The Dinner Meeting

~Let Jesus be your power source, and once you get that energy—that light—be sure to illuminate others as well.~

As Aaron rode in the back seat of his car, his eyes closed, he couldn't resist cursing himself.

He knew he had just crushed what little piece of hope he had left—his little sister.

Hopeless, that was what he was.

He sighed inaudibly.

It was for her own good, he didn't want her to get hurt.

And that in itself was the irony considering he had just hurt her. He sighed again...this time audibly.

"Where to sir?" He heard Tom say by the driver's seat.

"What time is it?" He asked instead.

"It's 4:20 sir," Tom answered quickly.

"Take me to my house, I need to get ready for the dinner meeting."

"Yes sir."

"Şɧɛ'll ɧąŧɛ ყơų fơřɛ۷ɛř."

He heard the disembodied voice echo in his head, the same voice that had plagued him ever since he was a child.

The darkness was an ever present existence, it was so tangible he could almost suffocate in it and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get rid of it, in fact, he couldn't recall a time when he didn't feel its oppressive presence.

Aaron bowed his head and grabbed his hair.

"I know." He whispered back.

|||•|||

Soon enough, they got to his house. The large metal gates opened to receive them into the impossibly big driveway.

There were tall trees on either side casting impressive shadows as they drove through.

He didn't even wait for the car to fully come to a stop before he bolted for the house. He opened the door and unsurprisingly, he was greeted by an empty house.

Not empty in the sense of furnishing, but empty in terms of life. It was filled with all the latest and state-of-the-art household equipment, none of which was the least bit enticing to him. He never bothered himself with help, he did the cleaning himself.

The entire house exuded coldness and he guessed it was merely a reflection of the one who lived in it. All the furniture were either ash or white-he liked it that way.

He made his way slowly through his enormous house into his bedroom upstairs.

As he opened the door to his dimly lit room, he could already sense it, he felt it before he even saw it.

Without giving it the least bit attention, he moved into his room and sat on his bed, head bowed.

He heard an unearthly shriek, which anyone else hearing it would have been rattled to the bone but fortunately or rather should he say unfortunately for him, he was the only one that could see it or hear it.

It was probably pissed he ignored it.

Even though his head was lowered, he could see it move in the shadows. He followed its movement from the corner of his eyes until it was directly in front of him.

He could smell its foul stench.

"ყơų ɖiɖ ɯɛll...ąąřơŋ." It whispered darkly into his ears.

That voice had haunted him for as long as he could remember.

It dragged his name purposely to set him on edge and he would have been scared if only he could feel. He knew what it was talking about.

'His sister.'

He looked up unfazed right into the creature's eyes. They were red with the burning intensity of hot coals. They were disturbing, to say the least, but he was used to it.

"I did what you said, so now you'll leave my sister alone." It was a demand, not a question.

"ŧŞҠ, ŧŞҠ, ŧŞҠ, ɠɛŧŧiŋɠ קřơųɖ ŋơɯ ąřɛ ɯɛ?" It made a low threatening growl.

"You told me to distance myself from her and I've done just that, what more do you want from me?" He bit out in a low tone.

"ɛ۷ɛřყŧɧiŋɠ." It whispered.

He didn't even blink.

"Well, you can have me, I'm going to die soon anyway. Just leave my baby sister out of it." He stared right into its haunting eyes.

The creature only smiled.

It stepped away from him and moved back into the shadows, its back to Aaron.

It stopped and tilted its head to him, the dark smile never leaving its lips.

"ɖɛąl." And with that, it vanished.

Aaron released a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. He checked the time, it was 5:30pm, he needed to get ready.

He quickly made a call to his driver.

"Sir." He heard Tom say on the other end.

"I need you to pick Miss Anderson at her house by 7:00 on the dot, not a minute later and bring her here. If she's not ready by then, come without her."

"Yes, s-" He cut the call.

He needed to take a shower.

|||•|||

Sarah woke up with a start, eyes wide. Her breath came out in quick successions and her clothes were soaked with perspiration.

'What did she just dream about?'

Her entire body shook with residue fear. She checked her phone, it was 6:00pm, she had been sleeping a while. She recited the whole of Psalm 91, it always seemed to calm her down.

It also gave her a feeling of assurance and safety.

She couldn't help but be confused about the dream, and questions lingered in her mind.

"Lord, I don't understand this dream but I believe you're trying to tell me something. Holy Spirit please give me the interpretation, I commit it into your hands, oh Lord have your way in Jesus name. Amen."

"Thank you, Jesus." She breath out.

She wiped her face with both hands, she still felt a little groggy from sleep but she knew she had to be ready for the dinner meeting tonight before Tom came to pick her up.

In less than an hour, she was ready, she picked a cute blue free dinner gown and she made her hair into a neat bun, leaving a few curls by her temples. She wore her necklace, the one her mom hag given her and a small pair of silver earrings. To top it all off she matched it with a pair of silver wedges.

As she stared nervously at the mirror, she couldn't help but worry. She hoped her outfit was nice enough. She was considering using a little makeup to make her eyes pop when she heard the car horn outside her apartment.

'Not now...'

She groaned inwardly. She took a look at the time and it was 7:00 pm on the dot.

'Talk about punctuality.'

She quickly ran to the door and opened it, the driver was already standing at the door.

"Good evening Miss Anderson. Mr Snow requests we join him at his home."

'His home...she's never been to his home.'

"Ok." She closed the door behind her and locked it.

"Let me help you with that ma'am." He said referring to her small hand purse.

"It's ok Tom, thank you." She smiled warmly at him but he didn't seem to notice as he hurriedly went to open the door for her.

