Michael merely stared at the keys in my hand without saying anything. I had no inkling of his thoughts at that very moment.
When he didn’t take the keys from me after a long time had passed, I placed them on the table. Then, I strode away while wheeling my suitcase behind me.
“Anna Garcia, mark my words, you’ll willingly be my woman.”
Michael’s tepid voice sounded just when I had reached the door.
Stopping short, I whirled around and gaped at him though I could only see his back. I had no idea what he meant by that statement, and it wasn’t my concern anymore.
Suppressing the butterflies fluttering in my stomach, I turned around and left.
Upon returning to Natalie’s house, I was greeted by the sight of her cooking dinner. That was the first time she was preparing dinner after her breakup. Hence, I wasn’t entirely certain whether she had truly gotten over her breakup or merely putting on a brave front so that I wouldn’t worry.
After wheeling my suitcase to the room I previously occupied, I went to the kitchen.
“Anna, there aren’t many groceries since I didn’t go out in the past few days. So, we’ll have to put up with an abysmal fare tonight,” Natalie murmured with apology etched on her face while frying vegetables.
“It’s okay. I’m not that hungry tonight anyway, so a simple fare is sufficient. I’ll treat you to a feast tomorrow night!”
Knowing that Natalie was in a bad mood, I planned to treat her to a feast tomorrow and let her vent her negative emotions recently since she was an absolute foodie.
“A feast? What are you treating me to?”
The moment Natalie heard that she was going to have a feast, she instantly perked up. She stared at me with anticipation written all over her face, stilling with the spatula in her hand.
“What do you want to eat?”
My mood improved significantly when I saw her in such high spirits. It looks like she feels better when food is brought into the equation, no matter how heartbroken she is.
“I want to eat seafood! Lobster, especially!”
Natalie didn’t hold back with me, answering right away without the slightest hesitation when I asked her what she wanted to eat.
“Okay, I’ll treat you to whatever you want to eat tomorrow night!”
It was such a rare sight to see Natalie in a good mood that I was willing to go bankrupt even if she wanted a royal feast.
I breathed much easier now that her zest was back. After having a simple dinner that night, I went back to my room to sleep.
As I lay on the bed, my mind was filled with images of Michael.
What did he mean by his statement earlier tonight of making me his woman willingly sooner or later? Aren’t things over between us? Or could it be that he still hasn’t given up and is planning to do something?
As he played on a loop in my mind, I pulled the covers over my head in frustration. Ugh! I don’t want to think about him! I have nothing whatsoever to do with him anymore, so whatever he wants to do is none of my business!
Despite my thoughts, I still turned and tossed before finally dozing off past midnight. When I woke up the next morning, dark circles were again prominent under my eyes.
Gazing at my reflection in the mirror with two dark circles plainly visible, I scoffed at myself. Michael doesn’t even care about me, yet I’m thinking about him every day. How foolish!
Then, I slapped myself while staring into the mirror. Irately applying some light makeup, I concealed the dark circles under my eyes. Otherwise, others would know that I hadn’t slept well last night at a single glance.
As soon as I arrived at the office, I conscientiously started preparing the design proposal. After a day’s hard work, I felt that it was perfect. However, Michael again rejected it. This time, I was much smarter and didn’t argue with him. I merely returned to my table with the rejected proposal in hand.
There was no use arguing with him since he was the kind of man who was amenable to persuasion but not coercion. Thus, it would do me no good regardless of how much I argued with him.
Even when the time to get off work came about, I had no new ideas. Honestly speaking, I truly loathed him at that moment, but my hands were tied as he was the boss. At times, the thought of resigning flashed across my mind.
But on second thought, the job didn’t come easy. He would only be accomplishing his goal if I were to back down because of his puny attempts at making life difficult for me, and I wasn’t that stupid.
Just when it was time to get off work, my cell phone rang. The moment I saw that it was a call from Yuval, I suddenly remembered that I asked him out on a date today in Michael’s office yesterday. Alas, it slipped my mind entirely, and I even promised to treat Natalie to a feast.
Recalling my promise to him yesterday, I grew flustered. For a moment, I didn’t know what to say when the call was connected.
“Hello, Yuval…”
I sounded rather awkward, my voice colored with guilt after I answered the phone.
“Anna, you’re probably off work now, yes? I’m now on my way to your office. I’ll arrive soon, but you might have to wait for a bit.”
On the other end of the phone, Yuval sounded as though he was in high spirits. Upon hearing that he would be here soon, the anxiety within me doubled as I didn’t quite know how I should tell him about the change in plans. If I were to say that I’ve changed my mind at this time, he’d definitely think that I’m a person who doesn’t keep my word.
“Actually, Yuval, I’ve also promised Natalie to have dinner with her tonight. Would you mind if she were to join us?” I asked softly.
Then, I waited for his answer with a tinge of guilt.
After all, men despised having someone else being the third wheel during a date.
“Sure! Natalie is your best friend, so I should get to know her better if I truly intend to build a relationship with you.”
Yuval readily agreed without an ounce of hesitation. At that, relief suffused me. I felt particularly relaxed when I was with him because he was a gentleman who never demanded anything that would put me in a tight spot. That was what I loved most about him. I didn’t feel burdened when I was with him.
“Okay, I’ll give Natalie a call now. Later, we’ll go and pick her up together.”
After saying that with a mellow expression on my face, I then hung up the phone.
Aware that Yuval was intentionally considerate of me, I was all the more satisfied with him. Well, being with a man who will tolerate me for the rest of my life is probably true happiness in its simplest sense!
Subsequently, I gave Natalie a call and told her that Yuval would be joining us. Natalie seemed rather thrilled to hear that, perhaps feeling that I would probably get into a steady relationship with him.
When Yuval had picked me up, he then drove me to pick Natalie up. Although I promised to treat Natalie to a feast, she was well aware that I didn’t have much money, considering my current financial state. Thus, she chose a seafood stall.
