Chapter Ten
Hazel
Su-mi and I return home after closing for the day, still locked in our unresolved debate. I don’t why I thought it’s a good idea to start one with her. Arguing with Kang Su-mi requires utmost preparation. She’s unbeatable. She won’t rest until her point is proven, no matter the cost.
Her determination at arguments baffles me every time and I still haven’t developed a strategy to win. She commented how she thinks Greg likes me. I argued, and now she won’t stop until she proves herself right.
She told him earlier that I needed a ride home, and the poor guy had scratched the back of his neck with a small ‘ of course , ’ which is why we got home at different times–me coming in first because she couldn’t find a cab quicker.
“So as I was saying–” I interrupt her with a groan and she pouts. “Come on, I know what I’m saying. Can’t you see the way he was all over you today? I’ve known Greg for a year, he totally likes you.”
“He didn’t even say that. This is an assumption. You’re so delusional.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being delusional, it’s a way of life on its own. But I know what I’m talking about here. It’s only a matter of time before you see it too. I’m so glad Kemar is out of the way now, there are so many men who want you.”
What did I miss? “So many men? Su-mi, where did you get that from?”
“Have you forgotten Rain Dacosta already?” She nudges her shoulders with mine and wiggles her eyebrows.
I laugh, ignoring the way my heart thuds at the mention of his name. “I honestly don’t know how Rain Dacosta came to your mind after two weeks.”
“I’m just saying. Now that you’re single, you’ll–” The door thankfully interrupts her by ringing three times in a row and we both share eye contact.
“Who’s it?” I ask her.
She shrugs, her lips twisting to match her shoulder movement. “I don’t know. Could be Greg. Did you forget something?”
“No, I didn’t. I’m sure I–” The doorbell rings again–three times in a row.
Su-mi slaps her forehead with her palm. “Right. I should open the door.”
She walks to the door, opens it, and widens her eyes. I try to wonder who can bring that reaction out of her.
Kemar?
He won’t come here. Not that he doesn’t have the money for it. His Dad manages a fuel station back in Jamaica, part of the reason why he’s a spoiled Daddy’s boy.
“Um Hazel, you might wanna come see this.” Su-mi whispers, her widened gaze still focusing on whoever is by the door.
I gulp. Yup, definitely Kemar. Who else will bring this reaction out of her? Oh goodness! Am I ready to meet him? What will I say?
“Hello?” My steps falter as a deep voice cuts through air.
Adrenaline rushes through my body to my feet, and sudden goosebumps break out on my skin like a marching swarm of ants.
I know that voice.
I search my brain trying to find out who it belongs to. Why do I recognize this voice, but can’t find a face for it?
I take slow steps to the door and Su-mi opens wider. A gasp flies out of my mouth before I can stop it.
Heat rushes to the back of my neck at the sight of him.
Gray bewitching eyes and sharp sin-like voice.
He’s cladded in a brown tailored suit with a white undershirt peeking out. The satin on the lapel of the jacket is so smooth, my hands beg to touch it.
He looks so well-fitted, he can pass for a model who’s ready for the runway.
His silver watch wraps around his wrist and as our eyes meet, he tightens the black gift box with him. His jaw is chiseled so sharp like it can cut steel, and his black hair looks perfectly coiffed, sparing not a single strand.
Does he have no casual clothing? Who the hell wears Mac Wears at eight in the night?
I recognize that suit because I’ve had to save up to get it for my ex. My cheeks heat up in embarrassment at how dumb I have once been.
Oh, no! It’s not embarrassment that’s making my cheek heat up. It’s because my mind replayed the picture of freshly awake Rain Dacosta in a singlet and sweatpants, proving to me that he, indeed, has casual clothes.
What’s he doing here? Meeting him twice is already enough shock after finding out who he is and why it isn’t normal to casually meet him, but him being here, in my house, isn’t a mistake.
I glance at Su-mi to see her eyes still ogling out. Her chest heaves up and down, and I can almost hear how her breath quickens. Is this what people mean when they say ‘ I’m starstrucked ’?
