Chapter Fourteen — Xander
1361 Words
Monday had been hell.
Not the ordinary kind of hell.
The kind where every minute of the day belonged to somebody else.
Meetings. Calls. Contracts. Investors. Reports. Numbers. Decisions.
By the time my afternoon meeting ended, I had gone almost the entire day without seeing Cairo.
That irritated me more than it should have.
Actually, no.
I wasn’t going to lie to myself.
It irritated me exactly as much as it should have.
I wanted to see him.
I wanted to know how his day was going. I wanted to see what he was wearing. I wanted to hear his voice. I wanted to make sure he’d eaten.
I wanted him within my sight.
So the moment the meeting ended, I left the conference room and walked directly toward Cairo’s office.
My assistant followed for a few steps before I dismissed her.
I didn’t need anyone else with me.
When I reached Cairo’s floor, his secretary stood immediately.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Carrington.”
“Where is your boss?”
She gestured toward the office.
“Mr. Harris is inside.”
I nodded and continued toward the door.
But before I could reach it, the door opened.
Cairo stepped out.
And beside him was an elderly man.
An investor.
I recognized him immediately.
The man was well over sixty-five, perhaps closer to seventy, and judging by the smile on his face, the meeting had gone well.
Cairo smiled politely.
“It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Whitmore.”
“The pleasure was mine, Mr. Harris. I’ll have my people contact yours tomorrow.”
“Of course.”
The man shook Cairo’s hand.
My jaw tightened.
Not because of the man.
Because Cairo had been alone with him.
The moment the investor walked away, Cairo turned and saw me.
His expression changed.
Not dramatically.
Just enough.
His shoulders lowered slightly.
His blue eyes met mine.
“Xander.”
I walked into his office.
“Who was that?”
Cairo blinked.
“Mr. Whitmore.”
“What was he doing here?”
Cairo sighed.
“He was here to finalize the details of the investment.”
“Why wasn’t your secretary inside?”
His eyebrows pulled together.
“Why should she have been inside?”
“Because I don’t want you alone with another man.”
Silence.
Cairo stared at me.
Then he actually looked incredulous.
“He’s not another man, Xander. He’s an elderly man.”
“I don’t care.”
“He is literally above sixty-five.”
“I don’t care.”
“Xander—”
“I don’t want you having private meetings with other men.”
His mouth opened.
I stepped closer.
“Do you understand me?”
There was a long pause.
Then, quietly—
“Yeah.”
“Good.”
He looked at me for several seconds.
Then he asked, “So what are you doing here?”
“I didn’t see you this morning.”
Cairo’s expression softened for half a second.
“I was working.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you here?”
“To make sure you’re fine.”
He stared at me.
“I’m fine.”
“Good.”
“Perfectly fine, actually.”
“Good.”
He sighed.
“Can you just stop being like this?”
“Being like what?”
Cairo immediately looked away.
“Nothing.”
I almost smiled.
He always did that.
He’d start a sentence, realize he couldn’t win, and abandon it halfway through.
“Have you eaten?”
His eyes snapped back to mine.
“You send food to my office every single day.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
He rolled his eyes.
“Yes. I’ve eaten.”
“Good.”
“I have eaten, Xander.”
“Fine.”
I looked at my watch.
“When are you going home?”
“Probably around seven.”
“Go home straight.”
He looked at me.
“And when you get home, call me.”
“Xander—”
“Call me.”
“I can text you.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“I want to hear your voice.”
He stared at me for a moment.
Then sighed.
“Fine. I’ll call.”
“Good.”
I turned toward the door.
Then I remembered something.
I stopped.
“Your birthday is in two weeks.”
Cairo looked confused.
“Yes?”
“Do you need anything?”
“No.”
“Think about it.”
“I don’t need anything.”
“You need to make plans.”
His eyes narrowed.
“What plans?”
“Your birthday is on Saturday.”
“I know.”
“You’re spending it with me.”
He blinked.
“Wait—”
“Don’t make any plans.”
“Xander—”
“I already have plans.”
“What kind of plans?”
“You’ll find out.”
He stared at me.
I stared back.
He knew that look.
There was no point arguing.
“Okay,” he finally murmured.
“Good.”
I left.
But what Cairo didn’t know was that I had been planning his birthday for weeks.
I knew he didn’t like huge parties.
He didn’t want hundreds of people surrounding him.
He liked quiet things.
Beautiful things.
Things that felt personal.
So I’d arranged everything accordingly.
A private dinner.
A place surrounded by nature.
His favorite foods.
A few people he actually cared about.
And something else I’d been working on for weeks.
Something I knew he would love.
I wasn’t going to tell him.
Not yet.
⸻
By the time I finished work, it was almost eleven.
I reached home around eleven-thirty.
The house was silent.
Too silent.
I showered, changed, and climbed into bed.
Then I checked my phone.
Nothing.
No message.
No call.
My eyes narrowed.
I had told him to call me.
I called him immediately.
He answered after a few rings.
“Hello?”
“I told you to call me when you got home.”
There was silence.
Then—
“I know.”
“Then why didn’t you?”
“I forgot.”
I sat upright.
“You forgot?”
“Yes.”
“Why would you forget something as important as calling me?”
“I just forgot, Xander.”
I exhaled slowly.
“Fine.”
I wasn’t going to argue.
Not tonight.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m walking.”
“Where?”
“Just around.”
“Switch to video.”
“No.”
“Cairo.”
“I don’t need—”
“Please.”
There was a pause.
Then the screen lit up.
And there he was.
Cairo.
In pajamas.
His hair slightly messy.
His face soft from the late hour.
Those ridiculous blue eyes reflecting the light from whatever room he was in.
I stared at him.
He stared back.
“What?”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“What are you doing?”
“I told you. I’m walking.”
“And after that?”
“I’m going to bed.”
“Good.”
He looked at me suspiciously.
“Is that all?”
I watched him for a moment.
Then I said quietly,
“I just wanted to see your face.”
His expression changed.
Just slightly.
Something warm passed through those blue eyes.
“You could have said that.”
“I just did.”
Cairo smiled faintly.
And for the first time all day, I felt calm.
I didn’t need a meeting.
I didn’t need a contract.
I didn’t need another successful deal.
I just needed to see him.
Because Cairo had become the one thing in my life that could make an otherwise unbearable day feel quiet.
He didn’t know that yet.
Maybe one day he would.
Until then, I could wait.
I had waited four years.
I could wait a little longer.
But one thing remained unchanged.
I wanted him close.
I wanted him safe.
And, perhaps most dangerously of all—
I wanted him to eventually choose to stay close to me without me having to ask.
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