Olivia
It’d been seven days since I started the trial with Javier. I already told him that I would like to join as a member right after I finished the trial. I insisted that I would pay full for the membership as well as Javier’s price but he was stubborn and still insisted that I could only pay the membership. Which in the end, I gave up and accepted his kind offer.
I was grateful and I could save more money so every month I would only be paying for the membership. Javier always said that I had improved every single day and I was thankful to him. Javier was truly one of the greatest trainers. He knew what I needed and he gave me that.
Also, my birthday was coming. It would be on Friday and dad with Cindy had invited Karen and Josh. Blake as well. Speaking of him, he never showed up again right after our disastrous dinner. Maybe he gave up and realized he couldn’t do it after all. That’s what I hoped. My crazy mind was saying that he was strategizing in his brilliant head so there would be no escape for me which I hoped…would not happen. And since I didn’t want to look pitiful in front of him, Karen had suggested bringing Javier over.
We were just finishing our training and he was out of the room to take care of my membership application which truthfully, was not his job.
Javier was the owner and the Boss. Something like this should be done by his staff, not the Boss. But he said before he left that he wanted to take care of mine. Now how was I supposed to invite him to my birthday party? I didn’t know if he would come or he would be thinking something weird about me inviting him, a guy I barely knew, to my birthday party just because I didn’t want to face my ex-stepfather alone.
I saw the door being opened as Javier walked in. He closed the door and went to sit next to me on the couch. “Here, your application is done.” He handed me a card with my name on it.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. So, I will be seeing you again tomorrow?”
“You will.” We were staring at each other. I didn’t look away either Javier. He kept looking at me like I was…the center of his attention. It was quite long for us to do that until I broke it. I had to admit Javier’s brown eyes were beautiful. Glassy like he was allowing me to see what was inside his soul. To know his feeling to me.
No. I had to stop this for now. I turned back to him and smiled. “I have to take a shower.” I stood up and he followed but he suddenly held my elbow. Surprising me.
I wait for him to stand fully. “Can I take you home this time? Maybe by having dinner first,” he invited. Usually, the instinct would soon kick in and said no, but this time…
“Yeah, sure.” I accepted it.
Javier smiled widely. “I’ll be having a shower as well then. I’ll be waiting in front. Just take your time,” he said and led me to the door. He opened it and allowed me to walked out first. I headed to the shower room and took a quick one.
Once I was done, I looked at my change of clothes. I never expected to be invited for dinner today so I didn’t bother to choose something fancy. I was thankful when I looked at my clothes. At least it was something appropriate for dinner. It was casual but it was presentable. I wore blue, white, black striped shirts and blue jeans. I brushed my hair, using the straightener so my ombre hair would look prettier. I applied pink lipstick and some mascara and once I finished, I stepped out of the dressing room and headed downstairs.
I walked past the empty receptionist and headed out. I saw Javier was leaning his back on his Acura. He changed into a dark shirt underneath with a dark blue jeans jacket and black jeans. He looked…stunning. I walked to him as he smiled when I approached him closer. I found myself smiling as well. “Hey.”
“Hey,” I greeted back and he opened the door for me. I slid into his car and when he made sure I was inside; he closed the door and went to his door and slid behind the wheels. He roamed the car away from his club.
Javier took me to a Chinese restaurant, said it was one of his favorite restaurants, located near Beverly Hills. We went to our table and immediately gave out our orders. I was starving. I let him ordered for me since I didn’t know the menu so much.
“So, about your uncle.” Oh, great. Why he had to ask that? “I never know he had a niece.” I was holding myself back to say that Blake used to be my stepfather.
“He’s not really open to people.”
“I agree. Even within three years of knowing him, I know Mr. Morgan is difficult to be closed with. Like he’s building a very thick wall between him and people. Like he refused them to get to know him. Well, maybe it’s normal since he’s the owner of Morgan Enterprise and possibly has a lot of enemies and people who wanted to get on his good side.”
“I guess that’s one of his reason. How do you know him?” I asked and by the time our drinks came. I drank ice tea while Javier had plain water. So healthy.
“He hired me as an ambassador to one of his product-the fitness products.” That was obvious because he owned a gym club and his physique matched perfectly with the product. “Ever since I took that job, some of the brands wanted me as their model. But I had something else so I couldn’t be a full-time model, not like I wanted to either,” he explained while drinking his water.
“Is it the club?”
“Yeah. But being a part-time model is not bad at all. I earned extra money from it.”
