Why Him?

CHAPTER 13

Kiara POV

I wasn’t able to concentrate on my job during the day. I was excited for our date tonight. To be honest, I was waiting for him to send me a text or contact me. God, this is driving me insane.

I couldn’t stop checking on my phone every other minute, but I’ve got nothing. So he’s now trying to play hard to get with me? Fine!

I let out a sigh of annoyance and threw my phone towards the desk. My eyes went back to the clock that hung on the wall. It seems like the clock was broken. It moved incredibly slow than it used to be. I usually felt like I didn’t have enough time every day to finish my job, like 24 hours a day is not enough. But today I felt incredibly bored at the office. I just want this day to end quickly.

I was still in the middle of the monthly annual meeting when I suddenly got a text. A smile crept onto my face as I got the text from Gideon.

From: Gideon

Hi, just want to let you know that I’m here. I’m going to wait until you’re done. 

“Ms. Finley, so what do you think?” Neil suddenly asked. I looked up from my phone and stopped typing. Dad cleared his throat while watching me. s**t. I didn’t pay any attention to him. What is it again that he was talking about? This is so unlike me, spacing out during a meeting.

“Give me some time to think about it. I’ll let you know my decision by tomorrow.” I replied before I got up from my seat. Smart answer, Kiara.

“Excuse me, gentleman. I have another meeting to attend.” I said with a smile and left the meeting room. I tried to ignore the look on dad’s face and went out before he interrogate me much further.

I pressed the button to the ground floor. This is very unusual for me to leave the office at this early hour. Six o clock is considered early for me. I mostly took off at ten. I saw some of my employees whispering to each other. I stood up straight and tried to ignore them. 

By the time I got to the lobby, I couldn’t find him. I fished out my phone and dialed his number. On the second ring, I suddenly saw a bouquet of roses in front of my face. I turned around and saw Gideon. He flashed me a smile and planted a quick peck on my cheek. Well, I certainly didn’t see this coming. I never took him as a romantic person. But I swore he just made my heart melt right now.

“Did you miss me?” he said, whispering near my ear. I cleared my throat before I gave him the answer.

“I almost forgot that we had a date tonight, Mr. Barlowe,” I replied while sniffing at the red roses. We all know that’s a lie, but I didn’t want to sound needy in front of him.

“I’ve got another surprise for you.” He then said, pulling me by the hand with him.

Oh? Another surprise? I love surprises. I wonder what he had in mind.

He couldn’t stop smiling as he drove away from my office. He suddenly held my hand, taking me by surprise. “I hope you don’t mind? I just want us to get used to this quickly,” he asked, clearing his throat. A warm feeling crept onto my chest. “Um…I think this is okay for me.” I told him, blushing. I like the feeling of his hand as he interlaced our fingers together.

Oh crap. I think I just crossed the boundary. I shouldn’t be feeling this way towards him. He should stop doing this. This is not good. I was about to retract my hand, but he brought my hand close to his lips and kissed the back of my palm.

I stared back at him, and I was amazed all over again after I noticed how good he looked tonight. He didn’t wear any fancy suits like any of my exes. He wore a black V-neck T-shirt that wrapped his toned body perfectly. The long sleeves were rolled up to his elbow, a leather watch on his right wrist.

He looked casual but still managed to take my breath away. “We’re here.” He said, snapping me out from my thought. He smirked at me after he noticed that I was looking at him. I quickly turned my head, looking outside the window. I frowned hard after I realized where he was taking me.

“Amusement park? Why are we here?” I asked him in confusion. This might be the last place that I had in mind. I thought that he would take me to a fancy restaurant to impress me, but he didn’t. Seems like he had another plan.

“I want to take you out on a date at an amusement park.” He then told me. I crossed both hands in front of my chest. “You’ve got to be kidding me, right? Do you think I am a teenager?” I asked sarcastically at him.

He undo his own seatbelt and got off the car first before me. He then went to my side, opening the door for me. “Come on, you’ve got to trust me on this.” He said, giving me his hand.

I was hesitant for a while, but then his eyes were pleading on me. “Fine!” I said, blowing out a breath.

I let him guide me into the park. Then I noticed something strange about this place. “Where are the other people?” I asked him, but he didn’t give me the answer. “Come with me. Look! There’s a merry go round over there!” he said, dragging me by my hand.

He asked me to get into a white horse that he picked especially for me.

“Gideon, I can’t get up there. I am wearing a skirt.” I told him, pointing at my outfit. He lifted me up and helped me to get on that wooden horse. I think I almost ripped my skirt in the process. I take a mental note to wear pants next time. Seems like he’s the kind of man who likes adventure.

The carousell started to move slowly. It’s been a while since I went to the amusement park. And I had to admit that this is quite fun.

