Trials of a Romance

“Oh! You are new here?”, an older neighbor of Bryan’s asked surprisingly after Bryan asked for the location of a particular store around the neighborhood. Bryan Sunderland is a 33-year-old man, light in complexion, and over 6ft in height. He has this deep voice that surprises anyone who gets to hear him speak. He is slim and handsome, so his deep voice rarely aligns with his features and has continuously surprised many. Bryan just moved into lord Thompson Estate in London and has since been settling in faster than expected. The serenity of the environment is something very cherishable, as most hours of the day seem to be quiet. The friendly neighbors too, are ever ready to guide you around the vicinity and also are very peaceful. Bryan assures himself that moving into this estate was one of his smartest choices this year. Bryan had wanted to locate a particular store when he encountered this older neighbor whose house was just adjacent to his. He asked the neighbor for the location of the store and this man, probably in his sixties, asked some questions, one of which was about his time on the estate. The man was indeed friendly and gave Bryan a little but substantial information about the estate. It is 7:30 am and Bryan is fully awake. He observes his morning prayers. The morning prayer is a longtime tradition in the Sunderland family. Right from Bryan’s childhood, the whole family must pray together before leaving for the day’s activities. Missing the morning prayer is a taboo. He is done with his morning prayers and heads to the bathroom to prepare for work. On his way to his car, he hears a loud voice; “You have got a family or something, boy?” The older neighbor asks while standing from afar on his balcony. Bryan smiles gently and replies, “It is just me, I am alone” “Alone? Like single.. yeah?” The neighbor asks. “Yeah. I am single, “Bryan replies. “Alright boy.. see you around “ Bryan is already liking his neighbor. He seems calm, friendly and unproblematic. Bryan hopes they get to hang around during the weekend. He gets into his Mercedes and zooms off. Bryan's workplace is BETA Inc., one of the fastest-growing tech companies in London. Founded by Michael Sunderland, the late father of Bryan. After his death, Bryan inherited the company and has been overseeing its affairs since he was 26 years old. The company under Bryan has experienced continuous growth and attained some level of popularity in the city of London. On his way to his office, he meets his secretary. “Good morning Sir”. The secretary says as she follows him with some books in her hands. “Good morning Ruth.. what do you have for me?”. Bryan replies. “You are meeting with the planning committee to discuss the get-together party. The marketing department would also like to..” Bryan interrupts her immediately, “Cancel every other engagement and get me the planning committee “ The get-together party is an annual event held by the company, at the end of the year. The time for this year’s party is fast approaching, and he is facing the responsibility of hosting it before the year runs out. The planning committee is here, and discussions are ongoing on how the entire event will take place. The chairperson of the committee suggests they hire an event planner to organize the event. “Yeah.. that will make things easier, so who do we call?” Bryan concurSuggestionsons come in, as everybody has his or her contact, that is more professional and is up to the task. Bryan looks at the suggestions and does the hiring himself. After the meeting, he picks up his phone and goes through different websites of different event planning companies. After about an hour of browsing, his eye gets drawn to a particular website named “TINA EVENTS AND DECOR”. The company is also in London, and for some reason, Bryan is interested in this company, and he reaches out. Bryan calls his secretary and asks her to reach out to the company immediately. It is 8 am the next day, and his secretary had earlier informed him the other day that he would meet with the event planner today. He does his usual morning activity and sets for his company, as the meeting is to take place in an hour. “Hey, boy. you will be free tonight?” Bryan’s neighbor asks Bryan loudly as he is about to get into his car. “Oh.. yeah, I have got nothing tonight.. why?” “My wife and I would like to host you for dinner. You good with that?” “That’s great, I will be there, surely “ “Alright boy.. see you then “ Bryan’s face radiates with a smile. He walks into his office feeling very excited. For a very long time in a while, he will have dinner with another family. It may not sound like much of a big deal, but it is a thing of satisfaction for him, as he gets to bond with people again. He is on his comfy, large chair, smiling and filling his head with different imaginations on how the dinner is going to be. In all these thoughts, just like a flash, he suddenly remembers that he will meet with the event planner he asked his secretary to hire. A few minutes later, his secretary walks in and informs him of the presence of the event planner. He tells her to show her