him is causing you to act like all of the rest of the girls who throw themselves at him.
Soon, they arrived at the apartment.
Cara looked at him with a small shy smile. "I had a wonderful time tonight. Thank you for dinner."
Hayden smiled himself, "I had a great time with you too, Cara."
"Would you like to come in for a little while?" Cara found herself asking him.
Hayden hesitated. He knew what would happen if he went in to her apartment with her. "I think I'm just going to go home. I have another early meeting."
Cara's rejected expression made him regret his statement, but she didn't say anything for a moment. "Alright...well, thanks again."
Cara opened the car door, got out and walked to the front door of the apartment as Hayden began his drive to Malibu.
~~~
Cara walked into her apartment padding across the carpet barefoot, her high heels in hand. The living room lamp was on but Steph was in her room and all was quiet. It appeared she had gone to bed early.
Cara was just about to go in to wash her face when she heard a soft knock on the door.
Cara crept to the door and looked through the peephole. Her heart leaped into her throat.
She opened the door to find Hayden standing there, looking at her.
"Hi," she said.
He didn't speak - he didn't give her a moment to say anything else.
He grabbed her in his arms and kissed her with a force of passion and aggression that overwhelmed both of them.
Cara returned the affection and broke the kiss long enough to pull him inside and close the front door.