“Where are we going?” He also asked where we were going.
Oh my, he didn’t understand what I meant, that we’re already together, that we’re officially a couple again. Is it that hard to comprehend?
“To heaven,” I jokingly replied.
“If that’s the case, then we’re together.”
Hah! He’s still a pervert until now. I was just kidding, and now he wants us to leave together immediately? Seriously? He didn’t let go of my hand as we left the club. Finally, it wasn’t as noisy anymore. I walked ahead to return to our karaoke room.
“I said earlier, we’re together again. Do you get it?” I told him as we approached the karaoke room.
“Does that mean you accepted me?”
Accepted? Did he court me? I can’t remember, but all I kept hearing from him was how much he still loves me. “It’s kind of like that, even if you haven’t courted me yet.”
“Well then, I’ll court you every day starting tomorrow. Promise.”
“Promises are made to be broken,” I told him because it’s true that most promises are broken. It’s better not to promise and still do it.
“Not this time. Rarely do people who used to love each other meet again, so I think we are destined for each other, Jamie. So, let’s not disappoint the Lord who gave us a second chance.”
“It’s too early to say that we’re destined for each other. Maybe we just met again, but we’re not destined. What do you think?”
“I don’t want to think of other things right now. Do you have any idea what’s on my mind?” he asked me while leaning on me inside the karaoke room.
“Pervert!” I said and removed his hands from my shoulder.
“Huh? I was just thinking of taking you to Stonewick tomorrow to introduce you to my child. What were you thinking?”
Oh my, was I the only one thinking of inappropriate things that could happen between us tonight? I thought it was normal for a woman like me, who has been single for a long time, to imagine various things.
“It seems like things are moving too fast, we’re like the leads in a one-week love story,” I told him about his plan of taking me to Stonewick.
“Jamie, we’re not teenagers anymore to keep playing around. Besides, many years have already been wasted for both of us. Don’t you want to be with me for life?”
Forever right away? Well, instead of being happy, I suddenly felt worried.
“But-”
“I understand if you still have doubts in your heart, Jamie. After fifteen years, we’ve only met again now, so I don’t want to rush my decisions in life. We’re not teenagers who let their emotions rule!”
“What if we never meet again after tonight?”
“It means we’re not destined. Maybe we just met again for closure.” Which is true because the years of hatred for the man who cheated on me completely disappeared from my heart.
“I’m okay with what you want as long as you promise me that you won’t court other men.”
Oh, Brent is still so cautious. How can I promise not to court other men? It’s like I’m reserving myself for him. Well, if that’s the case, we might as well date!
“Your wish can’t be granted because there’s no assurance that we will really meet again, right? Besides, I won’t stop you if you want to court someone else. Let’s just trust our fate, okay?”
“I thought we’re together again? Why would you court someone else?”
Oh yeah, I told him earlier that we’re together already. My mind is so confused.
“I’m just joking. If you’re always this serious, you’ll age quickly.”
“You know I’m serious when it comes to you.”
“Really?”
“Yes. So, what do you say, should we go to heaven?”
Brent is so funny; I thought he was serious about me?
“Tsk! You’re still dreaming. It’s better if you go back to Stonewick,” I told him.
I’m not rejecting him; it’s just that I’m afraid of what might happen between us for the whole night.
“Don’t you really want to be with me the whole night?”
He confirmed with me if I had already decided to send him back to his hometown. Of course, I agreed.
“But rest for a bit first. Come on, I’ll take you to a pension house, so you can rest for a few hours.”
“You’ll accompany me to the pension house?”
Oh, Brent’s flirtatious side is showing again.
“What do you think? Are you trying your luck? I’m just taking you there, that’s all!”
“Thank you.”
“Just thank you? Does that mean you won’t pay me back for all the expenses I had tonight?”
He borrowed my cell phone and pressed some buttons.
“Just text your account number to this number, okay?”
Well, I was just joking. Anyway, I nodded before starting the car and heading to the pension house where Brent would stay temporarily.
Monday morning, back to work again.
“Oh, it looks like you’re inspired to come to work today?” I asked Rhea when I found her inside the office. It’s not her usual habit to arrive early. She’s usually either late or just on time.
“Good morning, Miss Jamie.”
“Morning.”
“Hmmm, your boyfriend is really handsome, Miss. That’s probably why you didn’t accept our boss’s advances.”
“What do you mean?” I was intrigued by Rhea’s question.
Oh my! I covered my mouth when I realized that Rhea and I went to the same bar last Saturday. I got fooled, and she’s quite mischievous.
“Don’t worry, I won’t spread it all over Khalifa that you were making out with a super handsome guy on the dance floor.”
“Rhea!”
“Miss Jamie, if you don’t mind me asking, how did you manage to win the hearts of two incredibly handsome men?”
My eyes narrowed at my secretary’s remark, and I almost slapped her.
“Rhea, keep your mouth shut before I stitch it up! Don’t you have any faith in me?”
“It’s not like that, Miss Jamie. The truth is, I envy you. I’m much younger and prettier, yet not a single man has pursued me.”
“Hmmm… I don’t know.”
It’s true that I don’t know what to say to her because I’m not really an expert when it comes to men.
“Please don’t get mad at what I’m about to say, okay? I think you need to lose some weight, even just a little. Maybe men are afraid to court you because they’ll spend their entire salary on your dates.”
“Oh, you’re so harsh, Miss Jamie. I only weigh seventy kilos now.”
“Only seventy? Well, I think the normal weight for our height is around fifty.”
Rhea and I have almost the same height. I don’t know why she seems neglectful of her diet; she’s really voracious when it comes to food, as if there’s no tomorrow. I can’t understand why she doesn’t take care of her body.
“I’ll just go on a diet when someone likes me, because if he likes me in this body, he’ll go even crazier for me when I’m slim.”
Is Rhea still daydreaming? It’s her life, anyway!
“Okay, if that’s what you want, who am I to get ahead of you? Have you had breakfast? If not yet, go down so you can come back here quickly.”
“I’ve already eaten, Miss.”
“Alright then. Well, I’ll leave you now as I still have something to do inside. And before I forget, please cancel my meeting with the managers from Khalifa. I have something important to attend to right now, okay?”
“After finishing the payroll, the government reports are next. Although my team was good at their jobs, I still have to make sure that we wouldn’t miss any deadlines, especially when it comes to employees’ benefits.
Samer will be furious if we slack off on employee benefits as that’s Khalifa’s top priority. As you know, employees’ motivation has to be more than just a pat on the back!
Because of all the things I’m handling, I didn’t realize it’s already noon and time for lunch. Rhea invited me to eat together at the restaurant, but I declined as I still have some tasks to finish.
After filling up the leave form, I immediately scanned and saved the file on my desktop. Then, I started drafting an explanation letter to Samer about why I need a one-month vacation leave.
At fifteen minutes past twelve, I finally sent it to my boss. I tidied up my scattered papers and stood up to have lunch. Just as I was ready to leave, someone kicked the door. “Samer, what are you doing?” I was surprised by his action, as the door bounced back loudly, and some frames hanging nearby fell.
“One-month vacation leave? That’s too long, Jamie!” His loud voice echoed in the office.