The heavy door had barely settled into its frame before Ayaan was up from the sofa, striding toward the behemoth of a CEO's desk.
Luca remained seated, arms crossed over his flawless suit jacket, radiating his signature neutral expression that usually preceded a cold, definitive corporate pronouncement.
"So... what was her reaction when you looked at her today?" Ayaan asked, planting his hands on the sleek desk surface and leaning in.
Luca frowned, a minute contraction of muscle around his eyes that was the closest he ever came to showing mild irritation. "I didn't look at her." He spoke the words with a casual shrug, as if dismissing a minor scheduling conflict.
Ayaan froze. The theatrical enthusiasm instantly drained from his face, replaced by pure, unadulterated disbelief. "You... you didn't look at her?"
Luca simply nodded.
Ayaan let out a long, suffering sigh and stood straight. He turned his back on the desk and walked stiffly to the towering glass wall that overlooked the city. He was too dumbfounded to speak immediately. He needed a moment to process the sheer, stunning stupidity of his friend. Arms planted on his hips, he turned back to look at Luca, who waited with the cold patience of a scientist observing a particularly slow experiment.
"Are you even for real, bro?" Ayaan's voice was a tight, incredulous whisper.
Luca gave him a stern, flat look. "This place is for work, Ayaan."
"Of course, it is for work! But the HUMANS are working!" Ayaan practically yelled, throwing his hands up. "And one of those humans is your blind date from yesterday, with whom you are going to have a second date. The FIRST second date in your ENTIRE LIFE. This required a minimum of a supportive, non threatening professional side glance, Luca"
"Is this your great lesson?" Luca asked, completely unimpressed.
Ayaan threw his head back, letting out a groan of profound disappointment. He walked back toward the desk, stopping just short of a professional distance.
"Bro, I knew you had zero knowledge in the dating life, but I never had any idea you were this dumb."
Luca's face hardened, the stern look snapping into a glare.
"You called me dumb?"
"Of course, I did. And don't try to scare me with those expressions. I'm not scared." Ayaan shook his head, looking down at the carpet, then met Luca's eyes again. "Okay, now let me explain the basic of basic things... But seriously, you didn't even have an urge to look at her today?"
Luca's gaze drifted sideways, the perfect businessman finally having to pause and think about an emotional variable. After a beat he looked back at Ayaan. Who was waiting with the eager expectancy of a teacher whose star student might just be about to grasp the Pythagorean theorem.
"I thought enough of her about last night till 2 a.m." Luca answered simply. "So, I didn't want to waste any more time thinking about anything else besides work."
Ayaan's excitement deflated with a soft whoosh.
Wait-.. Till 2 a.m.?
Then, a jolt, a shock of understanding lit up his face. He quickly leaned in, hands bracing himself on either side of the chair's handrest, caging the CEO slightly. He bent his upper body to peer intensely into Luca's confused, handsome face.
"So... you were thinking about her till 2 a.m. last night?" Ayaan asked, his voice low and filled with curiosity.
Luca gave a terse nod.
"Enough! That is enough! So you had feelings in your heart!" Ayaan straightened up, punching the air with a triumphant, silent cheer. "That is enough mannn! God.. We have something to work with. So.., what did you think about her?"
"I wasn't thinking about her the whole night" Luca corrected, his tone still technical.
"I just thought about what she said. That she isn't interested in me during the blind date. Even though that's what I wanted, it made me confused. Am I that bad? An efficient girl like her doesn't like me... All the other girls were different." Luca looked genuinely perplexed.
"Is this all you were thinking?" Ayaan asked, his tone now thick with exasperated defeat.
"No" Luca continued, completely oblivious. "And about what you said. How a relationship works... What are the precautions that should be taken to prevent relationship breakage..?"
"Really, Luca? Precautions to prevent relationship breakage?" Ayaan sounded like he was about to spontaneously combust. "Man, you sound like you're fixing a house building issue rather than thinking about a relationship even before stepping into it!"
Luca gave him a stern look again.
Ayaan took a deep, steadying breath. He leaned back down, holding both handrests of Luca's chair. "Fine. As the responsible man who took the important task of teaching you about dating life, I am bearing all this and going to teach you with my unbreakable patience" he declared, his voice a low. An dramatic vow.
Knock. Knock.
The sudden, precise sound cut through the tense silence.
"Come in" Luca commanded, instantly returning to CEO mode.
Sara stepped in, holding a document.
"Mr. Meyer, this is the project-.."
She paused, her eyes widening infinitesimally as she took in the dramatic posture of Luca seated and Ayaan hovering over him, slightly bent, essentially caging her boss.
Ayaan's eyes instantly lit up, the business of Luca's love life vanishing from his mind. He didn't move from his position, his gaze locked on Sara, radiating devotion.
"Uhm... Do you guys need a moment?" Sara asked, confused but perfectly maintaining her professional demeanor.
Luca let out a heavy sigh, the sound barely audible, and looked at Ayaan, who was still literally hovering over him, eyes glued to Sara. He reached up and patted Ayaan on his shoulder.
"Are you going to stand like that, such that you want her to think now you're interested in me than her?" Luca asked Ayaan, his voice low and dry, finally dragging his friend back to reality.
Ayaan jumped upright, adjusting his flamboyant jacket. He flashed a cheeky, enormous smile at Sara. "Hey... hi. Why are you standing there? Come... come inside"
Sara's lips tightened in a subtle eye-roll, ignoring Ayaan completely. She looked at Luca, who gestured her in with a flick of his fingers.
"Put it on the table. You can go."
"Don't go too fast..." Ayaan murmured to Sara's retreating back as she quickly placed the document down and exited the office with practiced haste.
•°•°•°•°•°•
After some time, on the other side of the soundproof glass, Sasha was finally starting to breathe again. She had just closed an email and was reaching for her coffee when her phone buzzed with an unexpected notification. It was a message from an familiar number. CEO.
The message itself was short, simple and paralyzingly confusing.
"Hey." Just Hey.
Sasha felt a tiny spike of panic, followed by a rush of heat. She was confused and felt slightly nervous from just that three letter word. Her gaze instinctively drifted toward the CEO's office, specifically the high polished glass door.
Her eyes went wide in genuine disbelief.
Luca Meyer was standing directly behind the glass, looking straight at her. He wasn't glaring, he wasn't neutral and he wasn't demanding. He held her gaze for a single, focused second and then, his lips curved up into a faint, gentle and utterly surprising smile.
[To be continued]