Chapter 85: Chapter 80

Song: 'Rather Be' by Clean Bandit

We're a thousand miles from comfort, we have traveled land and sea

But as long as you are with me, there's no place I'd rather be

I would wait forever, exalted in the scene

As long as I am with you, my heart continues to beat

With every step we take, Kyoto to The Bay

Strolling so casually

We're different and the same, get you another name

Switch up the batteries

If you gave me a chance I would take it

It's a shot in the dark but I'll make it

Know with all of your heart, you can't shake me

When I am with you, there's no place I'd rather be

N-n-no, no, no, no place I'd rather be

N-n-no, no, no, no place I'd rather be

N-n-no, no, no, no place I'd rather be

........................................................................

ELIJAH’S POV

“It’s okay, Ray, I’ve got this,” dismissing him, I took the driver’s seat instead.

"What now?" she asked, her expression jaded.

“I will take you wherever you have to go,” rolling down the car window, I waited for her to get in.

“And why would you do that?” She demanded with arms on her waist.

“Just get in the car, Hannah.” I ended the argument before it even started; we all know it could’ve gone forever.

The day had just started, and I would need all the energy I could muster to make it a success. Technically, it’s almost noon, which means it’s not exactly a start to the day, but more like a start to our day.

She was going out by herself again, though it was with Ray this time when I intervened. I couldn’t let the last night happen again. I have to ask my security manager Caleb to appoint her personal bodyguard once we’re back. Here I can take care of her for now.

More like you want to take care of her.

There might be a small alternate motive behind this.

Casey was so shocked when I asked her to clear my complete schedule for the day. It’s been ages since I last took a Saturday off for myself.

Canceling all in-person and online meetings, I decided to not repeat the mistakes of yesterday. So now, here I am, waiting for her to get in the car to chauffeur her around for her safety, of course.

Just say you want to spend time with her, dude, so much ego.

“Urgh, fine!” She grunted, her hand gesturing in exasperation.

“I’m not your driver; get in the front,” I said when she opened the back door.

Didn’t you say you’re her chauf...

My thoughts were interrupted when she slammed the door shut.

“Careful, now,” I almost flinched. I had to say it; it’s my car.

She didn’t say anything but got in the passenger seat quietly, only to bang shut the door again with the same intensity, if not more.

Alright, so she’s still angry; I get it.

“Shall we go or do you want to slam more doors?”

She didn’t turn to face me, nor did she say anything else; she just showed me a middle finger with her not-so-passive face.

I hope you are aware of what you are getting yourself into.

“You’re such a baby,” I almost shook my head.

“Here he goes again with the baby word,” she mumbled sarcastically.

“Where do you want to go?” ignoring her murmuring, I asked.

“Rodeo drive.”

………………………………………………………

“Now, do you like anything?” I asked when she came out of yet another store’s changing room empty-handed.

Again.

This time it was Prada.

You name it, and we've been to that store yet she hasn’t bought a single thing.

“You can go if you want. I didn’t ask you to come with me,” she repeated for the nth time.

Relax, Elijah; you can do this.

Remember why you chose to do this.

Don’t snap. Do not snap.

She’s just trying to get on your nerves; don’t let her; don’t react.

I gave myself a much-needed pep to survive this.

It’s been nearly two hours since we’ve come here, and all the while we’ve been coming and going out of every expensive brand available on this high-end street. Still, she’s not buying anything, deliberately.

She’s testing my patience.

I like to keep away from the public eye; I don’t indulge in television interviews and public forum talks, and I don’t have social media accounts either. I don’t live in disguise, but socially, my presence is next to none. Still, it doesn’t mean I’m not a known personality.

Despite avoiding the camera eye, the media still tries to sneak in to get a glimpse of ‘what’s going on in the life of the enigmatic future CEO of Norman & Co. It’s always the same bullshit articles with flattery adjectives that make it to the headlines of business news outlets every other week. As a result, people still recognize me; for some reason, mystery keeps them more intrigued and intrusive.

Therefore, each store we stepped into attracted attention towards me and, because of that onto her too, curious eyes followed us all around, piquing people’s interest. Thankfully, I’m not the only eminent figure here, so we’re not the sole center of people’s attention. Yet her behavior is definitely making us stand out from the rest.

I met many acquaintances too along the way with their ‘new flavors of the month’ while they assumed I was with mine. While a few appreciated my unconventional change in taste for women, the aforementioned women didn’t seem too fond of being replaced by a girl with a simple knee-length dress and a bare face contradicting theirs.