He sat on the brown horse beside mine and turned his attention towards me. “This is fun, right?” he said, smiling widely. I was about to reply to him but then he said,

“This is the first time for me going to an amusement park. My parents never brought me to this kind of place. That’s why I wanted to take you here on our first date.” He admitted. His face slightly blushed. 

“But, how come?” I somehow felt sorry for him. His parents were absolutely not poor, so I could tell that it wasn’t because of financial reasons. “We’re different…” he said, looking away. There he goes again.

“Please don’t tell me that you’re a vampire,” I said, and he burst out laughing. He continued to laugh until he shed tears from the corner of his eyes.

“You’re so funny.” He cupped my face and gave me a quick peck on my lips.

“Of course not.” He said, taking my hands. His hands were warm. There’s no way he’s a cold-blooded vampire. His skin was tanned and not fair white.

“I’ve made the right decision for bringing you to this place.” He then said as he gently stroked my cheek. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. “Can I ask why?” I asked him back, tilting my head.

“It felt so much special with you here with me.” He then said, leaning down to capture my lips. Before his lips could touch mine, a loud growl came from my stomach. Oh God, This is so embarrassing.

I was soon greeted by another laugh from him. “Let’s get you something to eat first.” He said, offering his hand to help me get down from the horse. I tried not to look at him, but he continued to tease me.

He took me to a hotdog stand nearby and ordered two for us. “Where are the other people? You didn’t answer me earlier when I asked.” I said as I chewed on the first bite of my hot dog. “I book the entire place for us tonight.” He replied casually, and I nearly choked on my food.

“Hey, are you okay?” he patted my back then gave me a bottle of water. “You did what? You booked this whole place? How much did you pay for this?” I asked him back in disbelief. He smiled at me before he draped one of his arms over my shoulder.

“No need to sweat about it. I just want you to have the best first date with me. Hey, let’s try the Ferris wheel.” He said, taking my hand towards the other direction. I had to say, he’s getting a little bit too excited about trying them all here.

“Ladies first.” He said, helping me to get on the giant bubble. I could see the whole city of New York as we slowly went up to the night sky. I was still captivated by the beautiful scenery. I didn’t realize that he was watching me the whole time.

“This is also my first time riding a Ferris wheel.” He said, clearing his throat. “Things always looked better from above. You know…I’ve always wanted to become a pilot ever since I was a kid.” He then told me.

“What’s stopping you then?” I asked him back. “My dad disagrees with me.” He shrugged his shoulders. “He thinks it was stupid. But I’ve tried to fly his private jet once. That’s my secret. You have to promise me you can’t tell anyone.” He replied, putting his index finger in front of his lips.

“Your dad is very… opinionated,” I said, pausing for a while. “So was my dad.” He smiled acidly at me. “I guess we’re both victims.” He said.

I don’t know what’s gotten into me, but my hand moved on its own to touch his face. “Hey, at least you’ve tried it once. You’re better than me.” I said. Our eyes met, and at that moment, I felt like I saw a different side of him. The one that he kept hidden inside.

“I was born to handle my dad’s business. That’s just a dream.” He said, looking away. I knew exactly how he felt. I was also in a pretty similar situation with him.

I was the heir of FASHLUX. I was destined to be the next CEO since I was born. After I graduate, I’ve been working on his company. I’d never thought about chasing my own dream.  

“Same here… Imagine if you’re a woman like me. I barely had time to have fun. It's all about work.” I said, heaving a deep sigh.

“Maybe that’s why men always cheated on me.” I continued, lowering my face. He raised my chin and stared deep at me. “That’s bullshit. They were an ass for cheating on you.” His eyes were so focused on me, taking my breath away. He moved even closer towards me.

“If you were my girlfriend, I most probably put a leash on you. Because I am afraid other men might try to steal you away.” He said, making me laugh. “That’s not funny.” I playfully hit his arm.

He rubbed his arm as if my small teasing hurt that much. “I am not joking.” He said, cupping my face. “You’re beautiful…and smart… any man would be lucky to have you.”

I removed his hands from my face. “Yeah, you all say the same thing at first,” I said cynically. He shook his head. “No, I am different.” He stated firmly. “How can I believe you?” I asked him back.

He took out something from his pocket. “I want you to have this.” He said. I saw a necklace with a blue sapphire stone in the center and small diamonds surrounding it. I think it was the most beautiful necklace I’ve ever seen. “Wow, I can’t accept this. It must be very expensive.” I said, refusing to take his present by pushing his hand back.   

He shook his head. “It belongs to my grandma. Mom gave it to me. It has a special meaning to our family. Mom and dad could meet only because of this necklace. I hope this could be our good luck charm too.” He said before he put the necklace on my neck.

I carefully touch them as the diamonds sparkle beautifully, reflecting the light from the Ferris wheel. “But we’re not in a relationship. This is too much.” I then told him. I was about to take it off, but then he stopped my hand.

“Please, Kiara. I want you to keep it for now. You can return it back to me when you find the man that you love.” He then told me.