Chris and Shea were walking in the street of Utalii Residential area. Chris was taking Shea home after their date.
Shea was holding her heels on one hand and her purse on the other. She was in a grey dress with an unintentional slit at the front. Her hair was folded in single braid.
Shea was all smiles. She looked at Chris, "To be honest, I didn't see myself having a good time."
Chris's ear perked," You had a good time? "
"Yeah. I mean it didn't go the way I thought it would. There were a lot of surprises tonight. Good surprises. Thanks to you"
Chris couldn't hide his smile. He looked at her. Shea was avoiding eye contact for some reason. Choosing to look into the night sky. Chris didn't mind though.
"Then it was a good thing you got me with your car." Said Chris
"Oh my God. I still remember but I feel a lot better about it now. "
"Then I'm happy you feel good about almost breaking my leg. "
They share a laugh. Chris looked at her. She was looking at the ground.
They reached a huge gate enclosing a bigger piece of land. Chris's smile faded immediately. He stopped.
Shea continued walking. She looked to her side to find Chris no there. She turns to face him.
"What's wrong?" She asked
Chris walked up to her,"I also had a good time with you. I thought you would have stormed off."
"Nah. I enjoyed every bit of it."
This time she looked at him straight in the eye. Chris held her hand and kissed it.
"This is where I say goodbye. You can go on with your life guilt free."
Shea smiled,"I'm glad your leg is fine."
The gate opens up. Chris takes a few steps back. Shea got in before the gate closed. She looked back at Chris and waved at him.
Chris waved back and turned to walk away.
Shea's House. Later
Shea dropped on her king size bed. She thought of the night she had. Walking in the park, eating from a food cart. Things she had never done before.
She especially remembered when Chris teased a dog and it chases them down the street. She had to remove her heels.
She laughed at how terribly afraid she was. She never knew how fast she could run, until that night. She impressed herself.
Just then her phone rang. She rolled over and grabbed it from the table. It was an unknown number.
"Hello... Ow Mathew?... Yeah I remember... Nice to hear from you again... Sure why not... Text me the details later then. Ok bye"
Another date! She was excited. After the night with Chris she was in the mood for more. She hoped it would be great.
She had never been on a date before. Chris was the first. True, the date was unconventional but was good. She had read a lot of books and watched a lot of movies about love.
She knew how dates were supposed to go. She really thought they were romantic. She thought of her date with Chris and how unorthodox it was.
It wasn't a date-date. It was more of an outing so it wasn't her first date. Mathew was to be her first date. She thought of how great the movie dates go and she envied that.
Chris's Apartment. Morning
Chris and Jack were in their living room. Jack was on his computer.
"So did everything go well?" Asked Jack
"All according to plan. I'll have her eating from the palm of my hands soon enough," Chris was very cocky.
Jack scoffed condescendingly at Chris's remark. Chris looked at Jack.
"What! You don't think I handled it OK? Would you have done it differently?"
Jack looked up at Chris and saw the seriousness in his eyes. Jack wasn't sure what he was going to say. He thought for a bit then decided to keep quiet.
Chris sat upright,"No tell me. Cause you willingly refused to handle this one. I asked you to and you refused."
"Enough Ok." Chris hit a nerve," I probably would have done it differently but it won't matter, the results is what matters."
"I can guarantee results Okay. " Chris lays back. "I know how important this job is to us. Mostly you."
Mathew's House. Later
Mathew paced across his room. He had his suits on the bed. His shoes were scattered on the floor. He looked at the suits.
"What's happening here?"
Mathew turned quickly to see Mandy. Mandy was frozen at the door.
Mandy and Mathew lived ten minutes from each other at the posh Hamptons Residential area.
"Thank God you are here. I can't do this." Mathew was second guessing himself. He really wanted this night to work for him. He had been in love with Shea for three years now.
"What? You are this close and you get cold feet now?" Exclaimed Mandy.
Mandy had been Mathew's best friend for the longest time. She and him were inseparable.
There was a time they pushed their friendship a bit further. It was in their teens and they experimented a little.
After it became very complicated (dating your best friend and all) they regressed back to friends and have been content with the status.
But once in a while they thought of what could've been. That was until Mathew set his eyes on Shea.
Mandy was yet to find a significant other. She would always say she was very busy helping Mathew find a girlfriend.
Mandy looked at a panicking Mathew. She looked at the piles of suits which were on the bed and the array of shoes on the floor. She couldn't see any difference between the suits. They all looked the same.
