by Alexia Praks
The Chandler sisters were just finishing the final touches decorating the living area and the kitchen to make the place functional, super cozy, and inviting when the doorbell rang.
“Chan! Can you get the door?” Soriya called out.
Chan looked up from the piles of books on the floor, wondering who it was. They hadn’t yet told everyone about their change in address. Of course, there weren’t a lot of people to tell since there were only Grandma Su and her family, which they’d told, and their few close friends, which they hadn’t.
Chan rushed down the stairs, wondering if it was Grandma Su at the door. But to travel all the way from the other side of town in this heat? She doubted it. Grandma Su wasn’t in the best of health.
Chan was just at the base of the stairs when she came to a complete halt in surprise.
“Jeremy!” she uttered, laughing. “What are you doing here?”
Jeremy gave Chan one of his dashing smiles women found hard to resist. Including Chan, of course. He was just so charming. Chan noted his eyes were twinkling as he greeted her.
Jeremy, dressed in casual jeans and a semiformal blue shirt, chuckled as he showed her the beautifully wrapped box in his hands. “To bring you a house warming gift,” he said, winking.
Chan smiled and said, “Oh, whoa! You know you didn’t have to, Jeremy.”
“Ah, but I wanted to,” he said, handing her the present. “And how do you like your new place so far?” He took a step closer.
He loved that she had her long hair up into a loose bun at the top of her head. He also liked that she was wearing only a white tank top and a pair of grey shorts that showed off her slender long legs. She was dressed casually, but he thought she still looked beautiful nonetheless.
“It’s great. I love it. No more leaky ceilings,” she said.
“Great, I’m glad you like it.”
Chan stood there feeling a little awkward for a moment, not missing the fact that he was gazing down at her intensely. “Come on in,” she said, taking a few steps back.
Jeremy happily obliged and stepped across the threshold of the apartment. She led him into the living area where Soriya and Dara were busy putting the final touches on the room.
“Hey, Jeremy,” Soriya said. “What have you got for us?”
“A house warming present,” Jeremy said.
“Want something to drink?” Dara asked from the kitchen. “Sorry, we don’t have beer.”
Jeremy chuckled. “Aw, what?” he said teasingly. “That’s exactly what I want. Damn.”
“Yes, damn!” Dara said. “Ice-cold water for you, my friend.”
“Actually, I’m good,” Jeremy said. “And I’m about to go anyway. I’ve got work.”
“Oh, on a Saturday?” Chan asked, looking up at him. “You’re on your break now?”
Jeremy shook his head. “My working days vary. But yes, I work weekends if the business demands me to.” He paused as he gazed at her. “That’s the downside in owning your own business.” He chuckled.
Chandra frowned in confusion. She thought he was working for the Harrington Group and was about to ask when he said, “But I love my job.”
“I didn’t know you owned your own business, Jeremy,” Soriya said from the other side of the room. “What type of business is it?”
“Real estate mostly,” he replied.
“Is that how you found us this nice apartment so quickly?” Dara chimed in a question of her own.
Jeremy nodded. “Yeah. You can say that.” Then he turned his attention to Chan. He really couldn’t help himself. He wanted to ask her out. After all, the actual business was over. Sam had stated, Make the deal and do the dating later. Now that the business deal was really over and done with, Jeremy figured it was as good a time as any to ask Chan out. The only problem was he suddenly felt like a teenager asking his first girl for a date.
Now wasn’t that stupid? Jeremy had been serial dating since he’d known how to make out with a girl, and that had been before he’d turned sixteen. He was damn good at it. Getting them to kiss him on their first date. A little bit more on their second. And then, damn, on their third, they’d be having hot sex in his apartment. This one, however, was a little different.
Shit! Just look at that lovely smile of hers.
He was about to pop the question when Soriya said loudly, “I’ll take that present, and you, missy, walk him to the door.” She literally snapped the present from Chan’s hands and nudged her sister away.
Dara shook her head and said, “Kids these days, aye?” and turned back to tidying up the kitchen.
Chan chuckled as Jeremy followed her out. “Sorry about that. I really don’t know what that was all about.”
Jeremy sighed. He thought Chan didn’t have a clue that he liked her and wanted to date her. At the door, he finally turned and asked, “Chan?”
Chandra looked up at him with a pleasant smile. “Thanks for the present. I promise to give you one too if you move house.”
He laughed. He couldn’t help himself. Gosh, she was just so sweet. When he managed to calm down, he said, “Nah, not anytime soon. I own my place.”
