"Now, I can take a taxi."
The slight lift of Luca's left eyebrow was the only reaction to Sasha's final, defiant declaration of independence. He didn't argue. He simply gave a low, appreciative hum that acknowledged her choice without validating the underlying panic, then turned to the curb. He walked the short distance with her, his presence a heavy, undeniable anchor in the tense air. He opened the back door of the cab for her with the same practiced, impersonal courtesy he might show a visiting dignitary.
Sasha slid inside, the cool leather seat a welcome relief against the heat in her cheeks. She managed a quick, hesitant nod and a small, sincere smile as she looked up at him, a silent thank you for the door, and perhaps, for the agreement to a second date. The moment the taxi began to pull away, the lights of the restaurant receding into the background, she finally let out the breath she'd been holding since the moment she realized her CEO was her blind date. It felt like a small, internal explosion, releasing a paralyzing tension that had gripped her chest all evening. Relief washed over her, thick and intoxicating. She'd survived.
•°•°•°•°•
Luca stood motionless on the pavement, his hands settling deep into the pockets of his custom tailored trousers, watching the taxi's red taillights vanish into the night stream. He usually felt immediate relief after these forced social rituals.
Tonight, the relief was there, cold and professional, but it was layered with an unfamiliar, buzzing sense of curiosity. Her complete, unedited honesty had been disarming. "I mean.. Its true that iam awkward. I never thought of you like that.." Her words, a haphazard mix of self-deprecation and defiant truth. He was still processing the raw vulnerability of her sudden confession, the contrast between her competent professional self and her awkward personal one.
"How was the date, bro?"
The cheerful, familiar voice broke through his quiet analysis. A warm, heavy hand clamped onto his shoulder, and a tall, attractive man came to stand beside him, his gaze fixed on the exact spot where the taxi had disappeared.
Luca shifted his weight, instantly moving out from under the friendly pressure. He gave the man a slow, suspicious look, his dark eyes narrowing. "Were you following me?" His posture, stiff and challenging, was the one he reserved for unexpected threats or deeply annoying subordinates.
The man, Ayaan, chuckled. A rich, easy sound that betrayed no remorse. He was every bit as tall and well-built as Luca, but radiated an accessible, easy charm that Luca distinctly lacked. Dressed simply in a white shirt and black trousers, his beard gave him the compelling, rugged look of a Turkish screen actor.
"Me? Nah, bro. Even though my best friend has no idea about dating culture, I'm not following him for his non-countable dates," Ayaan countered, his tone laced with a knowing, decade spanning tease.
Luca merely intensified his glare.
Ayaan raised both hands in a dramatic show of surrender. "Okay, fine... fine... no more teasing. But, seriously, who was the girl? It's just... you're always the one who bails first, cold-shouldering them by the appetizer. This time was different." Ayaan's curiosity was genuine now, a rare mystery in his best friend's meticulously controlled life.
"She is Sasha" Luca stated, his voice flat, returning to his neutral, corporate default.
Ayaan's head tilted, his expression shifting to pure astonishment. "Sasha...? Sa... Sasha? The one working in your company?" he asked, a note of sheer disbelief in his voice as he finally placed the name.
Luca gave a tight nod and began walking toward his car, parked a short distance away.
"Woah, woah, woah! What in the world is happening?" Ayaan hurried to keep pace with Luca's long, efficient strides. "After rejecting numerous socialites, models, and family friends, you finally acted normally on a date... with your employee?"
Luca stopped by his car, his hand hovering over the door handle. He needed to justify his actions, both to Ayaan and to the logical part of his own brain. "First of all.." he began, the explanation sounding more like a quarterly business review than a romantic post-mortem, "she never acted like any of the others. She didn't try hard to impress. She was awkward, and she was ready to drop the date, which means she wasn't seeking me out for my position." He paused, a flicker of something close to pride entering his eyes. "And second, I know her work ethic. I know her mind. She is super talented, indispensable, in fact. I know for a fact she wasn't interested in me before this. So... I thought I should give it a try."
