A while later...
She was standing outside the door of the Optician's office... or rather... Her aunt's office.
She knocked on the door and entered after an answer was given. "Good morning, how can I help... Anaya!" "Hi, Aunt!" she greeted.
"How are you?" Bianca stood up and hugged her, "I'm fine, and you?" "Great. Sit down!" she urged and referred to the sofa at one side of the office.
"Why are you wearing your glasses, didn't your dad get you contact lenses?" she asked with concern,
"That's why I'm here anyway. I need to change my contact lenses. Do you have anyone available?" "What type?" "Rigid Corneal Contact Lenses" "Colour?" "Clear" "I should have some left"
She went towards a small cupboard and brought out a packet. "Here! I'll insert it for you" she said.
Anaya instinctively lay back, took off her glasses, and opened her eyes wide enough.
Bianca paused on sighting something. She studied it for a while, gave a lopsided smile, and continued with what she was doing.
"All done!" she informed and gave Naya a tissue to wipe off the stray tears that dripped out of her eye.
"It's been a very long time since you came visiting, aunt" Naya reminded with a small sad smile. "I've missed you" She looked up to her aunt with longing eyes.
Bianca's stomach twisted in knots. She knew where Naya was going with these statements, and she didn't like it.
"Oh, Naya! You have to understand. It's not that I didn't want to come to see you all this while, It... It's just that I and your Dad aren't really on good terms right now, seeing or meeting each other in a time like this is rather... complicated" she replied hesitantly while holding a firm and sincere gaze at Naya.
"You two are like 5 and 6. What disagreement could you possibly have that will make both of you not want to see each other for years?"
"It's a long story, dear. I can't explain, but you'll understand everything one day" she said in a calming voice and squeezed her shoulder lightly.
"Come on!" she smiled and pulled Naya up. "Let's not be moody and emotional now. There is a Starbucks cafe just down the street. Let's go have brunch there" she offered while taking off her coat and picking up her bag.
"How could I say no?" Naya smiled with a sigh and followed her.
********************************
Minutes later...
They were casually chatting in Starbucks when Naya noticed the car she came with and the bodyguards that came with her driving away.
"Strange!" she muttered to herself.
'But on the bright side, we might have a little time to be free before they get back '
"Take care of that bite or else it will get infected" Bianca advised randomly.
Anaya's brows knitted in confusion.
"What bite?" "The bite on your neck. I assume it's an insect? Be careful not to scratch it too much" Naya froze. How could she forget to cover the hickey up?
That sounded innocent and caring, but there was nothing innocent about her mischievous smirk and the teasing glint in her eye, as though she knew how she got it.
"Arghh! What's taking these people so long?" Bianca complained impatiently and narrowed her eyes to the counter where some waiters were.
"T-They'll soon be here, just be patient!"
"Oh my!" Bianca said with amusement-filled eyes, "That is one heck of a hot guy!" She bit her lips while fixing her eyes on someone behind Naya.
Anaya pinched her nose bridge in tiredness. Her aunt was always ogling at every hot guy she laid her eyes on.
"Aunt, for the thousandth time, you can't be throwing flirty eyes at guys younger than you nor can you ogle at them" Naya scolded softly.
"I know, I know, but just look at him. Even you won't be able to resist staring at him" "He better be worth turning my head" Naya grumbled and turned around relunctnatly.
Her eyebrows shot up and her eyes sprang open.
Her eyes traveled from his shiny black shoes, up his long legs in blue khaki pants, crossed his torso lined with a matching blue monkey jacket that covered a white button-up shirt which was one or two buttons down at the top, and finally to his perfectly chiseled face.
Memories of his half-naked body began to set in. She found herself recalling his kiss, his hands romancing her body, caressing her sensitive places, his fingers digging deep into her... And now she was wet again with the memory of what he did to her, as well as the sudden longing for him to do much to her again.
Their eyes locked immediately. His lips curved into a mischievous grin, causing her heart to do a billion somersaults.
She looked around and found other girls staring lustfully at him. She rolled her eyes, clenched her jaws, and turned back to face Bianca in jealousy.
"Why is he walking towards us? Do you know him, Naya?" "Yes... No... J-Just please stay quiet, Aunt. Don't draw attention to us" she pleaded and threw her hair over her shoulder to cover the mark.
"It was just a simple question, why... "
"Hello, love!" He placed his arms on her shoulder, audibly whispering the words into her ear.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to prevent herself from dying from the intensity of his presence near her. Her heart was beating way too fast for her good, it felt as though she would just faint from the speed.
