by Emma Vikes
“You were already a head-turner eight years ago but fucking hell, you could capture any man’s heart with how beautiful you are now.”
I blushed at his words and tried to avert my gaze from him but it was as if those eyes of his held me captive.
“You have no idea how much I want to kiss you right now, Maia. How much I miss the feeling of your body against mine, the warmth of your skin, and the taste of you. Fuck, Maia. You have no idea how much I miss you.” His gaze lingered on my face for a moment.
I felt lost in the swirl of his honey-eyes.
Then he blinked and just like that, the moment faded away and he turned his attention back to the field.
I swallowed, looking away and chewing on my bottom lip. I tried as hard as I could to make it seem like his words didn’t affect me but it wasn’t true.
Ansel was shaking the walls I’d built.
We watched Sage’s soccer practice and each time she scored a goal, the two of us were the loudest to cheer for her even if this wasn’t an actual game. I’d always made sure to make Sage feel like I supported her with everything she chose to do. But whenever Ansel cheered as loudly as I did‒ sometimes even louder‒ I felt like he was giving her support I couldn’t.
When her practice was over and she disappeared into the shower room, Ansel and I lingered by the bleachers.
“You remember when our house would play soccer against another fraternity just for the heck of it?”
I let out a short laugh and rolled my eyes. “All of you took the game so seriously that every time you had one, I had to make sure I had a first aid kit for standby. You all get so easily mad at each other and start throwing punches.”
“You nagged at me each time I joined in on one,” he said with a grin. He looked wistful as he leaned back against the bleachers, staring at the blue sky. “I used to hate it each time you nagged at me. It made me feel weak in front of my brothers. But the more you did it, the more I realized how much you cared for me and I chose to throw all of that away.”
There he was again, making a comment about our past that I did not want to hear. I turned away from him. “Maybe we were never meant to be together, Ansel. Maybe that’s just how it is.”
“Or maybe you were the right one for me but I blew up the timing,” Ansel replied, turning his head to look at me. His warm eyes under the afternoon sun looked apologetic. “And maybe the universe gave me another chance to be with the one I was always meant to be with.”
Maybe the afternoon heat in an open field was making me feel dizzy. Maybe it was fatigue from working five straight days in the kitchen with minimal breaks. Or maybe it was the gaze of the honey-eyed man in front of me, warming me all over to thaw the coldness of my heart. He felt like the sun, burning hot and flaming, and yet he was drawing me closer to him.
Just then, Sage ran to where we were and I was thankful for her arrival. Ansel took her duffel bag from her and Sage held my hand as we followed Ansel to his car.
“Are you hungry, Sage?” Ansel opened the back door for Sage and the passenger seat for me. He put Sage’s bag in the backseat and helped her get in the car and when I got in my seat, he even closed the door for me. Ansel was being a complete gentleman but he had always been like that.
Ansel was putting on his seatbelt when Sage gave her an answer, “Yes, I am. Are you treating us for dinner?”
“Sage!”
But Ansel could only chuckle and neither of them were paying attention to me. “Is there anything you’re craving?”
“Ansel, you can just drop us off at our place. You don’t have to take us out for dinner too,” I said but it seemed like my words fell on deaf ears.
Ansel checked his watch and then briefly glanced at me. “If I take you both home now, you’ll have to cook dinner and Sage is already hungry. It’s just dinner, Maia. It’s not like I’m asking you to move in with me.”
I pursed my lips at his statement and although he made it sound like a joke, I knew he was doing it to get on my nerves because of the smirk on his face. Ansel was aware that I wouldn’t pick a fight with him because Sage was around and he was using that to his advantage.
Sage, on the other hand, laughed at what he said. “I wouldn’t mind if we lived in the hotel with you!” Sage announced enthusiastically.
“Really now?” Ansel asked, the smirk growing bigger.
I had to resist the urge to whack him behind the head, so he would stop. I felt like I was on a rollercoaster ride with him. One second, he would be all sweet and thoughtful and would make my heart skip a beat. In the next, I had to resist the urge to strangle him.
We arrived at the pizza place, Sage wanted to eat at and I witnessed how Ansel and Sage interacted with each other. Every time Sage was at the hotel, I was in the kitchen and for some reason, she always found her way to Ansel. They’d end up hanging out and then coming to me when she was hungry or if it was nearly time for me to get off of work.
Ansel let her order the toppings she wanted and both of us didn’t mind what she wanted.
“Can I get a vanilla milkshake too?”
He nodded his head at her request and turned to the waitress. “One vanilla milkshake, one strawberry, and one chocolate too, please.” Ansel didn’t even glance in my direction when he ordered the drinks.
He remembered the kind I liked. My heart softened a bit. I always appreciated how Ansel managed to remember the tiny details even back when we were together. It was such an endearing quality and I’m glad he still seemed to be the same.
When the pizza arrived, I was about to get Sage a slice but Ansel beat me to it. He gave her a slice on her plate and asked, “Are you gonna use your hands to eat it or a fork and a knife?”
I handed Sage a tissue when he asked her the question. “She prefers eating it the way it’s supposed to be. Don’t worry, she’s a pro at eating pizza.”
