Chapter 113 – Beginning with a Daring Encounter

“That’s great. I will be sure to follow the show. Can’t wait to see my sister-in-law,” Jade said in a mocking tone, as she still didn’t believe that Bryan was genuinely engaged to Sonia.

“By the way, when was the last time either of you heard from mom or dad?” Benne asked when he remembered that it was almost a week since he last spoke with his mother.

“Monday,” Bryan and Jade responded in unison.

Benne sighed. He also last heard from his mother on Monday, “Maybe we should consider paying them a surprise visit soon?” Benne suggested.

“Once I wrap up this case, I will make time for a visit. Have you been able to speak with Harry?” Jade asked hopefully.

“Yeah. He’s on it. He said he will get back to me within 48 hours, so let’s wait until then.”

“What are you guys waiting for? What is Harry getting?” Bryan asked, sounding lost.

“Harry is helping me find a witness for my case,” Jade explained.

“Thanks, Benny. If that’s all, I got to go now, love you both,” Jade said before hanging up.

Bearing Jade’s advice in mind, Benne returned inside the hall to join them since he didn’t want to leave Celsie alone in Anita’s company.

Celsie who was already beginning to doze off, sat up when she saw Benne standing beside her, and she let him pass to his seat.

“Where is she?” Benne asked as he sat down.

“She left to take a call,” Celsie said with a yawn, “What took you so long?”

Benne turned to her, “Listen, I think there is a misunderstanding between us. Anita really isn’t the person I’m interested in. I don’t even like her,” Benne said with a scowl, wanting to get that out of the way before Anita returns.

Celsie frowned, “You don’t? But you said…”

“I know what I said. But I’m serious. She really isn’t the one. Anita is… She is my ex-girlfriend,” Benne said, making Celsie blink at him in surprise.

“Your ex?”

Benne watched as the surprised expression on Celsie’s face shifted into disbelief and then amusement as she raised a hand to her mouth to muffle her laughter, “You almost got me for a moment,” she said, hitting his shoulder playfully with her other hand.

Benne grabbed her hand on his shoulder as he gazed into her eyes, “I’m serious, Celsie. I don’t want to have to lie to you about this too.”

Celsie’s brows pulled together in a confused frown, “Too? You’ve lied to be about something else?”

Benne sighed as he let go of her hands, “Yes. And I’m not going to tell you the truth yet either. I’m just trying not to tell you too many lies, that way when I finally tell you the truth you won’t be too mad at me hopefully,” Benne said still looking into her eyes.

Celsie looked back at him without saying a word as she tried to remember most of the things he had told her and which one of them could be a lie. When she was unable to come up with anything after a while, she decided to think about that later, and just focus on the issue on ground.

“So you mean Anita is one of the ex-girlfriends you told me about? How? What happened between you both?” Celsie said as she looked at him curiously.

If Anita was truly his ex as he has said, then he sure did have a high taste in women. What had she been thinking, assuming that someone like him that liked someone like Anita would ever be interested in her. She and Anita were far apart in many ways, and she wasn’t even thinking so because she suffered from an inferiority complex. No. It was nothing like that. Anita exudes grace and elegance in every way… While she on the other hand, she was just there. She was pretty and had a good dress sense, and she loved to believe she was intelligent too, but Anita was all of those things and more.

“Remember the first time we met? At the club?” Benne asked, and Celsie gave him a nod to say she was following, “I was waiting for Anita to show up, but she stood me up as usual,” Benne said, making Celsie’s eyes widen in alarm.

“How could you be waiting for her to show up and then take a random stranger home? What if she had arrived at the time we were leaving the club and seen us together? Maybe that’s why she broke up with you and became friends with me,” Celsie blurted out.

“If you are not here to watch the damn movie can you both get the fuck out of the hall? People are trying to concentrate here! We didn’t buy the tickets just to hear your stupid discussion!” The guy behind Celsie growled at them angrily.

“Sorry,” Celsie apologized guiltily.

“We should leave,” Benne said as he stood up and waited for Celsie to do the same.

“But Anita…”

“She can find her way home. Let’s continue outside,” Benne said, and Celsie reluctantly stood up and followed him outside.

Neither of them said anything until they both got into the car. Benne asked took the driver’s seat this time, and Celsie sat in the front passenger seat before turning to look at him, “What if she saw us leaving the club together that night?” She asked with a concerned frown, continuing the conversation from where they stopped in the movie hall.

“She didn’t.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Just listen, okay?” Benne said and then went ahead to explain how he had met Anita and how her attitude towards him had changed once she realized he was a handyman, and how he had finally broken up with her.

Celsie couldn’t say she was very surprised by his revelation that her attitude towards him changed when she found out he wasn’t as wealthy as she probably assumed he was, since that was the impression she already had of Anita after spending such a short time with her. She couldn’t imagine a person like Anita settling with someone she would consider to be ‘beneath her.

“If that is the case, why did she ask that we hang out together? Maybe she has realized her mistake and wants to make up with you?” Celsie asked thoughtfully.

“No. She is trying to matchmake us, in the same way, you were trying to do,” Benne announced, making Celsie’s eyes widen in surprise, and then she burst into a fit of laughter.

“You mean we were both playing cupid?” She asked as her body shook with laughter, while Benne watched her, unamused.

Celsie stopped laughing when she noticed the annoyance on Benne’s face, “I’m sorry. I really thought she was the one you liked and that she liked you too. I was only trying to help,” Celsie said apologetically even though there were still traces of amusement in her eyes.

“You see? This is more reason why you should just show me the lady you are interested in. How can I help you if I don’t even know her?” Celsie asked defensively.

“I already told you how to help me. Just stop being so curious about who I like, and focus on being my girlfriend instead,” Benne said, making her sigh.

“It must have been really awkward being there with her, right?” Celsie asked with pursed lips, as she tried to imagine how he must have felt, while she kept gloating like she was doing him a huge favor. There was no way she could open that matchmaking agency now.

“It was.”

“Well, at least now I have no reason to go to her place anymore and be forced to sip tea as though I’m having lunch with the Queen of England,” Celsie said with a sigh of relief which made Benne chuckle.

He remembered she had mentioned something about her friend being a perfectionist and a little too proper for her. So she had been talking about Anita then? “You don’t like her?” Benne asked curiously, wanting to know what Celsie honestly thought of her.

“Well, I don’t hate her either. I’m just indifferent. I just think she’s a little too much,” Celsie said, making him chuckle once again

“What do you mean by too much?”

Celsie pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes thoughtfully as she tried to figure out the best way to explain it, “Although she tries not to show it, I think she feels like she is better than everyone else. I’m not sure I know how to explain it, but everything about her is just too organized for my liking. I won’t like to have an enemy like her,” Celsie said with a sigh.

“Why?”

“Are you really asking me that? People like her can be really dangerous. If she takes so much time in making sure she appears perfect even when she is eating cookies and sipping her tea, then imagine how much time she can spend in plotting against you,” Celsie said with a mock shudder, making Benne double over with laughter.

“If you thought this way, why then were you still trying to play matchmaker?” Benne asked after he stopped laughing.

“Because I thought you liked her,” Celsie said with a shrug.

“Even if I liked her, shouldn’t you have tried to discourage me from pursuing someone like her? Isn’t that what friends do? Or am I not your friend?” He asked with a slight frown.

“Mind you, I never said she is a bad person. I’m only telling you what I think about her. I could be wrong about my assumption. I can’t discourage you from pursuing someone you like based on my assumptions. And I won’t be telling you this either if you hadn’t told me she was your ex,” Celsie said with a shrug.

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