Chapter 9; Handsome stranger
2038 Words
Mia blinked so fast it almost hurt Ryan; he couldn't see the blues in her eyes anymore.
She twirled her back at him with her hand on her mouth in shock.
Why couldn't she go one day without getting an insult from somebody?
Did he hear everything she said? Was she that loud?
She felt so embarrassed as she felt her chin grow hot. What is she going to do now?
"If I knew I would get a lousy neighbour, I would have moved further away from her shrieks," Ryan said.
Mia frowned. She was sorry to have said those words but now? He just made her want to say to his face!
She faced him, not hiding the anger in her eyes as visible sparks of lightning emitted from her body and soon vanished as she watched Ryan in the moonlight.
He still had that white hoodie on and a pair of joggers to match. He wasn't facing her but had his eyes staring at the starless sky. His hair formed a bang around his face and his hair held a shade of blue in the dim light. He looked so calm and peaceful, standing there with his eyes almost closed.
"Waoh" Mia muttered subconsciously.
Ryan snapped fingers at the mesmerized Mia; her mouth was slightly open but no words came out of it.
"You were about to say something?" Ryan said, staring at her.
Mia coughed and coughed again.
She was going to say something but now she could barely remember how they got here in the first place.
"I was going to apologize for what I said but you just made me want to say it to your face," Mia said.
"Then do it"
"Do what?" Mia asked, puzzled
"Say it to my face," Ryan said
Mia narrowed her eyes at Ryan as though he was way too tiny for her to view.
"I don't know what to say to you"
With a twinkle of an eye, Ryan was standing in front of her already. Mia stared up at him with wide eyes; of course, he could do that. She had seen him run against time the night his car almost crashed.
"Are you scared?" Ryan asked, taking a step closer to her while she stepped back, her eyes not leaving him for a second.
"Why...wh….why would …...would I be sc...scared?" She asked feeling embarrassed by how her shaky voice had failed her greatly
"You don't sound like you aren't," Ryan said. Mia's back leaned on the wall and he leaned his hand on it, just beside her head. Her heart was racing wildly as she stared into his eyes.
"One thing I dislike...nosey neighbours. I would take our second meeting to warn you, Mia. I won't be this nice next time" Ryan said.
"You…" Mia cleared her throat and braced herself.
'Stop stammering' she said in her head.
"You were about to hire me weren't you?" She asked in a surprisingly calm tone.
"Not anymore," he said, his breathing in her hair almost making her jerk back.
"I wasn't being nosey. I wanted to welcome the new neighbour…"
"And you were the only one who showed up at my door. If it were a normal thing I should have more than four people knocking on my door by now"
Mia couldn't believe her ears; she was the only one who welcomed him? She thought the whole neighbourhood would be at his door by now judging by his looks.
"I'm warning you," Ryan said finally before bolting back to his apartment. He took one more glance at Mia and then her lips.
He was so close to pulling her close; what is wrong with him?
"Stop shouting. You don't want me to call the cops on you" Ryan walked into his house leaving Mia shocked.
What just happened?
****************
Ryan took another glance at himself in the standing mirror.
Not bad.
The walk-in closet was pretty large. His clothes were arranged according to colour and type. His shirts were hung and his trousers folded. His belts were arranged according to colour as well as his wristwatches.
He was wearing a fitted blue suit and a white shirt underneath with a silver wristwatch to match. He wasn't used to dressing officially but he had to if he wanted to ace his CEO game.
"Not bad," Leo said standing at the entrance to the work in the closet.
"How long have you been there?" Ryan asked, not a bit surprised to see Leo. They were going to meet the rest at Queen's today and finalize the third to the last details of the company.
"Just now. I sent them a text; they are on their way" Leo said, glancing at his wristwatch.
"We don't have much time either," He said, heading out of the room.
Ryan took one more glance at himself before walking out to join Leo in the car.
"I'll stop by a coffee shop," Leo said. Ryan's silence was the answer he got.
"What's wrong?" Leo asked as they stepped into the car.
"Nothing"
"Are you nervous?" Leo teased as he ignited the engine and the gate swung open.
Ryan darts Leo one of his deadly glares while the latter laughs.
Leo drove out of the house only to slam on the brakes midway; Mia had jumped in front of the vehicle.
"That girl….."
"I'm sorry " she apologized before running off. Ryan watched her rush off, running while trying to put on her jacket.
"She's pretty. Is she your neighbour?" Leo asked casually, silently grateful that she didn't get hurt
Ryan glared at Leo long enough for the latter to face him with his hands up in the air in surrender.
"I didn't know she's your girlfriend"
Ryan wanted to punch Leo in the face and ruin that cheesy smile he had on his face.
"She's not my girlfriend," Ryan said.
"Why the look then? I only said she was pretty" Leo said, igniting the engine.
"I wonder if she's okay," he said, watching Mia.
"What's her name?" Leo asked.
"Just drive"
"What's her name? I know you know her. ". Leo said driving off, not planning to stop asking Ryan who Mia was and Ryan was more than happy to ignore Leo completely.
They finally pulled a stop at a cafe and pastries shop. Its wall was made of glass making the entire shop visible from the outside.
