A Game With The Billionaire

Chapter 34:

Andrew:

After the ‘incident’ that happened in my house with Sam’s and I’s mothers creeping into our house and catching us in, well that position.

Sam has been avoiding me like a plague; she refused to acknowledge me in the hallway. Whenever she sees me passing by, she just takes the other corner and it has left me worried.

I can’t tell what’s wrong with me these days, I rarely worry but right now, I am in my office, unable to concentrate on the computer screen that showcases the charts of patients.

I am biting at my lower lip worriedly, the question pounding in my mind: why in the hell is she avoiding me?

In one of our meetings today, she had completely refused to look at me and instead, she went right ahead to laugh with Doctor Carter, one of the orthopaedic surgeons, and she curled her hair behind her back making ‘small talk.’

I won’t lie; I was totally irritated and more grumpy than usual ever since. So she can laugh with Carter but refuse to look at me?

“One day, I am going to quit my job. Well, I would have to be stinkin’ rich by then.” One of my closest friends in the hospital walks into my office, yawning. To be honest, he’s well, my only friend. We go way back in med school and residency, so he’s quite acquainted with Samantha.

“Forrest.” I say, gesturing to the seat. “Sit down. Okay, so I have a question—”

“Is this one of those scenarios where you’re going to be like ‘I have a friend that needs advice’?”

“What? No, of course not. I am not one of those idiots who hide their problems by pretending they’re someone else’s problem.” That immediately shuts Forrest down, he sobers and sits down, gesturing to me to ask my question. “Okay, so it’s about Samantha—”

“You both finally kissed?!” Forrest shrieks. “Finally! Don’t get me wrong, dude but I have been pinning for you both since day one. Even though it took you years to quit being a sack of potato and finally ask her out. I am so happy for you, man. Literally, everyone in the hospital has got to know of your success.”

Sometimes I wonder how my dear ol’ friend managed to complete med school and residency and now a certified cardiologist.

“Nothing has happened between us.” I snap in frustration and he frowns.

“Then what do you want advice about? Do you need help on how to ask her out? Because I’ve got plenty of that.” Forrest looks at me with wide eyes.

“Can you please just shut the hell up and let me finish?” I massage my temples. “Okay, so I invited her to my house and we got into an awkward position and our parents caught us. They encouraged us and ever since then, Mantha has been avoiding them. And today in meeting, did you notice she was talking to Carter?”

“Oh yeah, I noticed it too. If I didn’t know her better, I would think she was being all flirty with him and tucking her ear behind her back.” Forrest watches me with suspicion. “Why do you even care? You don’t even like Sam. Sounds like you’re just jealous to me.”

I am baffled by Forrest’s audacity. “I am certainly not jealous.”

“Fine, then I want to ask Samantha out. I want us to go on a date, what do you think about Imperial Restaurant? I heard they serve really good caviar.”

I keep myself from almost growling. “Don’t you f*****g dare.”

Forrest gives me a look that translates to. ‘You see?’

“You got that whole possessive look on your face. You’re jealous, man.”

I look elsewhere. “I told you already, I am not jealous.”

“Then why does the thought of me taking her out on a date makes you look like you want to commit a felony? Why does the thought of Sam laughing at one of Carter’s stupid jokes make you want to wring his neck out.”

I am stunned, am I really jealous? I have known Samantha all my life. When we were little, we were practically smudged together in everyday birthday photos since our date of birth fell on the same day. We grew up together, became doctors together. I don’t even like her. So why in the hell do I suddenly hate Carter?

“That look on your face, that’s the answer.” Forrest sighs. “Look if you want to go see her, just go to her office. She can’t avoid you there. Get her food, women love that.”

An hour later, I am standing in front of Sam’s office with two take away boxes of Chinese food; I knock once before her soft ‘come in.’