“I see. Maybe I’ll just buy you a house warming gift nonetheless,” she said, nodding her head.
“That sounds great.”
“Okay, then, thanks for stopping by. This place is amazing. I don’t know how we’d have managed without your help.”
Jeremy chuckled, pleased. The thing was he never told her this apartment actually belonged to Sam, his cousin. Sam had never used the place since he had the brand new mansion built near the bay three years ago. So Jeremy thought it a great idea to rent it out to these lovely sisters. Sam himself, of course, hadn’t objected at the idea.
“Chan?” Jeremy said again, looking deep into her eyes.
“Yes?” Chan replied, wondering what he wanted to ask her now.
“I was wondering…” He cleared his throat, which suddenly felt awfully dry. “I was just wondering if you’d like to come out on a date with me.”
Chan licked her lips. Oh gosh! She really wasn’t expecting that. To be asked out on a date. And with this hot guy?
“I…” She paused for a moment, confused. Why would he want to ask her out? She’d thought he already had a girlfriend. Or even a wife. Suddenly, Grandma Su’s words about her meeting her future soul mate came to her mind. Surely, it must be just a coincidence. Surely.
“I’m not sure, Jeremy,” she said, staring down at her own hands that were clasped before her. “Is that all right if… if I call you later?”
Jeremy felt like he’d just been slapped in the face. Shit! She didn’t want to go out with him. Double shit! And here he’d thought she’d be over the moon that he asked her.
He nodded without conviction. “Sure,” he said. “You can call me anytime.”
Chan looked up to him then and gave him a small smile. “Thanks,” she said, taking a step back.
Jeremy walked out the door and said, “Bye, then.”
“Bye,” Chan said, and then he was gone.
Alone at the door, Chan closed her eyes, her heart pounding so hard within her chest she thought it’d pop out of her body any moment now.
She couldn’t believe it! She just couldn’t. Jeremy was asking her out. And the weird thing was she wasn’t sure if she wanted to go out with him. Sure, he was a very good-looking guy and very rich, which most girls looked for. But for Chan, she just didn’t feel it. What was wrong with her? A great guy had just asked her out. Why did she hesitate?
Oh, she knew why. She just wasn’t ready. Not yet. After what Dave had done to her. After he’d cornered her and did those disgusting things to her. She wasn’t ready.
When she looked up, Chan saw her two sisters giving her a look that clearly expressed, What is wrong with you?
Yes, indeed, what was wrong with her? And Chan really hated to admit that.
“He asked you out,” Soriya said. “Like on a real date.”
“So
?” Chan replied.
“What do you mean so?” Dara chimed in. “You just turned twenty-five. You’ve never dated. In fact, you’ve never had a boyfriend. You know, in Asian culture, that’s like you’re a spinster. You’ve missed the boat. You’re on the shelf. No guy wants you. Ever! Now this very hot dude just comes along and asks you out. You don’t tell him you’ll think about it. You say yes in a second flat. And I mean a second flat.”
“Why are you lecturing me?” Chan chuckled, walking toward them. Then to Dara, she said, “You’re twenty-three, have never dated, and never had a boyfriend. See?”
“What do you mean see, young lady?” Soriya said, shaking her head. “We’re helping you catch a really big fish here.”
“Not to mention a very hot one at that,” Dara added.
Chan laughed. “Fine, he’s hot. He’s rich. But…”
The two sisters looked at her and said in unison, “But?”
“I don’t know,” Chan said.
“Maybe you still haven’t gotten rid of your baggage yet,” Dara said. “Look, I know it’s hard for you to get the past out of your mind, but you did promise us you’d move on.”
Soriya said, “You did promise us a better future. Since Grandma Lin’s death, that’s the only thing we’ve been looking forward to. Can’t we just forget about them?”
“And now it’s that time. Dating isn’t hard. At least, I don’t think so,” Dara said. “You just go out together and have coffee, lunch, or dinner or do whatever you like. You know, just enjoy each other’s company.”
Chan chuckled. “I know that.” She lightly slapped her sister on the arm fondly. “I’m sorry, guys.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Dara said. “Now call Jeremy and tell him you’ll go out with him.”
“I’ll get your phone for you,” Soriya said, heading to the stairs with enthusiasm.
“It’s still charging. Why don’t we finish up first and then I’ll call him this evening, eh?”
The sisters finally agreed to that, and they headed into the living room to finish their decorating.
* * * * *
CHAPTER 8