Ansel grinned and took a piece of tissue for himself.
I watched as the two of them devoured their slices and couldn’t help but shake my head. They acted so similarly and actually did have the same personalities now that I gave it more thought. The sudden thought sent a jolt of panic through me though because I suddenly imagined Sage behaving the same way that Ansel did when she grows up.
“You have sauce on your chin,” Ansel said, picking up another piece of tissue to wipe the sauce from Sage’s chin.
All I could do was watch how Ansel treated her. It warmed me to see his attention was solely focused on Sage and my daughter was loving it. She must’ve missed having male figure in her life.
It was clear to me that Ansel genuinely cared about Sage because it seemed like she had grown on him. The idea of him caring for her melted my heart and for a moment, I actually wanted to cry right there and then but managed to control my emotions. God, I didn’t even understand why I was suddenly becoming emotional.
When she was done eating, Sage asked if she could play at the claw machine near the entrance and still within our view. I gave her pennies to use for the game and Ansel and I were left alone at the table.
“Ah, this feels really nice.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “What do you mean?”
Ansel shrugged. “Eating with other people. I feel like it’s been a while since I’ve sat down in a public place that isn’t too fancy just for dinner. Dinner’s been mixed with the business for a while now.”
“Don’t you eat with Alice and Doug?”
“Sometimes but it’s in the kitchen and sometimes one of us mentions the hotel and the restaurant and it still heads into the direction of business talk. I feel like the last time I had dinner as casual and fun as this was with my grandparents before Pops died. Since then, I’ve usually had dinner by myself. I got used to it but now I realized how sad it really has been.”
For some reason, I felt bad for him. “Because Pops was gone and you had no one to eat with?”
Ansel looked at me and offered me a small smile as he shook his head. “No. I never really
minded it. For a while, I thought that’s how it was gonna be and came to terms with it. I’ve only realized how sad the whole thing is now because I have tonight to compare it to.”
His words made my breath hitch.
Ansel leaned close again.
His honey eyes were trapping me, forcing me to stay still in my seat.
“I guess what I’m trying to say is, it’s been a while since I’ve been this happy having dinner with other people. That basically translates to you make me happy, Maia.”
11
Ansel
I really wanted to believe Maia was comfortable in my presence again but I wasn’t entirely sure if that was true. I could sense it each time she had her guard up but then I would see the flicker of warmth in her dark eyes and felt like she was lowering it down. Little by little, slowly but surely, Maia was letting me in her life again.
All I had to do was remain persistent yet cautious. I had to be careful with the timing and the place and make sure I didn’t make her feel uncomfortable. The dinner I had with her and Sage, although we were in a public space, I could feel Maia wasn’t uncomfortable. I knew I was piercing her walls with my words. That was my intention.
“You seem awfully chipper,” Joey commented as he walked into my room.
I was fixing my tie in front of a mirror. I glanced at him and narrowed my eyes. “And you’re awfully comfortable with just waltzing in my personal space whenever you want.”
Joey merely rolled his eyes at me. He had been working with me for years since I first hired him as the receptionist of the bed and breakfast I’d built. From that humble position, he rose to become my assistant. Sometimes though, I got the feeling he would rather have stayed as a receptionist than have constant headaches from cleaning up my messes.
“It’s the fifth anniversary of Seacoast Resort and they’re waiting for your RSVP or did you completely forget that?”
I pursed my lips because I honestly forgot about it. The daughter of the owner of Seacoast Resort had a thing for me and even if I didn’t own my own hotel, I was certain I would’ve still been invited. Normally, I would be up for it. It meant I could flirt and make out with a pretty woman all night but the whole thing suddenly seemed unappealing to me now.
“Oh, for the love of…” Joey groaned when I didn’t give him my answer immediately. “If you still owned a cheap motel, I wouldn’t mind if you declined the invitation. But Onyx Shrine is already out there with the big guns, Ansel. You can’t be absent from things like this anymore. With a great hotel comes great responsibilities.”
I narrowed my eyes at him as approached him and patted him on the chest. “That’s a nice way of owning the quote but you’re not Uncle Ben, Joe.”
“This would be the third event that you’re declining, Ansel,” Joey said in a monotonous tone. “The other two weren’t exactly grand ones but your absence was still felt. After all, you’ve made a name for yourself for being a party-goer.”
Cringing, I picked a watch from my drawer and put it on. “You know what they say, right? There comes a day when we suddenly lack enthusiasm for the things we used to like. Maybe I’m in that phase right now.”
“Or maybe a pretty brunette caught your eye and now you have zero interest in partying because you’re no longer interested in being surrounded by women.”
I couldn’t help but grin. There was no point denying to Joey that I liked Maia. The man could be dense sometimes but he wasn’t stupid. “You’re not wrong about that.”
Joey sighed. “The other night, Kiana called my number and asked why you never called her back. I wasn’t even sure when you dated someone named Kiana but I asked her. She told me that you took her out on a date three months ago and she’s never heard from you since.”
I made a face. “Was she honestly waiting for a follow-up after that? Did I really have that much effect on her for her to wait on me?”
