Page 5 of Deadline for Love

“What’s got you so distracted?” Nathan leaned forward, his muscles tensing. He rested his chin on the palm of his hand. A watch was decorating his wrist. A few strands of hair fell on his forehead, shadowing his flawless face as he did.

“Sorry, did you just say something?”

“Yeah, I wanted to know if you also work as a photographer like your friend?”

I glanced at Amara, who was talking to Justin about a very energetic topic. She even had her phone to show him something.

“No, I’m a journalist. The same publishing house, though.”

“Journalist—that sounds interesting.”

“Well, it is but also very tiring. But, yes, I love my job. What about you?”

I took another sip of my lemonade, and our eyes locked. Seeing them clear in the light, his brown eyes looked rich and mysterious. Beautiful, like the trees in the fall season. Gifting me somehow a warmth that calmed me.

“I’m an industrial designer. It’s interesting but tiring too.” He repeated my words in a playful tone, and his lips moved up. A gentle smile reached his eyes. I narrowed my gaze and even saw a dimple on his cheek—I think my heart skipped a beat.

“Industrial designer… I guess you found the perfect city to work in,” I muttered and took another sip of my drink.

“Yeah, you could say that…”

He stopped speaking, and I didn’t know how to continue this conversation. Usually, I would talk a lot since I’m a reporter! It’s my profession to ask questions, but somehow, nothing wanted to get into my head while talking to him. Was it due to my lack of interest? I mean, he was clearly my type… but still, I didn’t think I was ready to get to know a man for a relationship. Also, my day was tiring, and I still needed to draft an article…

After Fernando delivered our food, he wished us a good appetite before disappearing again. I was amazed that Justin knew exactly what I wanted to eat. Because he’d ordered just the suitable dish for me, a tuna pizza with hot sauce.

“Enzo gave us a hand with our choice,” Justin admitted before I could even say anything—well, I could have guessed that.

As we ate, Amara, Justin, and Nathan chatted, which I mostly stayed out of. The conversation was about wedding planning or sometimes about work.

While I didn’t feel out of place, I didn’t feel the urge to join in the conversation. Amara was understanding and didn’t push me to join in.

I glanced at the woman sitting alone, sipping a glass of wine. Her gaze still seemed empty. However, when I saw the tears rolling down her soft pink skin, I couldn’t bear it anymore.

“Sorry, I’ll be right back,” I muttered, rising to my feet. Amara threw me a wondering look, making it clear with her eyes that I shouldn’t try to leave. However, I emphasized that I didn’t want to run away.

Suddenly, there was a loud clatter of glass, and the store went quiet. Everyone looked over to the source and noticed that the woman’s glass and its contents were all scattered on the floor. With tears she apologized loudly before Enzo walked over to the side and tried to calm her down. She staggered slightly and banged against the door before opening it and running out.

I quickly went to Enzo, who smiled in confusion and then waved to reassure everyone that everything was alright, but the woman’s bag was still on the chair.

“I’ll take care of it,” I said quickly and took the bag, running out and checking around first.

I could still see the woman; she was almost at the end of the street. I started running again and got very close. She didn’t run anymore but stopped at the side of the road.

“You forgot your bag!” I shouted, but the woman didn’t turn around.

My voice resounded as I called for her again. Even the sound of my high heels was loud enough to get her attention.

I wasn’t far away and took a deep breath to call for her again, but suddenly, a car came around the corner and stopped in front of her; I froze automatically and breathed heavily.

“Wait a minute! Your bag!” I called, but she got into the car and disappeared without looking at me. It was a small white car. I could make out the license plate and memorize it in my mind.

“Fuck,” I hissed, only to come to a halt.

My breathing took a while to calm down, and as I breathed in and out deeply, thoughts swirled through my head; what was wrong with her... No—what was wrong with me? Why did I even want to go to this woman? Did I want to ask her if we had seen each other before?

It was strange in a way—I would always memorize the faces and was almost sure that I had never seen her before, but somehow, she looked familiar.

“Don’t get scared, I’m behind you.” Nathan’s deep voice rang out, and although he warned me, my heart sank.

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