I smiled at his answer. “How long have you owned the club?”
“Almost two years now.” Two years? So that meant…when Javier met Blake three years ago, he hadn’t owned the club. “I used my savings to build the club I have now. I was working a double job before the club.”
“What did you do before?” I asked and that was the moment where Javier was hesitating. His fingers were on the tip of his water glass. He was confused. “Um, you don’t have to tell me if it’s bothering you.” Was he working as something he was not proud of?
He cast his brown eyes away from me. “I’m sorry.”
I shook my head. “It’s your privacy. I understand. I won’t force you to spill it.”
“Thanks, Liv.” He smiled warmly and by the time our dishes came.
Along with our dinner, we only talked about some simple stuff. I found Javier was still thirty years old and he lived in Beverly Hills as well. He didn’t have parents anymore. Both of them passed away when he was very young and no relatives wanted to take him in so he was basically learned how to survive at a very young age and became so independent.
I considered myself lucky because I had Blake who saved me after my mother passed away. Not everyone had the chance like me. Javier was the unlucky soul. He lost his mother when he was six and lost his father at twelve. He was sent straight to the orphanage but he got along with the children and sisters very well. It turned out the orphanage he was sent into was full of priests and nuns.
But once he turned eighteen, he had to get out since the orphanage couldn’t take care of him anymore. He never blamed them and neither the people who didn’t want him as part of their family and that’s how he learned how to survive by himself. He told me as well he was late on getting to college because he was saving his money first. He just finished his bachelor’s degree when he was twenty-six. He studied while working as well and it was tough but he managed to get through it.
Once we had dinner, Javier paid for it. He never let me had the chance to talk and immediately disappeared from the table to pay. Man.
We went to his car and taking me home. Okay, I had to ask him now. I reminded myself that I wanted to invite him to my birthday party not because I wanted to show Blake, but I wanted to give Javier the chance for me. I was not that naïve anymore; I knew Javier was interested in me. And…me as well. Not because he was handsome and cool, but he was nice and kind.
Javier stopped his car in front of the gate. “Thank you, Olivia. For allowing me to take you to dinner,” he said and when I turned to him, he was smiling sincerely. Like he was really happy just by taking me to dinner. That was…sweet.
“Thank you as well.” And now we were on silent. I dropped my eyes away from him and I could sense he was nervous as well. Do it, Olivia!
“Javier.”
“Olivia.”
We called each other at the same time. It made me laugh a bit and he did the same as well. “You first, Liv.”
“No, you go first,” I insisted.
“Ladies first,” he stubbornly said. Like I said, man.
“Okay, um, actually…my birthday is coming this Friday and my family wants to celebrate it. They said,” I paused and looked straight to his dark brown eyes. “I could bring someone and I would like to invite you there.” I didn’t know why but I was so nervous and my heart was pounding loud.
Javier looked surprised and then he laughed a bit. “You’re sure?” I nodded. “Well then, I will be honored to attend your special day.” I smiled widely in his answer. At least now I could breathe easily. “Let me know the place and time.”
“Oh, it will be held at my house at eight.”
“I’ll be there,” he promised. I must say, this would be the first time I was so happy inviting a guy and he gladly accepted it. Maybe I could see the green light for both of us.
“Thanks, I’ll be waiting then. So, what would you like to say earlier?”
Javier chuckled when I asked that. “I already got what I wanted.”
I wrinkled my eyebrows. “What is it?”
“I want to see you again not while we’re having training but like this again.” He pointed his finger between us. “Having dinner and get to know each other. And just recently you invited me to your birthday party, I don’t need to ask anymore.” We smiled at each other and Javier went closer to me.
I knew what he was going to do and stayed still. Slowly closing my eyes, waiting for the inevitable. I was surprised when Javier landed his kiss on my cheek. I opened my eyes, blinking in confusion, and when he pulled back, I stared at his brown eyes. “I won’t kiss your pink lips for now. I don’t want to make you confuse.” He chuckled and pulled away even further. “You better go now or I might be doing something else besides kissing.” He cocked his head towards my house.
“No, you wouldn’t,” I teased as he raised one of his eyebrows like he couldn’t believe I just said that. “I’ll see you on Friday.”
“I can’t wait.” I jumped out of the car and headed to my house but stopped at the entrance. I turned back and even though I couldn’t see Javier inside since his window was dark and I was quite far away from him, I waved my hand and I could tell he waved back and he drove away.
I couldn’t wait for my birthday.