into his office. The door opens, and Bryan’s eyes catch a tall woman about 5’9ft, slender with a very attractive shape. She walks into the office and Bryan sees the angelic image, as his mind describes, it before him. She has slender, long legs, and the purple gown she wears stylishly complements her shape and makes it more visible to any eye. Bryan cannot comprehend what he saw in the past few minutes. He immediately stands up to receive her, and stretches his hand out to her, “Good morning miss..” he says, expecting to hear her say her name while looking directly at her with a smiling face. “Justina,” she replies, also smiling at him. “Welcome miss Justinaa. They shake hands, and Bryan cannot help but notice the softness of her palm. “Do you care for coffee or tea?”. He asks her while trying to reach out to his secretary. “No, I don’t, I am ok, thank you very much”. “Alright”, he says, drawing his chair closer to his table. “You are Miss Justina..?”, He continues. “Justina Whitestone, my name is Justina Whitestone”. She replies calmly while trying to locate her file in her bag. She stretches the file over to Bryan while maintaining a seductive smile. “Tina events and decor..”. Bryan reads aloud as he goes through the portfolio. “Yeah.. the most credible and biggest event-planning company in the city,”.. she affirms with a warm smile. “All company owners say that.. isn’t it?”. Bryan replies smiling also at her. “Yeah.. they do, but go through the client profile, we do not just talk, we talk and do”. Bryan likes her already. They discuss the event, the capacity, the processes involved, the budget, and other things necessary for the success of the event. Justina is funny, as her conversation with Bryan is more of laughter and chatty vibes. They are getting along so well. The secretary looks over from her table and peeps into Bryan’s office. She has scheduled meetings with her boss several times, but this, according to her observation, looks like two friends catching up with each other. “Alright, we can work with this budget”. Justina says while she puts her file into the bag. Bryan stares at her for a while, almost lost. “Mr. Bryan, I said your budget is adequate”, Justina reminds him again. “Oh.. yeah, I heard you, um.. you are hired, Justina“. They both stand as they shake each other’s hands. ‘I hope you get to give us a beautiful experience,” Bryan says with his hands still locked with hers. “Of course, be ready to see the best of the best,” she replies with a big smile. Bryan stares intently as she walks elegantly out of his office. He falls back to his seat, “this woman is gorgeous,” he thinks aloud. Her body shape, the elegance of her walking style, her polished accent, her humor, her beautiful dentition, and other features of Justina occupy his head. Is this love at first sight? Bryan wants to believe he has seen an angel and his heart has not been at rest since she left. He just wants to hold her soft palms and stare into her blue eyes forever. The image of Justina is solid in his mind and he cannot stop smiling while swinging his chair from left to right repeatedly. His secretary cannot help but notice the happiness on his face. The atmosphere around is that of celebration and joy. It is the day of the get-together party, and all staff and invitees are having the time of their lives. The decorations, flowers, stage set up, and chair arrangements, are a testament to Justina’s mastery in event planning and decoration. The entire hall radiates beauty and glamour. Bryan is deeply in awe. He just keeps smiling as he walks around, admiring the whole place and greeting other attendees. He had earlier given a special invitation to Justina for the party, so he patiently waited. While he is chatting with others outside the hall, he notices someone come out of a car. Of course, it is Justina, stunning as ever. He walks over to her, both compliment themselves as they walk inside the hall. The party is one of a kind, Bryan and Justina both are having a pleasant moment. They dance togetand her, flirt with each other and r, and some people around notice the vibe they both have. “This is our first date and I am happy”, Justina tells Bryan with a huge smile as she rubs his palm. They both look romantically at each other for a while, before he reaches out for her hands and holds them firmly. “Will you be my girlfriend, Justina Whitestone?” Justina shocks, while Bryan looks intently at her as his face begs for answers. “Bryan, I... she stutters, I..” “Talk to me Justina, I want you to become mine, I want this to be forever.” He is growing impatient as his heart beats faster. “Bryan I just want to..” she stutters again. This time, her expression changes. “Say something Justina”.. he tries to hold her hands, but she gently withdraws while giving a of uncertainty. “Justina, what are you doing..ing, he stutters.“Say something, babe”. Justina looks at him for a while, moves closer to him, folds her hands together, and says “Bryan, you know I.. um, I just..” she stutters “Why are you stuttering, babe? What is it? Move your mouth”. With a weary look, he says in a low voice; “say something “.