“Rain Dacosta is in my house.” I barely heard her. Her eyes now seem dilated and her knuckles grip the door knob harder. Is she having convulsions? Somebody help my best friend. “Rain Dacosta is in my house.” She says louder this time. I part my lips to talk, but Rain Dacosta clears his throat. “Oh right. My God, please come in.”
Finally.
Rain Dacosta stays a couple of seconds before walking inside. He searches around and when I see irritation visibly appear on his face, I frown. What’s that look for? Our house is clean and it smells nice too, thanks to the home freshener Su-mi got the other day we took a walk around the city.
“What are you doing here?” I ask him, my voice unintentionally sharp. Su-mi nudges my waist in admonition. I pin her with a glare and she glares right back.
“What are you doing here, Mr Dacosta ?” she asks in a more polite tone and raises her eyebrows at me as if saying ‘ this is how you talk to a rich person. ’
Rain Dacosta smoothes his hand over his suit and clears his throat. “Go to dinner with me, Ms. Hazel Wilmer.” His voice wraps around me like a blanket on a snowy day. He sounds so crispy and expensive.
My heart skips a beat and I mentally ask myself why that happened. Is it the way he called my name when I didn’t even know he heard me the last time? Or the way he commands his sentence as if he isn’t asking me on a date?
Asking me on a date? Why would he do that? We don’t even know each other. Plus after finding out who he is, there’s no way he wants to go on a date with someone like me?
“Wha … what?” Su-mi and I chorus. We share eye contact, both of us looking as confused as a chameleon stuck inside a Skittles bag.
He squeezes his eyes shut and when he opens it, I see a hint of anger deep in his gray eyes. He clenches his jaw and grits his poor helpless teeth.
Well he doesn’t expect me to just dress up and go with him.
Although, with the look on Rain Dacosta’s face, he wants me to dress up and go with him . Who does he even think he is? Why will I do that when I don’t know him … that well? He can be here to hurt us for all I care.
Funny for you to say after you went with him to his house.
That was different. I wasn’t in control of myself then. But now I am, and I definitely am not going anywhere with him.
“Why should I want to go anywhere with you?” I ask him with my hands crossed on my chest. With his still furrowed brows, Rain withdraws his phone from his pocket and places it on his ear. Did that phone ring?
“Hello Mr Franco. Yes, we might have to shift the meeting. I might be having dinner at Taste Buddies tonight.”
My eyes bulge at the information. The same Taste Buddies I know? One of Henri Leclair’s five star restaurants? It’s in my bucket list to dine in one of his restaurants someday, and this is an opportunity to cross it out, but having to go with Rain Dacosta … I hesitate, my heart and head at war.
I can’t wrap my head around why he seeks me out again, but I know having anything to do with people like him doesn’t always end well.
He tilts his head and I realize that I haven’t given him a proper answer yet. “It is a no?”
“I … can …” Why the hell am I stuttering? “Can I see my friend? Alone?”
He raises his eyebrows and flitters his eyes between me and Su-mi, the latter looking both amused and shocked at the scene.
What if she’s thinking I’ve been talking with him since that day?
I groan quietly. Anything else can be happening at the moment. Aliens invading a supermarket, dogs gaining the ability to speak Spanish, or Zombies dancing salsa.
The point is–literally anything is more believable to me than this. Rain Dacosta in my house is something I never thought would happen. I was so sure I’d never see him again.
“You need to ask your friend for permission? Are you twelve?”
Su-mi sniggers unbelievably and I gulp in trepidation. For her, there’s a very thin line between love and hate, and vice versa. You only need to mess up once before she clears you out of her mind like you never existed.
The starstruck expression is all vanished from her face, and she looks at Rain Dacosta as though she’s praying for him to cross the line so she can remind him of his place.
Which is behind the door.
“Excuse you?” she questions, her voice dangerously low. “You don’t get to talk to Hazel like that.”
Rain Dacosta’s eyes narrow a fraction and amusement flickers in his eyes. I step in between them to stop a brimming fight. “Like I said, I’ll like to see my friend. Alone.” I pull Su-mi into the kitchen before he can say another word to stop us.
