The clock showed "10:00 pm"
Everybody had left, except Danica and few employees who were working overtime.
Danica was feeling lowly out of nowhere. This was normal for her, she always struggled with mood swings. At present, she needed someone by her side with whom she could drink and talk. So, she calls Nina.
Nina didn't pick up the call. It said :
"THE PERSON YOU ARE TRYING TO CALL IS NOT ANSWERING, PLEASE TRY AFTER SOMETIME"
She cuts the call and sighed
"Darn it ..." she said furiously.
She throws her cellphone in anger. Her face now turned from scowl to expressionless in no time.
She grabs her purse from the table and leaves her cabin. She walks gradually, her face expressionless. She was lost in her thoughts, Instead of going to the ground floor down in the basement where her car was parked, she moves to the first floor, the entrance of the company.
She finds Alfred standing there and talking to someone on call.
She crossed her hands and thought [Should I ask him?]
Alfred had just finished talking and then his eyes caught glimpse of Danica who was succeeding towards him. Her face was expressionless -- no emotion.
"What happened to Danica ?" He mumbled inwardly
"Come with me" she said
"Uh...Okay"
"Let's take my car " Alfred tells her
"Okay, but, I will drive" she replied.
They entered the parking lot where Alfred's car was stationed.
Danica moves towards the driver's seat and tells Alfred to give her keys. He throws the Keys at her, Danica instantly gets a hold of It.
[Good catch] Alfred mumbled
Danica grabs the steering and puts on her black sunglasses expressively. Alfred sits beside Danica.
She starts driving.
There was pin-drop silence between them. Alfred was quite skeptical about asking her and breaking the silence.
[ I guess I should go with the flow ] He thought.
After thirty minutes Danica stops the car and gets out of the car.
"I will be right back" she said and headed towards a shop.
Alfred peeks at her to see where she was going.
"A liquor shop !" he mumbled as he saw her entering that shop.
After few minutes, Danica returns with two bottles of beer in her hand.
"Take these" she said to Alfred.
Alfred seizes the beer bottles and Danica starts driving again.
"I don't drink beer " He said
"Beer is good for heart and hairs. The concentration of Alcohol is very less in Beer" she replied.
"Ah...I see" he mumbles
After an hour of driving, Danica stopped the car.
Now, they steps out of the car.
The place was very peaceful. There was unmoving lake. The sparkling velvet sky added more magic to the atmosphere.
"Come" Danica said
Green lush land near the lake withheld the few wooden benches. The air was refreshing.
They now sat on one of those benches and Danica opened the bottle of beer.
"Ahh...It's so nice" She said as she gulped beer.
Alfred drinks too.
"Don't entertain any other thoughts in mind " Danica said promptly.
"Nina wasn't there so, I brought you here" she explains
Alfred smiled and said "Okay"
"Count yourself lucky, I gave you a special treat. I never did this before for any other man" she said while drinking.
"So, we are --" Alfred says
"We are friends" Danica cut him short and replied.
"Since, we are friends, can I ask you something?" He says
"Yeah, you can" Danica replied.
"I love someone so much " Alfred was conveying his feelings indirectly
Danica laughs and says "Love..."
"Love...huh...Bullshit !" she said while laughing
"There is no such thing as Love" she adds and drinks more beer.
"..."
Alfred was quiet as she said that.
He wanted to listen to her thoughts and know her more.
"Tell me more about yourself" he said
"What should I tell?" she mumbled and gulped beer
"Your childhood" he answered
"I want to hear everything, I want to know more about you" He added.
Danica's face now turned expressionless again. She speaks : "I have many stories to share. You know, what's so interesting about these stories?"
She gave a stern look at him now.
"What is it ?" he asked curiously
She gave a brief laugh and said crossing her hands against her chest.
"They all are bad and disappointing stories" she said
She glances at him now.
