Round N Around We Go (Has Cupid Gone Mad?)
Page 11
After a one month’s stay in the hospital, Taylor has spent another month recovering under the care of Karina and has shut down communication from the rest of the world. For weeks and months, her mind has been drawn into a fictional world as she pours her heart and soul into a second book, “The Unending.”
Ivan clears his throat and manages to speak calmly, “You look beautiful today.”
Karina thanks him politely and asks if she can sit down. From across from his desk and facing him, she has almost forgotten how handsome he looks. Those deep green eyes of his still captivate her and she could not help smiling. “I missed you. You may not believe it but I really missed you.” She smiles nervously.
“You’re right,” not shy to speak his mind, Ivan complains, “I do not believe it. If you missed me then you would have returned one of the two hundred messages that I left on your voicemail.” Eager to unleash his frustration, he anticipates her to lie to him some more.
“I am sorry, I truly am.” She apologizes for her own shortcoming.
Ivan is surprised and impressed. He has never heard Taylor apologize for anything before and wonders if she has changed and has softened her ways.
Taylor appears more soft spoken and a more feminine than before. “Many things have happened in the past three months and all I can say right now, is that I was not in a physical or emotional state to communicate with anyone. I basically shut down from the world and took the time to do some serious soul searching.” She pauses and gazes at him intently, “I hope you will accept my apology for the lack of communication.”
Silence fills his office as he finds it surreal to hear her asking him to accept her apology. The Taylor Gibbons he knows would never apologize for anything. He raises an eyebrow and gazes into her deep blue eyes while accepting her apology.
He is not quite sure what has happened and what is going on in her mind, but there is something about her that has changed.
Inevitably, the softness of her words contagiously spreads to warm his heart and he feels this uncontrollable urge of pulling her into his embrace and smothering her with his kisses. He is tempted to confess how love sick he feels without her and how he misses her immensely, but chooses to remain silent as he watches her reach into her bag.
Taylor brings out a manuscript and puts it on his desk in front of him. “I’ve basically spent all of my time in the past three months on this. ‘The Unending’ is a present for you. I’m dedicating this book to you, Ivan Solovich, my soul mate.”
Shocked beyond words and surprised beyond expectations, Ivan is rendered speechless by her act of love and begins to feel flushed. If only she knew how badly he feels about the way that he has treated her, but at this particular moment, everything else has become irrelevant, he is overjoyed and relieved that she has returned. “So what now.” Ivan asks in bewilderment. “Do we just pick up from where we left off?”
Taylor bites her lips and asks him timidly, “You tell me Ivan, the ninety days break is your idea. Certainly, you must have in mind how it is going to play out at the end, right?”
Feeling imprudent, Ivan admits his own inadequacy. “Not really.” He laughs to cover his own embarrassment. “I’ve never really thought about it. Honestly Taylor, I think we both have acted too impulsively and irrationally before. I have regretted my action and inconsideration every day for the past three months. I am the one who needs to apologize and I hope you will accept my apology too.” He smiles warmly and hopes to break the ice.
Ecstatic to learn of how he truly feels, Taylor smiles and a radiance of warmness protrudes from within. Cleverly, she asks timidly and softly, “Apology accepted but someone has to decide on whether the end of ‘the ninety days break’ implies a closure or a fresh new beginning.”
“I think we should talk about this over dinner. If you can find a way to occupy yourself for fifteen minutes, we can leave together.” Ivan smiles and feels ecstatic. “I’m sure you must have hundreds of unanswered emails waiting for you in your inbox.” He jokes, “Just wait for me for fifteen minutes okay.”
As if touched by an angel, she can feel his unspoken love for her through his gaze. She smiles charmingly and affirmatively, “Sure, I’ll come back in fifteen minutes.”
Taylor heads into the ladies’ room to freshen up her makeup and prepares to convey to him from the depths of her heart.
Applying a fresh new coat of strawberry colored lip gloss, she sees Samantha walking into the ladies’ room and feels instantaneously uncomfortable. Perkily, Samantha walks over to Taylor and stands next to her in front of the mirror. “What a surprise to see you here today! I thought we’d never see you again.” Samantha pretends to fix her curly blonde hair.
Patiently, Taylor controls her temper, the day is going well and she is determined not to allow anything or anyone spoil her joyous moments.
“Well, I’m back.” Taylor answers shortly and hurries out.
Spitefully blinded by jealousy, Samantha does not want to see Taylor happy. “Oh, by the way,” she instigates, “He hasn’t told you a thing about us, has he?”
As if a sharp blade pierces through her, Taylor feels a fierce pinch in her heart and stops sudden by the door. She pauses for a brief second and decides to refrain from answering. Paying no attention and completely ignoring the prettily disguised wickedness of a creature, she heads back to the safety of Ivan’s office.
Packing up for the day, Ivan slips on his jacket as Taylor walks into his office. “Ready.” He smiles excitedly. Seeing a rather pale look on her face, he asks in concern, “Is everything ok?”
