A WOMAN OF CALIBER

CHAPTER 7  A WOMAN OF CALIBER

His deep and suffocating eyes looking at me, clearly confused with how I obviously ignored him when our eyes, already locked.

“I get that you can’t seem to stand the sight of me, but for you to ignore me, makes me think that this new found hate is not so simple.” I couldn’t utter the right word to counter his straightforward approach, so all I could do was simply try to act dumb and ignore his statement.

“So, what brought you here, Mr.?” I could see he was amused, he lifted his brow and a small knowing smirk formed at the corner of his lips.

“Just like everyone does here. So, are you about to leave?” He probably wants to invite me out, but I don’t want to deal with him now. As much as possible, he should be far from me, too far, I wouldn’t know he even exists.

“Ah! No, I just… arrived actually” I lied without batting an eye, but I was playing myself for a fool since he could see from my body and work out attire that I’ve been hitting it off at the gym for quite a long time now.

“Really?” he asked with his voice filled with doubt, he even eyed me from my head down to my toe, his eyes lingering at my chest full of beads of sweat.

Without even feeling an ounce of guilt, I coolly wiped it off, and nodded my head at him, planning to do another set with a heavy heart.

“That’s great, I was just planning to do another set, shall we go?” If I could bite him off out of irritation, I would. He was trying to catch me with my lies, but I won’t let him.

I wouldn’t be the same famous, and feared lawyer, if I can’t back the words that come out of my mouth.

“Sure,” I uttered through gritted teeth.

And so under his lead, I had to endure another hour and a half with my usual routine, and I could say, the man was pretty serious about catching me. In the end, I was on the verge of collapsing when he came over with his annoyingly playful smile that I could say was pretty handsome.

Women all over the gym had been ogling at him, trying to catch his attention and I am not one to lose in this aspect since the men and women have been looking at me too.

He pulled his shirt, and wiped the sweat dripping in his face and nodded in my direction.

“I’m going to head out and get coffee, come on, I will treat you at Heivers, if that is still your favorite place I guess?” The moment I heard Heivers, the word no seemed to disappear at the back of my head and all I could do was stupidly nod in excitement.

It’s not that I can’t go there myself, it’s just that it takes 3 months to book a table in that place and I have been in love with their coffee ever since I could remember.

If given the choice, I would rather miss a flight than miss a chance to go there. Heivers has always been my comfort place, comfort food.

I could book myself a table there, but given its popularity now compared before, 3 months of waiting would be an understatement. And I can’t wait that long.

“I recall, you always loved going to Heivers, it was your place, but hearing about how preoccupied you’ve been for a long time, after you graduated, started working under your father’s corp., and dealing with all your clients, I assume that you haven’t had a chance to go there again?” It was annoying that what he said is true, after I graduated, I barely even have time for myself, and I bet he too, is busy.

The difference between us is that he is the boss of his time, and he could do whatever he wanted. Meanwhile I work under my father, though I am his daughter, I do not like using that connection and authority to have better resources and workload than my peers.

It is already enough that they regard me on the same level as the honorable family that I am from.

“Work was pretty heavy, and as the only daughter of a wealthy corporation owner, I felt the need to prove myself and make a name for myself in the legal industry. I didn’t want to rely on my father’s connections and influence,”

“I could say that I understand how it feels, I know that pressure as we were raised almost in the same household. Being the CEO of my own company, I have little time for myself as well. But I always make sure to take a break, and enjoy the little things in life. And Heivers is one of those things that I consider a treat.”

As he drove to Heivers, I couldn’t help but think of how much this man has changed. He used to be carefree, always with a smile on his face, but now he exudes confidence, and authority, traits that could only come from experience, and success. And something that disturbs me the most is that he seemed colder, and distant from everyone, and unlike before, I can no longer guess what the hell is going on in that brain he has.

We arrived at Heivers and I could feel my heart beating faster with every step we took. The aroma of coffee, and baked goods filled my nostrils, making my mouth water.

Greeted with a warm smile from the barista, and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air. We were seated at a table near the window, overlooking the bustling city. The sun was setting and the sky was painted in shades of orange and pink.

