Two weeks had gone by since our weekend of romance. I was back behind my desk and he was in his office, helping his uncle run Chase Men. The only problem was we had spent the next two weekends together and yet no matter how close our faces got, our lips never met. I began to hate having cheeks because if I had no cheeks then maybe he would kiss me on the mouth instead. That was before I realized he would probably go for my forehead and I hated having a forehead too.
Chris had gotten used to seeing me in their house and the last weekend, he had come to see me at my mother's place. He even met Nii when we had dinner and drinks at Evolve. My mum had relaxed more knowing I was with him. Sumaya, surprisingly, had no qualms about me dating Dom. She seemed all for it and not her usual protective self.
So this Wednesday morning, after yet another no-kiss-date the night before, my frustration got the best of me. Dom assured me he was still figuring out how best not to violate the fraternization policy and keep our relationship too without the secrecy.
He had been locked up in his office all day, even ordered in lunch and even though I knew during office hours we only approached each other solely for business matters, I could not help feeling annoyed that I had only seen him come in and had to leave without seeing him when the business day ended yet again. I was gathering my things when Paba signaled me to go into Dom's office.
I strutted into his office, hand still on the door handle when I heard him say, "keep the door open"
We were only four people on this floor. His uncle, Paba, himself and me. His uncle had left three hours ago and Paba was just about leaving. No one was going to come up here past six to speak to Dom or his uncle knowing it was way past our working hours. I still obliged because I knew he had good reason to play it safe.
"I might have to go to Tokyo on business this weekend" he said slowly, leaning back in his chair and observing me.
"Grand. Would you like me to ask Paba to make the usual reservations for you?" I said, composed yet seething at the thought of him going to Japan. Aoki was in Japan. His usual reservations involved a suite at her favorite hotel but he was usually checked out by the next day and spent the rest of his nights at her house.
"Kerry-" he started to say but I put my hand up to silence him.
"Have a goodnight Mr. Chase" I walked out and saw Paba had already left. I snatched my stuff off the desk and got in the elevator.
I was safely in my car, when I felt tears brim my eyes. I swiped away with my right fist and started my car. So I was just the companion. He would see her and be reminded of why he was hopelessly drawn to her after being apart. Then i would be nothing more than the girl he could talk to, share moments with but Aoki was the one he wanted to kiss and do other stuff with.
I ignored his calls and put off my phone the minute I got home. I skipped dinner and went straight to bed. I wished Sumaya was here but she had night duty. Going to Alexa meant running into Damien. My dad was not in the know that left aunt Jamila and my mum. I was not ready to talk about my relationship problems with them. I hugged my covers and forced myself to sleep.
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Dom and I saw each other at work the following days but I did not pick his personal calls nor reply any texts he sent. I had blocked him out successfully till I got an email from him on Friday night. The email notification sound had fooled me into clicking the envelope sign and once I saw the new email was from him, I could not resist the urge to check.
Kerry, I know you are mad at me and we should talk about this. Can I at least see you tonight? I fly out tomorrow morning.
Dom
My fingers swiftly typed out the reply and I pushed send before I could rethink it.
We can talk when you get back from your trip. Have a safe flight.
That was the end of it. I heard no word from him till Sunday night I was eating dinner with Alexa at Evolve when his face popped up on TV. We were sitting by the bar when the entertainment news came on and a perky host said so cheerfully, "Guess who is in Tokyo on business? Yes you guessed right, Dominic Chase was spotted at an exclusive fashion show event hosted by the one and only Aoki for the release of her new lingerie line 'Yang'. Here are photos I'm sure we all dying to see of the two lovebirds"
Then photos of Dom and Aoki were streamed across the TV screen with Aoki clad in a lingerie-inspired dress that had all the men in the bar ogling her.
"Looks like even though they broke off the engagement, Dom and Aoki are just meant to be!" I almost spilled my drink when a flashback photo of Dom and Aoki, wrapped in each other's arms at the very birthday party I gate crashed was shown. I could even spot Alexa and me in the background.
I wanted to hurl my drinking glass at the TV. From the way my mum suddenly appeared from the back office into the bar, I could tell she had seen it too.
