For a minute, we both stood like statutes. And then he closed his mouth and a beautiful and charming smile made its way on his handsome sculpted face at which my heart skipped a beat.
"Alice?" He uttered before removing his glasses and looked at me with questionable eyes.
Where the hell I have stuck myself? My lips were sealed and I couldn't make up any words.
A wave of indifference masked the wonder on his face and he was looking at me with his beautiful and warm brown eyes. He had lost the extra pounds and his face was thinner than before. The way his black shirt hugged his forearms told me that he had spent his share of time in gym. There was stubble covering his strong jaw and his hair was gelled to side with perfection.
"Alice...?" He assessed my face with his calculating eyes, waiting for me to tell him my reason of presence.
"Uh— yeah. I'm here to pick you, right?" I said with uncertainty in voice. My voice was unexpectedly meek and confused.
His eyes dropped from my face to my crop top, the badge was pinned above my breast and I felt uncomfortable. He looked back at my face and his eyes met mine. I was feeling small against him because he was looking like a Greek God.
"Yeah, I already guessed it from the badge. That's why I made my way here. But, are you the worker who was assigned to pick me up?" His eyes had confusion in his eyes and the way words were rolling from his tongue were causing my stomach to fill with butterflies.
"Yeah!" I said after taking a deep breath. "Shall we move?" I asked him with smile on my face.
He nodded and I guided him towards the car. He took luggage from the potter and gave him money. Potter became happy because he payed him a huge amount. I got slightly happy by this gesture. He put his luggage in the backseat of the car.
We both sat and I put the ignition key and started the car. The car was a mess and there were lipsticks and God knows what placed in the dashboard of the car. I felt embarrassed and quickly took them and placed them in glove compartment.
"Uh- I'm sorry for the mess. It's not my car by the way." I said meekly.
"No problem." He chuckled at my tone of voice and embarrassment.
We both fell into uncomfortable silence and I kept on driving the car. I had no idea that Aaron's best friend was turning out to be James. If I knew this, I would have avoided. Why God always put me in these uncomfortable situations.
I was mentally frustrating when he cleared his throat. I looked at him and he smiled at me. I gave him a small smile.
"So, Alice, how's the life going? You live here in United Kingdom? He asked enthusiastically. It was weird for him like for me.
"I'm good. Life is going good as well. Yeah, I left my old life there and opened my small cafe in London. My life is satisfactory and content. I have everything in my life and I'm so glad that I shifted here. I met new people here who turned out to be my family." I told him with a huge smile on my face. I felt proud whenever I speak about my new life and family.
"That's great!" He exclaimed with joy. I smiled at him and looked ahead to drive. I was a strict driver who followed all the rules.
"You have a cafe and you also work in Glee event management company?" He asked me.
"No, No." I laughed hearing his question. "I don't work there. That's my best friend and his boyfriend's company. They both run it and when they have loads of work, they manipulate and emotionally blackmail me in their trap and I eventually say yes to help them." I said with laugh and rolled my eyes remembering the puppy eyes of Emily.
"Oh, right. I was shocked that why would you be a worker and you don't look like a worker at all!" He said with sweet voice.
My cheeks turned crimson red at his praise. He must realized that I was red to which he gave a soft chuckle. I was more embarrassed now.
"You're cute. You look very fine and beautiful to be a worker." He said with twinkle in his eyes and I couldn't decipher what his eyes meant.
"Thanks. And stop tearing me now." I said and looked ahead. He chuckled and kept quiet.
"So you're arranging the wedding of Mr. Aaron." I asked him which was a statement in actual.
"Yeah, he's my best friend from USA. He shifted here a year back to handle the business." He told me to which I nod.
We were to reach the hotel in about 5 minutes but at this hour of the day, there was so much traffic. James was doing something in his mobile and I didn't have courage to ask him anything about his life.
After the accident, he was vulnerable. He promised that he would move on but, still I couldn't make myself ready to ask him that how was his life going.
I don't want to hear about his life.
I was busy in my thoughts when my phone started ringing. But there was traffic and we were going through a dangerous cut, I was not able to take it out of my purse.
"May I?" James must have heard it ringing and sensed that I was not able to have my mobile.
I nodded and he opened my bag to take my phone out. He unintentionally saw the caller and later gave my phone to me. I saw that it was Adrian calling me. I lifted the call immediately.
"Yes, Adrian?" I asked him.
"Hello, Alice. I called to tell you that everything is going smoothly and there were a lot of people today, however we managed it." He told me.
"Really? Thank God, Adrian. I had been so worried." I replied to him after taking a sigh of relief. James was checking his phone but of course listening to our conversation which was making me feel weird.
It was like, I was talking to my boyfriend in front of my ex.
"I'm best, I know! Bye and good luck for the work. Don't you worry, okay?" Adrian replied before giving a soft chuckle.
"You're amazing. Bye, Ad. Take care." I ended the call with a smile. My cafe family was great.
I focused on driving and my worries were relieved now because they were there at my back to manage the cafe.
"Your boyfriend?" James asked abruptly. I got shocked at his question. It was so sudden and he was blunt and straight. I didn't expect him to ask this.
"No! He was just a friend and my worker in cafe. He was giving me details about the day in the cafe." I said and explained the purpose of his call. I shouldn't have given an explanation to him because he was a stranger to me. Yet I gave a one which was weird.
"Right." He said and looked forward.
After this we both fell into uncomfortable silence and it was weird to sit with him in a car. There was a suffocation and I wanted this to end as soon as possible.
At last, we reached the hotel. These five minutes seemed five hours to me at least. We both exited the car and entered the lobby.
As soon as we entered the lobby, James persona and aura completely changed. He turned into the arrogant and hot businessman. With a perfectly chiseled sculpted face, chiseled jaw, and eyes that have power to suck your soul, James entered, eyeing all of the people that were present there.
"Shall we?" He asked me mischievously because he saw me ogling at him openly. I got embarrassed and looked down and nodded.
We both went to receptionist who was a thin yet beautiful young lady. She was ogling at James and licked her lips like she wanted to go into bed with him but he perfectly ignored her slutty looks. When she saw him with me, she sneered looking at me and I chuckled.
Really? What is going on in this world?
"May I help you with anything, sir?" She asked him seductively. Eww I wanted to puke when I saw how much lust her tone contained.
"Yes, he has reservation of perfect suite on his name, Mr. James Ashton." I interrupted her ogling session. Besides I was getting late. I had to reach the avenue as well.
She scowled because she wanted to hear James. But I had no time for her unnecessary jealousy and deadly looks. She looked at her computer screen and started checking while James stood quietly beside me. He was standing near me unlike a client to his worker.
"Yes, I have found the reservation for Mr. James Ashton, but I found no name of you Ms. You should have mentioned while booking that your girlfriend is coming with you as well." She said with a professional tone.
Girlfriend!?