Chapter 6

(Austin)

I INSTINCTIVELY put down the wineglass on the table when I saw the woman who just entered the Italian restaurant where I was in. My heart raced. God, I missed that face.

Now that the woman was sober, she looked more seductive. She was wearing a peach off-shoulder dress which barely reached her knees. Her hair was tied in a loose bun, exposing her long and smooth neck. She looked so sure of herself as she walked in. Her confidence only made her lovelier and sexier.

When I turned around, I saw the majority of the male patrons eyeing her with curiosity. For the first time, I felt a pang of jealousy in my chest. Now that I’ve seen her again, I became a hundred percent sure that I wanted her only for myself. It’s the reason why I’ve been acting like a complete love-struck fool who kept coming to the bar, hoping to have a glimpse of her there.

But I did not get to see her again.

Now that I’ve had a taste of her lips, I realized that I miss her lips as well. I’ve yearned to kiss them again. She was constantly on my mind. And If I would still hesitate tonight, someone might beat me to it and I might lose my chance.

I stood up when I saw her approaching my table. I smiled at her but my jaw dropped when she simply walked past me. When I came back to my senses, I followed her and gently held her hand to stop her from walking.

Her forehead creased as she turned to look at me. Even with that expression, she was still just as mesmerizing.

“Yes?” she asked in a polite voice.

“H-hi.” I cleared my throat. I don’t know why but I feel suddenly nervous. Get a grip of yourself, McClennan! I cursed myself inwardly before I tried to smile again. “Don’t you remember me? I’m Austin McClennan. We met at the Barons’ eleven nights ago. You were so drunk that you passed out.” Right after you slapped me. “So I brought you to my house and then you...” Kissed me and slept on me which gave me many sleepless nights, you see. “Just left afterwards.”

“Oh,” she said, looking surprised.

And when she smiled, she took my breath away. I had a bad day today. There were piles of work I had to do. We had a problem with the water system that was needed in our mining business. I had to travel for hours to personally check the situation before I went back to the office and reported it to the board members.

My brothers and I inherited the McClennan Power, Oil, and Mining Corporation. I’m in charge of the mining, Alano takes care of the oil, while Ansel handles everything that was related to the power plants. Ansel was our eldest brother. And he was strict when it came to the family business that’s why he demands a detailed report each time something happens.

But the second this stranger smiled, I felt like my worst day just changed into one of the best days of my life. My mood was extra sour out of my frustration since I couldn’t see her the past nights. But now that she was in front of me, I could feel my worries disappearing. I needed that smile to recharge. That’s why I was glad that I saw that smile just when I needed it the most.

“Does that smile mean that you remember me now?”

“Of course. How could I forget my enemy’s exact replica?”

My brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

She shrugged. “Just kidding. The night we met, I remember mentioning that you looked a lot like my ex.” Her lips curled into another beautiful smile as if she was suddenly embarrassed. “I’m sorry if I left without saying goodbye. I was ashamed. I’ve caused you so many troubles that night. So if there’s a way I could make it up to you, just tell me.”

My eyes lit up. “Really?”

She nodded. “Really.”

“Well, there are a couple of things you can do. I mean, you’re right. You really did cause me troubles that night.” Because I’ve been losing sleep since the night I met you. You had me searching for you for more than a week now. I came back to the bar over and over again, hoping I could bump into you. I didn’t even know I could stand being in that place for hours just waiting for you to show up. “First, you can dine with me. Are you waiting for someone?”

“No.”

Yes!

“All right.” I led her back to my table and pulled out the chair for her. When we were both sitting, I stared at her and smiled. “I haven’t gotten your name yet.”

“I’m Maggy. Maggy De Lara.”

“Are you still single? Dating? Or...” I stopped midway when I saw the amusement on her face. Now it was my turn to be embarrassed. I’ve never tried initiating the first step to get to know someone that’s why I’m not sure if I’m doing the right thing. At times like this, I wished I’m more like my brothers who were experts in dealing with women. Heck, compared to my brothers, I just realized that I’m indeed, a nerd.

I don’t go out often and I refused to meet people if it was not business related. My form of relaxation was reading or watching anything that involves the Earth’s structures and features. No matter how I hate to admit it, I realized that I’m proving to be a very boring man.

I scratched the back of my head and just decided to be honest. “I’m sorry. I’m not used to this. But Maggy, I've liked you from the very first moment we met. I know that it’s too early for this, but if I don’t say this now, I might not have a chance again and—”

Maggy chuckled. “Austin, relax. Yes, I’m still single. And no, I’m not dating anyone at the moment. I told you, my ex and I just broke up—”

“I promise I won’t be a complication,” I quickly replied. “But I’m urging you to take a chance on me. Please give us a chance to get to know each other better. Unlike your ex, I won’t hurt you.”

Her eyes glowed, hinting off a shroud of mystery. “But what if in the process, I’m the one who ends up hurting you?”

I was taken aback. But only for a moment. I softly smiled. “It’s a risk I have to take, then. As they say, no pain, no gain.”