"Okay! If you are insisting this much, but actually my brain is not working well, how about you suggest a place... the one you like very much." Giving him a smug grin, I turned the tables back at him.
"Very well, you are more clever than I thought you would be!"
"Never underestimate me!" I snickered.
"I will surely keep in mind not to!"
"Good!" I gave him a little nod, playfully, to which he let out a deep but hearty laugh.
It did something to my heart, quite something to my heart.
Even while having lunch together, he kept talking about different things, and even I began liking the time I was spending next to him, with him.
His conversation used to start and end with making me laugh, and it wasn't something normal, it was something that used to ease me, from my mind to my soul.
After lunch,we exchanged numbers and then he drove me me back to my apartment, when I had a sudden realisation.
"Oh by the way, I wanted to ask you something." I spat as quickly as I had remembered it.
"Yeah go ahead." He replied while he was fully focused on driving.
"Are you invited to Ayla welcome party?" I asked.
"Ayla? Oh! You mean Cecily's daughter's?" He inquired, and I nodded.
"Yeah, I'm going, why? Are you not invited?"
"No! No! It's not that, I was wondering if I could go with you." I quickly grew defensive to how he was taking my words wrongly.
"Just that? Of course I would, in fact I'm so happy that you asked me... Don't worry I will come to pick you up."
He smiled at me while he was handling the steering wheel with his one hand, and that too with just a palm, the veins on his hand were popping out, looking so pretty, so good.
I hadn't realised that this whole time my eyes were on his hand, and he was smiling knowing it, and that embarrassed me, even though he didn't spoke a single word to me.
Parking the car in the complex's parking area, he undid his seatbelt as I looked at him in confusion.
"You live here?"
"No... I don't." He shrugged as he got out of the car, before opening the door for me.
"Then why did you get off the car?" I asked as soon as I stepped out.
"To see you off, I will first make sure that you have gone inside your apartment safe and sound, then I will go back... plus it's my complex, and I'm a man I'm safe anywhere, so don't worry about me...I'll keep you accompany."
He said as if it wasn't a big deal, and he really didn't know how much of a big deal it was, not for me but for the heart that was beating in this body, it was beating twice as hard than it usually did.
And the fastened beats of heart, they were continuously saying something to me, something to my mind that I was getting, but I was not ready to accept.
The heat on my face, was getting worse, and I kept biting the inside of my cheeks, hoping to calm myself down.
As we arrived at my floor I walked out of the lift and so did he, walking with me.
I was standing Infront of my apartment as he looked at me.
"So... I guess I should get going now, take care...and Laurel please don't try hard to hide how you feel, when you hide it, it becomes even clear and visible on your face, and be ready tomorrow, I'll be there to pick you up at sharp 8:00, and I will drop you on my way to work." He said and walked back to the lift.
Leaving me there all frozen at his words, maybe we both were getting a hand of everything between us.
I closed the door and stepped inside, the mirror that was attached to the wall right at the entrance, showed what he meant.
My face was pink, and by pink I mean, as if all the blood from my body had taken a shelter in the vessels present in my face.
I felt I would die out of embarrassment right there and then.
I stepped inside living room walking straight to bedroom and entered the bathroom, splashing cold water on my face.
Once, twice, and then thrice but the pinkish hue was still there on my face.
I bit my lips, staring at my reflection.
I was changing, the way I was thinking was changing, my mind was changing and most of all, my heart was changing.
I knew this much, that whatever this feeling might be, it's something close to love, or maybe love? I don't know.
I never had someone with whom I could share this emotion with, everyone I met either had someone else, or looked at me as an orphan, never a girl, never a human.
I changed my clothes, pouncing on the bed, my heart was continuously fluttering, Luca in my mind, and maybe now in my heart too?
The next morning, I woke up earlier than I usually did, and began getting ready for the first day at my office.
Baby blue dress shirt, with off-white pants.
My hair styled in a pony, as I grabbed my laptop bag, phone and my clutch that had the utilities I might need.
Taking the lift I went to the ground floor, and directly went to the parking area, where Luca was standing, with his back leaning against his car.
From his face, my eyes travelled below to his outfit.
He was wearing, a baby blue dress shirt, and off-white pants.
I repeat we both are wearing... Exact same outfit.
As he saw me coming, he looked at me once, and then his brow raised in amusement? As a pleasant smile covered his lips.
He looked happy, beyond happy.
Opening the front door, for me, I sat in there, as I let out a small thank you, that was almost a mumble.
I felt weirdly embarrassed, awkward, and nervous, the coincidence of us wearing exact same clothes, had me all giddy but at the same time had me feeling self conscious.
"You look...good." As soon as Luca sat in the driver's seat, he complimented, to which I could do nothing but nod at.
Here I felt like I could die out of embarrassment, he was there, driving the car with a smile -a pleased, happy smile-
That smile didn't waver, in-between the ride, he kept turning his head over to me, looking at me.
The gaze felt different than before, and it was continuously making my heart flutter, making me pray for the moment that this car stops and I can get out of the car immediately.
Upon stopping the car Infront of the office, I quickly got off the car and rushed inside the building without looking behind.
But I could hear him laugh, his chuckle.
And it was soothing.
I greeted everyone on my way to the CEO's office, where the other three newly hired employees were also present, our work was assigned to us, I was the CEO's personal secretary, so I remained there in that room, soon it was just me and the CEO.
I was feeling very scared and afraid, because the way he had just talked to all the employees a second ago, had confirmed this much and this man is not a chill boss so I can do nothing here except for, work!
"So Ms. Laurel, a tablet will be provided to you and it has my schedule written in it, you will find everything in it, your work for now will mostly be, arranging meetings, dinners, parties, and informing me about employees; how they work, or if there is anything serious going around, to be precise, I want you to keep an eye on anything that looks or feels suspicious and one last thing." He stopped and looked around his office, and then his eyes went to the door of his office, following his eyes I also looked wherever he turned his neck to.
"You need to help me find a wife for myself!" He whisper shocked me and I was taken aback by his sudden request.
"Pardon?" I was exasperated.
Like what the hell did he mean? Finding a wife? for him? What was I? Buy a wife shop owner?
Or was I that match maker, present everywhere, in homes, schools, colleges, universities, offices, work places?
"Look, I'm sorry, I know it might be coming all wrong at you, but actually the thing is, I am 30, and still single, most of my friends have been married for than 2 years, and just me and my one other friend was also single, and now even he has found a woman for himself, only I'm left single and alone.