Episode 12: Ginkgo

Episode 12: Ginkgo

Everyone was staring at them.

That was the first thing Leslie noticed after drifting away from the photo op at the entrance of the building. It was a grand scaled one which had been rented out for this event.

She tried to occupy herself with thoughts of how it probably cost a fortune instead of focusing on the glares a handful of women sent her way.

It didn't take a genius to know that it was because of the man who had his arm wrapped around hers.

Almost as if he felt her gaze, Noah's eyes found her. "Have you seen him yet?"

Him as in Christopher right?

She shook her head after her eyes scanned the wide area for him and he was nowhere to be found among the crowd of people.

"That bastard better not bail on me last minute. It's my first event in a long time. He knows how important this is to me."

He noticed Leslie's reaction to that, realizing that there was a possibility of him not showing up here.

If that were to happen, that would mean all of their efforts made today would have been wasted.

"I'm just kidding, Leslie. He'll show up."

Her head turned to him at his reassurance and with the warm smile he offered her, there was no way she couldn't believe it.

He took a hold of her arm and unraveled it from his once they had made it to a secluded area. "I'm sorry to leave you like this but I have to prepare for my speech."

"I won't hold you accountable. This is your day after all."

He gave her a friendly tap on the shoulders before disappearing with a broad grin.

"You're the best."

It didn't take long before a woman found herself standing before Leslie, almost as if she couldn't wait until Noah to disappear for her to take his place.

"May I help you?" She asked the stranger with a voice of inquisition.

The woman was a tall one, standing at over six feet like a model and Leslie was sure she would still be just as towering without the heels on her feet. Matching them were a silver dress which sat daintily on her figure, a necklace around her neck and the glint in her eyes as she looked at her.

"We broke up three weeks ago." The red-head said suddenly.

Leslie blinked.

"Excuse me?"

"Noah and I." She expounded through clenched teeth.

Finally getting what this was about the brunette nodded understandingly before sparing her a smile. "I think there's been some kind of misunderstanding here-"

"He doesn't even like girls like you."

The woman had the intention of setting things straight on the basis that she was a past lover of her new friend, but the way she was so full of herself rubbed Leslie the wrong way.

"What do you mean girls like me?"

She cocked her head arrogantly before looking her up and down. "The type that doesn't fit into his lifestyle."

Leslie released a scoff, finding it hard to believe what she was hearing right now.

"I'm sorry but even if I don't fit into his lifestyle of the rich and famous it doesn't mean we can't be together. To have such a thought that love has to be on par with wealth is beyond me. You're way too materialistic for your own good. Because of that reason I don't think it's appropriate for me to keep someone like you company anymore. If you would excuse me..."

Her mouth fell open at being dismissed so fearlessly.

What a brat, the brunette couldn't help but think in distaste.

Was that the type of girl Noah was into?

She found it hard to digest with how happy-go-lucky and down to earth he was.

No wonder they broke up.

Within the next minute, Leslie found herself towards the buffet which had been tempting her since she arrived. There was the fear of not wanting to devour anything in case it made her stomach jut out in the tight fit dress but upon noticing the cute, little cupcakes there she just couldn't resist. She had one inside her mouth in a clumsy haste which almost messed up her dress.

A sigh of relief left her when that hadn't been the case, the crumbs falling onto the table before her instead.

"You really are a slut for food, Leslie." She muttered to herself upon finishing up the dessert.

"I was going to say something of a similar nature but I guess you worded it much better than I ever could."

Her entire figure froze at the voice.

Turning on her heels, the woman came face to face with the man she had been waiting for.

His eyes were invasive as his lips parted with a formal greeting of, "Fancy seeing you here, Miss Quinn."

At the sight of him, her skin prickled and her eyes couldn't resist the urge to ogle him.

Christopher Wells has never looked as good as he did within this moment.

Her eyes were practically dripping with honey as she took in the appearance of him.

Dressed in a black and white business suit, he stood there in the cutting lines of a great tailor. It was a sight to behold with the way it fit him snugly, giving off an impression which made one want to over-indulged in his form and fall to their knees at such exuberance of power.

Leslie gulped at the thought of doing so, wondering if there was any reward with the act.

"Don't look at me like that," he issued with a mild command but his icy gaze contradicted his rebuke in ways which couldn't be described.

It was intimidating but also inviting in its own way and that was why the woman took in more of him.

"Like what?" She purred, her lips smacking together out of habit with the lipstick on.

His eyes catalogued the movement and she felt her confidence skyrocket as she batted her eyelashes at him seductively.

He gave her a look that said something along the lines of don't get smart with me then skillfully changed the subject.

"I heard that you arrived here, arms slung around my best friend's."

She smiled.

"Where did you hear that from?"

"People."

"And who exactly do people entail?"

"The guests here." He snapped irritably.

"Well they're lying. I came here by myself."

"Don't patronize me. I saw you walk into the building wrapped around him."

She cocked an eyebrow at him, seeing that her plan had come through.

"I thought you said you heard about it from others, Mr. Wells."

His eyes widened upon the realization that he had been caught.

She watched as his mouth opened to defend himself but nothing ever came out.

The tips of his ears burned out of embarrassment and her hand went to her mouth to stifle the laugh which threatened to come out.

He looked at the act with laser eyes and before the derision came from him, the sound of a mic tapping interrupted them.

Their eyes found the culprit in synch and saw Noah standing on stage in all his glory.

A smile made its way to her face which she was unaware made Christopher's fist fold as she gave the man of the hour her undivided attention.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the book launch of my newest collection of poetry entitled The Joy In Letting Go."

There was a round of applause at the introduction.