“How can I help—” I don’t like the way the smile is wiped away from her face when she sees me standing there with takeout. Today, her caramel hair is tied into a bun and her doctor’s coat is hanging in the rack, so she’s wearing her scrubs. “Andrew.”

I take a step closer, putting the takeout on her desk. “You’ve been avoiding me, Morris.”

Her nose flares and I try not to stare at her face for too long. “Well, I have been busy, Roberts.”

Glad to know we are back on a last name basis.

“Well, I don’t think so.” I retort back....this is how we are, always jabbing at each other; nothing’s going to change about that, not even what happened in my house. I want to laugh in Forrest’s face and say. ‘Ha! I am not jealous.’

“Right now, I have a lot of work to do.”

“I brought you lunch though, you seem like you have been starving yourself all in the name of work.” I gesture at the food and she stares at me, wide-eyed.

“Why did you bring me food, Andrew?”

“I believe the right word to say is thank you.” I cross my hands together.

“You have never brought me lunch before,” she quietly says under her breath, leaving me stunned. She stares at me with those wide gray-blue eyes that almost make me mutter ‘f**k it’ under my breath.

I take a step towards the chair she’s sitting and I turn it so that she is facing. Crouching down, I say. “Tell me why you’re avoiding me. You started avoiding me the day our mothers barged in.”

My chest is heaving as I await her answer, the way she bites her lower lips makes something inside me come alive. My eyes dip to her collarbone and I regret it immediately. Suddenly, I wonder how it feels like to pin her against the wall, trace my mouth along the curve of her neck and—

No. No. No. These thoughts have to stop. This is Samantha Grace Morris and we have never gotten along, not now, not ever.

“I don’t know, Andrew.” She sighs, and opens her mouth like she wants to say more but her phone chooses the exact moment to ring. She swipes it up and morphs her expression to nothing like now.

She has a huge smile on her face as she waves at the screen. “Hi! Arya, how’s it doing?”

Arya is her younger sister, who’s married to Devon Brookes, one of the wealthiest CEOs in New York and they have a three and a half year old daughter Vera.

I can’t look at the screen of the video call but I imagine that Arya is smiling and waving too. “Hi! Running the design brand has been hectic. Thank goodness Wanda runs it with me. Anyways, I was just having some alone time with Vera and thought to call you so you can say hi.”

“Really?” Sam’s face brightens the more when she hears her niece’s name.

“Aunt Mantha!” the excited voice of a three year old pierces through the room.

“Vera.” Sam coos, “oh goodness, I have missed you so much. Do you miss me? Do you miss your super cool aunt Sam?”

“Of course.” Vera excitedly says. “I miss you, so, so much.”

As I stare at Sam talking with great joy to her niece, I start to imagine her with kids of her own.

Sam is really good with kids; paediatric was her second choice after all. I imagine her laughing and playing with them, and somehow, I find myself fitting along that line, with her by my side.

“Come say hi to Uncle Drew!” Sam nudges me closer until I wave to the screen, Vera waves back with so much enthusiasm.

“Are you both dating already?” she asks.

“Vera!” Arya shrieks.

“What?” the little girl asks innocently. “You and daddy say some day, Uncle Drew and Aunt Samantha are going to date.”

I am beyond mortified and Sam is also frowning but her cheeks are red.

“What does it mean to date?” I ask Vera.

She rubs her chin in a rather adorable manner. “It’s when two people like each other,” she says seriously. “And talk a lot. And sit close.”

“Getting each other food?” I ask and Sam shoots me a glare.

“Yes,” she nods thoughtfully. “And sometimes holding hands, but only if they want to.”

“Like friends?” This time, Sam asks.

“More than friends,” Vera says. “They chose each other. Like mom and daddy.”

“But mom and daddy are married.” I say and she widens her eyes.

“They just upgraded to the next level. Like a game!” Sam stifles a choked laughter beside me. Sam talks with Vera for a while, then with her sister before ending the call.

I need to keep my distance from Samantha before she becomes the only thing I can’t control.