You and I, Wolf

Chapter 10

Later that afternoon, Luke was already waiting outside the library for Veena. Ms. Ami went ahead of them, trusting Luke that he would not do anything to harm Veena.

Veena, who was starting to be more comfortable around him, greeted him with a sweet smile on her face.

“It's so good to see you again, Veena.”

“I was just with you last night,” she grunted. “Why do you have to see me again now?”

“I just want to. I wish I could see you always,” he answered.

“Don't you have work today?”

“I am going to Pattaya tomorrow, you know that Monday and Thursday are my scheduled humanitarian missions.”

“Yeah, I know that,” she softly mouthed.

“Do you have any place in mind that you want to go to? Perhaps, a coffee shop?”

“I'm still full, Luke. You sent a lot of food earlier, and Ms. Ami asked me to finish them all. She said it's not right to waste food.”

“Did you like them?”

“Yeah, of course. But, don't you like vegetables? I mean, all that you sent were mostly meat and Italian pasta dishes.”

“Sure, we can go find a place that sells vegetable dishes. I am such a huge fan of papaya salad, and I can eat them everyday.”

“Stop lying to me, Luke. You didn't even touch the side vegetables last night.”

“Well, if you oblige me to eat vegetables,then I will surely give it a try,” he narrated, shaking his head as he was caught off guard by Veena's arresting statement.

“Is this what you plan to do with me, Luke? Pick me up from work, and then get some of my time that I am supposed to spend resting? God knows how much my back aches lately and how much I want to have more sleep.”

“No, I am sorry. I asked you if you think you could go out with me again tonight and you said yes. If you are tired already, I can just take you to your apartment.”

“Sorry, I don't mean to offend you, but I am just really tired.”

“I understand that,” he quickly said. “Let me just take you to your apartment. I hate taking so much of your time, and I want you to rest.”

Luke totally understood her situation, she needed to work hard for herself to live, and he could only wish that he could do something about it.

“How may I possibly help you, Veena? I mean, you have been working so hard lately, and yet you don't earn a lot.”

“Don't pity me, Luke. You have no idea how grateful I am for the little opportunities that I have to earn.”

“I'm sorry that I made you feel that way, but I didn't intend to make you feel bad. I am so proud of you, and I am actually thinking of investing in you.”

“Invest in me? What do you mean?”

“You told me about your previous job in the supermarket, and I was just thinking of getting you your own store. How does that sound?”

“I don't know, it sounds too good to be true to me, Luke. We have just met, and you are already thinking of going that far. I am a free spirit, I grew up working for the things that I want, no matter the hardships that it takes.”

“I'm sorry, but I just want to help.”

“Did I ask you to help me?”

“No, you did not.”

“I appreciate you wanting to help me, but this time around, I am going to turn that offer down. What would that make me? I want a better life for myself, yes, but I am not using anyone for me to attain it.”

“Okay, let's just drop that issue and pretend that we didn't even open it up. I don't want to make you feel upset, that's the last thing that I would want you to feel. I am taking you to your apartment now, Veena. I know that you are really tired.

Veena became quiet the whole time that they were still inside the car. Luke had noticed it, and he felt bad that he made her feel so small. He didn't have any bad intentions with his offer, he just really wanted to help her out. He thought that he probably sounded like he was pitying her, and wished that he could have said it in a much better way.

“Thank you,” Veena uttered to him without looking in his direction. She immediately pushed the door and swiftly stepped out of the car.

As soon as she got inside her apartment, the realization about how she reacted started to occupy her thoughts. She was thinking that she had overreacted, and she thought that she made him feel that he was very unwanted.

When Luke arrived in his apartment, he started packing the things that he needed for his Pattaya trip the next morning. Spending most of the time thinking how he could possibly win Veena's trust, realizing that her past bridled her from seeing other people's intentions towards her.

He was eager, and he knew that he woulda not easily give up on her. He would just keep on trying until she realized that she could trust him. One of the virtues that Luke held was patience, he valued its importance. Understanding where Veena was coming from, Luke knew that he needed to be more patient with her.

An hour after he had arrived in his apartment, his doorbell rang, and he quickly reached for the door. He thought that it was somebody from the building's security because he was not expecting for someone.

“Hi,” Veena uttered in a very low and soft voice, standing behind the door when Luke opened it.

Luke's eyes widened and his jaw dropped, “What are you doing here?”

Without uttering a single word, Veena moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around him. Luke was shocked, unaware of how he was going to respond. He gently placed both his hands at her back, with his heart beating so fast as he felt a certain energy that Veena's body was transmitting to his body.

“I am sorry,” she whispered. “I don't want you to feel that I am pushing you away,” she added.

“I didn't feel that way, Veena,” he murmured. “Even if you push me away, I will always try and get even closer to you.”

Veena put her face down as she moved away from Luke. He held her chin gently, pushing her head up, as if asking her to look him in the eye.

“I just got scared that you might stop seeing me, Luke,” she said.

“Of course not,” he grunted, looking closely at her eyes. “I know that I need to be more patient with you, Veena. Here I am, waiting for you.”

“I just came here to apologize, I better leave now, Luke.”

“You shouldn't have bothered, let me just grab my keys so I can take you back to your apartment.”

“No, I can manage.”

“I won't let you go home all by yourself, trust me. Either you stay here for the night or I'll drive you home. Which one do you prefer?”

“Will you consider me as a low-class woman if I choose the first option?”.

“Definitely not, and I am not going to take advantage of you,” he uttered, softly caressing her cheek with his finger.