“So, what brings you here?” I asked, trying to steer the conversation away from myself.

“Just wanted to catch up, it’s been a while since we last saw each other” he answered, his eyes fixed on me.

“Catch up?” I repeated, confusion evident in my voice.

“Yes, we were friends ever since our parents brought us together, remember?” He chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

“Ahh, yes…. Friends…” I muttered, surely we were one heck of a nutjob kind of a friend, the fact that friends shouldn’t know how you taste, but such a simple rule, and we already failed that. Silence erupted, and we simply settled in.

We took our seats, and ordered our usuals. After a while the drinks, and food arrived, taking a sip of my freshly brewed coffee, I had to just close my eyes, enjoy this heavenly taste with a small sigh escaping my lips.

This feeling brings so many memories.

I could feel his eyes on me but I chose to ignore it. He nodded his head in understanding, taking a sip of his own.

“I get it, but sometimes, you need to take a break and enjoy life. Like this coffee, for example. It’s a reminder that life is too short to be so caught up in work.”

I couldn’t help but agree with him. He always had a way of putting things into perspective, and making me see the bigger picture.

As we sat in the cozy coffee shop, sipping on our steaming hot drinks, the tension between us grew. I couldn't help but feel nervous as I tried to avoid making eye contact with him. I knew that if I did, I wouldn't be able to resist his charm.

"Why do you keep avoiding me?" he asked, breaking the silence between us. "It's like you don't even want to be near me."

"I just think it's best if we keep our distance," I replied, trying to hide the truth.

"Is it because of what happened between us?" he asked, his voice low and seductive. "I never knew what, and why you suddenly distance yourself, we were just doing our th-” I cut him off and breathed heavily.

“Don’t make it as if theres something going on between us more than our desires, you wanted a hole to fuck, I wanted someone to fuck me, thats the deal, no strings attached.”

He was tongue tied as he looked at me as if I was some kind of unknown species he was trying to understand. As if I spoke a different language.

"It's not just about what happened," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "It's about everything. I don't want to get involved with someone like you."

"What do you mean by someone like me?" he asked, his eyes narrowing. "I thought we had something special."

“Special? Do you take me for a fool, Mr. Guilerme? Before I let you fuck me, we made a deal, and I believe a respectable man with an outstanding, and educated background such as you would keep that deal with their life. ” His eyes darkened, and I could feel the sudden drop of temperature around us.

“There is no need to be vulgar,” he muttered.

“Oh I can say anything that I want,” I knew I was being stubborn and unreasonable but, I simply don’t want to make him misunderstand, I have no plans of leading him on, because I have to make it crystal clear that we can never exist together.

“It doesn’t bother me at all, you’ve seen every part of me and if I want to I can fuck whoever man I want, and I don’t have a problem with that.”

It was a lie, obviously. I can never let anyone touch me. And as crazy as it may sound, he knows that I was bluffing.

“With a woman of caliber such as you, one man alone cannot satisfy you. I believe, you can have any, and every man you want, after all who in this world doesn't want you?”

‘You’ I said in my mind as I hastily  answered his question to myself. I may have read the air too much, and started overthinking, but I think his voice seemed colder, distant and mad. I shook my head and ignored that thought.

We chatted for a while longer, this time it was as if the tide had switched to a different side and the mood went colder, the silence was sharp and as if anyone who speaks without permission would have their heads chopped off.

A few minutes later he swiftly carried the conversation somewhere that isn't about our past escapades, it was just about our circle of friends, experiences beyond that and people we know and might have heard of after we graduated and went corporate.

We were catching up on each other’s lives and reminiscing about old times. It was almost surreal, as if time had stopped and we were back in the past, before everything went wrong.

But as much as I wanted to hold onto that moment, I knew that reality was waiting for us outside. As I walked back to my car, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia, and longing for the past. But it was better off this way, it’s a reminder that life moves forward and that some things are better left in the past. I couldn’t help but wonder what our future held, and if we have the chance to go back to the way things were, what are we now?

TBC

Maple Writes

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