Maya
I am at work, and even though Meredith is acting like her usual horrible self, but it doesn’t seem to be affecting me the way it usually does. I was in a good mood after my morning with Conrad. It is nice not to be alone all the time. I still wonder why he is willing to drop everything and come when I need him. I have never had that before in my life. It will take some adjusting. A part of me is waiting for the other shoe to drop, though and for everything to go to hell.
I am due to go for lunch soon, so I am keeping myself busy until then. I am focused on the screen, and I soon catch a glimpse of a figure at my desk. I look up and instantly smile when I see Conrad, who is smiling down at me.
“Hello, Mr Ackley. Can I help you with anything?” I ask sweetly.
He glances around before he rests his hand on my desk, “Hello, beautiful.”
I blush, “You shouldn’t call me that here in case someone hears.” I whisper.
“No one is around. I need to see Meredith, but can we do lunch after?” he asks.
“Where? We can’t be seen together.”
“I know the perfect, please, if you say yes.” He smiles and brushes his fingers to mine.
“Okay. I have lunch in about twenty minutes. Where will I meet you?”
“My driver brought me here, so I will ask him to park outside of the Roast coffee shop at the bottom of the road. No one will know it is my car and my driver can be trusted. How long do you have for lunch?”
“An hour since I didn’t take my morning break,” I reply.
“Okay, great. The place isn’t too far from here. I will call ahead with our order so it is ready for our arrival since we won’t have too much time.” He smiles.
I nod, “Sounds good.”
“See you soon, gorgeous,” he winked and disappeared to see Meredith.
I look around to ensure no one is watching us interact, but everyone is busy working, thankfully. I turn back to my work to finish up before I need to head out. Conrad comes out of Meredith’s office less than ten minutes after entering. He flashes a smile in my direction before leaving. I wasn’t expecting to share my lunch break with him today. We made plans to see each other tonight. I was going to cook him dinner as a thank you, but he didn’t mention about lunch.
I quickly signed out, grabbed my things, and headed out before Meredith tried to find an excuse to keep me through my lunch. I make my way down the street and look out for a town car because I assume it is the car he will be in. I should probably text him just to make sure.
What car are you in? The black town car? xx
I wait for a text back but don’t receive one; instead, I see the car open. I will take that as a yes. I rush over and quickly climb in, closing the door behind me. The last thing any of us need is someone seeing me getting into a fancy car. People will ask questions.
“Hello, again.” He chuckles.
“Hi, hi. I haven’t seen you in ages.” I snicker.
He laughs and reaches over to kiss me softly, his hand on my cheek. I smile into the kiss and happily kiss back. It is short and sweet. Conrad lets his driver know we are ready to go.
“Where are we going for lunch?” I ask curiously.
“It is an Italian restaurant—a small, homely one. I called ahead like I said. I ordered you Carbonara as a main and a plate of Bruschetta between us, for starters. Are those okay?”
“Yes, perfect. Thank you.”
I am surprised he knew what to order me. He hasn’t known me that long, and I find it sweet. He smiles brightly and pecks my lips.
“How has your day been?” he asks.
“Busy, but not bad. You? I wasn’t expecting to see you until tonight.”
“The same. Yes, I know that was the plan, but I wanted to see you, so I made an excuse to come to the office.” He chuckles.
“So, you didn’t really need to see Meredith. You made an excuse to see her so you could see me?” I giggle.
Conrad smiles brightly and nods eagerly. I blush at the idea.
“I couldn’t help myself. I hope you don’t mind?”
I shake my head and kiss him, “Not at all.”
It was a pleasant surprise. I had been thinking about him since we said our goodbyes this morning.
“Good.” He says and prods my nose.
I snicker and wriggle my nose, which makes him chuckle. It doesn’t take long for the car to come to a stop. Conrad climbs out first and comes around to open the door for me. He offers me his hand, which I take, and he helps me out. I noticed we are up a side street with a couple of restaurants and stores, too. I didn’t even know these places were here.
“How have I never been up here before?”
“Unless you know about them, it is easy to miss them. I love the place. I come here often.” he smiles.
He places his hand on the small of my back and guides me towards the restaurant. I am a little on edge, keeping my eyes wide open to make sure no one who knows us is around. We managed to enter without issue.
“Conrad, hello again.” An older woman greets us as we walk inside.
“Hello, Alexandra.” He smiles.
“And you brought someone with you, which is unseal.” She replies.
“Yes. Alexandra, this is Maya. Maya, Alexandra, she owns the place with her husband and son.” He introduces.
I extend my hand to her, but she hugs me instead. I am a little taken aback, but hug back.
“It is lovely to meet you, Maya.” She says.
“You too, Alexandra.”
Once we pull apart, she hugs Conrad, too. She motions us to follow her to a table.
“Can I get you both a drink?” she asks.
“Just water for me, please. I called ahead with our food orders. I spoke to Jason; he said he would start prepping for us since we don’t have much time.” Conrad smiles.
“Can I have a latte, please?” I ask.
She nods and disappears to make our drinks. Conrad reaches over the table and takes my hand in his, smiling.
“Thank you for joining me for lunch, beautiful.”
“No bother. It is better than having it alone. I had been thinking of you before you showed up.” I say honestly.
He dances his fingers up and down my arm, “You were, uh?”
“Yes. I have been thinking about you since we said goodbye.” I whisper nervously.
A smile rises on his lips, “I have been thinking about you too.”
He reaches over and caresses my cheek. I close my eyes and move into his touch. He pulls away, and I open my eyes to find him staring back at me, his eyes gentle.
“I am looking forward to our dinner tonight, but you really don’t need to cook. We could go out or order in,” he suggests.
“No, I want to cook.” I smile and lean over, stealing a quick kiss.
“Okay, if you insist.”
“I do,” I reply.
We didn’t get a chance to say another word because Alexandra came over with our drinks and starter.
“Enjoy. Let me know when you are ready for your main.” She says and disappears.
I am ready for coffee and a good lunch. I am happy he seems to have found somewhere for us where no one will see us. It is something we won’t manage to do often.