11. Chapter Eleven
Damien must have psychic powers to read my mind and know how hungry I was feeling.
I did not want to go down for lunch with others because I dreaded the judging eyes staring at me at the cafeteria. The plan was to go down alone when others must have returned to their offices.
How long would I continue this act? Hiding from my co-workers so that I do not get judged for something that isn’t even true.
If it was, maybe it would have been more bearable. But this was something I could not handle right now.
Slowly, my mind drifts back to Damien, who is telling me about this Italian client he met today. He goes on about how excited he is about this job, the fact that it is a total makeover of the building, and the joys of working with him.
I share in his happiness even though my mind still drifts to the beating sounds of my chest. Why does my heart race whenever I am around or think about him?
Hopefully, it was not loud enough for him to hear as he drew closer to see a part of the new documents I showed him.
One thing was set in stone from the few hours spent working here: there was an order of things, and they were done with excellence. From the structure of the building, the efficiency of the staff, the equipment used in the offices, the letterhead, and even as little as the water dispenser in every office.
Everything was done with a standard of excellence, and I am glad I got the job here.
We finish eating lunch and start going over documents. He reminds me about our bowling date. I’m not sure I could call it a date, seeing that we are just friends, and he just wants to take my mind off my tumultuous emotions from yesterday’s conversation.
“Alright then. We have a plan. See you at seven,” He says with his hand on my desk as he towers over me.
Our heads turn to the entrance, where we hear the clicking heels of someone walking into my office.
Jenny casually walks in but stops in her tracks as she notices our awkward position.
“I’m so sorry. I can come back later,” she says with horror in her eyes and turns 180 degrees to be right on her way out.
“It’s alright. I was about to leave anyway. See you later tonight, babe.”
He kisses my forehead, and I make a mental note to avoid washing that part of my face when I take a shower. I need that mark to rest there forever.
“See you later, babe.”
To make it look real, I had to force the words out of my mouth without stuttering. Jenny had laser eyes and looked as if she could see through the facade we were putting up.
“Hi, Jenny. How can I help you?”
“You both look so in love. It’s beautiful to watch, Lea. I’m happy for you two,” she says in between her giddy squeals that make her sound like a high school girl.
She shocks me with her words and I’m surprised that she feels emotions with how stuck up she always looks. People truly had multidimensional personalities, and Jenny was certainly one of them.
Also, for Jenny to notice, that meant that we were putting up a good act as she seemed to always read in between the lies and figure things out.
She goes on and on about how lucky I am to be with Damien and shares how she and her boyfriend have been talking about marriage recently.
Again, another shocker. One would have guessed she had the hots for Damien and would have been wrong. She spoke about her boyfriend with a glint of pride in her eyes.
Suddenly, her mind switches on like a light, causing her to jerk towards my table and open the file in her hand.
“Samantha’s water broke while we were out grabbing lunch, and she asked me to give this to you for your perusal.”
“Oh my. Did they rush her to the hospital? Which hospital is she in? Is she okay? Is the baby okay?”
My knowledge about childbirth and its procedures is a bit hazy, but one sure thing was that Samantha had the strength of seven women in one and would certainly not have any troubles going through the process.
“She’s okay. Thankfully, her brother-in-law was close by and drove down to take her to the hospital.”
A sigh of relief slipped from my nostrils, and I did not even know I was standing and clinging to my table all the while.
“Just take your time. If you need help, you can always ask me or anyone around. We are willing to put you through, as with all the other recruits,” Jenny says.
“Also, I know you both can’t take your hands and eyes off each other, but join us for lunch sometime, will you?” Jenny and the other staff must have discussed this over lunch before she could make this comment.
If only she knew I had not planned to have lunch with Damien but purposely stayed up to avoid seeing anyone in the cafeteria.
“Sure, I will. Thank you for your help, Jenny. Thank you also for not kicking me out yesterday.”
“It’s no biggie. You’re welcome, Lea.”
“I’ve got a desk lined up with work, so I’ll get going now. See you later.” She walks back to her office, and I cannot help but notice her red-bottom heels. Typical of Jenny to always crown her outfits with the perfect footwear.
Looking through the file Jenny had just brought in, I realized it was the one we had discussed before Samantha went for lunch. The missing puzzle to the brand portfolio I was discussing with Damien.
Samantha has been saving my life since I got here, and I pray she delivers her baby safely.
Zoning out my head into the work that lay before me, time flies by fast, and it’s already 5:00 pm.
It would be risky for me to think that I could get ready for tonight in less than an hour, so I picked up my things to go home and get ready.
I glanced at my desk to be sure nothing was being left behind.
It took approximately forty-five minutes to get back home, and I rummaged through my wardrobe for a chic yet stunning outfit for the bowling game.
My denim black skinny jeans and a powder-blue crop sweatshirt I got in San Antonio look eye-catching. I paired that with a pair of white sneakers and a beanie in a shade of blue, similar to my sweatshirt.
