After bathing, William drove to the restaurant. It had been a long time since he had been there, and everything had changed. The last time he visited was with his younger sister Genevieve, but ever since she left, he had no reason to come back. He waited patiently for Tina until he finally saw a taxi pulling up near him.
She stepped out casually, without the airs or pretense of other women who always tried to impress him. This woman was different.
"Good afternoon, Mr. William," she greeted, standing next to him.
"Good afternoon. I've been waiting for you here. I thought you might find it difficult to come inside, but let's go now."
She walked ahead of him into the restaurant, where they were seated and offered a glass of water.
"How much is the water here?" she suddenly asked.
Instead of feeling offended by the question, he simply looked at her as if she had done nothing wrong. "A glass of water here is 15€," he replied.
"Hmm, for a glass of water? How much will the food cost, then?"
"I think it will depend on what you order," he said with a slight smile.
After going through the menu, they both decided on their meals. A few minutes later, the food was served.
"First, I want to thank you for your feedback about my company," William began. "I truly appreciate those kinds of insights. They help me improve, and I want to assure you that I've put everything in place. It's now a much safer place to work."
Tina nodded, looking at him with curiosity. "Did I make you fire someone?" she asked, worried that her feedback had cost someone their job.
"I reviewed the CCTV footage, and I understood what you meant when you said those words to me at the hospital. I realize your experience with me was the worst so far, and I want to assure you that person is gone," he said gently.
"Who was he then your twin brother?" she asked, her tone slightly provocative.
"Honestly, I wish it was him," William replied with a small laugh, "but he's not around at the moment."
Tina's eyes widened in surprise. "Are you serious? Are you really a twin?" She wondered if she had been crushing on the wrong person all along.
"Yes, I'm a twin. Why are you asking if we're identical?"
"Maybe he's the one I've been reading about in the newspapers and seeing on TV. Maybe he's actually my crush," she said, half-joking.
William smiled, trying not to laugh too loudly. She had a crush on his brother?
"He's a medical doctor, not a media person like me. And no, we're not identical," he clarified.
Tina nodded sadly.
"But if you want to meet him, I can introduce you both. I mean, you are already crushing on him," He said with a hint of sarcasm.
Tina chuckled. "you just said you are not identical, and he's a doctor. That means I've been watching and reading about you, not him. So, why introduce me to him?"
"I thought you liked him," he teased. "But it's fine. You can't meet him at the moment anyway. He's in a coma."
Tina stared at him, shocked. His twin brother was in a coma, and yet he spoke about it so casually.
"Do you miss him?" she asked softly.
"Of course I do. He's my best friend. I still visit him every day to talk to him," William admitted.
"You see, Tina, people often meet others during their worst states, and that creates a fixed mindset about them. When I first saw you at my company as an intern, you stirred feelings in my heart that I didn't like. I'm sorry.
I saw how eager you were to learn and how hard you tried to approach me, but I wasn't in the right state of mind. I was barely present in the company at the time."
"At the time my brother had that accident, I was blaming myself for everything because I couldn't protect him, and that guilt affected my relationships with people—including you.
Normally, I don't like women approaching me, but you were different. I didn't want you approaching me or being close to me because I might end up liking you, and it would interfere with my focus on my brother's case."
Tina listened carefully, understanding where he was coming from.
"I didn't want to waste time chasing after a woman when I should have been chasing my brother's attackers. I hope you can consider my fault and perhaps forgive me. We can still just be friends without avoiding each other."
Tina nodded her head. "How is your brother now? Is he okay? Have you found the people responsible for the accident?"
"He's getting better but is still in a coma. But don't worry I know he'll be okay soon. I'll introduce you to him if you wish."
"Okay," she replied, continuing to eat her food.
"You said I have a girlfriend and a fiancée. Do you mind telling me who you think that is?"
"About that," Tina began, "I was referring to your secretary. She told me you both are dating and that you're getting married soon. She even mentioned that you two had been intimate. That's why I was upset when I learned you kissed me."
"Hmmm," William sighed. "That's okay. I fired her already. She no longer works for me. She tried seducing me, so I had to let her go. Her behavior was getting out of hand. I kept her as my secretary because of my late father, but it's over now. I've done my best."
He continued, "I have issues I'm dealing with. I don't have the time or energy for any sort of seduction that could lead to an unwanted pregnancy."
Tina nodded in understanding, appreciating his honesty.
Let's eat so that I can drop you home. Forget about my issues. I want to be quick so I don't waste your time. I'm sure you have to meet with Nancy today." Tina looked at her spoon, lost in thought. Why was he being so kind and gentle? Unlike his usual commanding self, he was calm and understanding today.
"Are you okay? Do you like the food? You seem lost in your thoughts," he questioned, his black eyes shining as he looked at her.
"Yeah, I'm doing perfectly fine. Do you have somewhere to be today? Because I somehow feel like you're sending me away." William smiled inwardly, happy to know his efforts were finally paying off.
Tina looked at him, feeling wronged and offended. "That's not true. I just think you have some other things to do. I just want to keep my word to you when I told you it was going to be a short meeting." Tina nodded and continued eating her food.
After they were done eating, he dropped her off at her house. They barely spoke to each other during the drive. She concentrated on her phone the whole time, while William, on the other hand, focused on driving.
Neither of them spoke until they arrived at her house.