Pandemic

"You mean about the media leak?" he said and then went on to explain: "I heard something on the radio on the way in."

"It makes me so mad! I guess they were bound to find out eventually, but it's way too early. Especially with the problems we're having." She looked down at her wineglass and twisted it by the stem. "The press doesn't seem to know too much, but it's only a matter of time."

Haldane nodded. "What's going on with the drug?"

"Not much change." She stilled her wineglass and looked up at Noah. "The risk of hepatitis runs at about two and a half percent, but that's overshadowed by how well it works in treating both strains of the Gansu Flu."

"How well does it work?" he asked.

"The death rates drop from twenty-five percent down to five percent in the treated group."

"Even factoring in the risk of hepatitis?" Haldane asked.

Gwen nodded. "So the pharmaceutical plant is up and running again. We should have some of the drug ready for distribution by week's end."

Haldane raised his half-empty beer glass. "Here's hoping it all goes to waste."

Her face softened and broke into a warm smile. "I'll drink to that," she said, and she tapped her glass against his.

"Two weeks and we haven't seen hide nor hair of The Brotherhood," Haldane said. "That has to bode well, right?"

"Let's hope," she said. "I think the country is collectively exhausted from living under the constant threat."

Haldane pointed around the room with his glass. "People are starting to get back to their normal lives."

Gwen shrugged. "I wouldn't call it normal."

"At least people are getting out of their houses," Haldane said. "Many have gone back to work. The borders have opened to some travel."

"Not much. The airports are zoos. Few international flights are getting in. And according to Ted, the DHS will maintain the level of alert at code red for the foreseeable future."

Haldane waved his hand. "Okay. No more talk of this. It's ruining my appetite."

"Fine by me." She picked up the menu in front of her. "Speaking of appetites…"

They stuck to their agreement and didn't broach any work-related topics for the rest of the dinner, filling the time with happier small talk. When the meal came, Noah was impressed by Gwen's appetite. Most women he had dated never ate on a first date, but Gwen ate through four courses, including dessert. "How do you stay so thin?" he asked her, dropping his jaw in exaggerated amazement.

"I inherited my mom's metabolism. That and her blinding perfectionism." She sighed. "I know I'm lucky, but you have no idea how unpopular the combination of my hefty appetite and relatively lean weight made me with some of the girls at school." She laughed. "Of course, the perfectionism didn't help either."

Haldane reached over and took her hand in his, intertwining their fingers. "You seem pretty popular in our social circle."

She squeezed his hand, but her forehead creased in confusion. "We have a social circle?"

"A tiny little one when you throw in Duncan and Alex."

She laughed. "More like a square."

"Speaking of Alex…" Haldane said.

She raised an eyebrow. "What about him?"

Haldane shrugged, feeling a touch embarrassed. "You two seem pretty close, is all."

Gwen viewed Noah for a moment, before speaking. "You're getting jealous on a first date? I knew you seemed a bit too perfect. Now the red flags are going up," she said but held onto his hand.

"That's not what I meant." Haldane laughed. "It's just that I don't want to get in the way of you two, you know?"

She pointed around the romantic restaurant and then to the two glasses still in front of them. "Aren't you kind of in his way now?".

"I guess." He chuckled. "Look, I've tried my hardest to despise the guy, but for whatever reason, he's grown on me." He tried to muster his most valiant face. "If there is something between the two of you, I am happy to take a step back."

She smiled, but Noah suspected that she wasn't buying his routine. She pulled his hand up to her lips and kissed it. "Don't worry about Alex and me."

He realized she had evaded his question, but he didn't care. He enjoyed the feel of her warm breath and soft lips against his knuckles. He had already forgotten about Clayton.

After Haldane paid the bill, they walked hand-in-hand the half block to her Lexus. Standing by her driver's door, he said, "I wasn't sure you knew how to drive. I thought you just took stretch limos everywhere."

"Only to the White House," Gwen said, and stepped in closer to him so that her legs touched his.

He put an arm around her and pulled her nearer. He leaned his head in until his lips touched hers. Their first kiss was tentative. But when Gwen pressed forward again, her lips were wetter and parted. Pulling her tightly against him, Noah kissed her harder. When her lips parted further and her tongue brushed against the inside of his lips, arousal tore through him like a dam breaking.