10. Chapter Ten
Nothing ever prepares you for the loss of a loved one. It might seem almost simple to live with, but it certainly is not.
I watch as Lea goes on about how much she misses her parents. The pain of their loss was still evident in her eyes, even though she had learned to mask it with jokes and keeping busy.
Having known Lea for years, it was easy to tell when she was hiding behind the curtains of her smile. She was an expert in masking pain, which would only lead to a major breakdown in the long run.
I didn’t mean to be insistent, but I sincerely worry about her. She reminisces over her parents and how they would have been of immense help to her in this season.
The regret of not getting to see them before the accident makes the pain even worse. It’s almost like double jeopardy—the loss of a loved one and the pain of never seeing them again.
Her eyes are red and swollen as she cries on my shoulder while mumbling words of remembrance in between sobs.
My heart yearned deeply for her. I could feel it in the thudding of my heart and the shivers her touch sent down my spine, but of what use was my yearning if I could not show it?
I tilt her head to the side and wipe off the tears from her eyes. Gently, my fingers glide through her face till I get to her lips.
My resistance fails me as I press my lips to hers, and electricity such that I have never experienced it sends signals to every vein in my body.
I feel shivers down my soul, and the burst of fireworks going around my body is enough to start a bonfire.
My desire for her is at its peak until common sense returns to me.
Even if I needed to show my genuine emotions towards her, it shouldn’t be on a day when she is vulnerable like this. It may seem that I took advantage of the situation and forgot about her feelings.
I want her to agree to this knowingly and not just because she is pitiable or needs some help. I want to be her backbone forever and not her once-in-a-while sleeping pill.
Abruptly, I withdraw from our intimate moment, and I can see the shock on her face and the questions circling her mind.
“I want you to be fully aware and want it and us to happen. You are vulnerable now. It’s not a good time to make such important decisions. I’ll wait, Lea. I’ll wait till you feel better. Don’t just make me wait for too long till I grow old.” I chuckle to lighten up the atmosphere in the room so we don’t wallow at the abrupt end of that beautiful moment.
She finally catches her breath and smiles back at me. Although her smile is not convincing enough that she understands why I withdrew from her.
I think of ways to make her feel better aside from planting my lips on hers.
Bowling. The suggestion comes to my head like a light bulb turned on. We all used to go bowling frequently when we were younger.
Kelvin didn’t like it, but he always came because of Lea. She and I would play till our hands hurt from throwing and our legs hurt from dancing to the music in the bowling alley.
To avoid creating a tense atmosphere filled with unanswered questions, I asked her if we could go bowling together tomorrow night.
“Bowling? Sounds nice! At our favorite spot?”
“Yes! Jackie’s! They’ve improved all their bowling tracks and pins. It’s way better than it was back in the day.”
“Yay! I cannot wait to go there.”
Her child-like excitement soon blew the tears in her eyes away. I’m happy that she has released the tears she held back for days, but my heart still hurts.
“You would love it there, I’m sure.”
“If Kelvin was here, he would never agree to this plan. He would rather go fishing or skydiving than bowling.”
“The man doesn’t even eat seafood.”
We both laugh at the thoughts of the man that connects us. How would he react when I tell him how I feel about his sister? He is very protective of his sister, especially with the guys she gets entangled with. Would he be against my relationship with her? Well, we will cross that bridge when we get there.
This is such a difficult position right now. I want her, but I cannot be too forward about it. Lea has to make a clear-eyed decision and not one made during an emotional breakdown.
The bowl of popcorn is still on the table and hasn’t gone halfway as we’re more engrossed in real-life issues than popcorn made with vanilla and extra sugar.
I have to leave as it is already late into the night. Also, I am meeting with a client at 9:00 am at The Victorian Base.
She walks me to the door and bids me goodnight.
“See you tomorrow, Fiancée,” I wink at her, and she laughs hard.
“Goodnight, CEO Stone.”
I’m confident that she will sleep soundly tonight with no pent-up pain.
My house feels warm, not necessarily because of the weather, but because I had given her a hint about my feelings. She knows I care about her beyond just being my best friend’s sister.
Knowing that something stirred in her heart, I slept soundly, too. Hopefully, it stirs her towards my direction and not away from me.