Hannah, all the while, kept to herself or either excused herself, avoiding the situation. Though she didn’t show it, I knew by her body language that she was feeling intimidated by them.

We entered yet another store; basically, she entered and I followed.

Talk about the irony.

It’s an antique watch store, relatively smaller than other humongous outlets yet extremely niche. The store screams class and history at its finest; there are timeless pieces displayed around, some extremely modern, whereas the others tell a story of time as old as centuries.

She started looking around with great fascination, and finally, something actually caught her eye. We split up in different directions, going about our own likes to explore.

A few minutes in, I heard the store manager briefing her about a certain piece. Her eyes roamed around the silver diamond watch in fascination as she held it carefully.

It’s almost a century-old Rolex, a rare limited edition—one that must cost a fortune.

“I think I’ll take it,” she said to the manager while still admiring the watch in her hands.

“Wonderful, ma'am, that’s an excellent choice. How would you like to pay for it though, credit or install...”

“I’ll be paying for that." Standing next to her, I gave him my black card before she could take out her card.

The manager’s eyes went wide once he read the name on the card.

“Certainly, Mr. Norman. It’s a pleasure to have you here, sir.” I nodded in acknowledgment at the now very attentive manager.

“There’s no need for that,” she offered her card to the manager, who looked at me in return. He knows better than to defy me.

She, on the other hand, is a different story.

“It’s no big deal; I can buy..." She cut me off. Something I’m letting her do quite often; don’t ask me why.

“No thanks. I'm not a gold digger,” her eyes hardened, making me wince internally at her obvious choice of words intended to taunt me. “I can pay for it myself,” she said, stopping the man behind the counter before he could proceed. I should’ve known.

The man was taken aback as he looked at us back and forth.

“Hannah, we can talk about this la...”

“You know what? I won’t be needing this. Thank you,” Putting the watch down, she addressed the stunned manager. She exited the store, completely ignoring my presence.

That’s it! I’ve had enough.

I followed her outside.

“Hannah, wait,” she was walking really fast when I got out of the store; we had quite a distance between us but nothing significant that my long strides couldn’t cover.

“Hey, stop it now." Fastening my pace, I reached her, “Hannah, stop!”

“What do you want?” She shrugged my hand away.

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re trying to do.”

“Congratulations. Then what are you stopping me for?”

“To talk to you!” I yelled, “I’ve been trying since last night, if only you would listen.” I was trying not to lose my temper.

“And tell me what exactly? That I’m a slut, a whore? A gold digger? Newsflash, you’ve done it already, multiple times, in fact just last night.”

“Dammit, Hannah, let me finish!”

“Then finish!”

Another fight was not what I had on my mind for today; it was the opposite.

“Aren't you tired of fighting, Hannah?” I said gently once I saw eyes turning at us.

I tried guiding her away from the crowded pavement, but she gestured for me to stop. She stepped aside by herself to not cause any hindrance for the bypassers but stood persistently exactly where we were, just not in anyone’s way anymore.

“Who, me? Tired of fighting... with you? What perhaps gave you that ridiculous idea?” She looked around dramatically. “Like who doesn't live to get insulted by the one and only living epitome of hellfire and wrath of..."

“Can't you give a straight an..." I interrupted her sarcastic remarks, but she was quick to take the reins by interrupting back.

“Yes, Mr. Norman, I am tired! Is that a straight enough answer for you, Your Majesty?” she curtsied sarcastically.

“Stop calling me Mr. Norman, and definitely don't call me your majesty!”

"Why? Is Mr. Norman not your...”

"Elijah,” I cut her off again, but this time with actions. “Call. Me. Elijah.” Nearing her, I pressed every word intimately in a low baritone.

“Out of my way, ELIJAH!" Meeting my eyes ineffectively, she brushed me aside with a bored expression and started walking again.

Really, that didn’t work?

You should use your charm often; it’s becoming rusty.

“Hannah, enough now. Get over it already,” I said, catching up with her.

Wrong words, genius.

“So you will gaslight me now? How very predictable.” She snubbed, “I will get over it when I want to get over it.”

“I've apologized to you already; what would it take for you to drop it?”

“How about you stop pestering me about it? And FYI, you haven't apologized.” She looked at me only to roll her eyes. “And if you are referring to that half-ass drunk apology, then please save it for yourself.” She continued walking ahead nonchalantly.

“Oh, so is this what it is about? You want me to apologize?” I slowed down my pace.

“Won’t hurt for a change, actually.” She shrugged without looking back.

“Really?”

“Yeah.” She turned and waited with folded arms.

“Here?” I looked around.

“Yeah.” I’ve never seen such an assertive look on her before.

