Meeting Mr. Mogul(46)
"Thank you again for today, son. Now, I think I can die peacefully … well, no, wait, I still can't. I need to see my daughter settle down first."
"Well, I can assure you she will be in good hands, Mr. Peterson," William replied with a small shy smile.
"What are you two talking about?" I asked in confusion.
"Nothing, peanut," my father replied with a secret smile. "I'll be heading up now. You two can go ahead and enjoy the rest of the day while I take my rest," he added as he slowly made his way towards the entrance of the hospital.
"Wait … What?" I asked, confused by his words. I caught up with him and lightly grabbed my father's arm. "I'm staying here for the rest of the day... right?" I started yet trailed off into a question, unsure by my father's words.
He leaned down towards my ear as he cupped the other side of my face. "William asked me if he can take you out after the game. I already gave him my consent," he whispered.
I took a step away from him, putting a distance between us. "Why would you do that without telling me anything?" I asked, slightly annoyed at that sudden information.
"He hasn't asked you yet?" he asked, confused by my reaction. "I though he asked you when we planned to separate after the game."
"You two planned all of this? How could you? You know that I … " I started, my annoyance growing into anger.
"Don't tell me you don't like him, peanut. Terry already told me."
"When did Terry tell you all of these things anyway?"
"I was worried about you after you walked out, so I called him. He visited last night after he came by your place and told me everything."
"I can't believe you two are gossiping about me. I'm not going on a date with him," I added with more volume.
"Who said you are going on a date? I only agreed that he can take you out for dinner," he asked, eyeing me with confusion.
"Dad," I paused and sighed. "A dinner between two people of the opposite sex, which doesn't involve business or other formal things, is a date. Don't pretend you don't know this," I continued monotonously.
"Andy … "
"Uhm … excuse me," someone behind me interrupted.
I turned around and was about to tell the person off until my eyes landed at the man's stern face. I gaped at him for a second before I gathered enough courage to say something, but he beat me to it.
"Andy, do you have anywhere else to go today?" he asked casually, though his voice was deeper and smoother than usual.
"No," I replied softly, knowing what was going to happen next from my father's tip off a few moments ago.
William paused for a second as he rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand. From the way he was shifting his weight and fidgeting badly, he's awfully nervous. I don't get why he's being nervous after what happened between us.
"Go ahead, son. Ask her already," my father interrupted impatiently as he walked up to William and patted his arm in comfort. "You kids have fun. Take care of my baby girl, William," he added as he quickly walked away from us towards the elevator.
My eyes followed my father's every step while my mouth hung wide open. I can't believe he just gave him permission to take me out on a date. My father had never done such a thing to my past suitors – not that William is in the same league as them.
"Your dad is a very enthusiastic man," he stated with a chuckle after my father was out of our line of sight.
I turned towards him wearily. "Yeah. He's like that when he likes someone. I'm so sorry about his comfortable approach on you."
"Don't be. I like it that calls me son," he admitted without shame as his lips twitched into a grin.
"Don't let it get to your head. The moment you do something wrong, he'll start calling you ‘that prick'." I chuckled at a memory of how he handled my ex's.
"Thank you for warning me ahead of time," he smiled in reply, his anxiety gone. "Do you want to go to this really lovely pastry shop? It's only a few blocks from the apartment," he added smoothly.
I studied his expression for a second as I tried to read the atmosphere. "You're not giving up, are you?"
"I'm known to be stubborn … "
"If you're paying, I'll come. But let me warn you, I really like sweets," I admitted with a chortle as I walked ahead of him towards the waiting black SUV outside.
It was as short drive to the pastry shop. The car stopped in front of a restaurant that resembled a posh Parisian restaurant. At the entrance there was a podium made of redwood where a maître d' welcomed us. The tinted glass wall bricks and clear glass door made it look perfectly chic. He lied. This was definitely not a pastry shop. Since I was hungry, I let it slide and allowed him to take me inside to eat. There was a nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach as we entered the restaurant but I tried to shake it off. What am I doing?
Thirty
I was enticed by the mini chandeliers inside the restaurant and vintage wall lamps placed on the side post. The square tables, which were painted in matte white, were very regal. The couches we were sitting on also had the same shade as the table painted on its frame with a lavender-colored cushion.
I'm literally confused about William's behavior today. The breakfast in the morning, the baseball game, why was he still trying after all I've said to him? He can't be that stubborn, but I've seen him do worse.
"So … " I started after I finished my assessment; my tone mirrored my suspicion.
"So … " he copied my tone, his eyes glistening in amusement. His eyes bore on my face as he tried to read my expression.
"I know what you're thinking, Andy. I'm not softening you up after what I did. I know I was a stupid jerk, and I respect your opinion about me," he stated after I didn't say anything.
"Glad that we are on the same page … " I mumbled in agreement. "What do you want from me, Mr. Maxwell?" I asked, sighing in defeat and got straight to the point.
"You already know what I want out of this, Andy. I want a chance. A shot, just one shot, that's all I'm asking," he disclosed in desperation.
"Mr. Maxwell … " I interrupted his desperate plea, which was very out of character of him.
"Okay. I know it's a long shot, and it's a bad time for all of this, and very weird since I've been really awful with you in the start … " he murmured, interrupting me before I can say anything more.
"Mr. Maxwell … " I started again, my voice a little louder.
Finally, he stopped talking and looked at me.
"I'm willing to give you a shot. Is this not a shot right now?" I asked as I gestured at both of us seating across from each other.
"Oh. So, this counts as a date?"
"Didn't you just ask me out? Dad told me about your ‘not so obvious' plan," I divulged sarcastically and rolled my eyes at him.
"Right. Thank you," he mumbled shyly, a tone that I haven't heard from him.
"Why are you being like this?" I asked him as I raised my eyebrow.
He scrunched in eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Why the sudden change of attitude? Don't you play with me," I warned as I glared him in challenge.
Before he could reply, the waiter appeared as he placed our drinks and meal in front of us. This stopped the conversation but the lack of words didn't stop us from finishing the topic through our stares. I looked at him suspiciously and he replied with a look of innocence.
When we finished eating, he casually took small sips of his drink to refrain us from speaking. I was about to do the same, but I was in an irritated mood since I couldn't get the answers I needed.
"Okay, Mr. Maxwell. Since you're refusing to tell me anything, and this so-called ‘date' is starting to go down south from here, I'd like to say something before we go back to hating each other again," I said with a stern voice to boost my confidence. "I don't get why you want to pursue me-whether it's just out of curiosity or for fun-I want to make it clear that this is not going the way you want it to be. One, we are too different, and two, we live in two different worlds. I don't want to get my hopes up that this is going to work because I know deep down that it won't."
"How do you know that as a fact when you haven't even tried it? Maybe, it won't go the way you think it'll be."
Now, I was speechless. Why was he so adamant on trying to make this work? I'm neither in his league nor am I an asset to him. I'm nobody and probably the most unlikely person that would be in any relationship with him.
"There is something more you aren't telling me," I contended softly.
"What if there isn't and I just like you?"
My cheeks flushed as I looked away from him for a second, feeling embarrassed about our topic. "Okay … Why are we talking about the pros and cons about dating? From the way things are at the moment, we don't have mutual feelings for each other."