In Love With My Rival

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE: i wanted to see you

            The night was running smoothly so far after the auction. Ava was called to be one of those women for bidding on a date, but Zephyr glared at her. That simply meant she had to stay put. The gala was great. Almost everyone, including Zephyr, was having fun. He was so excited for some reason. He was acting cool beside his woman. Ava was smiling as she listened to Mason blabbering about his experience on his new designation as the Marketing Manager. It was only three of them around the table. The guy was happy about the promotion he received.

            Casually, Zephyr rook a sip of his strong red wine and discreetly scanned the room for Adam. He found the old man with his wife, Julia O’Kelly. He felt bad for her. He felt bad for Ava’s mother to have a husband like Adam O’Kelly. It seemed like the mother and daughter did not know him completely. He had dirt under his sleeves and the people would soon find out.

            “Oh, the music is playing.” Mason’s announcement snapped Zephyr out of his thoughts.

            He turned his head to his left and found himself looking at the most beautiful woman present in the room. Just like that, it was almost impossible to take his eyes off her. He was hooked to her, tied to her with an invisible string. He felt a jolt of something painful in his heart as he stared at her face in side-view.

            I am doomed.

            He thought, realizing something.

            Ava cleared her throat when she could feel Zephyr staring at her from the corner of her eye. Even just through her peripheral vision, she could sense the intensity in his stare They were always as deep as the feelings that were buried in her heart.

            Woah. That sounds so cliché but… Why is he looking at me right now?

            She wondered.

            “The music is playing.” She heard him say.

            I know, dude.

            She wanted to tell him and roll her eyes, but she was scared to even move an inch. She was not deaf to not hear the slow music playing in the background. She looked up and see couples starting to dance along with the music. They all looked so warm and cozy in each other’s arms. It was waltz music, slow and romantic. She had danced with that kind of music once or twice with random guys in the galas that passed. They were all boring because the guys she had danced with were boring too. She did not feel anything but their clear intention of wanting her to be with them in bed, including Zeus Martins.

            Speaking of the guy, Ava wondered if he had seen her with Zephyr already. She did not give a damn about Zeus Martins but somehow, she wanted to see his reaction. Although she already had a clue about how he would react.

            She hadn’t replied to Zephyr yet. It was not like he was asking her something. Besides, she did not know what to say. She could not even move her butt up.

            She was not sure when exactly did Zephyr stand up from his seat and offered his hand to her.

            “Can I have a dance with you?”

            Yes, she heard him. Because once again, she was not deaf. His voice was a little bit husky and deep, adding plus points to how turned on she already was by him being so handsome and a gentleman.

            She stared at his hand, his palm open and looking so inviting. She could see the visible veins on his wrist. She found them sexy. She took a deep breath. Her heart paced abnormally again.  Her right hand that was on her lap twitched, itching to be lifted up and put over his waiting one.

            I want warm and cozy too.

            She boldly thought and without saying anything, she lifted her hand and put it over his. The moment he clutched her hand, their eyes met and they were sure there was a spark. It was as if they owned the whole world alone from the moment she stood up and as he brought her in the middle of the room. Everything was gone and it was only them.

            Ava felt like floating in the air. The strong emotions were starting to build up inside her. She was so suffocated but she wanted to savor the moment with him.

            This might be the last.

            She sadly thought.

            She could not take her eyes off his beautifully sculpted face. It was the face of the man who made her believe that love was real because what she felt for him was real. Staring at his face, she almost he was so unreal but thank God, he was so real.

            His arms around her small waist, hers on his shoulders, and eyes never leaving each other. Everyone and everything around them disappeared. The world and the time were theirs. He started to sway them slowly with the music. It was a romantic song by Ed Sheeran entitled Thinking Out Loud. She wondered if she was the song because she suddenly heard Zephyr say, “Just hold on to me.”

            She must have told him that she was not that good at dancing. And then he smiled, probably because of her confused face. She could not help but smile back at him too. A little smile won’t hurt. He pulled her closer, making her stop breathing for a second. Too close, she thought but she liked it. His hands around her waist felt so tingling but it was the good kind of tingling.

            “Can I say it again?”

            He is a talker tonight.

            Ava realized.

            “What?” She asked.

            He leaned closer, their temples touching, and then whispered, “That you look so stunning.”

            It sounded so pleasing to hear from him. She giggled because he sounded so sincere. Not boring and no ‘bed’ intentions.

            When he leaned back to look at her in the face again, she sweetly smiled at him in appreciation. “Thank you.”

            But suddenly, she became serious just looking at his face. She thought it just hurt to be seeing him all the time with all the feelings that she wanted to let out to him. It was suffocating enough for her to not be able to let him know about what she felt for him because she was a coward.

            I can’t.

            She thought again.

            I just can’t.

            “What’s with that face?”

            She heard him ask softly. Sudden worry was evident in his tone. She quickly shook her head and covered her serious face with a smile.

            “Nothing. I’m just really happy that you accompany me tonight.” She covered up, but it was not a lie though. She was sincerely grateful that he was with her tonight.

            “You don’t seem happy though.” Zephyr chuckled.

            Ava rolled her eyes and lightly slapped his shoulder. “I am truly happy, you idiot.”

            Zephyr just could not help the chuckle again because of her cuteness. She was just so adorable.

            “I know.” He said.

            Damn. My cheek hurts.

            Zephyr silently cursed. He just could not stop smiling at her. His heart was so full, feeling so excited. He was anticipating for it to happen. It was taking so long. He held her waist tighter in anticipation.

            The music stopped but another played again. This time, Zephyr had let Ava lean her head on his shoulder as they swayed along with the music. He was not sure how long they’ve been staying like that but he felt a good sense of comfort from her. There was something I the way she flung her arms around her neck and that made him pull her closer to his chest and tighten his hold around her waist.

            He wanted the moment to last although he already knew it was going to end. And when it happened, this might be the last time they’d see each other. He just waited.

            A man walked up to the podium, holding a mic. He was just a master of ceremony and did not have any clue about anything.

            This is it.

            He thought as he felt a little bit nervous.

            “Ladies and gentlemen. Sorry to interrupt your lovely dancing, but we all deserve to witness another successful year of Lauren Foods, Inc. The company has helped many charity organizations, has able to save many lives of children, and addressed poverty problems in some nations. We thank the loyal people who work for us despite all the issues we’ve faced. And of course, a big thanks to our efficient and productive CEO, Miss Ava Lauren O’Kelly for all her efforts and hard work.”

            Everyone in the room clapped at the mention of her name. Ava had lifted her head off his shoulder and gave the people watching her a smile. Now, they finally noticed him with her. He remained cool, not giving a damn about the women who were ogling at him.

            Arrogant.

            His inner voice said.

            He internally smirked at the thought.

            I’m hot as f**k.

            When the clapping finally died, the master of the ceremony started speaking again. “You’ve got a quite lovely man there, Miss Ava.” The guy winked along with that tease. Chuckles and giggles erupted in the room. The blonde guy seemed gay. “Alright. Without wasting any more time, let’s watch this.”            

            They could not miss the excitement in his tone when he walked down the podium after he gestured to the large projector hanging at the front.

            The room’s lighting was dimmed but it was bright enough for them to see everyone. And then a video started playing. Some that were present in the room still small smiles left on their faces but those smiles vanished the moment an intriguing scene played and were replaced by an expression of confusion. It wasn’t the video they were expecting. It wasn’t showing the achievements of the company. And then gasps echoed in the room when a very familiar man’s face appeared in the video.