The shattering of heart when being broken is the loudest quiet ever.
~Carroll Bryant
***
"Del, I'll be back in a while. I just have to get ready. All the best everyone," she wished all the chefs and walked out.
She took the elevator to Abbey's floor, hoping to God her assistant and Rhett weren't still in the same position she'd last seen them. She checked from the corridor first. All clear and PG-13.
Reaching Room 1605, she knocked thrice and asked, "Abs, look, I have to change. I think so much time was more than enough to go about your shenanigans many times, so I'm hoping that Rhett isn't inside." She paused, then murmured, "And if he is, I don't know what I'm gonna do."
The door opened and there stood Abbey, with her hands crossed over her chest, looking as annoyed as she could possibly look, which wasn't that much anyway.
"Oh, hi," Savannah said sheepishly.
"Shut up and come in."
"Rhett not here?"
"Get over him, Boss. He's not here. He also had to get ready for the gala, don't you think?"
Savannah let out a suggestive "hmm..." and nudged Abbey's shoulder. "Getting ready for the gala, or getting ready for you?"
"Shut it!" Abbey whisper-yelled, hiding her face in her hands all the same. She was embarrassed by what happened.
"Oh, Abs, there's no need to be embarrassed. You and Rhett like each other and you had sex with him. It's okay. No, it's amazing actually. God alone knows when was the last time I had sex, it's been so long. I don't get time, you should be happy you do. Physical intimacy is as necessary as emotional, you know. Sex shouldn't be embarrassing, it should be delirious and fun. You get me?"
"Yeah...yeah," Abbey sputtered after a while, bewildered and awed, trying to wrap her head around her Boss being this philosophical. "Holy shit! When did you get so smart, Boss?"
She thought back to the things she'd written in that letter. "Yeah, I'm also wondering the same thing," she muttered under her breath. She entered the bathroom. "You...were...looking at my luggage while in the jacuzzi with him? Not that it's any of my business," she waved it off.
"Oh, I know you better than that. You love poking your nose into my funny business. You are super nosy when it comes to jumping someone, admit it. But to answer your question, no, we didn't have jacuzzi-sex. We only checked the bedsprings."
"I see. Good—great, actually! Well...o-kay. So. I'll get changed."
A while later Savannah came out of the washroom all ready.
"You're killing it, Boss! Planning on doing funny business yourself tonight?"
"Nope. Don't have the time. Planning on looking just good enough to not look out of place at the gala."
"I see. Well, see you downstairs in a while then. You're so gonna knock 'em out today. I'd bang you myself if I were into women."
"Merci mademoiselle."
"Yeah, I know your French is really good. Now get out." Savannah's eyes widened when Abbey shut the door on her face. This was typical of Abbey, being moody and volatile like nobody's business.
"Looks like she forgot who the boss is yet again," Savannah said to herself as she made her way to the elevator.
—x—
Zac went through his plan for the evening, what he'd planned on saying, all over again in his mind. He was going to put up a spectacle today. For the one woman he desperately wanted. He had only four hours to court her and he was fucking going to. Period.
He checked his trouser pocket. Yes. It was there.
He was all set for the fight. The fight for her.
—x—
When Savannah returned to the kitchen she was happy to see everything going on in perfect sync.
"Well, guys. All set?"
"Yeah!"
"Okay, anything that has to be done here? I'm up—"
"No, no, no," Delilah prattled, "you shouldn't be here."
Savannah raised an eyebrow. "I see, where else would you rather a chef be, dear Ms. Delilah?"
"I mean," Delilah started, "we have everything under control here. Right, guys?"
Savannah looked at the others as they bobbed their heads up and down in complete synchronization. Something was fishy here.
"See. We have everything handled. You...should...get to the banquet. Just in case, you know," she quickly added.
Definitely fishy. "What's going on here?"
"Nothing, nothing, really," Lily put in. Xavier was beside her in a moment, whispering something in her ear, which made Lily pass Savannah a sheepish smile.
"I don't think it's nothing."
This time Joseph spoke up. "Really, Savannah, things are great here. We need you to be outside, so we know everything is okay there."
Wow. They weren't acting like themselves today. These weren't the people she'd worked with for three months. So unanimous. How?
