The spectator

Again. Again Steve had managed to fully silence the otherwise so outspoken Maria. With widened eyes she stared at him as he nonchalantly took another bite of his finger-sandwich. With reddened cheeks and clearly feeling flustered, Maria said, while avoiding any form of eye-contact, "God, how can you be so direct?! Don't you feel any shame, shyness or reserve? I have never met a guy so brazen as you." Steve didn't seem impressed by Maria's words and said, "I see no reason to feel any of those things. When it comes to love, it is better to be clear instead of feeling regret afterwards. There is no use for ifs and buts afterwards, if you speak your mind and say what is in your heart. I am interested in you and I am not embarrassed to admit it. As for when you are ready to do the same, that I do not know but I am willing to wait and find out."

Meanwhile Laila enjoyed her role as the spectator to all of this to the fullest. With barely contained excitement, a big smile on her face that was hidden behind her hands and eyes that could not turn away under any circumstance, she watched as her friend was silenced time and time again by Steve's lack of reserve. Though she felt a bit bad for her friend who was clearly not handling the situation very well, in her heart of hearts she had to admit that she was loving every minute of it, just as much as she knew that Maria was secretly liking this upfront confession as well. She was just feeling awkward because she hadn't expected it, because she hadn't prepared for it and therefore didn't quite know how to handle it.

"Well... well..." Being unable to find the words to say, Maria finally gave up and turned to Laila for some assistance. In a whispered tone she asked, "Will you help me out here?!" Laila let out another bursting chuckle before she decided to give in and save her friend and answer her begging plea. "You certainly have a way with words Steve but I think you have made you case clear and we should revisit this topic at a later time. That is if Maria should show any indication that she wants to. Otherwise you will need to put your money where your mouth is and wait for her to speak her mind regarding the matter."

Steve shrugged his shoulders and responded as nonchalantly as ever by saying, "Very well. If you say so." Then he turned to Maria for one final word. "As long as you don't forget what I said today, remember that I mean every word of it and know that I will be waiting, no hoping, for a proper response whenever you feel ready."

Having a certain amount of admiration for Steve's direct approach and determination to get his point across, Maria felt a certain sense of obligation to give him at least one proper response. "I understand and I will." After that she gave him a slightly awkward smile and took another sip of her tea, feeling relieved that the matter seemed to have been put to bed. At least for now. But she also knew that Steve deserved a reply to his confession. He had shown her honesty and bravery, more than she had done. So, once she had given matters a proper thought and wasn't put on the spot like this, she would find some time to give him an answer.

The rest of the high tea went by without a hitch and a slight sense of awkwardness. Steve did as he had promised and let the matter go but a slight tension remained in the air. This was because although he could stop talking about it, he couldn't actually stop feeling the way he felt. So, every time Maria would catch him looking at her. Sometimes his stares would be intentional, proven by his turning away with a quick smile the moment their eyes met, and other times it would be him just dreaming away and choosing her as a point to focus on. But this much Maria could handle. This much she could pretend to not notice and ignore.

After the last tray had been emptied and the last sip had been taken, Noah finally made his appearance to the party as well. With his briefcase in hand he walked into the dining room and let out a "Hello everyone" as he made his way over to where Laila was seated. All three of them turned around and Noah was immediately warmly greeted by all. Though each had a slightly different way of greeting someone 'warmly'.

"Well if it isn't the jealous husband. Did they finally let you off?" Noah shot a slight glare in Maria's direction as he fought back the urge to laugh before he said, "I don't need anyone to let me off. One of the many perks of being my own boss. I know this must disappoint you greatly as the overly attached friend that has used up all of her vacation days on her two trips with my wife, while I have no limit to the number of days I can take off to be with her."

While Maria was busy glaring back at Noah, he had reached Laila's side and got the only greeting he cared about.