CHAPTER 67: UNINVITED GUEST

Despite Rosabella asking me for help, I couldn’t bring myself to talk to Raphael about anything regarding his upcoming engagement. Firstly, I always had a heavy feeling in my heart whenever I thought about him getting engaged to Rosabella, and on top of that, I had a feeling that Raphael didn’t want to talk about anything related to Rosabella or their upcoming engagement. I was certain he would get mad at me in some shape or form if I were to bring it up, and I didn’t want to take the risk of facing his wrath.

"Do you want me to get you some lunch?" I quickly offered.

Raphael looked at me, and it felt like he was slightly surprised at my sudden offer. I actually had no idea why I made that offer, although I guess it could be counted as part of my job. I had never made an offer like that to help him before, even though his schedule was so busy that it must have been hard to squeeze in time to have lunch.

"It’s okay if you don’t want any lunch. I just...thought that you might be hungry," I continued when he just kept on staring at me in silence. Just when I began to regret my words, Raphael suddenly spoke up.

"Do you want to go out for lunch?" he asked.

Now it was my turn to be surprised at his sudden invitation. "Don’t you have a meeting scheduled right after this?" I asked as I eyed his packed schedule on the screen of my computer.

"We can push that back if you want to go out for lunch," he replied casually.

"I guess you could really use a break," I said before I found myself smiling quite naturally at him.

"I guess you could use a break too," he said in agreement.

My heart skipped a beat when he showed me one of his most charming smiles, and then I began to think that he was not really playing fair. There were so many questions inside my mind regarding the future, especially after Raphael got engaged and then married to Rosabella. I wondered what would happen between us and if he would be willing to let me go just like that. Whenever I thought about that, I had to admit that I had very mixed feelings that I coudn’t quite understand.

"What are you thinking about? You certainly have this gloomy look on your face that is a little scary," Raphael said teasingly before he reached out his large hand and placed it on the top of my head.

The moment his hand landed on the top of my head, I realized that it had been a while since he had touched me in any way. I stared up into his mesmerizing eyes as I wondered how things would be between us after he got married. Although I was supposed to feel relieved that someone else would be taking up his attention and that life would be a lot less complicated for me, I couldn’t help but feel a nagging sense of uncertainty deep inside of me.

"Nothing really. Work is just a little busy, and I guess I am a little hungry," I replied.

"Then let’s quickly go for lunch. What do you want to eat?" Raphael asked, and he sounded unusually enthusiastic.

...

Having lunch with Raphael was surprisingly enjoyable in its own way, but I could tell that we were both consciously avoiding a very sensitive topic between us. We talked about very random things and also work, while conveniently not mentioning his upcoming engagement that was only a few days away. I wondered silently whether he had met up with Rosabella or if he had tried on the suit that she got tailored for him for the engagement event. Of course, my silent curiosity never materialized into any kind of verbal question, even as our lunch break came to an end and we returned back to the office.

The moment that I opened the door, I heard a familiar sweet-sounding voice ringing out excitedly.

"Oh! You two are finally back. Did you enjoy your lunch together?" Rosabella was there to greet us with a beautiful smile on her face. She looked positively radiant, and I wondered if this was the glow that people like to talk about to-be brides having. Regardless, I was stunned at her sudden appearance because I never expected that she would turn up to Raphael’s office, and unannounced at that.

"Why are you here?" Raphael asked coldly without even greeting her.

Rosabella looked evidently unsettled by Raphael’s attitude. For a moment, she looked like a guilty child who had misbehaved and was caught right in the middle of the act. I glanced from Raphael to Rosabella and then back again as I wondered what he was going to do. It was clear that Raphael was just as surprised as I was at Rosabella’s sudden appearance; on top of that, he didn’t look at all pleased to see her in his office.

"I’m sorry for turning up unannounced. Since our engagement event is coming up this weekend, and I had a little trouble getting in touch with you and getting your time, I thought that it might be easier for me to come here so that you could find some time to try on the suit that I got tailored for you," Rosabella said in her sweet voice before smiling hopefully at her fiancé. Raphael looked at her with emotionless eyes that made me feel bad for her. I had no idea why Raphael had to be so cold towards her even though he was supposed to be in love with her. I watched as Rosabella quickly retrieved the suit that was on the sofa before handing it to Raphael with a hopeful smile on her beautiful lips.

"I’m not free to try this on right now. Also, if you got this tailored according to my measurements and at my regular tailor, then there is no doubt that it would fit. Therefore, there is no need for me to try it on," he replied matter-of-factly as he shot her down.

–To be continued...