Branch One Hundred and Eighty Eight
“Are you guys free tonight?” Alicia asked. She was on a call with Jessica and Leslie. She had gone around asking them both why they had been such killjoys lately. She had tried to get them both out several times during the past month and they had both declined the offer. She knew that Jessica needed someone who would be close to her at that time.
“I have a date with my husband” Jessica replied. She felt relieved that Xavier had come around. It had a tough couple of months. Since he was not expressive about his emotions she was not sure how to act around him.
“Awwn” they both cooed over the phone.
“But wait what do you say we have a triple date?” Alicia asked.
“Who would be your date since Jason is not in town?” Leslie jumped in to ask.
“He is flying in. His flight should come in any moment from now” Alicia replied. In the past two months, she had been going in and out of Chiachester City. She had been to Crescent Bay so much that it was a wonder that the bloggers still followed the story so intensely.
“No wonder you are in such high spirits” Leslie teased.
“So is it a triple date?” she asked to confirm.
“Sure, I will tell Xavier” Jessica responded.
“Sure I love the way you keep making plans for me. Of course, I have nothing important to do” Leslie responded sarcastically.
“So are you not going to come?” Alicia asked back with a sarcastic tone.
“I will let Brian know” she answered.
“Okay, then that’s perfect. I will make reservations and send you the details”
“That’d be good, it’s just that I have to go home to change,” Jessica said. All of a sudden she found herself conscious of what she wore. It was as if the funeral services reinforced in her mind what position it was that she held now in society.
“I think that’s a great idea. Let’s all dress so fancy, it had been a long time since all of us came together to do something like this so let’s go all out” Alicia encouraged.
“Yes Boss,” Leslie said mockingly.
“I am getting another call from my baby,” Alicia said and both of them pretended to throw up. “I’ll text your reservation details,” she said before cutting off the line.
Jessica shook her head as she proceeded to dial Xavier’s number. “Hello darling,” she said in a low whisper.
“What did you just call me?” he asked when his ears caught what she said. He had badgered her before to call him sweetly but she had been against it.RêAd lat𝙚St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only
“Just forget it,” she said when she realized what it was she did.
“How can I forget your first attempt at an endearment?” he asked with a little laugh.
“I just wanted to try something out but it is obvious that it won’t work and I felt weird just saying it once. I can’t imagine saying it again. Moreover, you heard me the first time” she rambled.
“Even if you do not say it again I will cherish this moment in my heart forever,” he said and she shook her head again.
“How is work going?” she asked. After they had made up that morning he had told her not to bother about lunch as he had important visitors from one of the neighboring cities and he would need to humor them by treating them to an extravagant lunch from their hotel kitchen.
“If you are asking how my lunch went I’ll say normal but if you are asking if I miss you then I would say it’s an unhealthy amount”
“I miss you too”
“Should I come?” he asked.
“Are you done with work for the day?” she asked. If she was being honest she wanted him by her side immediately but she did not want to act selfish she was going to blame it on the pregnancy hormones but she wanted him to be close to her.
“No” he murmured lowly and she laughed. She turned her head to the clock on the wall. She was sitting in her office after the rush out of the restaurant. She had been on her feet for so long that it was beginning to ache.
After Chef Mali had left she put in all the effort and for her, it was a privilege to see her restaurant thriving on the food preparation technique that she taught. However, some people came because they caught a whiff that she was a Delgado and they wanted to experience seeing her up front.
“It would be over in the four hours and we can see each other,” she said resting deep into the sofa she was sitting on. “And I miss you too but there are at least seven hours before we close up” she added.
Unlike him who closed the standard job time she had to run her restaurant extra time longer although she usually left her staff to finish up while she went home to rest.
“We still have our date tonight tight?” he asked in a singsong voice.
“Yes, but Alicia said Jason was in town and she wanted us to have a triple date”
“Do you want to go?”
“She sounded so desperate on the phone so I agreed but we can raincheck in case you do not feel comfortable,” she told him. She knows she agreed at once to Alicia but she could take a rain check in case it was not working for him.
“As long as you think it will be okay,” he said and she nodded to herself.
“We could atoll have a personal date afterward”
“Where?” Xavier asked his voice sly.
“At home,” she said slowly.
“I very much love that idea” he replied. “I will pick you up after working hours.
“Okay then, but we would need to stop at home first so I can put on something better and something that can cover up the bump better”
“Your wish is my command” he responded and they ended the call with a burst of laughter.