85 iv. Cafe

She woke up the next day to find a calling card at her bedside. She was wrapped in her blankets and was left alone.

She checked herself, if anything hurts. She was left fine. She stopped her thoughts. Like anything bad can happen with him around.

She castigated herself for thinking that way. She was beyond lucky to have met him yesterday, saved by him, and was even treated to dinner.

But that’s it. That’s the fairytale. She was quite sure she never will meet him again. The likes of Dominus don’t belong in her world.

She wondered what to do with the card, should she really call him? But to tell him what? Not like they are friends.

Besides, he is a very busy person and has no time to joke around with someone like her. Still, she stared at the card for a long time.

She flipped it down and decided on starting her day. She took a warm bath and changed into a dress and a matching jacket.

It was right, a dress should be good. She is about to meet a friend today so she should try to look presentable at least.

She heard some knocks on her door and opened it, revealing a silver-haired man with ocean-blue eyes. She hugged him tightly as she stepped out.

.....

“You were not returning my calls last night. I was quite worried,” the man hugged her back, pressing a kiss on her hair.

“Sorry, it is a long story,” she sighed and entered his car, looking outside the window.

She frowned when she thought she saw Dominus staring at her. He was hiding behind some trees, his golden eyes flickered like fire and disappointment written on his handsome face.

When she blinked, he was gone. Her cheeks burned as she realized it was her silly imagination.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Malavar asked her, his eyes on the road.

“I’ll rather keep it to myself,” she answered in all honesty.

Malavar didn’t press on the issue and continued to drive silently. He stopped the car in front of a cafe and opened the car door for her.

They walked in and he assisted her, ordering her favorite food as she sipped on her coffee. She wondered why they never became a couple.

She stirred her straw. Her best friend is a good man. A pretty good catch, as per most women’s preference.

He is not someone that can just be overlooked. He wasn’t bad looking at all. A surgeon on his way to being quite popular. His family is really sweet too despite being a buena familia.

Malavar smiled as he caught her looking at him. She smiled back. She realized one thing.

If it was Dominus, her cheeks would have heated up when he finds her stealing glances at him. Her heart will throb painfully against his chest. And heat and electric current will be coursing through her blood, making it hard for her to breathe.

In other words, Dominus has always been the only one who can take her breath away like that. Like a little girl who didn’t know what to do in front of her crush except stutter and blush.

“What’s on your mind?” her best friend sliced half of her cake and half of his, exchanging them on each plate so they can taste both flavors.

“Just that, I am so thankful to have you as my best friend,” she answered him, looking directly into his eyes.

He looked away, hurt registered in his celtic blue orbs. He felt his heart clench. Why can’t she still see him when he was just in front of her all this time?

“You should call your mom. She wanted to meet with you and me, apparently,” Malavar reminded her.

“Stop encouraging her. My mother is being delusional, seeing things that are not there. She is concerned about me not finding a partner so she insists on you taking pity on me,” she frowned as she said the words.

Malavar’s eyes flickered, looking away at her again. This is why he never can tell her how he feels. In her eyes, he doesn’t exist.

Before another word can be spoken by either, a deep baritone voice filled the void, making her heart skip and her breathing uneven.

She looked up and find the face she has been dreaming of at night. Dominus.

He was wearing a black shirt that pressed perfectly against his skin, jogging pants, and a pair of rubber shoes. Though his get-up was casual, he still looked very much intimidating.

“Do- Dominus,” her voice shook as she spoke the words. What was he doing here?

As if he understood what she wanted to ask, he smiled and explained he just finished jogging in the area. Seeing that this was the only cafe opened at this hour, he entered and saw her.

She nodded absently, her throat dry from all the thoughts that entered her mind just now. She couldn’t help it though. Just the nearness of him is enough to drive her mad.

How she wanted to see what exactly was inside the black shirt. She wanted to see how well-chiseled his body is, given the bulging muscles on his arms and his biceps. There must be more of that inside.

She would like to trail her fingers underneath his shirt and feel the well-toned abs as he grunts in frustration, wanting to do more. She would like to press her lips on his cheek, on his neck, and the rest of his body.

She blushed as she realized how lewd her thoughts immediately became. She smiled as she invited him to sit with them, then looked away when she couldn’t stand his stare.

His bright golden eyes seem to hypnotize her, keeping her frozen on the spot. She felt the need to run away from him lest she melts just from their distance.

He occupied the seat parallel to her, the narrowness of the table making his leg brush on her legs. She felt her underwear dampen just from the friction of his leg against hers.

She wondered if he can tell how much he has affected her truly. For sure, by now, he has already earned a lot of those looks from women like her. Admiring him from afar.

She looked at his fingers as he gripped his cup and took a sip. He wore no ring, he must be still single. But it is so easy to remove a ring, and he has always kept his personal affairs private. So she couldn’t be sure.

From her research, she knew that he is at least thirty-two years of age. A man so successful and so breathtakingly handsome, how can anyone expect him to be a saint and refrain from taking a different woman in his bed every night?

She wondered if that is why the incident last night did not even affect him. He didn’t even wake her up before leaving, he didn’t want to spend a minute more than necessary talking with a drunk woman.

She tasted a bitterness on her tongue and gulped down, trying to wash it away with her coffee. She didn’t want to think about the possibility of him belonging to another, it will hurt her terribly.

Her musings were interrupted when her friend’s phone rang, which he answered right away. He apologized as he grasped her hand saying there was an emergency at the hospital.

“Hey, go ahead. Don’t mind me. You definitely should go,” she assured him.

“Don’t worry, I will be accompanying her. I will take good care of Mary,” Malavar felt even more unsure about leaving as the newcomer said the words.

Unfortunately for him, he received another phone call, directing him to go to the hospital immediately. The surgeon on duty won’t be able to attend the surgery and it was a case where time is greatly of the essence.

He nodded and excused himself, refusing to glance back at his quite taken best friend and the confident man who leaned closer to her as he whispered something in her ear.

He hurried on his steps when he heard her giggle like a child, she has never reacted that way towards him. He made the mistake of looking back and saw her blushing as red as a ripe tomato in front of him.

He chose to ignore and just hurried along, his heart being ripped to shreds as he entered his car and sped away.

He wondered who that person is who can easily make his best friend melt. A feat he was not able to do for quite a long time.

Mary’s eyes shifted back to Dominus as he made a remark that made her burst into laughter, unmindful of the look the people at the cafe were giving her. Her eyes filled with adoration as he said something to her.

historical

She would have realized how odd she was behaving if she has been paying any attention. But alas, all her attention was focused on him alone.

Only Dominus existed within her peripheral vision. The wonderful man she has been so obsessed with for years is finally so close to her.

His eyes filled with merriment as she behaved like a little child in front of him. He smiled confidently as he leaned closer and sniffed her scent, he can tell from her scent she is fertile and in heat, a characteristic he has gained from being a wolf in his past life.

He gripped his cup and forced the cup on his lips, letting the warm liquid enter his throat as visions of him lapping across her heat entered his mind. It was a pity it was all he could do yesterday.

But it is fine. He knew this time, that she will be easier to catch. Because even her own body craves him so.