"O-kay. Fine. I'll...be outside. Call me if something goes wrong."
"Yeah. Bye!" Lily gushed.
Something was wrong. Seriously wrong.
She proceeded towards the banquet. It looked spectacular. So beautiful. The drapery, the curtains, the table drapes. The whole arrangement looked really wonderful. But then, as she moved her eyes to take in the full view, they settled on something that looked better than all this combined.
Zac.
He looked drop-dead gorgeous in the all-black suit he was sporting. How could someone look so irresistible? Oh, Jesus. She just drank him in for five minutes before people started dropping in. Even then, her eyes did make their journey to him. Through the crowd and past multiple heads, they continued to land straight on him.
He interacted with people. Some he knew, some he didn't. But it didn't matter, he was social like that. He loved interacting with new people. And he was enjoying it now too, but his eyes were searching for a specific someone. She wasn't to be seen anywhere at all. Where was she?
Half an hour had passed before he finally found her. She was here. He couldn't see her properly , but he did see her checking the arrangements, ensuring it was all good. He deemed the time perfect for what he was going to do.
Showtime.
He walked over to the stage, picked up a mic and tapped it, checking the audio.
"Audible enough, guys?"
"Yeah!" came a chorus.
"Good." From a height, he could easily spot her now. There she was wearing a spaghetti-strapped jumpsuit, with a white bodice and black pants. She looked stunning, mesmerizing, breathtaking...just spectacular. Added to it was her short high-low hair that went perfectly with her clothes. His eyes travelled south, and he smiled at what he saw. Of course she was wearing a pair of high-top Chuck Taylors.
"Since this evening is about me, I have a few things to say. Actually," he added as an afterthought, "scratch that, I have many things to say tonight. You could call it a confession.
"Well, a few months ago, I came across the only woman who made my heart pump out of my chest ever since the first time I saw her. She was naturally beautiful in a way I'd never seen before, and honestly, even if I had, I probably wouldn't have gone for. Up until then, I always believed I had a specific type, 'cause...I did! Looking at her, though, made me second-guess that. I wanted her. Very badly. That day she was talking to my dad in his office, sitting in a way I could see a part of her face from where I was standing outside. Her face, her features—she looked so full of life. Like she had nothing to regret. Happy and complete. In a way I'd yet to feel. I just stood there watching her.
"And then I heard her laugh, and I knew I simply had to make my presence known. There was no way I could live without doing that. So I did. I went inside and introduced myself, and the way her face paled on seeing me—God! White as sheet, literally. Like, I was the last person she'd ever expected to see there. I didn't know why. Though she smiled when she congratulated me on the acquisition, it didn't take a genius to know that it was all faux. And because she's standing here, in the midst of us tonight, I'm saying this to her. I knew that smile was fake, apparently you are a really see-through person," he confirmed re her letter. "Just a second, guys."
He paused, waved a hand for a drink. Blue Lagoon indeed looked immensely appealing, he thought. Savannah was right.
"Yeah, my throat dried up," he stated before swallowing half the drink in one go. "Yeah. So, where was I?
"Her smile," a kid hollered from the audience.
"Right. Thanks, bud. We spoke business for a while and then she said she'd like to see the kitchen—she was the new temporary head-chef, after all. So all the delish food you're eating tonight, all credit goes to her. Anyway, back to the case in point, it made me wonder if that was really the case, or if it was simply good riddance, you know? So I led her out of the office and into the corridor, where my jerk of a brother was leaning against the wall. He was waiting for her. He cracked some really lame jokes and she laughed. I mean, she laughed. At my brother's jokes that, I guarantee, are of piss-poor quality. I swear, I'd never wanted to kill my brother and dig his grave as much as I did until that very moment. I was so very jealous.
"Now...this woman I am talking about tends to babble when she's nervous. I realized this when she met my mom that day. I've been told that my mom has this...air about her that scares most shitless—don't ask me why, I genuinely don't know, because mum's the most amiable and easy-going person I have in my life—even so, this woman got so nervous. Jesus Christ. She spoke at a hundred words per minute. And damn if that didn't make me smile. She insisted that she'd make us food whenever she could.
