Chapter 7: I'm Interested In You

The car sped away, and Louise disappeared from his view. He couldn't get a glimpse of her through the rearview mirror. Sighing, Axel leaned on the back of the leather seat and massaged his forehead.

The slight throbbing made him uncomfortable; a tinged of pain rushed now and then. He closed his eyes, trying to relax and not think of Louise.

She always gets into trouble, what will she do without me? Alex pondered, wondering how she'll take care of herself. Most of the time, she traveled. A woman like her couldn't stay put in one place.

He talked to her about it before, but she never listened, and it wasn't his turn to stop her. Louise lived her own life the way she wanted it, and so did he.

They were separate individuals who had their own pursuit and goals. Earlier, he was surprised when Louise didn't immediately agree about breaking off their engagement.

He frowned as he tried to guess what was in her mind. Does she like him?

The idea disappeared as fast as it came, and he buried it deep inside his mind. There was no way Louise would like him; they were always at odds.

Boiling lava represented Louise whereas still waters represented Axel. He was calm but ran deep. Louise was the type that burned everything with her energy.

"Sir, where are we going now?" the driver asked, taking his attention. "Are we going to the mall?"

"No need. Miranda's at home," Axel replied, gazing at the towering buildings outside. Passersby walked at the sides of the road in their own groups, some walked alone. Malls were full, people rushed in and out of the establishment.

The city bustled even though the sun was so hot, it was scalding. Waves of heat formed on the road, making it visible to the naked eye.

After twenty minutes or more, they arrived at Axel's place. He walked out, and a woman rushed in his arms. He opened his arms, welcoming her.

The familiar embrace of Miranda made him smile; she was so sweet. Caressing her hair, he asked, "Did you eat already?"

Miranda shook her head. "I waited for you even though I'm hungry. It's always better to eat with someone."

She peeked behind him, gazing inside the car.

"She's not here?" Miranda stared at the backseat, and Louise' image appeared in her mind. Her body trembled for a bit, but she reigned it in.

She was so jealous inside, and she wished that woman had come, so she could teach her a lesson. Miranda bit her lips in anger.

"Nope. Maybe she'll come another time," Axel answered, interlacing their fingers. "How about we go inside and have lunch? Did you cook?"

"I did!" Miranda showed a perfectly innocent smile, hiding the ferocious persona within her. "Rib-eye steak and your favorite aglio e olio."

"Thank you!" He smiled, his arm snaked around her waist. "Let's eat."

*********************

"So, you're saying that Axel wanted to cut your engagement?" Lea repeated, her voice echoed inside the phone.

"Yes."

Louise laid on her bed, sad at Axel's "status". This is what they mean when they say that you'll only know true importance of a person or a thing when it's gone.

Sighing, Louise rolled around on her bed and kicked her soft pillow. Then she restrained herself from screaming, burying her face on another pillow.

"What is wrong with you? Isn't this what you want?" Lea asked, and a crunching noise followed.

"Are you eating an apple? Can you do that later?" Irritation scratched Louise' heart like a cat, annoying.

"So what if I'm eating an apple? Don't you know that eating an apple a day keeps the doctor away?" Lea blurted out, then she started talking about scientific research on the benefits of apple.

"I get it!" Frustration ate at Louise. "I don't want to talk about apple!"

"So, what do you want to talk about?"

"Lea!" Louse was exasperated. "Aren't we talking about Axel? Did you forget already? Are you suffering from Alzheimer's?"

"Are you cursing me?!" Lea gasped. "How can you curse me?"

"Grandma, I'm not cursing you, okay?" Louise rolled her eyes. "I'm just asking a normal question."

"You don't ask people if they have Alzheimer's!" Lea reacted. "I'm not your grandma!"

"Oh… God, help me…" Louise murmured. If there was anyone who she couldn't stand, it would be Lea.

"Okay, tell me, what's weighing you down?" Lea stopped chewing the apple, and asked her seriously.

"I think I love him," Louise whispered, and Lea could barely hear it.

