Declaration of Love

Zunnie got to the restaurant Carson had chosen at exactly eleven forty-five. Her eyes surveyed the room but she could not find him. Just then a restaurant attendant walked up to her.

"Miss Bai, this way please."

She turned to the voice surprised that they knew who she was and why she was there. The young lady directed her to the second floor's private dining room. It was such a luxurious room that Zunnie couldn't help wondering how much it cost to reserve it.

She was ushered to an empty table and was offered a drink. Before the attendant left, she made sure to tell her;

"Mr. Maule will be with you in a minute. He had to take a short call."

Zunnie smiled and thanked her.

She hardly ever got nervous but being married to Alex and having lunch with Caron made her feel a bit wayward.

She took a sip from the orange juice that had been placed beside her and patiently waited for what seemed like forever, but in reality, was only five minutes.

"Ah, Zunnie; my apologies for keeping you waiting. Let's order." His voice was charming and when she heard his voice behind her, Zunnie's heart skipped a beat.

"It's nothing, Mr. Maule." She smiled politely at him as he sat in the chair opposite from her.

After she replied, Carson hurriedly ordered food for them with the waiting attendant.

Sitting in a room with just them made her feel uncomfortable. It seemed as if they were on a date and Zunnie couldn't help thinking about Alex being jealous earlier.

'If he saw this get up, I'm sure he would go ballistic.' She gave a light chuckled inside.

The fact that he was jealous because she did not inform him of the lunch date showed revealed a cute side of him Zunnie have never really seen.

"Call me Carson for the millionth time. Mr. Maule sounds too professional and that's what people call my dad." He grinned at her disrupting her thoughts.

"Apologies…C-Carson."

"I hope you don't find it unusual...me asking you to meet for lunch. I've always wondered what eating with you would be like. You still don't remember me from high school?"

"It's not that strange. After all, you have been helping us find the person responsible for causing the accident. I wanted to visit with you, so I could thank you in person for your hard work. Thank you, Carson. Alex and I are really grateful. As for remembering you, I'm afraid I still don't."

"I did it because I wanted to. I wanted to do something special for you."

"And why would you want to do something special for me? Isn't it a burden?" Zunnie was curious as to why he would help her, seeing they had no relations.

What he replied left her speechless.

"I like you Zunnie. I've loved you for a long time. I confessed to you in high school, but you rejected me. I remember your exact words to this day. I know you're married but I wanted to tell you how I truly felt. Maybe then I can move on or not. I love you, Zunnie Bai."

She remained silent, not sure how to respond to his sudden declaration of love. High school days happen to be a distant memory in her mind and she felt terrible for not remembering him. So many boys had been confessing to her back his high school so she had stopped trying to remember who they were.

She was secretly wondering what he had looked like in high school and accidentally blurt out.

"Maybe if you had a picture I might remember you..."

It was only when Carson pushed his phone toward her that she noticed she had spoken aloud.

Her deep blue eyes locked onto the picture of him with his friends. They were sitting in the library. A spot she was familiar with because her eyes always stopped there when she took a break from studying.

"You were part of this noisy library group?" Her amusement made Carson laugh.

"Ha-ha, I was but I was not the noisy one. My friends were." He smiled as if he were happy she had finally remembered him.

"I can't say I recognize you, but I do remember the group of boys who always sat at this table, and were always getting scolded for being too loud. At the time the things you guys said were funny, but other times I silently prayed the librarian would ban your group from the library. It never happened."

"I'm not going to lie, my friends wanted you to look our way, so you could notice me. Sadly, you never did; I mean, noticed me."

Even though the memories she had seeing the picture made her feel warm inside, there was already someone taking up her heart and all her love. Still, she had to decline his confession once again.

When lunch arrived, they chatted and relived the good memories they had created during high school. The food he ordered for her was delicious and she was surprised at how much she enjoyed it and his companionship. However, she had to reject his confession, for her and for him. Maybe he would be able to move on as he mentioned earlier.

"Ah, how unfortunate. As much as this picture brings back memories, I can't accept your confession once again. I'm married, and I truly love my husband. If there comes a time when you can see me as a friend, I'll be happy to call you my friend." Her reply on their way out was sincere.

Zunnie was oblivious to what he was thinking as she watched him flash her a warm smile. She had no idea that Carson knew he was going to be rejected yet he wanted to confess his feelings one last time. As he listened to her he was happy he had, and she was willing to become friends with him. Maybe one day if anything ever happened with her relationship to Alex, he would be there to comfort her.

As she asked back to her car, she was in a good mood. She was about to call Sanua who had informed her to call her after lunch when she saw him leaning against her car.

The worried expression he had made her heart pound erratically and every step she took toward him made her knees weak.

"D-Darling what are you doing here?"

"I came to see you back to your office." He smirked.

He grabbed her waist and kissed her violently, igniting a sweet desire within her.

"I love you..." She whispered in his ear when he broke away from her lips.