"And she did. This was late Friday morning I was talking about. The next three meals I ate were easily the best meals I'd ever had. That day itself, she'd made best friends with my sister, won my dad over on a personal level and created a soft spot for herself in my mom's heart—and that means something, because Clair Sifton is one tough nut to crack. And, she was already on my brother's hit list—I hope you got that one. That was for you, Pun Queen." He laughed. "As for me, I was floored by her. In a good way. She threw me off with her laughs, her smiles, her unease and her obsession with apologizing—everything she did, basically, threw me off. Anything she did made me like her a bit more than before. I'd never felt quite like that, ever. "
He downed the rest of the cocktail in this go. His heartbeat was erratic. She was standing here, in the same banquet as him, with the same crowd, hanging on to every word he said.
"The air was knocked out of my lungs every time I saw her. And believe me when I say I saw too much of her in those two days. And then she started going to the kitchen and the chances of getting to see her reduced drastically. She has really odd work hours, if I might add. I recall her once telling me she'd worked seventy-two hours straight. I was...shocked, to say the least. Basically, it was like saying a phone was working on no-battery mode. And I'd be lying if that didn't make me admire her even more.
"Her dedication towards her work, her drive about her passion, her courage to go through with making it her profession. Not all people have any of the three. God knows I didn't before I was twenty-six and finally knew what I wanted to do. And how could I forget her spunk of globetrotting alone. It makes me really proud of her. Throughout my life I've gotten immense female attention, and trust me, I know what grabs their attention as well." He chuckled. " She, however, was—is—something totally different, extremely and abysmally resistant to all my charms. It was a first for me too. I had no clue what to do, how to get her to like me. That came as a challenge, and you all know how I feel about those.
"I wanted to take it slow, savor every moment, you know? Court her steadily, but like they say: Man proposes, God disposes. That's exactly what happened to me. This whole time, I'd been acting like a lovelorn human, eating lunch at the hotel's restaurant, when my house is not even five minutes from here, just so I could see more of her," he told the crowd, smiling nostalgically. "And finally when she does come out of the kitchen, she makes a beeline for another guy who'd been waiting. And she jumps. Straight into his arms. Madness."
His eyes found and held hers through the whole crowd. He gave her a wide grin which made her give him a beautiful smile from all the way across the room. Oh, Jesus. How could someone be that beautiful, he wondered.
"That finally led to the one night where I felt closer to her than any other time. Not in the way most of you are thinking—I'd request you all to kindly get your minds out of the gutter. It's nothing of that sort, and even if it were, I wouldn't tell you. I draw a line at voyeurism," he said. Then joined the horde as they laughed.
"That day, after that lunch I wasn't able to get any work done, and I was supposed to be super busy that day. To add to the mix, I wasn't able to sleep either. I was on my way to the gym to work out my frustration, when I saw her walking towards her room. And she had the fu—freaking—" he corrected himself, seeing that some of his guests were underage, and that his mom was here, too "—audacity of asking me what was wrong. I mean, it was all wrong because of her. No. No, I'm lying. She had nothing to do with it; it was all me," he grinned mischievously.
The audience burst out yet again. She couldn't help but admire how amazing he was at being social and interactive. He knew how to indulge the audience. He knew what would interest them, keep them absorbed, and what would not.
"Well, I fully lashed out at her and then I did the unthinkable. I kissed her." He again found her through the throng and gave her an easy smile.
He'd read the letter, she thought to herself. She didn't know how she knew, she just did.
"And then she blew up. She literally freaked out. I can't tell you the details, I'm afraid; that's between me and her. I didn't know what to do. I just stood there dumbstruck and watched her leave. Days passed by, and then one day I heard her sobbing in her room, which she was trying to conceal behind loud music. I couldn't watch her break down like that. It hurt me. I sat down beside her and asked her to tell me. To cut things short, because the whole thing is absolutely not my story to tell, she told me about the one day for two consecutive years that she got hurt. On the same day. First year had nothing to do with me, but the second year—I am to be blamed.