“You're not serious, are you?”

“Get lost.” She looked passively into my eyes, then smirked with contentment and turned  back. “You’re not capable of doing so, at least not the sober you.” She mumbled more to herself than me.

She walked away alone without waiting for me as I continued watching her go.

You’ll just let her walk away, you idiot? You know it all comes down to this moment, right? You won’t get a chance like this again, or at least not so soon.

“Hannah Evans Norman, I'm sorry!” I shouted promptly without thinking, “Can you forgive me?”

She stopped.

Not only her but others around us did too, the hoots of ‘aww’ and ‘how romantic’ going on in the background.

When she finally turned, she only had one expression.

If Flabbergasted had a face, it would be hers now.

Did I just...

Don’t be so baffled. What’s done is done; it was long overdue.

Seize the day.

I caught up to her. She has forgotten to blink like she has seen an alien.

To be fair, you apologizing is a pretty alienated concept. Do you realize what you’ve just done?

My heart was giving mixed signals, so I didn’t know whether I did the right thing or not.

Did I just put myself at her mercy?

I apologized?

To her?

I know I needed to, but what I didn’t know was that I had to or I could do it.

Apparently, I could. I did.

But her reaction is troubling; why is she not saying anything?

“Would you say something?” Come on, I expect some kind of answer here.

“Are you real?” She touched my arm, trying to penetrate through my skin like I was a ghost. She then moved on to literally knock on my chest, “Nope, still solid.” For some reason, she didn’t think that verification was enough either, so she moved her hand to my face this time. First, she touched my jaw, “Hmm, sharp as ever.” Only when she was about to poke my eye did I hold her hand.

“What are you doing? I’m apologizing, and you think it’s funny?”

“Funny? I’m having an existential crisis here. I think I’ve become delusional.”

“You’re not delusional.” I held her bewildered gaze. “I should not have done all that I did; I should not have called you all those names. I was wrong; I'm sorry; I really am.” I repeated it again only for her to hear.

“You were saying? I didn’t quite catch that,” a glint of a small mischievous smile shone in her eyes that she tried hiding.

So she was playing me; I should’ve known.

Only that much was needed to put my mind at ease and let go of any reservations I had moments ago. The light of her eyes that I'd unknowingly missed was coming back to the surface.

“Hannah, you're pushing it now.”

“Of course I am. I don’t think I’ll be getting a chance like that ever again.”

“So, do you?” I asked in anguish.

“Do I what?” She really is enjoying this—far too much for my liking.

“Forgive me?” I stayed persistent.

“Already?” She raised an eyebrow, “Isn’t your world full of rainbows and unicorns?” she mocked with a fake smile.

“What now?” I called out.

“Now you live up to your apology to earn it,” she shrugged and resumed walking.

Huh? How do I do that?

“But it’s a start, for now,” she turned her head and smiled at me.

A genuine smile. A smile that reaches the deepest corners of her soul, a smile that sets her apart from the rest, an honest and carefree smile.

One that takes my breath away, a sight that calms my nerves with just one look. A smile that I’ve grown to admire from afar.

And today that smile is for me.

Why does it feel like a victory bigger than any contract I’ve won till today?

It’s just a bloody smile.

You’re whi…

I stopped my heart before it reached any unwanted conclusion. I don’t need that right now.

She was waiting for me, and I caught up to her, side by side as we walked together.

“Let's try not to kill each other this time,” I said as we wandered around with no destination in mind.

“You think we can do that?” She gave me a side-eye.

“I guess it should work. We are both adults.”

“Well, one of us is,” she smirked sheepishly.

“Let’s have lunch; are you hungry?” I asked her once I saw a restaurant in sight.

“Wait!” I stopped and turned only to realize she was left behind when I climbed the restaurant stairs. “Did you just call me a Norman?” She was in a daze.

“Of course, you're my wife.” The look of disbelief on her face was priceless.

You like the sound of it, don’t you?

……………………………………………….....…..

Author’s note:

Now, now, now, is that called progress or what?

It didn’t happen overnight; it neither hit like a lightning bolt.

It slowly made its way, lurking in Elijah’s nonexistent heart.

My man out here apologizing, loud and clear.

And why not? It was for his WIFEY dearest.

Did anyone else notice how Elijah’s heart has become more vocal over time, almost similar to Hannah’s? She's reconnecting him back to himself, healing his broken heart from within.

Hannah has given him a new chance; can Elijah make the most of it?

How are you guys liking their one-on-one conversations?

Well, they have just started; soon there will be much more than talking. *wink, wink*

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Much love🥰