“Any idea why Rain Dacosta is here?” Su-mi crosses her arm and levels me with an apprehensive look.
“I don’t know, I swear. I’m as confused as you are.”
Whatever she sees on my face has her stance relaxing. She nods and shrugs. “Well, do you want to go on a date with him?”
I slump my shoulders helplessly. “I don’t know. You heard him, the date is at Taste Buddies. You know how visiting one of Henri Leclair’s restaurants is one of my dreams. But it’s Rain Dacosta. You said his family rules Florida. What does such a powerful person want with me? I’m scared.”
Sure, the man is hot and he saved me twice. But it’s also creepy the way he comes into our house and acts like he owns the place. Not to even talk of his annoyance when I didn’t give an immediate response to his–mind you– order of going with him on a date.
But I’m curious too. Not curious of him– to par , but curious of what a date with a billionaire like him will be like, in a restaurant owned by a man I’ve idolized for years. What will it look like? What will we eat there? I’m curious about those things.
Things I can only know if I go with him.
Plus I haven’t gone on a date more than once in my life. Kemar only took me once to ask me out, and we never went after that.
“I’ll never let anyone hurt you. No matter how rich or hot they may be.”
I smile at Su-mi and she nods, letting me know how serious she is. “Okay. So should I give it a try?”
A smile ghosts Su-mi’s lips and she throws her hands to the air. “Like hell yeah.” She lifts up her hand and I know she’s about to count me a gazillion reasons why I should. “He’s freaking rich, he’s hot –I can now confirm that those magazines aren’t doing justice to him in pictures. Also, if you’re lucky, you’ll get laid and you’ll no longer be a virgin. How does that sound?”
“Terrible,” I counter immediately, ignoring the way blood rises to my cheeks at the thought. “I’ll never sleep with that man, Su-mi. Never.”
He’s an asshole who won’t even know how to treat a woman well in that aspect. The idea of losing my virginity to him isn’t something that I like–although my cheeks and lower stomach seem to oppose that decision as they both warm up and dip respectively.
“Did Tea For You not tell you he might be bipolar? Or worse, a little sick in the head?”
Su-mi chuckles at my bite and shakes her head. “They didn’t. But you’re right, he is a jerk. Damn! Never meet your heroes.” She looks at me, face serious. “Do you honestly want to go? If you don’t want to, I’ll kick him out for you. My bestie over anyone.”
“I want to try. I’m curious.”
“You bet I am too.”
“I thought you ran away through the back door.” Mr Dacosta says when Su-mi and I return to the living room. I strain my ears to hear if he’s making a joke, but his voice is void of any humor.
How does one tell jokes with a straight face? I’m convinced a robot can feel more than this man.
I don’t like judging people as soon as I meet them, but I can’t help myself with him.
“We almost did,” I force out, trying to act cool.
“What did you decide?”
“I’ll go on a date with you.”
“It’s not a date, it’s a dinner,” he snaps through clenched teeth and a small ‘ oh ’ falls out of my mouth.
Hurt springs out and erupts in my heart, and I frown.
It isn’t because he denied it being a date– which it is . It’s that pinched expression on his face as if the idea of having a date with me is so appalling.
Then why is he here if it is? Freaking jerk.
“It’s still a date, but whatever makes you sleep at night,” Su-mi mumbles beside me and I stifle a laugh. I’m not going to let him work me up.
“I’ll get ready. What’s the dress code?”
It’s when I asked this that he stands up, clears his throat, and points the black gift box that has a gold ribbon firmly and beautifully tied on it.
“This contains everything you need for the dinner.” I stare at the medium sized box with him. What’s in it?
“Go change in your room. I’ll be waiting here,” he grumbles, and Su-mi and I snort dryly.
Oh my God, really? I didn’t know I’m supposed to change my dress in my room until he told me.
It’s the way he looks bothered and uncomfortable as if it was me who walked into his house to ask him on a date.
Way to make a girl feel special, asshole.