"I didn't remember that incident, so I insisted her on telling me. I already knew she was a BU alumnus, but that day she told me how we were related. Related by one incident in the past. An incident of which I'm inexpressibly ashamed. I deeply regret it and I would do anything if I could go back and undo it. I don't know if I can go deeper into it, because, though this one is my story too, it's more hers. Listening to her that night, I realized that she was braver and way, way more courageous than anyone I'd ever come across. She'd been through hell, literally, and I am one of the foremost reasons for that. Yet, here she is, in all her glory, doing what she wants, how she wants. Living her best life, waking up everyday knowing she was her best version yesterday. She makes me feel worthless in comparison. Which is why, here I am, publicly apologizing for everything I did in the past, hoping she'll forgive me and give me another chance at being a different and better version of myself, only ever for her.
He looked at her through the rows and rows of people. Straight into her eyes. "Savannah, I know you're here. And here I want to tell you that I am very, very, very sorry. I know these words don't mean shit, but I am truly sorry nonetheless."
He came down from the stage and walked through the crowd to her, grinning all the way.
"What do you say, Savannah Victoria Reece?" he asked her. "Everyone, I hope you all enjoy the rest of the party. If you'll please excuse us, we'd like some privacy, please," he said through the mic, smiling at her softly all the while, and passed the mic to someone else.
"Hi," he said first, after they'd stared at each other for quite a few minutes.
"Hey."
"I see I have rendered you quite speechless. Well, what do you think?"
"You didn't have to do all that, Zac."
"Of course I did. Well," he started, pulling her flush against him by hooking one arm behind her waist, "I have something for you."
Loosening his hold on her, he took out something from his pocket. Savannah gasped the moment she saw what it was. He opened it to reveal a ring which, by the looks of it, had been custom-made by him for her. The ring was made of a simple gold band with a pair of tiny, intricately designed to a T sneakers that looked exactly similar to her usual kind, positioned on top. Definitely customized. The ring was equal parts beautiful and cute.
"Reece. You could call this a...promise ring. A constant reminder of my promise to you to love you for as long as you'll let me. I know you don't believe me yet, and with good reason. But I sincerely hope you might believe in me just enough to give me a second chance. A second chance at being someone you call fall back on, at being someone you know will be there for you. A second chance at being a better person. A second chance at trying to be the person you deserve, a person you could love. Savannah, can you give me my chance at redemption?"
He was looking at her with such hopeful eyes, she knew it would break her to say what she needed to. But, she had to stand up for herself, there was no way around that. There was still no guarantee that he wouldn't hurt her again, that she wasn't just another tick in the checklist before he moved forward. She didn't know anything. She didn't know him either.
She was about to talk when she got a call for Delilah. "Sorry I absolutely have to take this."
There was a situation in the kitchen that needed to be handled urgently. That was more pressing than this, she decided. She was here to work, as a head chef, for today's event especially. Delivering what was expected of Chef Reece was more important than talking to Zac as Savannah. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if something went wrong today, that would be the worst kind of disgrace ever. She was a chef, first and foremost, and those responsibilities came first. Everything else could go on the back burner.
"I'll be back," she told Zac and rushed to the kitchen.
He waited and waited. What was taking her so long? By the time she returned it was nearing the end. Everyone, including Zac, had eaten and now most of the couples were on the dance floor swaying.
"Will you dance with me, Zac?" She reckoned this was the best way.
"You wanna dance with me?" he asked incredulously.
She nodded and pulled him to the dance floor. Guiding both his arms behind her waist, she put hers around his neck, and started swaying slowly.
He leaned in a bit to whisper in her ear, "Hear that? The song's chorus also says it's always been you." He was being one sappy bastard, but who cared when he had the most enchanting woman in his arms?
This was going to be so, so difficult now. He believed this was her saying yes.
The song ended and another one started. She recognized the song.
"Zac, about what you asked me. I can't."
He pulled away a little, certain that he'd heard her wrong. She couldn't have meant that. "You can't what?"
She swallowed the lump in her throat and said what she had to, "I can't give you another chance. I'm sorry." Pressing a kiss to his cheeks she walked away as the chorus of Last Kiss by Taylor Swift played softly through the speakers, leaving Zac there, looking at her disappearing figure, as his heart broke into a million irretrievable pieces.
—x—
Well, well. She said no. Oops. Now, where do you think this will go? After all, there are still three more chapters to go... Keep on thinking, my lovely readers.
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Until next time...