"Mum, please. Not now" I slowly rose from the bar and made my way outside. I needed air, I almost felt suffocated in there. I fought back tears as my throat tightened in pain.
Why would Dom ever give up Aoki for me? The woman was a supermodel with a business of her own. She was a fashion mogul just like Dom. They both came from fashion legacies. She was the ying to his yang. The very thought reminded me of her new lingerie line and that dress she was wearing! What red blooded male homo sapien would say no to that? Could they even resist? I could suddenly picture Dom checking out of his hotel to move to her home, if he hadn't already done so.
I felt someone gently place her hand on my shoulder, I turned slightly to see Alexa silently standing next to me.
"Are you going to call him?"
"Why should I even bother?" I covered my face and dared my tears not to flow.
"Maybe the media is just going crazy over a couple of photos. Remember how the media exaggerated your whole family situation?"
"I just can't believe he went there... He even went to her show and took photos with her. Did you see that dress she was wearing? It's practically lingerie!"
"Yes that dress can give you a lot to worry about. Your mum had them switch channels in case they decide to run that bit again or report some more"
"I really need to live away from my parents. Moving back and forth between my dad and mum is not helping my situation much" I leaned against my mother's car that was parked in a reserved spot close to the entrance.
"Maybe you and Sumaya need to go apartment hunting sooner rather than later. Aunt Jamila's cooking is amazing but it is not enough reason not to leave"
I kicked up a few loose pieces of jasper close to the car then said with resolve, "Maybe I should quit. Us both on that floor in the same building, with a wall just keeping us apart. I can't do it. When he gets back, I would lose it and do something stupid"
"Don't make such rash decisions. We've survived worse, I think" Alexa hugged me from the side.
"I told him about our topless beach incident with your uncle, you know" I hugged her sideways too.
"Hey if we can go through life knowing my sixty-year old uncle has seen us in nothing but bikini bottoms, we can survive anything" she whispered and we snickered, looking around hoping no passerby heard us.
"You know what, if this thing with Dom doesn't work out, we should go on vacation and visit that topless beach once more" I suggested.
"That's my Kerry" she smiled and as we walked back inside, she grinned, "you said if, meaning you might give him a chance?"
"I might"
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Another Saturday, another weekend spent at my mum's place. I was beginning to feel like a child of divorced parents, bouncing back and forth from one home to the other. Dad got me during the week and mum got me on the weekends. I needed an apartment of my own. Sumaya and I needed to have a serious heart to heart about apartment hunting.
After spending my week working long hours at Chase Men, you would think my mum would cut me some slack and let me sleep in on Saturday morning,. She had gotten me out of bed by six am and I knew I would be scanning and filing receipts in her back office all morning. I tried to refuse her demands then she played the 'I carried you for nine months, nine months and then I had to raise you by myself for five years! Kerry, after those sleepless nights can you not sacrifice a little bit of your sleep for me?" card.
The woman was good. She always won the war when it came down to that. I would always be fighting a losing battle when it came to doing a favor for my single mum.
So like the good daughter I was I pulled on a crumpled linen blouse over a pair of jeans and with flip flops on my feet, drove my mother and I to Evolve. The chef who had been cooking there for seven years took one look at me and laughed, "Good morning Kerry, your mother drag you out of bed again?"
"Yes, why get her own personal assistant when she can bully me into working for her for free?"
"I don't charge you for the meals and drinks you enjoy so much on the regular, do I?" My mum quizzed. I grunted in response.
"Don't worry, Kerry. I'll make you my bean cakes you love so much. We just got some fresh orange juice off the truck" Chef Pati gave me a sympathetic smile. I nodded happily then followed my mum into her office.
Thirty minutes into arranging the bunch of receipts she had just stashed in a folder, Chef Pati brought me breakfast and fortunately for me brought my mum her own plate.
I ate to my fill then continued arranging a months worth of receipts by day ready to be scanned and filed both in hard copy in binder folders as well as soft copy folders on her office computer.
Five minutes past one pm and I was sliding the last binder folder into place.
