Damian
I hadn’t expected to see Elara that morning.
When Kenna called me a few days ago to ask if I could pick her up from the airport, I agreed without thinking much about it.
She had been one of my closest friends for years, and whenever she was in the country, I was usually the one dragging her around the city.
I certainly hadn’t expected to walk into a crowd of competing companies and find Elara standing among them.
The moment I saw her, I almost wondered if I was imagining things.
She looked just as surprised as I felt.
For the briefest moment, our eyes met before someone greeted Kenna, breaking whatever strange silence had formed between us.
Only then did I notice the company logo on the folders everyone was carrying.
Business representatives.
So that was why she was there.
I found myself watching her more than I should as Kenna greeted everyone.
Elara remained quiet, standing slightly behind her manager, looking professional in a simple cream blouse and navy skirt.
She looked nothing like the nervous woman I’d found in that bar two nights ago.
And I preferred this version.
This was where she belonged.
Then Kenna reached her.
“I’m Elara Green,” she introduced herself and smiled genuinely.
Instead of simply shaking her hand and moving on, Kenna smiled in that particular way she reserved for people she genuinely found attractive.
Kenna continued complimenting her eyes, then somehow managed to ask for her phone number in front of several executives without sounding embarrassed in the slightest.
What surprised me most was that Elara actually agreed.
By the time we returned to the parking lot, I had reached one conclusion.
Kenna was flirting.
And she wasn’t even trying to hide it.
The moment we settled inside my car, Kenna fastened her seat belt before turning toward me with a grin that immediately made me suspicious.
“What?” I asked in arched brow.
She laughed.
“You’ve been unusually quiet.”
”I’ve been sitting here for approximately twelve seconds.”
”You’ve also been glaring at me for ten of those.”
I started the engine.
“I wasn’t glaring,” I said.
“I was evaluating your judgment.”
She burst into laughter.
“There it is.
That’s the Damian I know.”
I pulled out of the parking lot without responding.
Kenna rested her elbow against the window.
“I like her.”
I already knew who she meant.
“I gathered that.”
”No,” she corrected.
“I mean I really like her.”
I glanced at her briefly.
“You’ve known her for less than five minutes.”
”And?”
”And that’s hardly enough time to decide you want to date someone.”
Kenna shrugged.
“I’ve made worse decisions.”
I sighed.
“Kenna, leave her alone.”
She turned to me with exaggerated surprise.
“Excuse me?”
”I said leave her alone.”
A slow grin spread across her face.
“Oh.” She folded her arms.
“So that’s why you’ve been glaring.”
”I wasn’t glaring.”
She laughed.
“You were practically planning my funeral with your eyes.”
”I simply don’t think it’s appropriate.”
”For me to ask out a beautiful woman?”
”For you to start chasing someone you’ve just met.”
She studied me for a long moment before asking very casually, “Or is the problem that she’s your beautiful woman?”
I almost stepped on the brakes.
“What?”
She laughed so hard she leaned forward in her seat.
“I knew it!”
”You know nothing.”
”Oh, please.” She pointed a finger at me.
“I’ve known you for over ten years.
You looked positively offended every time I complimented her.”
”I wasn’t offended.”
”You looked like you wanted to revoke my speaking privileges.” She laughed again.
“So you’ve fallen for her.”
I kept my eyes on the road.
“No.”
”You’re lying,” she said.
“Then why are you telling me to stay away from her?”
I was silent for a moment before answering.
“Because she has a boyfriend.”
Kenna blinked.
“That’s your reason?”
”Isn’t it enough?”
”If she’s happily committed, then yes.”
I clenched my jaw.
“She is.”
Kenna arched a brow.
“Did she tell you?”
I hesitated.
“Not exactly.”
Kenna raised an eyebrow.
“So you’re assuming.”
I rubbed a hand across my jaw.
“I don’t interfere in other people’s relationships.”
”You already did,” she pointed out.
“You like her.”
I didn’t answer because I didn’t have defense on that.
“But tell me something honestly,” she said after a moment.
“If she were single…
would you pursue her?”
The question lingered between us.
I thought about Elara laughing despite herself whenever I teased her.
I thought about her trying to leave my apartment twice, about the way she’d looked wearing my jacket.
Then I thought about the boyfriend who supposedly existed.
“I don’t know,” I admitted.
Kenna nodded slowly.
“I think you do,” she said and smiled softly this time.
“Damian, you spend your entire life thinking logically.
Relationships don’t work that way.
If you truly like someone, stop analyzing every possible outcome before you’ve even taken the first step.”
I let out a quiet breath.
“It’s not that simple.”
”It rarely is.”
She looked at me.
“But if you keep waiting for perfect timing, someone else will eventually stop waiting.”
Her words stayed with me long after the conversation ended.
That afternoon, I buried myself in work.
Patient consultations, paperwork, surgical reports.
Anything that could distract me from replaying Kenna’s words.
It didn’t work.
Because every time I stopped thinking about medicine, I thought about Elara instead.
I was signing discharge papers when my phone vibrated.
I glanced at the screen as soon as I saw Elara’s name, my pulse immediately picked up.
I opened the message.
Hi.
I washed your jacket already.
I’d like to return it tonight if you’re free.
We can meet at a café near my office if that’s alright with you.
I read it once.
Then twice.
A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth before I could stop it.
She wanted to meet at a café tonight.
Not at my apartment.
Not in a parking lot.
Not because one of us was injured or trying to escape something.
Just…
coffee.
I leaned back in my chair, unable to suppress the unfamiliar feeling settling in my chest.
Maybe she wasn’t only returning my jacket.
Maybe she wanted to spend time with me.
The thought alone was enough to improve my entire day.
I typed my reply without overthinking it for the first time in weeks.
Send me the location.
I’ll be there.
As soon as I pressed send, I caught my reflection in the dark computer screen.
I was freaking smiling.
Marcus was never going to let me live this down.