The bright day motivated and oddly brought things in favour of Adelaide as she was on track with a lot of things. She was excited as she skipped across the hoard of people at the intersection near 'Tackles'. Although her new beige heels and open hair, that fell on her face as she rushed through the people didn't help her hurried excited state; she continued to keep her pace all the while tripping and balancing herself along the way.
Energy surged through her as she finally was relieved of her pent up office work. She felt like her shoulders were so much lighter now than before, that she could probably fly. Exaggerating her relief, Adelaide slowed down as she neared the cafe.
Dylan too had arrived at the cafe by now and stepped out of his sleek black Maserati that carefully stood to the side of the road. He locked his car and headed towards the shop with a few files in hand when he finds Adelaide by the door.
Taking a glance at the presence beside her, Adelaide looks up to see the vintage man. She contemplated for a fleeting millisecond whether or not she should greet him by any means, but, chose against it and went on before him inside the cafe.
She could feel him walk in behind her but soon, disappear off into one of the tables. Adelaide knew she had to assist him today onwards on behalf of Mr Riccardo, but she decided to first let Mr Riccardo know of her arrival and hence, she went straight to the kitchen to inform him of her earlier than usual presence.
Mr Riccardo as usual was pleased to see Adelaide. He seemed to be busy heating up the chocolate pies and preparing an order so Adelaide helped him out as she told him of Dylan's arrival. They made an espresso double shot for him and with an egg tart, Adelaide approached Dylan. When she neared the table towards the right corner of the room, she kept her distance from him and heedfully walked opposite to where he sat. Placing the tray of tarts and coffee on the table, she proceeded to take a seat opposite to him, where she now stood.
Dylan, who was up until now watching Adelaide carefully, went on to add a cube of sugar to his porcelain espresso cup. Gently mixing the sugar into his coffee, he waited for Adelaide to speak.
Adelaide, on the other hand, had no idea what she had to do or should say right now.
"I should tell him that Mr Riccardo requested me to help him here on out, right?" -She questioned herself in her thoughts.
Noticing that the lady before him, might have nothing to say to him, Dylan slowly placed the spoon on his saucer and was about to speak until he was disrupted by Adelaide. He saw her cross her arms below her chest and breath a sigh before speaking.
"Umm... I'll be helping you out until Sunday. So, if you need to discuss or confirm anything of moderate importance you can ask me."
Adelaide didn't know why she spoke to him while looking away. She convinced herself that she was now embarrassed to face him after having acted oddly at the gate while entering. She didn't know why she acted that way, it was obvious that the man got on her nerves but, starting the day's interaction with him like that and now having to work with him made her feel awkward. Groaning internally, she turned her head to face him.
Dylan, on the other hand, was amused by the way she spoke to him. The amusement reached his face as he stifled a laugh and picked up his coffee, which was slowly turning warm. Reading the expression on his face ticked Adelaide off as she went on to question him.
"What is it?" -she was surprised how her annoyance wasn't evident in her speech. But, she got no answer as he went on to sip on his drink.
As she continued to focus on Dylan, Adelaide noticed his elegant posture. His blue and grey checkered suit matched with an indigo blue tie having white polka dots complemented his fit. His straight back and broad shoulders stood out in his attire. The nerves that popped in his palm as he held the cup, were truly a sight to behold. His right leg was crossed over his left and his left hand graciously rested on his thigh. The only thought that suddenly crossed Adelaide's mind was that "Benjie could never hold such strong alluring aura even if he were to dress and sit like him."
It was Adelaide who now barely held back her laugh as she imagined Carson sitting in his style and attire before her with his messed up, untamed, curly poodle hair. Her failed attempt at trying to contain her laugh didn't go unnoticed by Dylan, who now, set his cup down on its saucer and questioned her.
"Is there something funny on my face?" -Dylan spoke while gently running his palm on his face as if trying to feel anything extra that could possibly, be resting on his precious face.
He looked so serious in his search that, Adelaide couldn't contain the laughter bubbling inside of her. As she laughed a hearty laugh, she covered her mouth in an attempt to muffle her loud noises even in the slightest and not disturb the few customers sprawled around in the cafe.
The after images of Bengie and Dylan finally leaving her mind, Adelaide straightened up and cleared her throat with a small 'sorry'. Forgetting that he hadn't replied to her previously, Adelaide continued.
"There's nothing on your face, I just imagined something funny." -talking about it now, Adelaide still found her thoughts funny but passed it off as a short pigeon laugh.
"Does your imagination include me?" -Dylan questioned her, fascinated and yet taken aback by her response.
Adelaide gave his question a quick thought before replying with an answer which she thought, would better tick him off - "Maybe?"
Dylan, as desired by Adelaide's inner thoughts, didn't like her reply, after all, she had laughed after possibly imagining him and that clearly wouldn't be liked by anyone. The mischievous smile that soon spread on her face went on to fuel his irritation. But, his face didn't show his irritation. Dylan tried to stay poker-faced in front of his clients as often as it were possible and necessary, and right now, that habit of his was a big help for him. Coming forward, he took his cup of coffee and drank the last of it before slowly placing the cup down on the tray and moving it near the wall so that there was a place sufficient for them to work. Adelaide continued to watch the man, who paid no heed to her words, take out a file from his ochre brown leather bag and place it before her, on the tabletop.
"Here are the digital design samples for the two-day event happening from the day after tomorrow. You can finalize one or let us know of any changes you would like to make. On the last page, there is a small list of possible events that we could conduct, please go through those and again, let me know your choice or what you would suggest. I'm not sure if you are aware of this, but, the promotions since day two of our meetings have shown a good result in expectant attendees and hence, I advise you to choose and suggest wisely."
The minute Dylan finished what he had to say, he leaned back on his chair and rested his intertwined fingers on his lap as he waited for Adelaide to go through the materials he had provided her with. Adelaide, although, could only think of how Mr Riccardo meant it when he said that not much work was left. She wasn't lost in her thoughts, but at the same time, she was intimidated by the way Dylan suddenly acted so professional. His professionalism wasn't unlike him, as he often maintained his vibe, attire and posture in those regards. But for Adelaide, who suddenly was working with him, it felt new. She glanced at his face which bore into her with boredom and soon moved her attention to the files.
There were around fifteen different themes and exceptionally detailed designs in the file he presented. Sure the designs were appealing but, she couldn't help but change quite a few parts of it. The games, although, she felt the need to give them a thought. And that's when Adelaide realised, this small portion of the remaining work could take a lot of their time, tonight.