Joey closed his eyes and let out another sigh. “There are a bunch of girls you’ve strung along, Ansel. If your interest in Maia is the same as how you were interested in those girls, stop. I don’t think she’s the type to be strung along.” Joey looked at me with a solemn expression.
The sudden comment he made took me aback. I stared at him. “Is that what you honestly think, Joey?”
He ran a hand through his hair, tousling it a little. “She’s a good person. I’m not close with her nor have I had a chance to have a full conversation with her but all I hear are good things about her. The fact that she handed in a resignation letter after being fed up with your advances was admirable too. So please, Ansel, don’t ruin it.”
“I like her, Joey,” I said quietly and when I looked up and met his eyes, I could see the confusion in them. “I mean it. I’ve liked her for a long time.”
I said it so solemnly, so genuinely, that Joey had to stare at me for a long time. Ever since he met me, I’d been the Casanova that broke women’s hearts wherever I went. He was used to having to hear out the heartaches of women that I’d ghosted. Hell, he could’ve been mistaken as a therapist for the broken-hearted because of the number of women that sought him for that.
“Ansel…”
Maybe it was time to let Joey know that Maia and I had a history. As much as I wanted to keep that for myself, my interest in her might seem sudden to most. They might assume Maia was simply my next prey and everything I felt for her wasn’t real. But I wasn’t playing around anymore. I meant what it when I said I wanted her back and to be honest…
Sometimes I felt like I didn’t simply just want her. Even when Maia seemed to push me away every time, I was still fond of her. I still wanted to stay right by her side. I still wanted to embrace her with my love and make her feel safe. I wanted her to let me love her in the way I knew she deserved. Because the last time I loved her, it wasn’t enough.
“I was stupid to let her go eight years ago, Joey. I was a jerk and an asshole and I wasn’t thinking very clearly. She was the best thing I’ve ever had the chance of having but I chose to break her heart,” I finally confessed, looking at Joey with a sad smile.
his eyes widened in surprise as he had never expected to hear this. “Are you saying…” He let his words trail off. “…Are you telling me that Maia’s the girl you talked about that one time when you were drunk as fuck?”
My eyebrows rose at this statement and I looked over at him a little cautiously. I had no idea of the things I’d said when I was drunk and Joey was the only one who did. Given, he was the one who had to make sure I got home in one piece, he knew all of my drunk stories. Hell, it was through him that I found out about all the things I did. “What are you talking about?”
“There was one time when you were drunk and you couldn’t stop crying,” Joey informed me.
Amusement danced in his eyes as he recalled it, “You kept telling me that there was this girl that was perfect for you. She meant everything to you but you thought that your relationship might not last after you graduated, so you fucked it up and lost her. You were really inconsolable and I didn’t know if it was because you were drunk or you were genuinely heartbroken about what happened with her.”
For some reason, the story didn’t make me feel embarrassed. It only assured me that what I felt for Maia had always been genuine. “Now, do you understand why I no longer find going to such events appealing? I’m not on the lookout for who to hook up next, Joey. I think no one’s ever gonna compare to Maia. But I also don’t think Maia wants to get back together with me. I’ve been vocal about wanting her back from the very start and she handed in a resignation letter because of it. I’m still trying to win her back but I have to do it as cautiously as I can. It’s not something I can afford to mess up this time. I can’t lose her twice, Joey.”
“Then why don’t you take her?”
“What?”
“Take her to the party. Ask her to be your date.”
I considered it for a moment and I was ready to sprint to the kitchen and ask Maia when I realized she
might decline the offer right away. “I don’t think she’ll want to go with me. I think she’ll slap me the moment I ask.”
“You’ve taken advantage of your position last time when you wanted her to attend the launching. Why don’t you do the same thing again?” Joey stated it so nonchalantly. “I can tell her that there’s this event for chefs that she’s invited to for being our sous chef. I’ll tell her that she has to dress pretty and give her the address of the venue.”
I tilted my head to the side, considering his suggestion. “But what happens when she gets to the venue?”
“That’s when you arrive and you tell her that you had me tell her that it’s entirely something different.
I hit him on the shoulder. “Do you want her to castrate me in public? I just told you that the last time I’d been blunt about wanting her back, she handed in a resignation letter. She’ll hate me even more if I suddenly take her as my date for this party.”
Joey sighed. “Look, Ansel. It’s either you go for it or you don’t. You don’t know for sure how she’ll react. You can tell her that you just wanted to spend time with her outside the hotel. Tell her to give you that one night as a chance to prove to her that your intentions are genuine. God, this must be why you lost her. Don’t you know how to be romantic?”
I glared at him but actually liked what he was suggesting. I grabbed the matching maroon suit jacket then patted Joey’s shoulder. “Alright. Then you go out there and get me my date, my wingman. Now I know why I kept you around this long.”
Joey rolled his eyes. “Pff, if you didn’t, you’d be a complete mess and you know it.”
I sent Joey to Maia first while I headed to Alice and Doug. I needed to inform them and when I got to their office, for some reason, I felt as if I was about to ask her parents for her hand in marriage.
Both of them stared at me in confusion when I came in and sat on the sofa as casually as I could. They were already aware that something was going on between Maia and me but no idea what.