Hank held Chelsy's hand, and they walked over to a special spot where himself and Daniel usually sat down whenever they visited the Kebab spot.
"Wow. Is this where we are having our date?" Chelsy asked with eyes glittering with happiness. Hank looked at Chelsy and nodded with a smile.
"Whew. Here I was thinking you were taking me to one of those high-end restaurants. Thank God."
Hank raised an eyebrow and asked. "Don't you like it here? If not, we can go somewhere else."
Before he could continue, Chelsy quickly interrupted. "No… No Hank. That's not what I meant. I love it here. I am happy you brought me here. Do you know that I have been here before? My teammates and I were here some weeks back. I really enjoyed the kebab here."
Hank let out a sigh of relief. Before he could say anything, an elderly man in his mid or late fifties walked in with a tray of beef and shrimp kebab. He placed the tray on the table and rubbed Hank's hair. "Hello Hanks." He said with a smile.
Hank smiled back and greeted the man with so much reverence in his voice. "Hello uncle Santi."
Old Santiago was best friends with Clement Fitzwilliam, Hank's father. He loved adding an S to Hank's name because he said Hank was just basic and adding S to the name, made it sound more Italian.
Clement Fitzwilliam, was one of those few wealthy men who didn't base friendship on status and wealth. He met Santiago in Italy when he was studying and they became best friends.
When old Santiago moved to London and opened his kebab restaurant, Clement Fitzwilliam was his number one client as he made it a tradition to go there every Friday with Hank and Daniel.
Old Santiago looked at Chelsy and then asked Hank, "Hanks. And who is this beautiful señorita with you today?"
Hank had never brought a woman there before. So this picked old Santiago's curiosity.
Hank said with a smile plastered on his face, "Uncle Santi. Meet Chelsy Powers. A very special friend of mine." He then turned to Chelsy and said, "Chelsy. Meet Old Santiago. We call him Uncle Santi. He is family."
Chelsy stood and extended her hand towards Old Santiago. "Hello Sir. The pleasure is all mine."
Old Santiago took Chelsy's hand into his and smiled. "It's nice meeting you, Señorita. Hope you enjoy yourselves."
Santiago gave Hank a wink and muttered to Hank, "Hanks my boy. You indeed have great eyes for beauty like your father."
He gave one last smile to Chelsy and left their table.
Hank turned to Chelsy and told her the Kebab spot used to be his father's favorite spot, and how he took him and Daniel there every Friday when he was still alive. But after he passed away, he and Daniel seldom went there.
Chelsy pressed her lips together and said in a soft voice. "I am so sorry to hear about your dad, Hank."
Hank lifted his eyes from his plate and looked at Chelsy. "It's okay, Chelsy. It happened more than eight years ago. I am getting used to it."
Hank let out a heavy sigh and said. "On a lighter note, little fairy. I would like to know more about you."
Chelsy raised her eyebrows and let out a little smirk. "Hank. I think you already know everything there is to know about me. My name is Chelsy Powers. I am 25 years old, and I work at Rivers Holdings. Anything else sir?"
The corners of Hank's mouth rose into a little smile and he replied. "Well, I am talking about the Chelsy not everyone knows about. I am talking about the mountain fairy I met at Mount Halo. The feisty yet gentle lady who took care of me at the mount Halo."
Chelsy took a sip from her glass and let out a heavy sigh. She cleared her throat and said, "Well. I am Chelsy Powers from Wolverton. I have an elder brother called Leonel, and he lives with his family in Wolverton. My best friend Rachel, also lives in Wolverton. I lost my dad six years ago. He was the absolute love of my life. I love seafood and I love to sing too. I think that is all there is to me."
All through as she spoke, Hank was staring at her. He said in a low voice that sounded like a whisper. "I am so sorry about your dad Chelsy."
Chelsy just nodded without saying anything. Then Hank asked. "You didn't make mention of your mom. Is she in Wolverton too?"
This was a question Chelsy dreaded. Whenever someone asked about her mother, she would get upset. Her face slightly narrowed before she quickly snapped out of it. "Hey. Have you tried these shrimp? They are so good."
Hank knew she was avoiding the question and didn't press further. He sent his hand across the table and held Chelsy's hand.
His touch was comforting and reassuring. The kind of touch which said, I have got you. It is okay not to say anything. The kind of touch which said, I understand if you don't want to talk about it. Even though Hank didn't say anything, Chelsy could feel every unspoken word.
Hank tried to say something, but a single word didn't come out of his mouth. It seemed as if Hank was having difficulties saying what was on his mind. Although the weather was a little chilly, there were bits of sweat on his forehead.
When Chelsy noticed how tensed he was, she became worried. With a voice that was laced with concern, she asked. "Hank. is everything okay?"
Hank could see the worry in her eyes. He took Chelsy's hand into both of his. He knew this was the moment to say whatever it is that was on his mind. If he didn't seize this opportunity, he was not sure another one would come.
He cleared his throat and replied. "My little fairy. I know what I am about to say may come as a shock to you. But I think I am very certain about it."