“Ivan,” Taylor begins and speaks as softly and as slowly as she could. “Did anything happen between you and Samantha?”
Ivan bursts into laughter, “No!” He replies adamantly.
Taylor bites her lip and gazes at him intently, “That’s not what she said in the bathroom.”
Shyly she tries to inquire. It has been three months and they were literally separated, even if Ivan really did have a fling with Samantha, there’s little that Taylor could object to, but she needs to know.
Ivan walks over to Taylor and stands closely in front of her. Loving the fact that she appears jealous, he looks into her eyes and assures her,
“Absolutely nothing has happened between Samantha and I. I see that she can be quite a trouble maker.” Lightheartedly he laughs and kisses her gently on both cheeks.
Despite his subtle reassurance, Samantha, the beautiful master of instigation in disguise, has effortlessly and malevolently manipulated Taylor without her realizing it.
Once again, Taylor finds herself in a position somewhere between trust and distrust. Contrarily, Ivan has absolutely no reason to lie to her or has he?
************
Indulging herself in a leisure afternoon of retail therapy, Karina walks down Lincoln Road Mall with bags of delightful findings in her hands. Enjoying a delectable breeze in the crisp winter air, her attention is caught by a giant poster, hanging from inside the display window of a perfume store.
She paces down and turns her head sideward to read the captioning,
‘Stop looking for answers. There might just be none.’
Then across the poster in bold, it reads,
“JUST BE AND LET LOVE LEAD THE WAY.”
What beautiful words, she thinks to herself and without paying attention to the other pedestrians she bumps into the man in front of her, gasps and drops her shopping bags. “Oh I am so sorry..” she begins to apologize and looks carefully at the oddly familiar face, a quirky smile that she is all together too familiar with. She recognizes him and freezes into a motionless statue. Lips slightly parted in surprise, she is stunned and cannot believe the coincidence.
He looks at her and a smile grows on his face. Helping her pick up the shopping bags scattered on the floor, he tries to think of something clever to say but is stuck wordless. “Wow.” He manages to mutter one single word and repeats himself, “Wow.”
Karina grabs the sho
pping bags from Keith and thanks him coldly. She takes a step sideward and is about to walk away but he moves quickly in front of her and blocks her way. She tilts her head and stares at him without saying a word.
Keith points to the poster in the display window and reads the words out loud. “Nice poster. I like the captioning, ‘Let Love Lead The Way.’ Brilliant.” He smiles and tries to ignite a conversation. Seeing her lack of response, he adds, “Oh I get it. You’re still mad at me, aren’t you?”
Impatiently, Karina taps her feet on the floor and remains unspoken. She waits for him to give up so she can continue shopping and gazes up at the cotton candy clouds floating in the effervescent blue sky.
Sensing her indifference, he assures her of his innocent intent. “Well, I’m no longer undercover. The case on Risso is closed and I am not on duty. I have nothing to hide anymore. Can I have one chance to show you who I really am? Please?” He begs, “You might like the real Keith Pelzer. Just give me one chance.” He tries to engage her enthusiasm.
It will probably take a spectacle for him to regain her trust. Reluctantly he tries to convince her for a second chance and is ready to do whatever it takes to demonstrate and to proof his sincerity.
Keith’s presence reminds Karina of Theodore and the unsolved mysteries of the trail and the origin of the secret treasures safeguarded in her possession.
Considering the value of unrevealed information that he holds, Karina decides to play along. Besides, her love life has been vacant and uninteresting for months and frankly she could use some distraction. Swiftly she changes her mind and acts mischievously to give him a taste of his own medicine.
Flirtatiously she smiles and in the most sensual way, she inches closely and reciprocates his gaze. “That’s unfortunate.” She speaks alluringly with her lusciously glossed lips dangerously close to his and continues teasing him,
“Now that you have nothing to hide, I still cannot see you because I might be the one with something to hide.”
Karina flaunts her hair then walks away in the opposite direction, convinced that he will follow her.
From the corner of her eye, she catches glimpse of his reflection on the store display windows as he follows her from behind.
The corner of her lips turn upward and grows into a cupid smile. Contently, she continues walking ahead confidently and irresistibly in a slow modeling strut.
This time around, she knows that she has the upper hand on him.
“The Perfect Ending Is Always an Unending, for that’s how love forever remains.”
www.BelindaElkaim.com
Please also check out the prequel:
Has Cupid Gone Mad? Book One: “Surviving The War Of Hearts”
Special thanks to,
Dr. Francisco Pons MD for his invaluable insights on the medial profiling of Conrad Fallen.
Dimitri Sculptor, President of A.N.E.W Museum and Galleries Worldwide, for his invaluable time and consultation on the subject of
Theodore Risso’s art trail.
© 2013 Belinda Ekaim. All Rights Reserved.
Table of Contents
Copyright
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two.
Chapter Three
Chapter Four.
Chapter Five.
Chapter Six.
Chapter Seven.
Chapter Eight.
Chapter Nine.
Chapter Ten.
Special thanks to,