Oddly Similar (Complete)

Chapter - XII

Thomas Tyler.

The man.

Equal parts enigmatic just like his daughter.

I had heard only good things about him which made him more unreal to me.

No man is perfect.

I had my life experience to draw that conclusion. The men I had come across, the ones I had heard about.

One look at his home and I was really jealous of him.

He truly had it all. A real home.

No wonder people give them work.

All those knick-knacks around their home, the lived in furniture, those paintings looked like breathing jewels in comparison to my drab houses.

I owned only one house which was close to a home.

My parent's old place.

The one we lived in before everything turned to dust.

"Unknown to them. I still own it."

I didn't consciously want to say it out loud but proximity with this woman has been heady. Am saying and doing things I haven't done ever.

People tried weird tactics to get a 5-min appointment with me and here I am squiggling my way in for her company twice in a day.

Does she feel that?

That she is important.

I was looking at her face when I'd accidentally said that out loud.

Perhaps she is confused about it all like me cause she doesn't respond.

She still has that mask on her face, all cautious as if I were some client and she hosting me.

You are a competitor wanting to be a partner.

Nothing more, nothing less.

And in walks the man, Thomas Tyler, the lucky guy.

He has that aura around him, that dad used to have, when Ma and Pa were happy and in love.

He gives me a warm smile. Much as it hurts me I have to play and pretend.

I need them aboard...

Though my compliment was not a lie. I really want to work with them. I want to learn from him, not architecture but life itself.

How did he do it for so long?

I haven't even started living the kind of life I wanted but then there never was a ray of sunshine which would compel me to.

But there is now...

Thomas says I like my coffee black and sugarless.

How did he know that?!

It was like a wake-up call from my daze.

Concentrate buddy!!

Maybe he came across it from one of my interviews.

He and I say all the right words, things are going smoothly. He takes the conversation to his study which is again tastefully done.

Not scary as a principal's office nor too light so as to maintain it's sombre official feel.

He sends Rose away to arrange for refreshments.

I was looking forward to her company and wit while we discuss the terms.