A date?
A date?
"Have you forgotten part of the reason I accepted to tag along for this trip was the follow on the progress of the club?" Morgan Daniels questioned frantically as she followed ELeanor who walked into the room. She slowed her pace and gave her the death glare when Eleanor looked at her with a smirk on her face, knowing fully well that Morgan wouldn't go off on her because Lea was fast asleep.
"This is not over" Morgan warned before storming out of the room and back to the living room of the suit.
The older woman seized the opportunity and did a proper tour of the room. It was decorated with a Scandinavian design, a minimalistic style using a blend of textures and soft hues, creating a sleek and inviting modern decor. The walls were painted in a neutral palette of white and beige with a little addition of soft pastel blues, giving the room a bright well-lighted room. A grey Scandinavian sofa stood round the corners of the room, a small Scandinavian coffee table standing in the middle, above a white fluffy rug. On the wall, was a sixty-four-inch curved TV that was, at the moment, switched off. To my left, was a vast glass window, giving off the incredible view of Grassview. Eleanor really did choose the best.
Morgan Daniels was smitten with the decor and suddenly, she had the brilliant idea of changing the decorations in the house to something like this.
Her ringing phone tore her attention from thoroughly inspecting the material the couch was made out of. She picked up her phone that was on the sofa. The caller ID read Terry. Finally, she was returning her calls after weeks and weeks of calling.
"Hello,"
"Hey, Morgan. I just got your voicemail"
"Yeah. I've been trying to get a hold of you for a while now, what's happening?"
"Everything is running smoothly, I have everything under control," she says.
"I'm going to need more than that Terry. Give me details" Morgan Daniels was fed up hearing the same answer whenever Terry decides to pick up when she called. She needed to know the welfare of her business and hearing her scripted response wasn't enough.
The line on the other end was silent for a while, making Morgan wonder if the call was still ongoing. Her worries were answered when Terry spoke up.
"Okay. I'll send a detailed report to you by evening"
"I'll like that, thank you very much," the call got disconnected and Morgan fell back on the sofa. She was alone with her thoughts as she fell back on the sofa, letting out a loud sigh. Only then did she realise that their luggage was yet to come. Worried, she wondered if calling the reception would be a good idea or just holding on for a while longer.
In the end, she decided it will be best to call reception and get it over with.
"Hi, I'm calling from room nine zero nine. We checked in today and we were told our luggage will be sent up, that was over an hour ago"
"I apologise for the inconvenience. I will have them sorted out right away" a kind voice spoke on the other end. She muttered thanks before hanging up the call.
Morgan Daniels was nervous.
It felt like she was experiencing a combination of anxiety, dread, and excitement all at once. Her palms were starting to get sweaty, her heart rate increasing, and she felt a fluttery nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach.
In less than thirty minutes, she will be standing in front of SBAC, the building that hoisted Maia's penthouse. How Eleanor had got the address, was beyond her comprehension and she decided against questioning her for her peace of mind.
Eleanor explained the plan. All Morgan Daniels had to do was walk up to her penthouse, introduce herself once she saw who she came for, and then proceed to ask her on a date.
Morgan was excited about seeing Maia, but at the same time, she was scared. Scared that Maia may not even be home. Scared of her reaction, scared that, given the last time the red-haired was at her house, she got upset and left and that this time, she might slam the door in her face. But most importantly, scared that Morgan wouldn’t be able to woo her.
“You’re tensed” Eleanor mentioned.
“No shit Sherlock, what gave it away?” Morgan rolled her eyes, annoyance filled in her voice.
Eleanor chuckled, using a brush to pull her hair back in a laid-back ponytail before using a stringing rubber to hold it in one place.
“Mummy, where are you going?” Lea asks, from the mirror as she lowered her Samsung Galaxy Tab eight that Eleanor gifted to her for her birthday which was May nineteenth.
“Mummy just has some things to take care of” Morgan called out, now focusing her attention on the reflection of herself in the mirror. Eleanor did a great job with her hair, but she felt it didn’t match her outfit.
“You think it doesn’t match it doesn’t go with the office right?” Eleanor's gaze met Morgan's in the mirror.
“In my opinion, I think it’s best if it falls over my shoulders”
“I think so too”
The older woman was dressed in dark blue tailored pants and a white long sleeves shirt, which she matched with a pair of black shoes. She remembers Maia’s reaction when she first saw her I'm Crestview for Roi’s and Julie’s wedding. She was gobsmacked. Of course, along the line, she admitted how much she loved seeing the older woman in a suit, and Morgan was hoping today’s outfit would ignite those feelings.
“There you go, you looked great,”
“Thank you!” Morgan exclaimed, the nerves she felt earlier tripled and rapidly flushed through her entire body.
“I order flowers and chocolates, they are down at the reception. I have the car ready too, just inform at the reception and everything will be handed to you.”