Noah smiled appreciatively before raising a hand signaling for the noise to die down and the guests were acquiescent to his demand.

"As a little treat to you all, I'll be reading my favorite piece from the book. It's called Ginkgo. Quite a peculiar title for a poem, I know." He acknowledged and few chuckles were heard. "But it will all make sense later on as you hear the contents of it."

Christopher conveniently stood beside Leslie while listening.

Noah's fingers flipped the pages mindlessly as if he knew every one by heart while his eyes idly surveyed the crowd before him.

When they landed on the pair looking at him, he let out a light chuckle which was audible because of the microphone.

Leslie shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other.

She thought he was amused by something having to do with her, not seeing his silent indication to his friend's proximity to her.

Noah cleared his throat at that before his attention shifted to the literature before him.

His voice drifted through the air in an intentionally serene manner as he began the recitation.

"A magnolia always seemed like the perfect flower for him.

After all, it's one of the first trees to bloom in spring.

Never hesitant of the sun,

Its buds will become undone.

Yet there was an empathy for the ginkgo he could never explain.

Maybe it wasn't all in vain.

As everything fell apart in one day,

The perfidy of love will heal as it may.

And as the golden trail sits at his feet,

Oh, how he never knew pain could be so sweet."

The pregnant pause at the final line of his poem was deafening and Leslie could feel her heart pounding in her ears.

Her mouth was left hung open as she stared at the man on the stage whose eyes looked about skittishly, irresolute of his own brilliance.

How ironically ignorant of you, she couldn't help but judge him easily.

It didn't take another second before the crowd erupted into a frenzy of applause and whistles.

The impact of his piece of work had been so great that when she turned to Christopher to gauge his reaction a small smile was playing on his lips.

And an emotion she never expected shone from within.

Pride.

He was proud of his friend's creation.

That pure form of him managed to cause her to be enraptured by it.

So he wasn't completely a robot, the woman discovered.

She couldn't help but mirror his expression as a foolish smile made its way to her face while her hands followed the clap of the crowd.

If Christopher had felt the heat of her stare, he had obviously chosen to ignore it as his eyes stayed fixed on his best friend on stage.

With a certain dejection at not being acknowledged, whether it be by a cold reprimand, she turned facing front again.

This time her eyes came directly to Noah's who was looking in their direction affectionately.

"As you all may have already gathered, this poem speaks to growth and finding one's self but also to new beginnings no matter how painful they may be." He revealed, filled with emotion as his eyes got glossed over by reminiscence. "As hard as it may be, sometimes things need to be faced head-on instead of taking the easy way out. Frankly, it's cowardly of you to do so. When you finally see the beauty in pain then that's when you'll realize how wonderful life can be despite all that you've endured, including betrayal. That's why I'd rather be a fearless ginkgo tree than a magnolia no matter how beautiful it is."

The sighs and hums of agreement were the only thing that filled the space.

Leslie felt like her feet were planted in place at the look he was giving her.

Noah raised the glass of champagne which was offered to him by a man on the sidelines before toasting, "To new beginnings!"

She swallowed at the severity in his gaze and how much those words could be applied to her if there was enough bravery.

"To new beginnings!" The crowd echoed with large enthusiasm.

Noah smiled before taking a sip of his drink.

"Enjoy the rest of your evening, my lovely people. And thank you for coming to my book launching party. I wish you a happy reading." With that, he came off stage and it didn't surprise her when he headed towards them.

"So..." He trailed, eyes expectant towards the both of them, especially Christopher.

"What did you think about my speech?"

"It was-"

"A terrible cliché," The dark haired man beside her spoke up.

With a nimble expression he then added, "Though from another perspective it could be viewed as inspirational."

"How heartwarming it is for the Christopher Wells to categorize it as such."

"I never said I was a part of the second community."

Noah shook his head with a scowl before turning to his editor. "Leslie, you were saying?"

Before she could speak again, a familiar smooth voice cut through their interaction.

"You're on a first name basis now?"

A coy smirk came onto his best friend's face at that.

It was like he had been waiting a century for such a remark.

"Yes, we decided to drop the formalities between us. Right, Leslie?" His head turned to her and the woman nodded at the prompt of an eyebrow.

"Right."

"And you're okay with that?" Christopher asked, acerbic eyes slicing through her.

"I-I..."

She was shaking in her boots at the intensity of his gaze.

"Yes, she is." Noah confirmed on her behalf and his friend's jaw clenched at it.

"I was asking Miss Quinn, not you." He clipped.

"Whoah, no need to be getting defensive. It's not like I asked for her hand in marriage." The man assured, holding his hand up in defense.

Christopher wasn't the least bit amused by his theatrics.

Leslie's chest forced out a dry cough at how uncomfortable she felt.

But when she thought about it this was the reaction the woman had been anticipating.

"The poem was lovely. I really enjoyed it."

Noah spared her a panty-dropping smile.

Her pupils expanded at the flirtation which swirled inside his eyes.

"Thank you." Noah bade, hand reaching up to brush at her cheek.

Just as it was about to make contact with her skin, a hand shot out and wrapped around his wrist.

Leslie looked at Christopher in shock.

His eyes held a battle of emotions, a peak of anger settling in as the dominant one before a terse warning came.

"Don't touch her."

***

Oooh...is Christopher about to mark his territory? It sure seems like it from the way he reacted.

POV: the napkin is Leslie's hand.

P.S. The Ginkgo poem was written by yours truly.

I love writing poetry and it was fun displaying that in one of my books for the first time.

So if you steal it, I won't hesitate to make your life a living hell :)

(For legal purposes that was a joke.)

[connect with the author:

insta: @writtenbyzan_]