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Chapter Seven - Nowhere to Hide

Chapter Seven - Nowhere to Hide

Xavier could use any excuse to be found at the restaurant.

First, he started to run meetings in their VIP section, other days when there were no official reasons to be there, he would just hang out.

Whenever he hung out there, he requested different female servers. He didn’t want the same face to serve him twice.

Anyone watching him from the outside would probably think he was a weirdo. But Xavier clung to the possibility that she might walk through those doors one day, perhaps even as one of his servers. And maybe, just maybe - he would finally get her name.

Three weeks of fruitless search made Xavier almost lose his mind.

Perhaps she no longer worked there.

But on a few occasions, he had felt that familiar pull in his chest, the one that always seemed to announce her presence - but anytime he tried to scan around for her, he would see nothing or no one.

“I’m done.” He muttered one evening to Adrian and Barack.

“Done with what?” Barack asked cluelessly.

“He means he’s done chasing after mystery woman, silly.” Adrian added and laughed.

“Oh, you’re still tracking her? I thought we were here to just eat.” Barack added looking confused.

Xavier realized that he in fact did tell him that they were there for dinner.

“It’s all good man. My question would be, why are you looking for her yourself. You can easily make faster progress if you send your boys over, you know?” Barack chipped in before Xavier could apologize for the earlier detour.

Xavier did pause and consider his question before responding:

“I once told them to lead the search, but then I woke up next morning and her picture was all over the internet.” Xavier blurted and Adrian laughed again.

“Oh I remember that, it was pretty messy.” Barack said as he took a sip from his glass.

“Do you think that maybe there’s a chance that is the reason she probably hates you now.” Adrian asked.

“Who said she hates me?” Xavier asked defensively. “She probably doesn’t recognize me.”

“Well that would be true for a commoner but everyone knows Xavier Adams.” Barack added with a smirk.

Adrian nodded to show acceptance.

“Maybe I did make her uncomfortable, truly.” Xavier said introspectively.

“Or wait… what if you’ve toyed with one of her friends in the past and she hates you because of that.” This time, Barack was the one that laughed loudly.

Xavier grunted at the realization that there might be some truth in Adrian’s comment.

But he made a resolve then: he wasn't going to sit around and brood over what could have been and what he had lost.

After all, he was Xavier Adams. Women didn't make him chase. Women didn't make him wait. Women certainly didn't make him rearrange his life.

But even as he thought that, a slight thought crossed his mind, he knew instantly that forgetting her was not going to be an easy adventure. Why the heck was this one woman different?

So he stood, glanced around again with a flicker of hope that she might pass through his view, but saw nothing.

“She’s not coming, man. You’ve been glancing around all day.” Adrian poked and with a disappointed smile, Xavier left.

He would be out of town for a business meeting for the next month.

Xavier wondered what she would be doing during that period.

-

Maddy and the girls were already pulling out dresses for their long-awaited girls' night.

After a month of Maddy hiding from Xavier, the girls had barely been able to do their favorite thing, hang out together.

But it had been a month without traces of him, and with confirmation from Diane, who had somehow turned tracking Xavier into a full-time hobby - that he was in another country and would probably be there for another week, the girls had decided that tonight was their night.

They would dress up and go have fun before he was back.

Maddy wondered why she was hiding her life away. The old Maddy would have walked straight up to that man and told him to stop following her.

But this version of Maddy was strangely calm around him, almost incapable of unleashing the anger she knew she should feel.

They were strutting into the club now. A low profile but perfect vibes kind of club at the far end of the city. They were going to have so much fun tonight.

And for the first time in weeks, Maddy forgot about Xavier.

They laughed until their cheeks hurt, danced until their feet ached, and drank enough to make the walk down the stairs toward the exit a coordinated disaster.

The four girls linked hands as they made their way down the stairs, their laughter echoing through the corridor. They were all a little tipsy now, their steps unsteady and their vision pleasantly hazy.

A group of men was making its way up the stairs toward them.

Diane squinted at them for a moment before nudging the others.

“Why do they look like the Avengers?”

The girls burst into laughter.

Still laughing, Maddy turned to look at her friends.

And then walked straight into someone’s chest.

She was almost about to fall when a firm hand shot out and caught her. Another arm came around her, cradling her head gently and steadying her.

Maddy blinked, trying to regain her balance. She could feel the warmth of the stranger's hand against her head.

She looked to her right.

Her friends stood a few steps away, suddenly sober, their confused faces fixed on her.

She looked up to see the stranger who had saved her from falling.

Then she froze.

She was staring into the eyes of none other than Xavier Adams.

“Hello again, Red,” he said with a smile.

Maddy felt an intense need to throw up.