Chapter 93 – Beginning with a Daring Encounter

“She is just a perfectionist, but not in a bad way,” Celsie said, not wanting to make it sound like a bad thing since she thought of Anita as Benne’s future girlfriend, but didn’t know she was his ex-girlfriend.

“Ah! I see. Let’s eat before the food turns cold,” Benne suggested as he picked up his cutlery and started eating, while Celsie did the same.

“Hm, this tastes really nice. You didn’t prepare this, did you?” Celsie asked after taking the second bite.

“Seeing the satisfaction on your face, I wish I did,” Benne said with a shadow of a smile on his lips.

Flirt! He was flirting with her right now, Celsie thought, choosing to focus on her food, she said nothing to him.

“Did you hear from Jasmine and her sister? They mentioned something about a dinner tomorrow evening,” Benne said, and Celsie raised her head to look at him while chewing.

Was she to tell him that Alicia wasn’t Jasmine’s sister, but her wife? Celsie wondered. She should give the couple the chance to tell Benne themselves rather than butt in. It wasn’t like any of it was her business anyway, even if Benne decided to be the father of their child.

“Celsie?” Benne called. Although she didn’t like just anyone calling her Celsie, it didn’t sound offensive coming from Benne.

“Yes, I heard from them. I didn’t know you were going to be there too,” Celsie said as she chewed on her food, remembering how she had shut her door in their faces after accepting their dinner invitation. That had been rude, but she was sure they would understand, seeing as they had woken her from sleep.

“You are coming, right? Let’s go together, okay? I feel uncomfortable having dinner alone with them, but your presence there will make things less awkward,” Benne said, making Celsie look at him curiously.

“Why do you feel uncomfortable?” Celsie asked as she continued to eat, while looking at him.

“I think both sisters have a crush on me. I don’t want to come between them, or have them fight over me,” Benne explained with a serious expression on his face which made laughter bubble inside Celsie, but she tried to maintain a straight face.

If only he knew what they wanted, “I see. I guess they must find you irresistible as most ladies do,” Celsie said in amusement as she took a sip from her wine.

“Unfortunately the only lady I want doesn’t seem to find me irresistible,” Benne said in a low tone as he gazed into her eyes.

Her heart fluttered in her chest. She doesn’t? Who wouldn’t find him irresistible? Celsie thought to herself.

“Do you?” Benne asked, and she looked at him in surprise, wondering if she had spoken out loud or he could now read her thoughts.

“Do I what?” Celsie asked, hoping he was asking about something else.

“Do you find me irresistible?” Benne asked, making her heart skip a beat.

Why was he asking her that all of a sudden? The lady he liked was Anita, and she was the one he should be asking, “Why do you ask?” Celsie asked nervously, not liking where the conversation was going.

“That is because I think I could use you as a yardstick to judge her.. So tell me honestly, what do you think about me? Do you find me irresistible?” Benne asked, looking at her curiously.

Benne raised a brow as he waited to hear her response, while he stared at her directly. Her gaze shifted from her wineglass to his face, and once their eyes locked, her heart hitched.

This person before her didn’t look like Benne, her driver or neighbor. He just looked like… Like a man. This reminded her once again that the person asking her this question wasn’t her driver or her neighbor, but the man she had a one-night stand with.

Celsie cleared her throat and raised her glass of wine to wet her lips and throat which suddenly seemed very dry. Why did she have to be so flustered by such a simple question? All he wanted to know was if she thought he was irresistible, right?

“I don’t think there is a single woman who wouldn’t find you irresistible,” Celsie said with an awkward smile as she shifted her gaze away from him and returned her attention to the food in front of her.

They had not even gone halfway with their meal and it was getting cold already because they were too busy talking. It would be so sad for such fine food to be wasted.

“You are going round my question without giving me an answer, Celsie.”

Her heart skipped a beat when he called her name like that. Why did her name sound so different coming from his lips? Wasn’t it the same name that Sonia and her family called her often? Why did it make her heart flutter every time he called her that way? Maybe it was the wine. She was drinking too much again. Every time she had too much to drink she always made a mistake. She didn’t want to make another mistake tonight.

“What more do you want to hear?” Celsie asked warily as she pushed the glass of wine away from her front. The last thing she wanted was a repeat of their first night where she would be too drunk to remember anything.

“I believe a simple yes or no to my question will do.”

“And if I say yes?” She asked, looking at him with a slightly furrowed brow. She really did not want him to misunderstand her and start to think that she was developing feelings for him or wanted anything to do with him, apart from being neighbors and maybe colleagues at work.

“I already told you. It would give me the confidence I need to pursue the lady I’m interested in,” Benne said, and Celsie nodded.

If saying yes would help him gain confidence, then yes it is. She would only need to arrange her words in a way that wouldn’t give room for any misunderstanding.

“Although I’m not interested in guys and the whole relationship package, I think you are pretty cool, and I would find you irresistible if guys were my thing,” Celsie explained making Benne roll his eyes.

“So?” Benne asked, making her frown.

“So what?” Celsie asked with an annoyed frown.

“I said it’s a yes or no question. No need for all that explanation,” Benne told her dryly.

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