17 - The Visit

Six months. Sebastian was supposed to see Clara again in six months, according to the contract. But that was way too long for him to wait to see her again. He was getting antsy and frustrated. ‘How is this relationship ever going to start when she ices me out? I’ve been texting her almost every day, and all she gives me is her one-word answers. Ugh!’

The last time he saw Clara, he thought they had made progress. Sure, he might have annoyed her a little, but he thought being honest was the key. And instead of acknowledging his feelings, she blocked them. Jeremy kept him from spending any time alone with her after they had come back from the restaurant.

He had business to take care of, but Clara filled his thoughts. She hadn’t even done anything special to catch his attention, except by rejecting his advances and telling him she wasn’t interested. It seemed to ignite something in him.

Maybe he got frustrated that he didn’t get to kiss her. He had the opportunity but didn’t want to seem too overeager. He had given her space. Now all he could think of was her smile, and that almost kiss in the elevator.

The only time he saw her smile was at the club, and that smile was not meant for him. He kept on looking at her picture, the one he took with his camera, and it drove him nuts. 

He’s never had this much difficulty with women before. He was usually irresistible to them, yet she hadn’t even bothered to glance his way for more than a few seconds. That elevator scene kept going through his head. He should have kissed her when he had the chance. ‘I wonder what would have happened if I did? She probably would have slapped the daylights out of me. That’s why I hesitated. Then she would have hated me forever.’

But even if he could have done it, that was not how he operated. He wanted Clara to come to him willingly, and to do that, he had to convince her he would be worth all the love in her heart if only she would give him a chance. 

-=-

It had been three weeks since he last saw her, and could barely contain his excitement knowing he would see Clara again soon. Navio International was sending him to the docks of San Francisco for business. It was at least an hour’s drive away from San Jose, where Clara lived, and even without an excuse, he would have gone to see her that week, anyway. He felt like a kid waiting for Christmas morning.

The next day, around 8 am Sebastian found himself at the receptionist’s desk of SST, having difficulty obtaining a pass to see Clara.

He tried calling her earlier, but she had been ignoring his calls, and he was getting frustrated. The secretary won’t even bother to pick up the phone to check if she would see him. They were in the same building, but it was taking forever to reach her. Security at their office was more rigid than the White House.

Jeremy Johnson was just coming through the doors, and Heather Powell, Heidi to most of the staff, knew this was her chance for him to notice her. Green was Jeremy’s favorite color, so she kept wearing all these green things to catch his eye. She didn’t want to be too obvious, so she would alternate days, and today, she was glad she’d worn her nicest dark green skirt and a cream-colored top because she felt it was her lucky day.

She tried her hardest to get rid of the guy in front of her. He was trying to see Clara. ‘How many times do I have to tell this guy that if you do not have an appointment with Ms. Johnson, you cannot see her? Ugh! Jeremy is passing by, and I will lose my chance if this guy doesn’t go away,’ she thought.  

Jeremy was grinning when he spotted Sebastian. ‘Good morning Heidi! Give him a pass. He’s the president of Navio. Thank you for giving him a hard time,’ he said as he winked at her. 

‘That’s what you get for your surprise visit,’ he smirked at Sebastian.

Heidi almost fainted when he winked at her. ‘Uhm Jeremy...err Mr. Johnson, before you go. She leaned over, touching the hand that was on the counter, and said in a soft voice so nobody else could hear, ‘The security guard said Clara had been in the building since 6 am.’

Jeremy had never been in this close proximity with Heidi before, ‘Her eyes are pretty,’ he thought. He was half listening to what she was saying. ‘Shit,’ he cursed. ‘Not you Heidi, sorry. Repeat what you said again.’  

She smiled, ‘Hmm… so cute... Of course, I’d repeat everything word for word if you want to stand closer to me hehe…,’ she thought, blushing a little. She’s been crushing on him since they were in high school and would grab every opportunity to get close to him.

‘Well, Clara has been here since 6 am,’ she repeated.

‘Which building 1 or 2?’ he asked, shaking his head, trying to clear his mind of Heidi.

Building 2 was the labs and their offices, and if she was there, it meant she wanted to turn her anger or angst into ideas, and she was in a creative mood. Mad, but not mad-scientist mad, and that gave them their best products.

Building 1 housed the gym and the pool. If she was using the pool, then she wanted to feel peaceful, maybe clear her head. If she was doing her drills and punching stuff, it meant she didn’t sleep well and wanted to get rid of her nightmares.

‘Building 1,’ Heidi continued, ‘but she was in the pool for 2 hours. Isn’t that a bit too long to be swimming?’

‘Fuck! That's too long,’ he thought. She hadn’t gotten the peace she was looking for, and she was still searching for it. She will be in one of her angry moods, for sure. Today is not a good day to cross her. He looks over at Sebastian and contemplates what to do with him.

His other hand unconsciously reaches out to pat Heidi’s hand and says, ‘Thank you for the info. I’m going to take Mr. Colfer upstairs. Don’t tell Clara he’s here. I’ll bring him to her when we’re ready. Let the other clerks know, no mention of Mr. Colfer, okay?’ he instructed.

He didn’t want Clara to know he was here before he could get rid of him. 

Jeremy faces Sebastian, ’I need to talk to you before you see her. There’s something you need to hear.’ Sebastian nodded.

Jeremy texts Max that Sebastian is in the building. ‘Give me 15 minutes before you come to my office. And don’t forget to pay up.’