Chapter 43 Subtle Flirt
Just a few seconds later, another text popped up again.
“I hope I’m not disturbing.”
Then I finally replied.
“Not at all. What is that about?”
Three dots appeared immediately. It was as if he stayed in my chat.
“My sister asked me to reach out to you.”
“Wait… his sister? The same one I met at the balcony?” I blinked.
“Did he tell him the same thing she told me at the balcony?”
As I was still asking about it, another three dots appeared and a text dropped immediately after.
“She said she really liked your work and that your finishing work at the project site really impressed her, so she wants you to redesign her workspace.”
My eyes widened and I straightened fully now, my designer mode kicking in despite my flimsy mood.
“Oh… that’s nice. I’m honored,” I replied.
“She wanted to call you herself but she’s traveling tomorrow morning, so she asked me to speak to you on her behalf first.”
“Oh,” I nodded slowly to myself.
“If you are free… we could meet and discuss the details over coffee,” another text dropped.
“Sure… when will be okay for you? I will work around your schedule,” I said.
“Okay… Tomorrow morning?”
His text came almost immediately after mine.
“That’s fine by me,” I replied and smiled smugly to myself.
I couldn’t afford to miss that, not after collecting all those business cards at the opening ceremony.
My mind drifted to Alex for a split second but I pushed the thought aside.
I opened his message and dropped a short reply.
“Yeah.”
Then I sighed.
“Work first before situationships,” I mumbled to myself and threw my phone on the bed.
The next morning, I arrived at the location Dave had sent to me the previous night.
It was a classy and very quiet rooftop cafe.
When I entered, I spotted him immediately. He was sitting at a corner table, dressed in a designer blue shirt, the sleeves neatly folded to his elbows, and a pair of Jean trousers with his hair slightly tousled.
He looked up from the laptop in front of him when I walked closer to him, his lips twitching into a familiar smirk.
“Right on time,” he said, standing up and stretching his hand forward for a handshake.
“Traffic was kind today,” I replied as we shook hands.
He held my hands longer than usual, smiling as he stared at me.
Then he pulled out a chair for me.
“Thank you,” I said and sat down.
“You are welcome… Joan,” he smiled, saying my name slower than usual as he turned the laptop toward me.
My heart almost wavered but I ignored it and focused on the laptop he turned toward me.
For the next couple of minutes, the meeting was strictly professional.
He showed me the layout measurements, color palettes, his sister’s reference design, and material preferences.
I asked questions, took notes, and suggested a few structural improvements.
Dave listened attentively, more attentively than most clients ever did.
But gradually, the air shifted.
“You are very detailed,” he said, watching me as I sketched over the layout.
“That’s my job,” I replied lightly.
“No… I mean beyond your job, you notice things,” he added.
I didn’t know what that meant, so I just shrugged lightly and continued.
“Designers are trained to notice spaces,” I stated.
He didn’t reply immediately. Instead, he stared at me for a while.
I looked down and focused on my sketch, my cheeks feeling hot.
“I wasn’t talking about spaces,” he continued.
I looked up slowly, my pen pausing mid-sketch.
Then he stared at me again.
“What is he doing?” I thought to myself, cleared my throat, and returned my gaze to the laptop.
“Can we focus on your sister’s workspace?” I asked.
“Sure,” he replied, smiling faintly as if he had expected that I would divert the conversation.
A few minutes later, the waiter brought our drinks and placed them carefully on our table.
“I didn’t order this,” I said, my brows raising slightly.
“Oh… I did,” he replied and gestured to the waiter to leave.
“I figured you liked that since you ordered it at the opening ceremony,” he added with a soft smile.
“He noticed that?” I thought to myself and blinked.
“Thank you,” I said and picked up the glass to take a sip.
He leaned back in his chair and watched me over the rim of his glass cup.
“You work too hard,” he said out of the blue.
“Why did you say that?” I said, my brows furrowing.
“You look like someone who carries everyone responsibility on her shoulders,” he replied.
“That’s adulthood for you,” I chuckled.
“Hmm… but you look different and lighter when you smile though,” he said, a small smile tugging at his lips.
I looked up again, then I smirked.
“You sure know how to analyze people.”
“Yeah, I do… only to the ones I find interesting.”
I almost wavered again.
He wasn’t crossing the line, but he was walking right beside it.
“So… does your sister prefer warm lighting or recessed strips?” I asked, forcing a small professional smile.
He leaned forward, pretending not to hear me.
“Do you always do this?” he asked, searching my face.
“Do what?” I asked, my brows slightly pulled together.
“Hide behind work when someone tries to know you,” he said softly, his gaze fixed on me.
I met his eyes again, my chest tightening.
This time, there was no smirk on his face… just pure curiosity.
I looked away and breathed in slowly.
“We are here to discuss your sister’s project, Dave,” I said.
He leaned back again and raised his hand in surrender.
“Alright… work it is,” he said even though the smirk on his lips said otherwise.
An hour later, we wrapped up. I packed up my sketches, closed my folder, and stood up.
“Thank you for the opportunity,” I said.
“My sister is picky… so you earned it, Joan,” he smiled.
We both walked towards the exit together.
Once outside, he turned to me and leaned towards me slightly.
“I meant it when I said you looked lighter when you smile,” he whispered in my ear.
“So… smile more often,” he added, taking a few steps back from me.
“Goodbye, Mr. Wilton,” I said, pretending not to hear what he said earlier.
He walked me to my car and headed towards his.
As I dropped my bag on the passenger’s seat and just as I was about to start my car, my phone vibrated in my bag.
I took it out of my bag and checked the content of the text only to see one that made my breath stop.
“You won’t believe this…”