Mandy walked up to Mathew, she put her hands on his cheeks. Mathew didn't know what was happening. Mandy wasn't sure either.
"It doesn't matter what you wear. It's not your clothes that she will love. It's you!"
Shea could feel a rush of emotions overwhelming her. Her hands were still on Mathew's cheeks. Mathew nodded once.
Mandy had not realised that they were too awfully close to each other. She let go and took a step back.
"That was sweet," said Mathew,"but really not helpful. I still don't know what to wear."
Mandy smiled," That was just a confidence boost. I will pick what you should wear."
Mathew smiled and sighed a sigh of relief. She looked at his watch, his date was in a couple of hours.
Villa Amore Restaurant. Night
Mathew pulled up the chair for Shea. Mathew sat opposite her. Mathew couldn't hide his obvious excitement.
Shea was excited too. It was technically her first date so she pulled out all the stops. She wore a white dress with diamond embellishments.
Her right wrist was shackled by a silver bracelet. She had her flat shoes on. She thought of wearing the heels but decided on flats.
"You look great." Complimented Mathew.
"Thank you. You clean up nice yourself."
There was an awkward silence for a bit until Shea interjected,"So what do you have planned for me tonight, if I may ask."
"I'm glad you asked, cause I have a great night planned for you." Said Mathew, "First we have a light dinner, then we visit Planet Yoghurt for some Fro-Yo."
"That sounds great! I love Fro-Yo."
Mathew was on top of the world. He knew he had scored big time. The Fro-Yo was a completely last minute idea he had.
Chris's Apartment. Later
The day had ended. Chris had fallen asleep on the couch, his phone in his hand.
Jack was in his room. He opened the bottom left drawer. He stuck his hand in and removed a necklace. The very same one.
The necklace was made of silver. The tag was made of Gold. It had the shape of a heart with a circle at the back. It looked like a button.
Jack thought it was unusual. He kept touching it with his thumb. Suddenly the circle slid in and back. It was a button. Why would there be a button on a necklace?
Jack had never really examined the necklace before. The necklace had never left his neck. He started to recall again.
He recalled walking along a street once. He walked by a restaurant. The sweet aroma got him to look inside through the huge window.
There. At the farthest corner. Was Rachel. She was seated alone, sipping on a glass of water. Probably waiting for her order. She looked as though she didn't mind it. He was in a blue dress with thin shoulder strips. She really liked the colour blue. He looked at the parking a spotted a blue car. It must be hers.
Jack ran his hand through his hair and walked into the restaurant. He walked in as though he was a superstar. He walked right up to Rachel.
"Hi, I didn't quite get your name the other day." He smiled
"Are you following me? Are you like a stalker?"
"I'm way too good looking to be a stalker. I was just walking by then I happened to see you. I thought of how our last encounter ended and now I want to make amends ."
"First impressions are key. You already had your shot. Now you can go"
"I'm a gentleman. Let me show you. I'll buy you lunch." He grabbed the menu
"Let me see here."
His eyes widened. He began speaking in a hushed tone"Huh? How much... Oh my God! What about the chicken... Holy Shit!" Sweat began to form on his forehead. "Maybe a drink, some afternoon wine... Woah I guess whine is off the table... How about club soda... No nothing!"
Jack quickly turned to face the entrance,"Where the hell am I?"
A waiter walked up and placed a plate on the table. The plate had a burger, chips (fries to some people) and a glass of orange juice.
Rachel thanked the waiter, who then turned to Jack.
"That looks nice what is that?" He asked Rachel. Rachel gave him the eye then answered," Burger combo!"
Jack searched the Burger combo on the menu. He found. He then checked the price.
"Will you be having the same, sir?"
"No. No. Would you come back later! I haven't decided yet.
The waiter left graciously. Jack looked at Rachel, she had already started eating. Completely ignoring him.
"This isn't the place for me."
Rachel was trying to hard to ignore him, but his position was a funny one. Deep down she was laughing.
"I will be going now." Said Jack, feeling humiliated."Just know that I am a gentleman."
He quickly snatched a few chip(fries) from Rachel's plate and dashed for the exit.
Chris's phone rang bringing Jack back to reality. Chris slowly began to wake up. He looked around first seemingly searching for his phone. It was not until he raised his hand that he realised he was holding on to it.
He looked at the caller ID. It read Shea. He quickly answered it.
"Hi... You sure... I'll be free... Looking forward to it... Have a good night." The call ended.
Chris was so happy. He didn't realise Jack was watching him.
"What happened?" He asked
"Shea wants to meet again."