"Come on," Leo said.
Ryan gave him a puzzled expression.
"You don't think I'm going to get you coffee, do you? Come on" Leo got down from the car and Ryan had to get off the car.
A few women on the street had their eyes on Ryan and Leo, giggling and admiring the duo; they were like models straight out of a magazine cover.
Ryan and Leo stepped into the cafe, heading towards the front counter.
"Good morning. Welcome to Cheer's cafe. May I have your order…"
Mia's eyes met Ryan's shock; what is he doing here?
"You're the girl from earlier," Leo said in surprise
Mia stared at Leo confused.
"You ran into a car this morning, remember?" Leo asked, smiling.
"Oh. I'm sorry" Mia bowed her head in apology.
"I should be the one apologizing. I didn't see you walking by. I'm sorry" Leo said.
"It's okay. I'm alright"
"Are you done flirting? Can you take my order now?" Ryan asked with his usual cold look.
"Ryan" Leo cautioned.
"3 Cappuccino and 1 Cafe Au Lait," Ryan said, placing his ATM card on the counter.
"He gets cranky without his coffee," Leo said smiling.
Mia's smile hid something mischievous as she replied to Leo.
"I understand"
"I'm Leo. Nice to meet you miss...?"
"Mia. I'll go get your order ready" Mia smiled sweetly at Leo before leaving, not sparing Ryan a look.
"She's nice"
Nice? You need to hear her swear! Ryan wanted to say.
He exhaled, taking a seat far away from the front desk waiting for his order. Leo joined in, staring at his phone.
"We have the minutes before the meeting," Leo announced.
"Oh. I hope you told her that" Ryan snapped.
Leo couldn't hide his laughter as he stared at Ryan as though he was crazy.
"Why are you so pissed?"
"Calling her sweet is out of it," Ryan said.
Leo eyed Ryan suspiciously.
"What?" Ryan asked.
"Early symptoms of an admirer" Leo offered
Ryan tossed the magazine in his hands on the table in frustration making Leo laugh his heart out.
Mia arrived with their order in a brown parcel. She placed it on the table, her eyes fixed on Leo.
"Here"
"Thank you so much, Mia," Leo said, winking at her.
"We're late," Ryan said, picking up the parcel while walking out of the cafe.
"See you next time Mia," Leo said.
"Leo!" Ryan called.
"Bye," Leo said with his most charming smile.
Ryan pulled the door open and settled in the car, waiting for Leo to show up.
"Hey, I was just saying goodbye. I'm not going to steal your girlfriend. Relax man" Leo teased.
"Drive," Ryan warned.
"Yes boss," Leo teased.
They were soon on their way to Queen's, a ten-minute drive away from the cafe. They drove into a four-floor building with brown paper covering the name of the company. There was a water fountain in the middle of the huge parking lot.
Its fence barely five inches off the ground had outgrowing plants covering the entire metal bars.
This place needed a major renovation and a very effective one at that.
"Where are they?" Leo asked pulling a stop
"Ryan!" Maria called from the entrance into the company. Lee Jason and Ken waved at the car smiling. They approached the duo as soon as Ryan and Leo stepped out of the car.
"Woah. You're the handsome stranger uh?" Maria asked, smiling at Leo.
"Good day, I'm Leo"
"Yes. It was you. Nice to meet you. Maria is the name" she offered a handshake smiling sweetly at Leo.
Leo took her hand warmly and shook the hands of the others too.
"I'm so glad we're doing this!" Ken said in excitement.
"Let's go in," Ryan said.
They walked in, Maria made sure she walked beside Leo who darted Ryan a knowing look.
'You're so good at flirting with Mia uh? Go ahead and enjoy Maria'
Ryan flashes Leo a wicked smile.
Why does he even care who flirts with Mia?
"Thank you for showing up"
"You don't need to thank us. You are the best team leader we could ever ask for" Lee said.
"Today we are going to be looking at the different departments and things you think should be in place for a smooth flow of work," Leo explained.
"Are you familiar with the Queen's empire?" Ryan asked.
"Yes. It went bankrupt a few years ago" Jason spoke for the first time that day.
He was just like Ryan; a man of few words.
"I got the company and we are going to start afresh with it" Ryan announced
"If it's bankrupt doesn't that mean it is unable to pay its debts?" Ken asked.
"The owner was able to repay all the debt but decided not to go through the trouble of starting from scratch. The company lost a lot of money and keeping staff without pay was not a good idea," Leo explained.
"Ah. That makes sense" Maria said.
"Since Ryan seems to know your capabilities well, he chose you to head key departments in the company. " Leo explained.
"What about the pay?" Lee asked
"We've barely settled the important parts, Lee"
"I don't have a place to stay. And my kids are in school, why won't I worry about it?" Lee asked feebly.
"The pay for a start is good. I assure you. Can I go on?" Leo asked.
"Yes"
"Ken, you are in charge of the sales department. Maria research and development, Jason finance, and Lee product management. Can we go in and see what you feel will make your work faster?" Leo asked.
"Let's go!" Ken said.
They walk into the building, ready to see how much they could make out of the abandoned building.
- Writer