"You really need to get your own assistant mum" I said to her before slumping into the sofa. She had spent the money taking stock of all the deliveries made for the weekend crowds.
"Evolve is a family business and even though you are yet to express interest in running it some day, I want to keep you involved in the business. Your grandparents would be rolling in their graves if you don't at least do some paperwork"
"A slight upgrade from waiting on tables and washing glasses before high school. Gee, a college degree does push me up the business hierarchy" I said mocking a gleefully content employee.
My mum rolled her eyes at me then put on her serious face. Oh no, I could feel one of those mother-daughter talks coming on.
"I think we need to start talking about your future. It has been a while since we discussed what next steps you're hoping to take"
"Next steps like what, mum?"
"For one, how soon are you getting your Masters' degree? And where? I'm only assuming you are getting an Masters in International Business but feel free to correct me if I'm wrong about that"
"Give me a year, two tops to work at Chase Men. You know, have something on my resume. I am getting a Masters Degree, I'd figure out the where part soon"
"If you want to go to my alma mata, I can always give your godfather a call"
I almost forgot about that. The man who helped my mum by not only getting her admission into a reputable British school with a scholarship but helped her pay her tuition too. Twelve years before such generosity, he was introduced as my godfather. All my mum said was that he saved us. I had not spoken to him in over a year.
"Yes going to London to study would be the ideal. Let me see what options I have too" I told her quickly before she even attempts to dial the kindhearted yet reticent old man who always called me on my birthday.
"Good. As a woman, I'm sure the thought of settling down has crossed your mind?"
"Mum, could we seriously not have this talk right now" I pleaded.
"Relax Kerry. I'm not going to start yapping about your biological clock and not becoming an old maid. Who am I to talk? I'm getting married for the first time at forty!"
"Thank goodness. I was worried you'd start asking about seeing your grandchildren before you die and all that stuff Alexa's mum has been worried about"
"Professor Sampson is just worried because Alexa is a serial dater. The longest I've ever seen Alexa in a relationship was five months"
"It was actually six. Leave Alexa alone. She's dealing with her love life the best way she knows how"
"And you and Dominic, how serious are you two getting?" She walked me right into her trap.
"Wow mum. You just..." I sighed then gave up the thought of stalling, "I really don't know mum"
"Why he's not taking you seriously? Why he wants to date other women as well? Are you his side chick?"
I stared at my mum, horrified not only at the thought that she thought I was having an affair but that she even knew the more urban term for it.
"No, it's not like that. He is taking me seriously. I just don't know where it's going. Almost feels as if he's looking for a best friend not a girlfriend"
"Friends don't kiss the way you two did" she pointed out.
"Please do not remind me of that embarrassing moment" I held my hand to stop her from continuing to remind me of that day.
"Okay, then what is it?"
I was really not ready to tell my mum that she had witnessed my one and only kiss with Dom and how I wished we could do more than just talk and hold hands and hold each other and give pecks on cheeks and foreheads.
"Oh my goodness, is he friend-zoning you after kissing you like that?" My mum asked bewildered.
"Mum, who the hell is teaching you all these terms?" I shook my head in disbelief.
"Kevin's girlfriend and I have been watching this crazy reality show where five guys and five girls are placed in a mansion together by a celebrity matchmaker. They are all each other's type so everyone is up for grabs and you can just imagine the drama"
That sounded like something Sumaya and I should watch. I made a mental note to tell Sumaya about the show.
"That still brings us back to the question of what your relationship with Dominic is" my mum brought us right back to the question I was hoping to evade.
"Mum, no offense but I'd rather discuss such stuff with Sumaya or Alexa. It's just weird talking to my mum about possible boyfriend stuff" I simply told her.
"Fine" she rolled her eyes at me then in a split second she said my name sweetly, "Kerry?"
I groaned. "No mum. No. No way"
"I'm only a single mother trying to make a living and leave something for my daughter to inherit someday. You're in my will, you know. My only child-" she started to say woefully like I was disowning her when I was really trying to catch a break.
"What, mother, what?" I muttered cutting her off, hating myself even more.