Ayaan stopped, shaking his head and letting out a soft, genuine smile. "So, how are you going to work this, man? You decided to give this a try only because she wasn't interested in you." The question was serious now, drilling down to the core of Luca's emotional dysfunction.
Luca didn't have an answer. His face remained neutral, but the minute shift in his gaze confirmed the truth. His interest was rooted in the challenge of her apathy, the purity of her lack of ambition regarding him.
"Luca," Ayaan said, his voice dropping to a serious, friendly reprimand. "You've never been in a relationship. You are twenty-eight, not eighteen. You need to know how to date. Not every interaction is a negotiation. If you go into this like you run a hostile takeover, it's going to end badly, especially since your family is pressing hard for your marriage." Ayaan raised an eyebrow, waiting for the crack in his friend's armor.
The briefest moment of vulnerability crossed Luca's expression, swiftly replaced by his usual rigid control. "Then... then just explain the things," he conceded, the request costing him a noticeable effort. The eagerness to know, to gain 'data' for the second date, was clearly winning over his aversion to asking for help.
Ayaan pressed his lips together, his shoulders shaking slightly as he fought the urge to laugh at his bestfriend's zero knowledge of human courtship. Luca instantly shot him a cold, hard 'Don't you dare to laugh' glare.
"Fine. I will teach-..i mean, explain to you," Ayaan intentionally corrected himself, his smile still suppressed but undeniably mischievous.
"Tomorrow, after work, at my place," Luca stated, preferring the anonymity of a private space.
Ayaan shook his head and leaned forward, his voice a conspiratorial stage whisper. "Nah. Tomorrow, at work, in your office."
Luca frowned, already anticipating the chaos. He knew Ayaan loved making an entrance. "I won't let you flirt with my assistant in front of me, you idiot." The warning was instant, a protective reflex, both professional and suddenly, subtly, personal.
Ayaan gave him a wide, innocent, yet entirely mischievous smile. "If you want me to help you, accept the terms. Or forget the lesson." With that, Ayaan turned and sauntered back towards his own car, leaving Luca stranded in a logistical dilemma.
"Come back here, you idiot!" Luca called out, a genuine, frustrated laugh catching in his throat.
Ayaan merely waved over his shoulder. "See you tomorrow, bro! Be ready for the syllabus!"
Luca muttered "Idiot" one last time, climbed into his car, and slammed the door shut. The powerful engine roared to life, a familiar, controllable force in his otherwise suddenly volatile world.
°•°•°•°•°•
On the other side of the city, Sasha's internal world was a cyclone of mortification and exhilaration. She pressed her forehead against the cool glass of the taxi window, watching the familiar streetlights guide her home.
'Am I really agreed to a second date?'
The audacity of her impulsive question still shocked her. Sasha had spent her adult life constructing a fortress of professional competence and emotional distance. She was the one who planned, who strategized, who never, ever let her guard down. Yet, tonight, she had thrown all that caution to the wind, her fear of missed opportunity somehow outweighing her fear of embarrassment.
'Oh God, how am I going to face him tomorrow at work?'
The thought was a sharp, physical jolt. The office, their professional battlefield. Tomorrow, she would have to walk into that building knowing he remembered her flustered, pleading eyes, her embarrassing confession, and the surprising, genuine moment they had shared.
'How can you act so impulsively, Sasha?'
she silently chastised herself, her fingers digging into the worn leather of her clutch. The truth was, his reaction had been the catalyst. His unexpected lack of judgment, his unnerving perception, and that rare, private smile had made her realize he was not just the cold, unapproachable CEO. He was just... a man. A man who had intrigued her enough to shatter her own rules.
She finally allowed herself to recall the details.. the brief, suppressed curve of his lips, a private moment of humanity he'd rarely displayed. The surprising warmth of his fingers as he opened the door.
He said Yes.
The thought was a small, insistent drumbeat under the worry. It didn't make the next day any less terrifying, but it made the terror worthwhile. She had breached the wall. Now, she just had to figure out how to live on the other side of it.
[To be continued]