She caught hold of his scent immediately, and damn was it messing with her head.
And the way the name, 'Love' rolled off his tongue had to be the hottest thing she had ever heard.
He released her shoulders, grabbed a chair, and sat next to her.
His hair looked as though he had been running his hand through it, his eyes had a faint glow of tiredness in them. Yet, his perfect lips stole her eyes away from his exasperation. If only she could just move a few inches closer and press her lips to his, it would send her into a pleasurable trance.
She balled her fists tightly on her lap to prevent herself from doing something that would lead them back to where or what they had done the previous night.
'No, Naya! Come back to your senses. It is just the effects of having sex with someone sinfully and dangerously hot. Plus, we are not in your bedroom '
"Love?" Bianca arched a brow up. "You never told me you were in a relationship with anyone, Naya" Bianca protested. "So I guess he is the insect that bit your neck, then"
Her face and neck should have been as red as a strawberry by now. She was silently praying for an earthquake to happen and swallow her up.
Don was smirking rather proudly. He looked at where he left the... or rather 'his' mark. She was trying to use her hair to cover it, but it was still visible.
"Don't cover it, my mark looks lovely on you" he whispered hoarsely. Though that reddened her the more, she still shot him a scowling face.
"Well thanks, Aunt for exposing all those embarrassing things, but he isn't..." "I'm her husband".
Bianca's mouth dropped open. "You're married, Naya?" She shyly nodded.
"When did you get married, and why didn't you tell me?" she questioned happily.
"It hasn't been up to two months since we got married and it was a quiet court wedding anyway. We haven't begun spreading the news yet"
"No wonder you were so hooked up on him when you saw him" "Aunt!" Cheeks were already tainted with a vivid hue of pink. She glanced at him and already found him grinning playfully while staring at her.
She turned away shyly. "God please stop this woman from saying anything else" she prayed desperately.
"Well, nice to meet you erm... " "Bianca Smith. Anaya's paternal aunt"
"Nice to meet you Mrs. Smith" "It's a Miss. And Bianca is fine" Don nodded.
"Well, since your husband is here with you, I have to go back to work" She smiled mischievously. "But aunt! We agreed to have brunch together so we can catch up on lost times" Naya protested in a disappointed tone,
"Yes, but being an optician isn't one of the jobs where you have a lot of time to waste"
Though she just wanted her aunt to stay so it wouldn't be awkward between her and Don, it still hurt that she was leaving after they finally had the chance to see each other again after many years.
The fact that she used the word 'waste' to describe their time together was enough to shatter her to pieces... once more.
"So see you both later. I'll pick up my coffee and tell the barristers to come take your orders" she added with a gleaming smile, ignorant of Anaya's change in mood.
"That will do just fine" Don replied in a neutral tone while Naya remained silent.
He turned back to her. He wanted to say something but realized how she hung her head down. She was playing with the rings on her fingers with a solemn face.
His cocky expression softened immediately. "Love?" her head sprang up, and he could swear that he saw pain flash between her eyes in a blink. Her eyes were glassy.
"What's wrong?" He should have been asking himself that. Why did he suddenly go soft just because she seemed to be sad?
Even though he was well aware of opening his barrier, he reached for her hands and held them in his, giving her a light comforting squeeze. She looked down at his hand in hers and nearly started crying.
She wished her entire body was in place of her hands because she needed a hug right about then, but she couldn't look weak in front of him, he'd dominate her.
And maybe that was what she wanted... To release all the burdened pain she had carried all this while, and allow someone else to carry it for her.
But it wasn't that easy. Not in this case it wasn't.
She sighed and tore her hands away from his jerkily.
"I'm fine" she replied. He brought his hand to her eyes and wiped off stray remnants of tears from her lower lashes.
"You're crying, love. What's... " "I said I'm fine, Don" she snapped. "I'm fine, and I don't need your sympathy" He wanted to say something but changed his mind.
He would rather talk to her when she has calmed down.
"I'm going to collect my order. Do you need anything?"
'I need you to open up to me! Knowing that something is hurting you and I can't do anything to help is killing me '
"An americano will be alright" She nodded and went to the counter to collect her order.
He sighed and leaned back into his chair. Immediately, his phone buzzed with a message. He removed it from his pocket and saw that it was a message from Andrew.
'Are you at the airport already?'