18. Will
As I walked to and fro in my study, I tried but found it impossible to get my mind off Elizabeth. Yesterday, I had been so excited to spend some time with her, but now that I thought about it, we barely had time together.
We were either talking with some clients individually or together.
Well, of course, what had I been thinking? It was a party, and we were there to interact with other people and not ourselves.
Sighing, I couldn’t help but wonder what she was doing. My body, my heart, all of me longed to be with her again. However, I desired a private moment, just the two of us, away from people with negative vibes like Jecintha. I wanted to be with just Elizabeth, just like the other day when she came over to my place.
As I pondered how to make that happen soon, an idea suddenly popped into my head, getting me excited almost immediately.
I picked up my phone and dialed Anthony immediately. Thank goodness he picked up on the first ring.
“Good morning, boss,” he greeted.
“Morning to you, too. Umm, I was hoping to ask, is my private beach still in good condition?”
“Yes, sir, we ensure maintenance on a monthly basis.”
“Now, that’s perfect! I would like for you to arrange for some people to set up . . .” I carried on with the details of what I wanted, trusting that Anthony was going to implement it as I envisioned. Once everything was arranged, I immediately made a call to Elizabeth.
“Hey! What’s up?” she said.
“Nothing. What are your plans for today?” I asked a little bit impatiently.
“Well, nothing much, just planning to sleep all day. Why? Do we have another party to attend?”
I let out a soft laugh at the tone in which she spoke. “Well, not a party, but I want us to go somewhere.”
“Oh, okay, where is it this time?”
“Don’t worry—all I need is for you to be present. Dress in your casuals, and I’ll come pick you up by five p.m.”
“That’s earlier than usual.”
“Well, I’ll see you by five.” I laughed as I ended the call. Excitement bubbled inside me as I continued with the remaining tasks on my to-do list while eagerly waiting until it was time to go pick Elizabeth up.
***
We drove to my private home with a beach. Of course, Elizabeth was unaware of our destination, and I intended to keep it a surprise. When we arrived, I wanted to see the look on her face when I revealed that I owned the place.
“No clue at all, Will?”
“Not at all. Just trust me.”
“Trust you?”
“Yes, why? Are you scared I’m going to kidnap you? Don’t worry— you’re safe with me,” I said as I threw a wink her way.
Elizabeth immediately averted her gaze out the window, although I could still see the redness of her cheeks. She was most likely hiding the fact that she was blushing.
Excited, I released a breath as we approached my place.
“All right, we’re here,” I said as the gates to my private home and beach opened up automatically.
“Wow, are we here to see one of your clients? Because this client has to be wealthy!” Elizabeth said as she looked around while I drove in.
“Well, he is wealthy but not a client.”
“Then who? Your friend? I have never met any one of your actual friends! This will be good!”
I let out a laugh at her innocence. Friends? I had no friends.
As sad as that sounded, I had come to realize over the years in business that there weren’t any true friends in the world.
The only people I ever confided in were my sister and my therapist. Then, once in a while, Anthony, but only regarding serious business matters.
“I don’t have friends, Elizabeth, only acquaintances.”
“Oh, so, where or who are we meeting?”
“No one.”
“No one?”
I watched how confused she was as I parked the car. She looked around and then back at me, in need of an explanation. I let out a soft laugh at first as I kept watching her.
“Well? What are we doing here?” she asked.
“How about we get out of the car first, and then we see?” I suggested.
“Oh, okay.” Elizabeth got out of the car, still puzzled as she surveyed her surroundings.
I reached out to her and to her left hand, guiding her as we walked into my home. I had purchased this property years ago but had only stayed here fewer than five times.
“Oh my god! This ceiling is . . . wow!”
I watched as she looked up to the ceiling, admiring the floating lights that seemed to be suspended in the air.
As I looked at her, I could not help but smile in awe. I loved seeing her like this—excited about the little things or in awe when she encountered a beautiful interior like this one.
“Come on, let’s go in,” I said.
As we walked further into the house, Elizabeth turned her head now and then, seemingly eager to absorb every little detail. I looked around and immediately spotted the person I was looking for.
“Anthony! There you are.”
Elizabeth immediately looked in his direction, breaking her gaze from one of the expensive paintings on the wall.
“Welcome home, sir.”
The moment Anthony mentioned “home,” I could already feel Elizabeth shooting stares at me.
“Is everything all set?” I asked.
“Yes, sir, it is, and we have it all outside as you requested.”
“Great. You and the rest of the staff can leave then. I’ll take care of the rest.”
“Are you sure, sir?”
“Don’t worry, Anthony, I can handle myself and my fiancée, don’t you think?”
“Of course, sir. Do let me know if you need anything.”
“Of course I will. Now go home and rest with your wife, and tell Sarah I’m sorry for bringing you out on a weekend.”
“I will. Thank you, sir.” Anthony bowed slightly before leaving the room.