Morgan Daniels was reeling in shock. When and how did she do all of this? Grateful for this grand gesture of hers, Morgan took her in a hug, making her body tense, but that quickly vanished when she muttered a “thank you”
“You’re welcome. Now you better hurry, I have a date to prepare” Eleanor announced with a wink making Morgan smile. She walked over to Lea whose head was buried in her Samsung Tab.
“Hey, little monkey! Mummy’s leaving now, but you’ll be with Aunt Eli alright?” Morgan Daniels waited until the little nodded before placing a quick kiss on her forehead, whispering the words 'I love you' and then walking out of the room. She closed the door to the suit behind her, and let out a sigh before walking through the empty quiet hallway.
Morgan Daniels looked at the time on her watch. Seven fifty-five p.m.
She was standing outside of Santa Barbara Apartment Complex. Her feet felt heavy, as though a heavy metal held them firm on the ground, making it impossible for her to raise her feet and take a step forward.
The nerves she felt had managed to subside. But as she was standing in front of the elevator, knowing that Maia was upstairs, and not knowing how she would react to seeing her standing on the threshold of her apartment is what made her anxious.
But she was here, and she refused to chicken out last minute.
Flowers and a box of chocolate in hand, Morgan Daniels swallowed a gulped, braced herself and matched in briskly into the lobby, headed straight for the elevator.
The ride to the elevator was painful as she was the only one riding in it. The silence wasn’t quiet. Her thoughts were so loud, tripling her level of angst. But at last, she was standing in front of apartment seven zero two.
She let out a sigh.
Maia Shelton was standing on the other end of the room.
Morgan Daniels placed a light knock on the door and waited patiently for the door to open. Noise could be heard on the end of the door, and the noise grew closer and closer indicating that someone was approaching the door.
The door flew open and there stood Maia in a grey sports bra and grey sweatpants. Her eyebrows raised, then slowly curved as the surprised look on her face was replaced with something else.
Morgan smiled awkwardly, denying to show the nerves that were slowly starting to cripple her.
“Morgan? What- now?” she questions taken aback.
This is good. She wasn't yelling and asking her to get the hell away from her apartment. She cleared her throat and stretched out her hand, giving her the flowers. Again, her eyebrows raised as though she had only noticed just noticed the flowers.
“These are for you,”
“Thank You!” she says
“Babe, who’s at the door?” a voice yelled from inside the penthouse.
Morgan's heart didn’t pound at the sound of the voice yelling inside, neither did her stomach twist with jealousy nor did her knuckles fist tight from anger because that voice was a voice she had heard several times in the past. It was Janata.
“It’s no one” Maia yelled out before turning to the woman before her.
Oddly enough, Morgan didn't find Maia's description of her offensive.
“Uh, if it’s not a hassle, I’ll like to take you out on a date,” Morgan crossed her fingers that were hidden in the pockets of her tailored pants.
Maia looked torn. She looked back inside, turned her gaze to Morgan and looked at the flowers and chocolates she had handed to her.
Morgan desperately needed her to say yes. But when Maia looked at the flowers and back at her, her heart fell. The look in her eyes said everything she dreaded hearing.
“Uh, I’m sorry I can’t tonight. Janata and I have this thing” she says, remorse laced in her voice.
With a heavy heart, Morgan nodded. “It’s alright, I understand. Uh, I’m staying at the Sawa Hotel, suit nine zero nine. You can call reception anytime and ask to speak to me, or you can call my personal line. Whatever works for you”
Morgan took a step back and was about to leave when suddenly she turned and awkwardly said.
“I…. Uh, I’ll be at the Rabinga Hotel, in case you know, want to call earlier” she repeated awkwardly.
Maia Shelton smiled and nodded saying “Alright Morgan, have a good night and thanks for the flowers,”
Morgan Daniels walked through the quiet hallways and headed for the elevator. She pushed the button and the doors to the elevator opened.
Unlike like when she was coming, she wasn’t nervous. Now, she was sad.
Sad that she had dressed up for nothing. Sad that she never got to take Maia on a date. But she tried to replace those negative thoughts with positive ones. Like how Maia didn’t kick her out. Not like she had even had the chance to go in. She acknowledged her gifts. She smiled at her.
And promised to call. It wasn’t much, but it was a great start.
Morgan Daniels was standing out of the penthouse, cold chilly wind blowing loudly. It looked like it was about to rain and she was thankful she had worn long sleeves, not that it would prevent the rain from falling, but at least, it will keep her warm.
She got into the car she had driven here. She didn’t want to go back to the hotel. She may be all alone as Eleanor earlier said she will be taking Lea out on a date. And at the same time, Morgan didn’t want to stay out.
Incapable of deciding for herself, she turned on the ignition and drove off, not knowing where she was driving to but trusting her gut to take her to the right place.
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