"Thank you." She sat comfortably in the front seat. He closed the door and moved speedily to the driver's seat.

Her eyes roamed the interior of the car in unveiled fascination.

'This must be a different one, no doubt selected specifically for tonight.'

The drive took a while but they got to his house in record time. Immediately they got through the gate into the driveway, she could no longer close her mouth, her jaws had gotten loose at how incredibly beautiful everything was. When they reached the house itself, her mouth truly went unhinged.

It was beyond magnificent.

The car came to a stop, Tom got out of the car.

"Wait here, ma'am."

"Ok." She responded.

She let out a breath of nervousness as she stared out the window still in absolute awe of the house...and that was when she saw him.

He stood by the porch in his black suit, the wind blew his dark hair softly into his eyes. Involuntarily, her heart skipped a beat.

She looked away.

'He was very handsome...and very cold.' Her mind couldn't help but generously hint.

She sighed.

She watched him move towards the car.

He exchanged a few words with Tom and Tom gave him the car keys.

Her eyes widened as he walked towards the driver's seat.

'He was driving.'

Tom opened the door for him and he entered gracefully-as usual. Tom closed the door and they were on their way. The gate opened automatically to allow them passage and they were out on the road.

The car moved sleekly down the road, it barely made any sound as they drove by. It was eerily silent though. After what happened that morning with him at work, she felt a little hesitant to talk to him but she didn't have to worry about it for long because he spoke first.

"Miss Anderson..." Her heart beat faster at the sound of his voice.

"Sir?" He turned his head slightly to her, his bottle-green eyes were so intense as they stared into hers.

In her eyes, he could see a little speck of timidity but also, just beneath the surface, he could also see strength.

She looked a bit nervous, he doubted she was even conscious of it.

He looked away.

"Did you bring your notebook?" He asked instead. Truth be told, he'd forgotten what he'd wanted to say the moment he looked into her eyes.

'What was wrong with him?'

His hands tightened on the steering wheel.

'She was distracting him.'

"Yes sir." She didn't know why she had brought it, but she had a feeling it would be needed.

Sarah couldn't help but admire his suit, she took a look at her own attire and she felt a little worried. Her own dress paled significantly in comparison to his suit.

They didn't even complement one another.

She hoped she didn't disappoint him.

'But he did say I could wear whatever I wanted...' Her mind piped up.

The drive to the villa was relatively quiet, but comfortable. She loved how beautiful the streets looked in the night.

Street lights and lights from marts, shops and restaurants illuminated everywhere as the car zoomed smoothly by.

It was euphoric...at least for her.

She wondered if people ever stopped to notice how beautiful it all was.

It was a fleeting feeling, one she treasured.

She chanced a glance at her boss-he was always so quiet, most of the time.

He was kind, that she knew. He was also strict, someone who loved hard work and punctuality.

But there was more to him than meets the eye, she also knew.

It's like he surrounds himself with not just a wall, but walls.

Walls that seem unbreakable from her standpoint.

She couldn't help but wonder what goes on in his mind every moment, what he thought about.

She wondered how he related to people outside work, was he always as formal? She guessed she was about to find out.

They arrived at the villa and her eyes widened in awe.

There was a red carpet at the entrance and she saw so many people, they were all elegantly dressed.

The valet opened her door and helped her out.

"Thank you." She smiled at him and he blushed much to her surprise.

Mr Snow got out of the car and gave the key to the valet. As they walked side by side into the villa, only then did Sarah realize how short she was or rather how tall he was.

They reached the main entrance and were greeted by a man holding a list in his hands and a pen.

"Aaron Snow." He said simply.

The man's eyes widened.

He quickly moved out of the way.

"Please, come in sir." He signalled to a lady by his far left. She ran to his side.

"Take Mr Snow to the VIP section."

"Yes sir. Mr Snow, this way please."

Aaron looked down at Sarah by his side.

"Miss Anderson, shall we?" He asked in his usual low calm voice.

He raised his arm.

She was hesitant for a moment, but then she quickly linked her arm with his and they both followed the lady who led them to their seats.

The place was absolutely breathtaking. Their seats were at the front row which only contained a few tables. She knew he was highly respected and influential but she didn't expect that much honour. Immediately they settled down, a waiter brought them their menus.

Just then his phone started to ring. He stood up and looked at the caller ID then back down at her.

"Miss Anderson, would you mind choosing for both of us?" Her mouth was open as if to say something but then she thought better of it.

"Of course sir." And with that, he walked out to receive the call.

"Ma'am, what would you like to eat?" That snapped her back. She quickly picked the menu, but to her utmost surprise, there were hardly any dishes in English.

Great...

After a few minutes of trying to pronounce it right in her head without much success, she merely pointed at one at random and gave the waiter back the menu.

"Excellent choice madam."

'Let's hope so', she couldn't help but think.

She sighed deeply.

She looked around for Mr Snow but didn't see him anywhere.

She knew using her phone at the table would be considered rude and blatant lack of manners so she kept the urge of playing candy crush to distract herself at bay.

As she was about giving in to the temptation of going out to check on her boss, unexpectedly, she felt hands cover her face from behind, they barely touched her eyes. Her heart jumped into her throat as she almost screamed from the surprise.

"Who's there?" She tried steadying her breath.

She moved her head to the side to take a look at the culprit but the said person merely moved to evade her eyes.

That cologne, she's smelt it before- butterscotch.

Her eyes widened in realization, she stood up and turned.

She was right.

"Noah?" His smile was teasing as he moved to stand right in front of her, his bright blue eyes warm as they stared into hers.

"In the flesh."

...