"Come again?" Lea stiffened, her eyes squinted. "Repeat it. Word by word."

"I love,. Axel," Louise said in a much clearer tone. "I just realized it."

"Oh, I thought it's going to be some heaven-shaking secret you're going to tell." Lea shrugged her shoulders.

"This is serious!"

"I know." Lea agreed, and continued, "But I knew about your feelings from years ago. You don't dare to admit it, but you ended up falling in love with your fiancée. That's not wrong."

"Am I that obvious?" A few memories flashed in her head. Whenever they were together before, she always wanted his attention to the point that she would be in trouble.

"Yes, but fortunately for you, Axel is very dense."

Louise stopped talking for a moment, then bit her lips. "He wanted to break the engagement between our families."

Lea sighed, and said, "This is to be expected."

"What?" Louise gasped, slightly angry. "Which side are you on?"

"Yours."

"Then why are you saying this?"

"It's because you need a brutal awakening. Look at you, you're wasting your beauty wearing clothes that don't necessarily suit you." Lea clicked her tongue. "In a few days, I'll be back. Let's work on your attitude after, okay? You're so rough around the edges, I don't know what to do with you."

"Hey, I'm not that bad…." Louse gripped the phone. 'Lea has a point, I'm aware that I don't really resemble a woman when I speak and dress sometimes. It's very rare for me to dress up.'

"Yes, you're a disaster." Lea rolled her eyes.

Louise was about to answer when a man's voice spilled through the speaker. Lea was a player when it came to men, and she never really did question her about it, but the voice was familiar.

Where did she hear it?

"Lea…" the voice repeated again. Louise frowned.

"Who is that? He sounds familiar!"

"No, you don't know him. Just some random guy," Lea laughed and canceled the call immediately. Staring at her phone, Louise wracked her memories for the person, but she couldn't recall it.

But the idea disappeared from her mind when she received a text message.

"Hi, are you free tonight?"

— JC.

It was the JC guy who texted her. Louise stared at the name. Is it okay to go out with him?

"Are you going to party?"

—Louise

"Just you and me."

—JC.

"You sound like a romantic pervert."

—Louise.

She scoffed and smiled as she read the messages.

"At least I make you smile."

—JC.

She burst out laughing. Louise's smile was so sweet and warm, it could melt a frozen heart. Another message arrived.

"Now, you're laughing."

—JC.

"Are you a mind reader?"

—Louise

"Yes, I am. I paid a heavy price to read your mind. You should at least go out with me."

—JC.

"Sure, Mr. Suave, I'll see you tonight. Fresco Restaurant and Bar."

—Louise

"Game. 8:00 pm."

—JC

******************

Louise arrived fashionably late. JC was already inside, waiting for her.

"You're late. I was so scared the women here would eat me alive."

"Eat you alive?" Louise placed her bag at the side.

"Yeah, someone asked me if I'm free. Worse, someone asked me how much and even placed the money in front of me."

JC shuddered, grimacing. "Do you know how it feels? It's because you're so late!"

Louise's eyes roamed over his body, and said, "You look like a gigolo, I guess."

If JC was a gigolo, he must be a high-class one. Another black shirt adorned his body, but he couldn't hide the muscles. His pants encased his long legs. Women would go crazy for him.

"If I'm a gigolo, I'll be yours alone." JC bridged the gap between them, and Louise moved farther.

"What are you doing?" He surprised her.

"Telling you the truth." JC shrugged his shoulders. "I'm interested in you."

"Are you crazy? We just met!" Louise gasped. This was the first time she encountered someone so frank when expressing their feelings.

"So what?" JC raised one of his brow. "Emotions can't be measured by the time you spent together."

"Spent together? This is just our second meeting," she scoffed.

"Correction, our third meeting!"

Louise stared at JC, thinking about what he really wanted from her. There was no way he would just approach her because he was interested in her.

"What do you really want from me? Don't beat around the bush, and state your purpose. I don't play around."