The following day, I woke up at my usual time of 6:00 am. As I go about getting ready, documents are in my email inbox, waiting for my input.
My mind flashes back to last night with Lea, and I call her to ensure we don’t have a repeat of the morning incident from yesterday.
“You know it wouldn’t be good for the CEO’s fiancée to show up late to work for two days in a row.”
“Yes, Mr. CEO. As we speak, I’m almost done getting dressed and I’ll be out in thirty minutes.”
“Sounds like a perfect plan to me,” I say as I sip some coffee and swipe to the next email.
“I packed sandwiches for two just in case you need a bite during the day. As a dutiful executive assistant, I know the importance of food to a busy man.”
“Thank you, Ms. Dutiful. I will include this in your KPI during the next review.”
“Now, I don’t mind if anyone says I have CEO privileges. I am totally enjoying its many perks, like a bonus pay.”
We both share a laugh as we make a joke about what seemed like a mountain before us just yesterday.
“I already sent some documents that need reviews to your email. I also sent your schedule for the day.”
“Yes, I saw the email, and I’m currently working on it. You’ve learned the ropes so fast. Samantha must have drilled you well yesterday.”
“Nope. You are currently talking to me, Mr. CEO, not working on any documents.”
“Right…”
I laugh at her accuracy. I’m talking to her and thinking about her and what she would have on today.
“Multitasking is my forte, Lea. That’s one of my gifts you should note.”
“That’s noted, sir. Would you be kind enough to let me go off this call now? If you don’t, Jenny might reconsider firing me again and you wouldn’t have an EA.”
It would be a terrible outcome if she got fired. I want to see her as many times a day as possible, and work gives me that opportunity.
“You do have a point there, Ms. Have a great day at work. I’ll see you later.”
‘I love you,’ I’m tempted to say at the end of the call, but my mind knows better than to blurt that out. I will give her the time she needs.
“See you later!” She says in a singsong voice. She must be in a thrilled mood this morning, and I love it.
My eyes run through the documents, and I track the changes that need to be made. As I step out of the shower, I get dressed and ready for my meeting.
Her car is absent from her driveway. She had waved at me before leaving, and I wondered how she guessed I was watching her drive out. Was it just subconsciously?
It takes approximately thirty minutes for me to arrive at the meeting venue, and then I will survey the areas that the client will have us work on.
This would be an excellent addition to our portfolio, as the client has requested a complete building makeover. It is our specialty to get things like these done.
Working in the interior decoration and building industry requires a third eye. Where people see plain designs, you must be able to create the extraordinary out of them.
The goal is to leave clients speechless and unable to recognize their spaces when we are done.
“I’ve heard a lot about Selware since I moved here. I’m not in doubt that you will do a good job.” My client says.
“Certainly. You won’t regret working with us. Rest assured that we will deliver on time.”
One thing that stood out in my company was the knack for timely delivery. I ensured we got the job done within the time frame given to our client.
Our goal is to under-promise and over-deliver to all our clients.
“You will receive the final designs, estimated cost, and delivery date by mail. Do look out for it.”
“I sure will. Thank you, Mr. Stone.”
“It’s my pleasure, Mr. Lorenzo.”
I leave the building before he heads back to the office. I cannot wait to share this news with my team. Especially Lea.
When I get into the car, I decide to call the almighty Kelvin Williams Carlo Esq. The one who never says important things when he needs to.
“Dude, what’s popping?”
“I wonder what goes on in your mind sometimes when you miss out on telling people the important details.”
He laughs, and I’m tempted to do the same, but I need to be stern with this guy so he learns his lesson.
“Is this why you didn’t tell me you just landed a new deal with a foreign client?”
“Lea told you?”
“Of course she did. I called your office earlier, and she said you were at a meeting with a new client.”
“Well, we sealed the deal. We got it!”
“Congratulations! You cannot deny that my stellar drafting skills made this happen.”
“Will your drafting skills get the design done? Huh?”
“Okay, Bob the Builder. It’s still a win for both of us. We should raise a glass to this soon.”
“That can only happen when you come to Los Angeles, man. When are we going to see you? How’s the court process going?”
“They signed off on the release of the properties yesterday. We just need a little more paperwork to do, and we will be done with everything. I told Lea about it yesterday via text.”