"We all are bad at some part of life, we --" He was trying to set optimistic vibes
"Darn it, ...Bullshit!" She cut him short and said
"Philosophy is silent killer, It gives you false hopes and visions" she adds
"Alright! since you are insisting so much, so, I will share something about myself" she says
She didn't know where to start. However, she answers : "When I was just twelve, I wanted new pair of clothes. I told my parents that I will buy clothes of my choice this time. They won't choose, I will choose"
she halts and looks at him.
"Have you ever struggled to get what you want in your childhood ?" she asked Alfred
"My parents were filthy rich enough to get me everything I wanted" he answered honestly.
Danica smirks
"The next day..." Danica continued her story
"I and my mom went on shopping. We entered a shop. This time I wanted something new and classy. I chose a dress and told my mom to buy me that dress. She looked at the price tag, It was very expensive. She patted my head and said 'Let's go somewhere else'. At the end of the day, I didn't get what I wanted.
Every time I liked something, it always turned out expensive, and every time I had to sacrifice my choice. I hated it. That night, I realized, I have to be successful, no matter what. I have to be successful because I had no choice. I have to be successful because I loved the expensive shit "
Danica looks at him now, her eyes had that sparkle of ambition.
"Today I have everything and everything on my sleeve" she adds and chuckles
Alfred was listening quietly to her.
"You are so tough and ambitious, I love those qualities of you" he said.
Now, he wanted to know her more.
"Here is another question --" he said
"Are you my teacher?" Danica inquired sternly.
"I won't answer any question of yours" she adds and gulps beer again.
"This is the last question" Alfred explained "It's quite an interesting question by the way"
"If it won't be interesting then, I will kill you, understood?" Danica adds
"Ah...okay"
"If you were to choose between the two people for the date, whom will you choose. First, person with good looks but no intelligence. Second, the person with intelligence but no looks" Alfred said, he was testing her.
Danica smirks at him and looks away
"I won't date any of them" she said
"You Know what, I deserve the best. I would rather date a person that has both looks and intelligence. I never settle for anything less than I deserve. Understood ?" She replied sternly.
"Danica deserves the world" she added giving a devilish smile
Alfred smiled and now he knew for sure, Danica was the one for him.
[ That's my girl !] he thought.
Danica drank too much, Alfred tries to stop her, but she drank anyway.
She falls unconscious, he grabs her and lifts her up in his muscular arms. Alfred didn't know her address, so, he takes her to his home.
The car stops, guards opens the big gate. His home was huge and classic. The car stops at his entrance.
He steps out of his car and gives keys to one of the guards, to park his car. He then takes Danica out and lifts her up in his arms and enters the house.
He takes Danica to a room that was beside his room. Keeps her gently on the bed, now he removed her heels and kept her purse on side the table. He then puts up blanket on her.
"Good Night, dear" he mumbled and smiled.
He switches off the lights and leaves the room.
************
PAUL'S HOME
*************
Paul was sitting on the sofa and drinking.
"All day long I have been thinking about you, Nina" he speaks
[ Do I really love her ? ] he thought
[ I can't even sleep , I can't just stop thinking about her ] he thinks harder
[ Am I really in love ?]
[ Yes I am ! ] He finally accepts his feelings.
[ If I love Nina , not Danica, then what am I doing in her Company?]
[ I guess it's time to disclose the truth to Danica. No wait, first I need to win Nina again. Thereafter I will disclose the truth ]
[ That's perfect !]
[ Nina is angry, what should I do?]
[ Tomorrow is Sunday. Let's give a surprise to Nina. I know what makes her happy. Then I will confess my feelings to her ...Oh that's perfect !!]
He falls asleep while thinking so hard.
************
>>>>>>>>>>>>
Author's wordings :-
What will happen when Danica wakes up and finds herself in Alfred's home?
Will Paul be able to confess Nina his feelings for her ?
Will Nina subdue her anger and say yes to him?
How will Danica react when Paul discloses his identity ??
What will Danica do when she finds out that her best friend knew Paul's secret but hided from her for so long ?? Will this affect their friendship ??
What unexpected surprises are awaiting for all of them ??