Closer Than She Thinks
"Now that we're done with dinner, I have some questions for you," I said, determined to get something out of him.
"Wow, I guess tonight is going to be a Q&A session," he joked.
"Sort of. You know practically everything about me—even things my best friend doesn't—but I know nothing about you. I feel cheated."
"I suppose that's fair. I'll tell you things about myself—excluding my name and anything that might give away my identity."
I guess that's better than nothing. At least, after tonight, I'll feel a bit closer to him.
"So, Mister, this is an interview. Tell me about yourself," I said playfully.
He chuckled. "Well, I'm the simplest guy. I hardly get provoked and tolerate a lot. Really, I'm so easy to please—just give me good food and a good drink to go with it. I also have zero sense of direction. I can still get lost even in a neighborhood I've walked through ten times."
I burst into laughter. That sort of makes him a dimwit.
"That means you're not intelligent. You only have Naruto in your head," I teased.
"I am intelligent. Some even consider me a genius. But I have my flaws—I hardly remember numbers that are more than seven digits, and like I said, I have no sense of direction. I'm also an only son."
I felt like he wasn't going deep enough. Something was stopping him from being open with me.
"Is that all?"
"Pretty much. Well, I can tell you why I'm hardly provoked. I rarely feel things. To be provoked, I have to feel something—an attachment to someone—but I don't have those feelings at all. So, I live every day just to eat good food and drink good wine."
"It's good not to be easily provoked, but not having any attachment... that's bad. You won't truly be happy. Your smile will be forced, your happiness will be forced," I said, feeling sad for him. Even I, after having my heart broken, still wanted to feel love. Maybe I was already feeling it.
"You're right. Thank God for you."
"Why?"
"The attachment. Our conversations are pretty much the only thing I look forward to. With you, I smile. With you, I talk more in five minutes than I do in a whole week."
I jumped up and fist-bumped the air.
"Does that make me special?" I asked.
He giggled, and I could imagine him shaking his head.
"If you think I'll tell you that I giggle like a fool whenever I reread our conversations, or that I have a perfect memory of all our phone calls, or that I always try to picture how you look when you giggle and laugh, or that I'm always in a hurry to get on the phone with you..." He stopped.
My heart pounded so loudly that I could hear it in my eardrums.
"I think I'll leave that for another day," he added.
I gasped. Who does he think he is? Elevating a poor girl's heart only to drop it from an unimaginable height?
"You dimwit!" I hissed.
He laughed, making me join him.
I guess we had gotten closer. We continued our conversation as usual, and I told him about our new CEO and everything happening at work.
"So, you want to change positions? I thought you said you love being in the field," he asked.
"Well, Juvango is a subsidiary of Maris Hotel, and they pay—"
"Wait, you work at Juvango?" he interrupted.
Now that I think of it, I had never told him where I worked.
"Yes. Is there a problem?" I asked.
"Well, as a bonus for making me happy, I'll let you in on a little secret. We are closer than we think."
"Does that mean you're a staff member there?" I asked.
I remembered that Juvango had interviews today for new workers. Earlier, he mentioned he had a meeting—maybe he had a job interview there today.
"Staff? More or less," he said.
"Don't worry. You'll be employed. Just tell me which branch, and I can put in a good word for you."
"I assume you think I went for a job interview today."
"Isn't that obvious?"
"You never cease to amaze me, kitty. Thank you for the gesture, but don't worry—I'll be fine."
I had a feeling he would be. He always gave off the aura of someone strong, someone who could protect the people he cared about.
"Kitty? Doesn't that seem kinky?" My cheeks burned.
"Well, it suits your night name, considering how kinky you must be right now. So, tell me, what are you wearing?"
I smiled. He would be the end of me.
"A Real Madrid jersey. Only the top."
I guess I should make his imagination run wild too.
"No undies, I suppose?"
"It's night, so... yes, no undies."
"It's amazing how I have a perfect image of you, even though I haven't seen you. I guess I'm imagining you as my ideal woman."
Damn. He has an ideal woman. Of course, all men do.
What if I'm nothing like his ideal?
I wanted to send him my picture so he could know if I fit his image. But what if I didn't? He might start keeping his distance, and I wasn't ready for that.
"What's your ideal woman? Beautiful? Super sexy?" I asked.
That's just what all men want. I wasn't bad-looking, so maybe I had a chance. The only thing I disliked about myself was my two front teeth. As a kid, I fell, and they were forcefully removed, making the new ones grow in bigger. But no guy had ever pointed it out, so maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought.
"Correct."
"I guess I shouldn't worry then," I said.
"So now you think you're my ideal woman? That you're pretty?"
"Well, I'm confident in my body, just as I am in my cooking. Though I'm not saying I look like Nicki Minaj or Beyoncé, I know I'm quite a catch."
"Good thing I'm not a fisherman," he teased.
Why did he make it sound like I was throwing myself at him?
"Dimwit."
"Don't say that, princess. By the way, you won't be able to reach me tomorrow and maybe the next day. So, I have some instructions for you."
"Wait, where are you going?" I asked. Two days could easily become forever.
"I'm going somewhere with no network. I'm sorry."
I guessed he was going to the village.
"Okay... Try to take your phone. Maybe this time, there will be network."
"Okay. Now, here are your instructions: Tomorrow, wear red undies. Make sure to eat your breakfast. At night, wear this same jersey. The next day, wear black undies and sleep in your really big singlet. And never skip any meals."
The deep, husky tone of his voice sent a shiver down my spine, and before I could stop myself, a low moan escaped my lips. Luckily, it was too quiet for him to hear.
"Why do your instructions always include undies?"
"Why wouldn't they? That's the most important part."
"You know wearing a big singlet is like being naked, right?"
"That's the fun in it," he laughed.
I knew I would do everything he just told me to.
"I won't. You're not the boss of me," I lied to myself.
"We'll see about that. ...Okay, I'm coming," he said, suddenly talking to someone else in a low voice.
"What?"
"I have to go now, kitty. Remember my instructions."
It saddened me that he was leaving.
"Here are my instructions for you: Don't skip your meals. Take your phone with you. And don't ever stop thinking of me," I blurted out before I could stop myself.
"Sure, ma'am. But what should I think of you as?"
"I'll tell you the answer next time we talk."
He laughed. "Sure, kitty. Goodnight. Sleep well."
"Goodnight too."
He hung up. I pulled my pillow close and sighed.
I was a hopeless sap.
A sweet smile lingered on my lips.