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“You saved me today, even though it wasn’t in a way that I expected. I would have felt even worse if I lost the job. I also figured you would be tired when you got back from work, so making dinner for you seemed like the best thing to do.”
Our minds were in sync. She did for me what I had in mind to do for her.
“How was my fiancée’s first day at work?” I ask with genuine curiosity and an undertone of sarcasm.
“Oh, please stop it.” She tilts her head towards me a little and mildly shoves my arm.
“Samantha is even more excited about our engagement than I would be. She kept going on and on about it, and I couldn’t stop laughing. I really like her.”
That’s typical Samantha. She has a way of accommodating everyone and has made it a point of duty to always look out for everyone, like a mother hen looking out for her chicks.
“Well, she has been a powerful advocate for me to find love, so it’s no surprise that she is all over the woman I have introduced as my fiancée. She has tried to set me up on different blind dates, but I either forget them, or I get so busy and have no time to go. Left to Sam. I should be married by now with three kids.”
We both laugh at Samantha’s dedication to my love life and the heartache I must have caused her by my lack of dedication.
“I see. That explains her excitement better.” She must have gotten a foretaste of energetic Sam.
“My first day was okay. I mostly spent time with Sam and Dominic, the new IT recruit. I found out that he attended NYU as well. I didn’t know how the other recruits would treat me, and I didn’t want to find out. Staying in my lane or rather on my floor works best for me.”
She goes on and on about the new things she learned from Samantha, her eyes brimming with excitement. She mentioned the new five-star hotel project that we had just landed.
Her lips and their rhythmical movement, along with the gesticulations of her hands as she makes certain descriptions, hold my focus. Her voice serenades my ears, and I can continue listening to her forever.
“Damien? Are you listening to me?”
“Yea…yea,” I sound disoriented. Of course, I’m not listening, but I’m focused on your beautiful self, I’m tempted to say.
She asked me about my day, and I told her about my meetings and how they went. I also told her I had gone shopping for dinner, but since she already got something, I settled to make popcorn instead.
“Aww. That’s so thoughtful, Damien. We had the same ideas.”
Our eyes move to the TV. A scene from the movie playing shows a little boy trying to save his pet dog and frantically pacing around the garden, seeking herbs and whatever he can find to cure his dog’s ailment.
She laughs loudly at the scene, and I can vividly guess her recalled memory. It has been close to twenty years since that incident, but apparently, she is not over it.
“In my defense, I had Charmer from the day I was born. She was like the sibling I never had.”
“You wouldn’t eat for days because of Charmer. Kelvin and I practically had to force you to eat all the time. You got your mom worried sick with your lack of appetite.”
“You both were the closest humans I had to siblings, so I could listen to you. Charmer was our family pet. We all played with her every day. Thinking about it now, I should sue that kennel for the flu they gave my sweet pet, Charmer.”
“Yeah, right. You still cried like a baby, and nothing can justify that.”
She stuck her tongue out at me, and we laughed so hard, holding our tummies.
We go silent again, staring at the TV, but I notice she is absent-minded. The dim sparks in her eyes are glaring and I confirm she has been crying earlier before I came in.
“How are you really doing, Lea? How are you coping with the loss of your parents?”
She breathes out heavily in response to my question, which is not a good sign.
Chapter Nine
Lea
As Damien walks in, I can barely control the trembling of my legs. He must be using a limited-edition Oud fragrance as his woody ambery scent was so distinct, nothing like I have ever experienced.
Walking in, he looks between the one-seater and three-seater L-shaped couch as if internally debating where to sit.
