Chapter 7 Not a Date
I couldn’t sleep after that dream. I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, my heart still beating rapidly.
That dream meant something, I just couldn’t take my mind off it.
I recognized the woman’s voice, and the dream felt like it was passing something to me.
I turned onto my side and hugged the pillow to my chest.
“What if there was an external factor that fueled our breakup?”
By morning, I got up from bed and got myself together, the dream still living rent-free in my head.
I dressed up for work and proceeded to the living room. I found Lena in the kitchen, sipping tea as she scrolled through her phone.
She looked up the moment she heard my footsteps.
“Okay… someone looks sad early in the morning,” she said slowly, placing the tea cup carefully on the slab.
I pulled out a chair and sank into it.
“Do you think dreams are real?” I asked, rubbing my hands together.
“Sometimes I think,” Lena answered.
“Did you dream about something?”
“I had a dream about Alex,” I said.
“Of course it would be about him,” she said, also pulling a chair to sit.
I hesitated for a moment, then I spoke.
“He said someone told him I was leaving.”
“Huh,” Lena frowned.
“You never said that,” she said.
“I know right… the breakup still messes with my head sometimes,” I replied.
“So, what happened after what he said?” she asked.
“A woman’s voice said I was never the one for him.”
Lena went quiet, looking at me as if she wanted to pull me off the chair with her eyes.
“A woman’s voice?” she repeated after a moment.
“Yes… I didn’t see her but the voice sounded familiar… too familiar,” I muttered.
Lena leaned back in her chair slowly.
“Joan,” she said softly, her eyes still fixed on me.
“Who do you think the voice belonged to?”
I wanted to talk but I stopped. The thought had crossed my mind when I woke up, but I had pushed it away.
“I didn’t want to trust my instinct,” I said weakly.
“You should,” she scoffed.
“Because Alex’s mother never liked you. Not even a little.”
That was true. I remembered overhearing her voice when I went to visit Alex then.
“You should cut ties with that girl while I’m still taking it easy on you,” she said.
I could hear her slamming her hands against the door.
But Alex defended me.
“Mom, I love Joan and I can’t do without her,” he said and left angrily.
As he stepped outside, I quickly hid beside the building before he would see me.
“I’m running late for work,” I said, clamping my bag to my shoulder.
I took a big gulp from Lena’s tea and dashed out.
By the time I got to work, the dream had faded but it still made me feel uneasy.
I was just settling into my desk when my phone let out a loud beep.
I checked and it was Alex.
I stared at the screen, hesitating longer than necessary before I finally picked up the call.
“Good morning, Mr. Hart,” I said carefully.
“Good morning,” he replied, his voice steady and professional.
“We’ve been called in to pitch the proposal today. The client moved the meeting forward,” he added.
“Oh… That’s sudden,” I straightened.
“They said they are making a decision today,” he replied, his voice still firm.
“Alright,” I said.
“I will meet you there.”
A few minutes later, I got to the meeting room. It was bright and intimidating at first, but everything faded when we started talking.
Alex and I worked like we always did and moved seamlessly through the presentation. At some point, I realized the tension between us had softened.
When we finished, the client exchanged a look with his partner and smiled.
“We will be moving forward with your proposal,” he said.
For a second, I couldn’t breathe. Then Alex let out a quiet laugh beside me.
“Thank you,” he said.
We all shook hands and exited the meeting room.
Reality finally hit me when we got outside the building.
“We did it,” he said with a big smile.
“Yeah, we really did,” I smiled too.
“How about we celebrate?” he asked hesitantly.
“Celebrate?” I blinked.
“Yeah, dinner,” he said, quickly.
I gave him a look that was screaming uncertainty.
Then he cleared his throat.
“Nothing fancy. And…” he lifted a hand slightly, as if he was waiting for my reaction.
“It’s not a date. Just… just celebrating a win.”
I hesitated.
“I don’t know, Alex…”
“Come on,” he pressed.
“You earned it. Just one meal, and I promise I will behave,” he added.
“You are persistent,” I sighed and said.
“Of course. Only when it matters,” he smiled.
“Fine… one meal,” I nodded.
Don’t blame me, my mouth acted before my mind could process it.
“Thank you,” he smiled.
“I have to take care of a few things at the office. I will round up quickly and text you the location,” he added.
“Alright then,” I said and walked towards my car.
Throughout the ride back to my office, I couldn’t stop thinking about everything… that night, the dream, his voice… just everything.
I felt like the project was the beginning of a very big punishment for me. His voice alone always made me want to drip in my panties.
“Gosh!”
“I would just keep things as professional as possible,” I muttered with clenched teeth.
I drove into the garage as fate would have it… one of my car tires stepped on a sharp object and got deflated.
“What the hell?” I rubbed my forehead as I stared at the tire helplessly.
I tried calling a mechanic, but his number didn’t connect.
I walked into my office and sank into the chair as I let out a tired sigh.
“What will I do now?” I said, staring blankly into the ceiling.
Just then, I received a text. It was Alex’s.
He sent me the restaurant’s address.
“I can’t pull out on him,” I thought to myself.
I picked up my phone and replied to his text, explaining that I had a flat tire and that I hadn’t seen a mechanic yet.
“I will come pick you up now.”
His text entered almost immediately.
Soon after, he pulled over right in front of my office.
“Oh, wow,” I blushed.
I reached for my bag and headed out to meet him.
“I will ask my mechanic to come and fix it,” he said, opening the door for me.
“Thank you,” I muttered.
Just as I was about to enter, a female voice called out.
“Alex…”
The way she said his name was too casual, almost like a warning.
“Huh… Hope I’m not about to get beaten for hanging out with someone else’s man.”