My hair needed nothing done, as it would either be wrapped in a bun or left free to fly.
I take a shower as fast as I can and get dressed. Since there would be drips of sweat, I go light on the makeup, just some lip gloss with a slightly pink shade and mascara to emphasize my long lashes.
I looked through my fragrance collection and selected one that my parents had gifted me when they took a trip to Paris.
This was the first time since their death that I was going out with a friend or anyone at all to hang out. I had found solace in my solitude and did not want to deal with the outside world.
I’m sure my dad would be happy that I finally stepped out of hiding to truly live and not just exist to occupy space on the couch or my bed.
The time is currently 6:59 pm, and as a sucker for accurate timing that he is, my doorbell rings, and I instantly know it’s Damien.
I pick up my sling bag and douse myself in one quick spray of the perfume again.
Walking to the door, I think about the night and how it could unfold. Being near him greatly affected my heart, and I had to be cautious not to embarrass myself before him.
I open the door mid-thoughts, and his familiar yet outstanding scent greets me.
I observe that the man has a finely built body. I notice that his hair has been slightly trimmed and is lower than earlier in the day. He has black pants, a white shirt, and a luxurious leather jacket.
The latest edition of Nike Airforce covers his feet, and his overall aura captivates me.
He seems to take in my appearance as I was doing for him, and his mouth is agape as he looks at me.
“Lea, you look stunning, and you smell good.”
His compliments and awe-struck looks make my face redden as quickly as possible.
“Thank you, Damien. You look dapper yourself.”
“I wouldn’t want to look shabby walking beside a stunner like you, would I?”
I giggle at his play on words. “Of course not, Prince Charming.”
He stretches his hand towards me, and I hold on to him while locking the door behind me.
We walked to his car, and he opened the front passenger door for me to enter. Such a gentleman!
He goes round to the driver’s side and gets in. The engine of the car raves, and we begin the ride to the bowling alley.
We arrived, and there were more people than we expected.
“I didn’t know it would be so busy tonight. I would have picked somewhere else if I had known. I’m so sorry, Lea.”
“It’s fine. We both don’t do well in crowded spaces, anyway. Let’s still try to have fun. I need to flex muscles in the bowling alley and whoop your backside with my skills.”
“Okay, Miss Flex. Let’s go in and get started.” We share a laugh as we change into our bowling shoes.
We were ushered to a less crowded part of the bowling alley where the staff had already set the balls for us.
Three rounds of bowling later, I had won four out of the six games. My joy is over the roof for my wins.
He keeps laughing as I jump around in excitement.
“In celebration of your wins, let’s go get a good ol’ burger and milkshakes from Frizzes.”
“Frizzes,” I squeal. I haven’t been there for years, but it would be nice to taste their triple-decker burger and strawberry milkshake.
“Sure! That’s the best way to celebrate my win against you.” I nudge him to further rub in his loss and my victory.
“I must say you flexed your muscles well, though. Focused more on arm days at the gym?”
“Well, I sweat it out at the gym now and then.”
“I see. Let’s get you a victory treat, then.”
We walk back to the car and drive to Frizzes, and a lot of places look familiar to me as we pass by.
I noticed the old mall where my cousins and I used to get free lollipops every time we went shopping with our parents. It still looks the same, and a part of it is now a movie theater.
We arrive at Frizzes, which brings back memories of when Damien came back with us to visit our grandparents.
We toured LA and found different spots for various treats, but none beat Frizzes. They had the best patties in their burger, and the melted cheese was beyond this world.
Their milkshake had a way of unlocking bursts of flavor in one’s taste buds.
The light outside the eatery is still on, and we walk in. Unlike the bowling alley, there are only about four people seated inside.
We preferred the high stools back in the day, so it was no surprise that we both ran to it once we stepped in.
“Habits never die, do they?”
“I guess they don’t,” He said as he grabbed the stool next to mine.
Double Decker burger for both of us, strawberry milkshake for me and banana milkshake for him. This was our order, which they informed us would be ready in ten minutes.
While waiting for our treat, we review the many memories of this place, including Kelvin’s first date with a girl he had a crush on and how we crashed the party with our noise.
Kelvin did not forgive us until the next summer vacation because the girl had told him she never liked him in that way and was in a new relationship.
Laughter filled the room as we recalled these memories. The waiter signals that our order is ready and sets it before us.
We speak about some staff at Selware and try to mimic some of them with impressionable characters.
Damien’s impression of Jenny and Dominic makes me laugh the most till my stomach hurts.
I try to mimic Amanda, the lady heading the marketing department, but I fail woefully.
Nights like these need to be framed and never end. My heart feels so light like I was not dealing with grief and going through one of the roughest patches and times in my whole life.
Having the man I love sitting right before me with so much adoration in his eyes makes me so happy.
The aroma of our food is pleasant. Our smiles are wide. Our hearts are insistently groaning for each other’s love and affection.