THE OBSERVER
517 Words
"Rose, look at you,"Mira said, gesturing to the bare walls of the new apartment.
"You've spent enough time mourning a man who wasn't worth the air he breathed. You're talented, you're beautiful, and you're wasting away in this empty apartment."
"I'm not wasting away, Mira. I'm recovering," Rose replied, her voice soft.
"Recovering is over," Mira countered, pulling out her phone.
"My cousin's friend is looking for someone. He's professional, he's kind, and most importantly, he's not Kelvin. Just one blind date. Please? For me?"
Rose looked at her friend, seeing the genuine worry and care in Mira's eyes. She knew Mira was just trying to help her move on, to prove that there was life after the disaster of the last few years.
"A blind date?" Rose sighed, running a hand through her hair.
"Mira, I don't even know if I remember how to talk to a man who isn't a liar."
"That's exactly why you need to go," Mira said, tapping a contact on her screen.
"To remind yourself that not everyone is trash. I told him you'd meet him for coffee tomorrow at the café near your old company. Just one hour. If you hate it, I'll never bring it up again."
Rose looked around her new, lonely apartment. She thought about the last four weeks-the betrayal, the crying, the feeling of being completely discarded. Maybe Mira was right. Maybe she needed to step back into the world, even if she felt like she was doing it in a mask.
"One hour,"Rose agreed, though her stomach twisted with anxiety.
"But if he starts talking about his ex, I'm leaving."
"Deal," Mira beamed, already typing away.
Unknown to them, a parked car three blocks away, Alexander sat in the passenger seat, his eyes fixed on the screen of his tablet.
He had watched every second of the move. He had watched her struggle with the heavy boxes, his men hovering nearby to ensure she didn't get hurt, even if she couldn't see them.
When he saw the text pop up on his own private monitor-a notification from his hacked access to Mira's messages-he felt a cold, jagged flare of jealousy.
"A blind date,"Alexander murmured, the words sounding like a curse.
Henry, sitting in the driver's seat, glanced at his boss. "Should we intercept, sir? We can ensure the 'date' has a medical emergency and cancels."
Alexander watched the screen, his jaw tightening. He didn't want to play the villain-not yet. He wanted her to want someone better than Kelvin. But the thought of her sitting across from some stranger, smiling, letting someone else earn her trust? It made him want to burn the entire city to the ground.
"No," Alexander said, his voice deadly calm.
"Let her go. "He leaned back, his eyes narrowing as he watched the location of the café.
"However," Alexander continued, his fingers tapping against his leg,"make sure that whoever this man is, he knows exactly who he is dealing with. See to it that he is... thoroughly intimidated before he even reaches the door."
- Writer
