Chapter 19

“What are you doing here by this time Rachel? Is everything okay?”

“I didn't want to interrupt your business call so I had to wait till an appropriate time that feels like you would be through with the call”

“Come in. You look troubled.”

“Nice view. Did you really have any business call?” she asked as saw the wine glass sitting beside the window pane.

“Rachel what is going on?”

“Your phone or Tab in nowhere in sight, there is a bottle of wine and wine glass beside the window pane, you are wearing a night robe and you have classical playing in the background. Did you really have any business call or you just used it as an excuse to wade me off?”

“Rachel....”

“Aiden please answer me.”

“There was no business call. I am sorry I lied.”

“I waited in the lobby for two hours with a thousand thoughts of what to say waiting for you to be through with your business call and I come up to find out that you were having the time of your life.”

“Rachel what exactly would you have me do? Come and have a bite of your pastries and watch the one person I cannot have for some unknown reasons sit right in front of me? Well I can't. Do you know how I struggled not to go back to that nasty hole of anger and sadness after you disappeared because of something I know nothing about. Something that never happened. It's so obvious that you don't trust me.”

“So all along you've been avoiding me? Aiden I was an inexperienced immature girl. Everybody knows how many women are so desperate to clutch unto you at the slightest chance they get. I have become so used to the type of girls you used to bring home before Sabrina and none of them looked anything like me. Call it insecurities or whatever, many at times I get this feeling that at a point you'll get tired of me. You hurt me unconsciously every time you brought a girl home. I became so used to the fact that all you'll ever see me as  is a sister. You made sure you made that very clear. Aiden I'm ready to enter into a relationship with you that's if you still want me.”

“Rachel, my Rachel. Maybe we should take things slow. Just for the record, the only reason I went for light girls was mainly because I didn't want to have to look at the girl I am dating and see you. Growing up, I had feelings for you. Still do though. I usually would discourage any of my friends that had intentions of dating you while we were in secondary school. During my dark days, I didn't want you to see me how every one saw me. Your presence quenched those flames that erupted from within. But what is a relationship without trust? I suggest we fix that part and see where it leads. For now we are better off as friends. I'll be going back tomorrow to sort out some business issues but I'll be back soon.”

Did he just say they were better off as friends? Or was it her hearing something else She thought. This same guy was professing his love to her few days back. She wished the ground could open up and swallow her. She had thought of the perfect thing to say while she was packing her made pastries to drop off for Aiden. Her initial plan was to stop by and drop the pastries but on her way to his room, she had imagined him flying back and probably never coming back for her.

“Friends? Well, we can't be friends. How do you expect me to wake up every morning with the thought that after pouring out my heart to you I end up being friendzoned. Some people build trust when they are in the relationship and not before they enter one. I guess this is goodbye" she said as she picked out the pastry and dropped it on the table.

“Rachel wait. Let's not end things like this.” The  slam of the door was all he got as her reply.

He was trying to help her. Why in the world would she take it the wrong way. What if in the future such messages occur was she going to pick her bag and flee? He was going back to put things in place before moving over here permanently. Bathina was a place he wouldn't mind raising his children. Earlier he had been negotiating to buy the building beside hers so they could easily have access to each other and work on were they were heading.

One thing she had always promised herself never to do was drink away her sorrows because she noticed that most people that tried it usually ended up taking decisions or steps that brought they more sorrow. So she cried herself to sleep. She woke up due to the consistent sound of someone knocking on her door. Her head was pounding from yesterday's sulking. She checked the time and found out it was 5:30 in the morning. Was the estate on fire? She questioned. What could be the reason for someone banging on her door.

She threw on her red silk night robe and went to confirm who was at the door. Through the small eye hole, she saw Aiden pacing in front the her door. She quickly took a look at self in mirror and cringed. Her eyes were swollen from crying and her bed hair was nothing to write home about. She combed her hands through it to make it  fall a little.

“Aiden it better be an important reason for you to show up at my doorstep banging my door by 5:30 am.”

“Have you been crying? your eyes are really swollen” he said.

“Yea my rabbit died yesterday.” she lied.

“Oh. I see . So sorry for your loss. And to answer the reason as to why I showed up this early is because I couldn't sleep all night. You want to know why? I had planned to go back and sort things out so I can move to Bathina after I have sorted the main branch but after giving it much thought through the night, I don't want to go and then comeback and find you in the arms of another man. I know I said we should be friends for now but I only said that so that during this period, I can gain your trust. I don't want our relationship to be built on doubts because of women who have made it a priority to cause problems for me. So here's what I came up with. I will have my most trusted hand work in the main branch and then I can oversee the one here in Bathina. I just recently bought the building across your house for our Bathina branch and the one few blocks away for my apartment. I'll stay at the hotel till it's renovated. I have lost you once, this time I am not taking any chances. ”

She stood there staring at him trying to process all he had just said. He was willing to take all this drastic steps just to be with her. Never in her life had she felt this important.

“Please say something. Your silence is eating me up.”

“Aiden. This is a drastic decision. You would leave the life you built and start afresh? What will people say? Your home, your company, your friends, everything. In as much as I am crazy in love with your plans, I just can’t let you do it. Aren’t you moving too fast?”

“I don’t care what anyone has to say well asides you. It’s not like everything is going to be set ablaze. They aren’t going anywhere. You on the other hand can be taken from me any moment and that I can’ts afford to lose. I have seen the way some doctors look at you and I don’t like it.”

“Kiss me just this once and then we can go back to your initial plans of us being friends.”

“Your wish is my command.”

She had dreamed of this moment times without number and she was overwhelmed that it was finally taking place. It had occurred before but she didn’t like the after effects of those moments The feel of his mouth on her lips. The way he kissed her was magical. He was the one she was ready to spend her whole life with. They both had flaws but they were going to work on it. She was ready to build that trust. No one was going to take her man. Not on her watch. After what felt like forever, she drew him in closed the door and made them breakfast. Someone was going to be late to work today she thought. Thank God she was on her call break. She took a moment to watch him do the dishes after they had eaten. It was a site that would love rent free in her head. Some men didn’t even have quarter of his wealth yet they feel too big to assist in the kitchen.