The moment he was gone, I knew it was time to face Liz. Turning to her, I was immediately met with her bewildered expression.
“You don’t look so excited right now. Why? You don’t like this place?”
“This is your home?”
“Yes,” I said with a smile on my face.
“Your home?”
“Well, I haven’t stayed here more than five times, but yes, I consider this place my home. Saving it for when I want to retire.”
“Retire? Not when you want to have a family?”
“Well, umm . . . I don’t really know about that. You know what, how about we go over to the back? I have a surprise for you.”
I immediately changed the topic, as I was uncomfortable with the conversation about family. The idea of having a family or children had not crossed my mind, especially when I was still grappling with my own understanding of love.
However, today was not the day for such conversations. All I wanted was to enjoy a good time with Elizabeth; that was all that mattered.
As I led her over to the back, we climbed down a few steps, and I watched her look around every now and then. It wasn’t until she saw it that she let out a loud gasp.
“Oh my god!”
I let out a laugh while still holding her hand as we walked past the barricade and onto the beach land itself.
“Oh my! Will?”
“Yes, Liz?” I replied with a huge smile on my face.
“You have a beach in your home? Oh my god!” she immediately detached her hand from mine as she ran further down to the water area, pulling off her sandals along the way.
With a smile, I went over to pick them up, along with her purse, and placed them neatly at the spot where we were going to sit.
I checked out the setup that had been done under the hut; it was exactly how I wanted it to be—simple yet elegant.
The food choices were also numerous; I wanted a bit of everything even though I knew there was no way we could finish up. I also ensured the staff stocked up more on juice than wine. If I was going to be driving back, I needed to be clear of alcohol. When I was done checking it all, I heard her call out for me to come join her.
I excitedly pulled off my footwear as well and ran down to meet her in the water.
We played around, splashing water on each other, enjoying the coolness of the water and the peaceful atmosphere surrounding us.
This was exactly what I wanted—some alone time with Liz in a serene and peaceful environment, free from any noise, music, or the sound of laughter and conversation. Just me and her, alone in this beautiful space, without any strangers.
As I watched her excitement, I felt my heart skip a beat. It raced slowly afterward, as I could not seem to tear my gaze away from her.
“Wow! This is so much fun! So much fun!” she exclaimed.
I was immediately brought back and out of my thoughts as I heard her voice. “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself,” I said.
After spending a long time in the water, we dried ourselves off and settled on a beach mat I had laid out on the sand, a little far from the water. We watched the sun set on the horizon.
We both laid out the food we wanted to eat on the mat, enjoying our meal while taking in the view right in front of us, which came free of charge.
“I’m so glad you brought me here, Will. Thank you.”
I could hear and feel the sincerity and weight behind the words she uttered.
“You’re welcome, although it’s just the beach.”
“Well, that’s what you think,” she said as she looked at me softly before popping grapes into her mouth. “I didn’t have these kinds of experiences growing up. My parents were always so busy trying to make ends meet with the tons of jobs and shifts they did just to pay off the never-ending debts.”
“They hardly have time to sit with us at dinner, let alone take us out to the beach to enjoy a scenery like this.”
I watched her speak and share her thoughts as we ate silently.
“That’s why I was always at your place with Lydia. It’s not like my parents cared or noticed at first. After a while, they just got used to the fact that I was never at home.”
“I used to wonder why you were always around,” Will said.
We burst out into hearty laughter.
“Well, now you know,” she said.
“You know, thank God you were always at our place because that’s how I got to meet you, and that’s why we are here today,” I said honestly, only realizing the weight of my words afterward.
Checking within myself, I felt a surge of warmth as I looked at Elizabeth. I looked into her eyes, and there was no use denying what I felt. I was falling for Elizabeth.
I could feel my heart beat for her. I could sense my entire body react just because we were together. A part of me was ready to hold me back, to kick me out of my thoughts and remind me of my stand on love. I had sworn to myself not to ever go down this road. I had told myself I wasn’t going to ever let myself fall for a woman—not anymore.
But here I was, falling helplessly in love with this woman. Yes, that was it. I was falling in love with her, and some part of me wanted to give in.
“I think I like you, Elizabeth. I think I have feelings for you,” I said plainly, expressing exactly how I felt. There was no point in hiding or denying my feelings.
As I said those words, I could see the surprise on her face. She clearly wasn’t expecting to hear them. I had not planned to say them either, so they were as much news to me as they were to her.
I allowed us to look into each other’s eyes for a minute before breaking the gaze. I was aware of the effect that gaze was starting to have on my emotions, and I needed to be careful to avoid making a mistake that we would both regret tomorrow.
“Oh, what a beautiful time together, right?” I immediately said, trying to cool down the heat that had arisen between us despite the cold weather.
“Yeah,” Elizabeth replied, still in shock, which I completely understood.
After spending a few minutes on the beach, we decided to pack up and go home. The ride was quiet, which was actually quite comfortable.