He took a deep breath and continued, "Chelsy. I am in love with you." He confessed, the words spilling out like a sweet melody in the night.
Chelsy almost fell out of her chair. Her eyes widened, reflecting the shimmering lights around them, a mixture of surprise and delight that could light up the whole alley. "Wait… what?" she exclaimed, her voice tumbling out in disbelief.
Her heart raced like it was running a marathon, each beat a drum echoing the revelation. The world around her blurred, the vibrant street below them, swirling into a dreamy palette, as if someone had suddenly cranked up the saturation. "You love me? Like, love, love me?" she stammered, her voice a mix of disbelief and something she could not explain.
The shock was just too much for her to bear. She didn't know what to say. It felt as if the words in her mouth had vanished into thin air and left her verbally impaired.
Hank continued. "I don't know when I developed these feelings. Maybe it was the very first day we met at Mount Halo."
Chelsy, who had been dumbstruck, finally blinked her eyes. Her mouth which had been opened due to the shock, finally closed as she struggled to let words out of her mouth.
She stuttered as she spoke in a voice that sounded like a whisper. "Hank. I don't know what to say."
Hank gently squeezed her hand and said in his deep husky voice. "My little fairy. I didn't express my feelings so that you will act on them immediately. Please just give me a chance to court you. Will you please give me that honor?" Hank waited patiently as the ball was now in Chelsy's court.
As Chelsy met Hank's earnest gaze, her heart leaped. The cityscape around them twinkled like stardust, and in that magical moment, she realized love could indeed turn a simple evening into an unforgettable treasure. Chelsy just nodded and said nothing.
After having an amazing evening, Hank drove Chelsy back to her apartment. While standing at the door, he held Chelsy's hand and spoke in his usual deep and husky voice. "Thank you for making my evening special my little fairy. I meant everything I told you tonight. He bent down and placed a gentle kiss on Chelsy's cheek.
Chelsy's knees felt like they might buckle at any moment. But she straightened up and held the wall for dear life.
"Good night Chelsy. Please dream of me."
He turned and walked back to his car. This sent chills down Chelsy's spine. Chelsy stood there like a planted sculpture. Still in disbelief that the famous wealthy and handsome Henry Fitzwilliam, had confessed his feelings to her. But there was something still holding her back.
She rushed into her apartment and couldn't wait to call her best friend Rachel. When the call got connected on the second ring, Rachel's bubbly voice echoed through the phone. "Hey baby girl. How was your date with Mister delicious?"
Chelsy didn't know how to react. She was tongue tied for a second before speaking. "Rach, it was amazing. Hank actually confessed his feelings to me."
Before she could continue, Rachel screamed through the phone, "Holy Mary, mother of God. Chels. I hope you said yes."
Chelsy raised her eyebrows. "No I didn't." Chelsy replied.
"What! Chelsy. How could you say no to the Henry Fitzwilliam?" Rachel fired back. "Did your enemies hold and annual general meeting against you?"
Chelsy couldn't hold in her laughter when Rachel said her last sentence.
"I didn't say no either." Chelsy replied. "Rach. The truth is, I don't even know how I feel towards him. I don't know if I should classify this as love or gratitude. The truth is, I actually like his company. I feel truly safe and seen whenever I am around him. But I am still scared that he might hurt me, after everything I have been through with Ken."
Rachel cursed under her breath. " I blame that son of Pharoah called Kenneth Robert. It is because of that jerk that you are scared of falling in love."
"Rach. He told me I should give him a chance to court me. I guess the more I spend time with him, I will be able to figure out my feelings."
Rachel let out a heavy sigh of relief and said. "Chels. I know what you've been through, okay? Just give Hank a chance. I am sure he is a good guy. From everything he has done for you, it takes only a man who is truly invested in you to do all those things for you. So just give it a thought, okay?"
The two girls spoke for another hour and finally ended the call.
The next day, when Chelsy woke up, she felt quite energized. It was nine o'clock in the morning when she checked her phone. Hank had sent her a text message.
"Hey my lady. Good morning hope your night was great and you dreamed of me. Please call me when you wake up. Yours truly, future boyfriend."
Chelsy almost choked on her spit when she read Hank's last line. "Yours truly future boyfriend? This guy is so cheeky."
Chelsy muttered as she started laughing uncontrollably.
Just like on cue, her phone started ringing. On the screen, was the name Hank. Her face brightened as she answered the call. "Mister future boyfriend huh? How cheeky." Chelsy asked trying so hard not to laugh.
"Good morning to you too Miss future girlfriend. Hope you slept well and dreamed of me, because I dreamed of you."
Chelsy raised her eyebrows and asked, "And what did you dream about?"
Hank let out a little mysterious laughter and replied, "It's best I don't tell you. I will tell you when next we meet."
The two laughed as they spoke. When the they call ended, Chelsy felt as if she was on cloud nine. She decided to change how she saved Hank's name on her phone. She changed it to, "Cheeky Hank."
She looked at the name again and let out a soft laughter.