Chapter twenty-one

He kissed her.

Leonardo freaking kissed her, she tried settling on one of the stairs, as her legs were buckling against each other, still reeling from the effect of the kiss. She closed her eyes trying to steady her breathing. Her heart thumped hard against her chest, her breathing a bit shallow.

Why did he do that? He kissed her, she recalled his question.

Was he specifying, she was to be his life companion?

He sounded so sure about it.

How? Why? Why did he freaking kiss her? He complicated everything. He complicated their friendship, he complicated her thoughts.

His kiss rekindled a spark in her heart though, it gave her hope. She wasn't that unattractive as Richard told her, at least you wouldn't kiss someone you find unattractive.

Leonardo proved to her, there is hope to love again, but not him. With him, everything just screams wrong.

So wrong, he was her client, he was different from her, he was from another world different from her simple world. She wasn't ready to include someone in her life who would feel her daughter shouldn't be inclusive.

He set her mind in a haze, a foggy haze.

She stood up from her sit on the stairs ignoring the stares she was receiving from other guests and gently walked up to her suite.

Richard also wanted her to be his life companion, but he couldn't even last a year with her, recalling his statement.

She bored him to death, with her irritating habit and lifestyle.

Her simplicity.

One thing that irked Richard was her clothes, she recalled he would often ask, "Don't you have any dresses, evening gowns." He made the statement sound like a suggestion but she knew it was rubbed with insult and how he disregarded her style.

He always double take her appearance, checking it matched with his friends' girlfriends or wives. He wouldn't even be forgiving when comparing her with other women.

She guessed the last straw was when she told him about her pregnancy, he pretended to be elated at first at the first, then he gave her a divorce paper.

'You bore me to death.'

Leonardo revealed his interest in her, how is she sure she won't bore him to death too? Once she gives her heart the chance of loving.

Richard ruined her to the extent, she had no intention to love again but meeting Leonardo rekindled hope in her, his light-hearted nature, his boyish grin and reassuring smile. She felt loved for the first time in four years, and he kissed her.

But why her? She is just a plain old architect, with a daughter. She could never match with the ladies he once dated, they were glamorous while she was a simple entity.

Her style as Richard described was boring, and she made sure to keep it that way after the divorce.

She made herself 'boring', her hair always in a bun or packed in some kind of style. She did little or no makeup, with the intention of interesting no man, she only lived for her daughter.

If Leonardo has feelings for her, she can't trust him with her heart. She can't trust him with it.

For now, avoiding him and the kiss topic would be a good idea. Leonardo was bad news she needs that registered in her head.

He was different from Richard, more famous and extremely rich he can have his way with her and leave her heartbroken if she budges to his little touches and sweet gestures, and when he leaves her broken. She won't be able to lift a finger to his shadow.

Once bitten twice shy. She was still shy from her experience with Richard.

Reaching her suite, she turned the doorknob but it didn't budge, forgetting she didn't unlock it initially. On the quest to bring out her door card from her door, she found out her bag wasn't with her.

Where is her bag?

Did she leave it at Leonardo's? Trying the knob once more, it didn't budge she sighed frustrated.

Her phone, she needs to call Paige.

Her phone was in her bag. She palm faced herself in disappointment, Why did she run off in such a manner, trying to call Paige now would be impossible.

She needs to get it from him, just when she resolved to avoid him the universe finds a way to keep her coming back.

Alison was about to step away from the door when she bumped into someone, who turned out to be Paige.

"Ouch, watch where you are...? Wait, is that you, Alison?"

"Are you okay? I was a bit preoccupied in my thought, wasn't concentrating on where I was going," Alison said trying to pacify Paige who soothed her forehead from the bump.

"Sure, where have you been? I tried calling Johnson and he said he dropped you at the hotel about two hours ago," Paige said curious, worry evident in her tone. She placed the card in, Alison felt a little distracted by the greenlight beaming from the door and its ding sound.

Noticing her silence over her question, Paige opened the door gesturing Alison inside.

"At least now I have an idea of when you have been?" That caught Alison attention as she turned to Paige who had her grin spilling from her face.

"A man came to me and introduce himself to me as Leonardo Adriano, our client, he said he recognized me for moving along with you.

I told him I was your PA, At first, he thought I didn't know who Alison is, so he described you, with your long lustrous hair, wide thin lips, your beautiful almond eye..." Alison interrupted her dropping on the sofa, "Go straight to the point," she said a bit blunt earning a pout from Paige.

"He said I should give you this," She brought out a little black purse from her hidden hand residing behind her back, handing it over to her.

"He handed it, to you?" She asked a bit dazed.

"Yes, you know I have a lot of questions brewing in my head," Paige said plopping down on the sofa beside her.

Alison hummed in response checking her purse, for her items. She brought her phone out, then her pads.

"So how did you end up in Sir Leonardo office, I was tearing my hair off my head here worrying about you. It has been more than three hours since John dropped you and yet you were not up at the suite, I was contemplating calling the police."

"Erm... I was asked to meet him," She lied if you look at it in some way, Leonardo asked her.

Paige raised her eyebrow at her response, she was sure something was fishy, "And you find it deemed not to inform your assistant, and who asked you to meet him," she questioned Alison leaving her in a tight spot.

Alison knows she can't lie to save her life, her pathetic lying nature and restless eyes gave her off each time and Paige wasn't an easy person to lie to.

"You know what Alison, I think it was an informal meeting. You know like a date." Alison could not help but coughed at her statement, walking toward the kitchenette, but Paige wasn't buying that act, she trailed behind happy at her hypothesis.

"Tell me, are you guys like a thing?"

"Ah!!! My head I have a headache. I need to sleep, it's been a long day." Alison said in pretence avoiding Paige questions, she hurriedly walked away from the kitchenette taking a water bottle with her to her room locking the door against Paige nosiness.

"You can't pretend about it. Gosh, that man is to die for. He is a beauty from above, have you seen his eyes and the way he spoke about you, OMG, you should have seen the way his eyes glowed. Brighter than the evening stars." She raised her voice a bit from the other side of the door.

"I would leave you, Alison just for tonight, tomorrow you have a lot to answer to."

Alison groaned into her pillow.