That must’ve been the text Lea read when we were together in the smaller room yesterday.
“That’s great to hear, man! Hopefully, this will be all over in due time, and we can all celebrate.”
“How’s Laurel?”
Laurel and Kelvin have been together for two years now. She must be at least 80% of the reason he had not broken down completely after losing his parents. She was a lawyer, just like him.
“She’s good. Whopping back sides in court, as usual. The lady makes me wonder if I truly paid attention in law school. She’s fierce in court, a legal beast!”
“One of these days, she might whoop your backside in court, too.”
“I would withdraw from the case, bro. I wouldn’t risk that.”
“I need to inform you about something really important, Kelvin.”
“You called me by my name, which means it must be really important. Talk to me.”
“I don’t think it’s something we should talk about over the phone.”
“Well, you could at least give me a heads up. I don’t know when we will see each other again.”
“Hmmm…You’re correct. Well, I know you are my best friend, and I don’t want to take advantage of our friendship. I just thought it wise to…”
“Bro, are you dying?”
“Hell no! Why would you think that?”
“Well, you’re stammering, and I can bet you are shaking wherever you are. Speak to me, man.”
I see Mr. Lorenzo pass before my windscreen, and he waves at me. I wave back and return to the important discussion with Kelvin.
“I have feelings for Lea. I love her, and I want to be with her. But I know how protective you can be about her, so I need to inform you about this first.”
He clapped loudly at the other end of the call, and I wondered why this best friend of mine would clap after I had just told him something as important as this.
“Why are you clapping, Kelvin? This isn’t funny.”
“You have finally come to terms with your feelings, and this applause is an acknowledgement that your eyes are finally open to see.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve always known you had feelings for Lea. Right from when we were teenagers. You always masked it by annoying her and throwing tantrums when she was not around.”
“For the record, I threw tantrums because you become annoying whenever she isn’t around you. Not because I missed her or anything.”
“Whatever rocks your boat. You can believe it. You have my blessings, bro. I trust you with her. You know better than to hurt her.” Kelvin says not in a way to threaten me, I hope.
I let out a breath. I didn’t even realize I had been holding in.
“Thank you, Kelvin. I’ll take good care of her.”
“I trust you will. I gotta go now. My babe has been buzzing my phone, and you don’t make me half as happy as she does.”
“You’re crazy, man. Talk to you later.”
Now that this conversation was out of the way, I got to the office just in time for lunch break. I had gotten lunch for her on my way back, and I need to give it to her before she heads out.
I walk past Lea’s office and notice her head buried in work. The floor looks empty, as everyone must have gone out for lunch.
I had never used the side door connecting my office and what used to be Samantha’s office that was now hers.
Now, it was going to come in handy for both of us.
I open the side door, and her eyes go up to see me. The surprise on her face is one that I wish I could capture.
“Samantha swore you did not know that this door was functional.”
She was not wrong to think that way, as I had never used it for the years we worked together.
“I never needed it until now.”
She stands up from her chair and faces me with the prettiest smile I have ever seen.
“Here…I got you lunch in exchange for a sandwich.”
“Aww. That’s so sweet. Thank you, Damien. Sadly, I have already given the sandwich to Samantha.”
“What? You chose her over me?” I fake tears and a broken heart, then I slump into the chair.
The joyous noise of her laughter fills the entire office, and it is a pleasant sound to my ears.
“I was just kidding. Your sandwich is here, safe with me.”
My heart is safe with her, too, I’m so sure.
She turns to the other side of her table to grab her bag and bring out the sandwich. An exchange happens as she hands the sandwich to me, and I hand over the lunch pack to her.
“This is so thoughtful. Thank you so much.”
She drops the bag on her table and turns to face me. I gave her the details of my meeting with the client and my findings from the survey.
She passed across other details that she had for me as we ate our lunch and went over them.
The first sound of the elevator leads to the second, and we know people are slowly getting back to their offices from their lunch break.
“Is 7:00 p.m. a good time for us to go bowling?”
“Sounds perfect to me. By then, I should be home and well rested for a great night.”
“Alright then. We have a plan. See you at seven.”
As I was thinking of leaving through the door I came in from, someone unexpectedly walked in.