"Would you be a darling daughter and put together an invoice for the birthday dinner being hosted here tomorrow. I have all the details here. All you have to do is type it in" she smiled, handing me an orange colored file.
"At least tell me you have a template for me to use" I asked as I leafed through email printouts of the event details, drink and food invoices among other little notes my mum had made on colorful sticky notes.
"You can thank Ada for that. I put her to work two weeks ago when she dropped by" my mum laughed.
I remembered how my childhood friend Ada and I used to work on Saturdays and vacation at Evolve while growing up. Our mums being best friends decided we should start learning the value of hard work from age twelve. The nice part was earning a little something to afford our teenage indulgences. Last time I spoke to Ada she had moved back with her longtime boyfriend from Australia to work in a bank in the next town.
Thinking of Ada having her life together, she had the job, the boyfriend who was going to be her fiancée by year's end and thanks to her bank job she was not living home with her parents.
I suddenly found renewed energy in distracting myself by putting together an invoice for a sixty year old woman's birthday dinner.
Chef Pati fed me once more. Lunch was fried plantains and a leafy stew which had chunks of beef in it. My mum was on the phone with Nii so I ate at the bar. I was halfway through my food as wages when my phone beeped and a message notification flashed on the screen. It was from Sumaya.
"Meet me outside now. I need to talk to you"
I handed my half-empty plate to the waiter to keep in my mum's office fridge till I returned. Sumaya had gone with Almara to one of her out of town shoots this morning. Then again, it was almost three o'clock in the afternoon. I marched outside to see what was so urgent she couldn't wait till tomorrow to see me or why she was skipping meeting my mother.
I pushed the wooden framed glass doors open and let myself out of the building I had been cooked up in all day. I walked towards the car park and froze when I saw a familiar black Range Rover.
"Other people own black Range Rovers too" I thought aloud.
"With the same license plate?" A familiar voice said so closely behind me that I almost screamed.
There stood Dominic Chase, appearing from behind the van parked next to his car. That's why I hadn't seen him. Wasn't he arriving tomorrow?
"What are you doing here? Know what, it doesn't matter. I'm going to see my sister" I said and spun around to locate Sumaya.
"She's not here" he told me confidently.
"She just texted me. She's here" I said annoyed and scanned the cars parked then it dawned on me. I turned around slowly to face him.
"How did you know I was here?"
"I asked Sumaya and she told me"
"Now you know where I am. Good for you. Goodbye. See you in the office on Monday" I said and tried to walk past him. He grabbed my arm and began to pull me towards his car. I was so stunned that I didn't even fight back.
"Get in" he commanded as he held open the passenger door with one hand while the other had a tight grip on my arm.
"What? You're kidnapping me?" I found my voice.
"You either get in or I make you get in that seat" he said sternly. I knew he was serious.
I yanked my arm free and sat in the front seat before banging the door shut to express my annoyance at this all.
It was only when I heard his gut wrenching yell and saw him clutch his hand that I realized I had banged the door on his hand.
"Oh my goodness!" I pushed open the door and leapt to his side. "I'm so sorry!"
"Are you that mad at me?"
"I didn't mean to! I swear!"
"Get in the car. I'm taking us someplace we can talk" he managed to get the words out though I could see he was wincing in pain.
"Let me get some ice for your hand" I took off and came back with an ice pack which smelt like pineapples.
I put it on his hand and he winced. He was sitting in the passenger seat now.
"You're going to drive us to my house. I'm trusting you with my car so drive carefully. And most importantly no more banging car doors" he almost shouted the last bit. I nodded and took the car keys from his jeans pockets before climbing into the driver's seat.
"Seat belt" he advised as I started the engine of the car. I yanked the seatbelt and strapped myself in. Pulling out of the car park, I noticed his luggage in the back.
"Did you come from the airport?"
"Yes I took an earlier flight back and came here straight from the airport, only for my girlfriend to almost turn my hand to mush"
I must have dreamt I heard him call me his girlfriend. But I focused on the road as Dom inclined the chair and took a nap, still nursing his hand. I stole glances to watch him sleep. He looked quite peaceful and at least the pained look had faded away.