6 CHAPTER 6
Orders swarmed the kitchen and it was hectic. Chefs did what they did and the movements were non-stop. Waiters moved in and out of the kitchen every second, but it wasn't a disaster. Matter of fact, they had busier days that made them forget to breathe.
When Duante's phone buzzed, he could guess who the text sender was from the list of his frequent chat buddies, but Deb was not it. It had been a while since she sent him a text. Of course, they saw each other every morning when she delivered the seafood, or around town and they would greet each other, but other than that, nothing. She had stopped counting on him after she started dating Meshack two years ago.
Duante quickly plated the food and handed it over to the waiter. He excused himself and went outside through the back door. And finally, he opened the text that had caused his heart to stop the moment he saw her name on top of it. The text read;
Can you come to my house after you close the restaurant? I need your help.
Duante looked around. It was odd. What kind of help would Deb need from him? What if that text was meant for Meshack and she wrongly sent it? What if he's hallucinating and actually never received a text from her? So, he waited for a follow-up text to assure him that she really sent the text to him and not Meshack. But that text never arrived. He had to assume that it was for him then.
When he was about to go inside, he saw a taxi park at the alley and Lanelle getting off. His face creased with confusion. Lanelle immediately halted when she saw Duante. She had purposely aimed for the back alley so she'd escape her brothers or anyone who'd tell them that she's home early. But her efforts turned into failure.
Duante checked his watch. The day was bright, 2 pm was the time. His sister usually came home around 8 pm, and not in a taxi. He became worried.
"You're home early", he said,
"I know", Lanelle sighed, sensing another lecture coming,
"Are you feeling okay?",
"I am, don't worry about me. Get back to work",
He detected dismay from her tone. His sister was the most hard person to distress, but there she was before him, distressed.
"Should I send up food for you?", he asked,
"No, I'll have ice-cream",
Duante nodded, "Okay. Go ahead",
He watched Lanelle climb the exterior metal staircase to the door, and once she went inside, he too went back into the kitchen.
…
Eris had started her new job at the town's administration office. She was made aware of all her tasks and where all the documents were stored for future use. Her main job at the moment was to read the emails and jot aside what the main agendas were. She could understand all that, and she was already good at her job. What she didn't understand was why Killian, with a body built like a Greek god, was wearing an oversized shirt tucked in a pair of tailor made trousers and his hair brushed back like he didn't care about it.
Her influencer-self was knocking to be let out and just yell at him for being a fashion criminal and a forsaker of his own perfection. But Eris controlled herself. She begged her eyes to be locked onto the screen but somehow they always found a way back to him.
"Mr. Chairman", Eris called, her throat itching by what she was about to say,
"Yeah?", Killian shifted his gaze from the pile of files on his desk to Eris' desk. It was them alone inside the office, with soft music playing in the background.
"Does your family live in this town?", she asked,
"My family? You mean my parents and siblings?",
"I mean your wife and kids",
"Oh", he laughed, "No, no, I'm not married, and I don't have kids. I'm as single as a belly button",
Eris smiled, "I see",
"Wait, do I look old enough to be a husband and a father?",
"No, Mr. Chairman, you look _ perfect. It's just what you wear",
Killian looked at himself, "What's wrong with what I wear?",
Eris tilted her head to scan him clearly. She sucked her teeth as she searched for the right words to say which wouldn't sound rude by any means, "Let's see", she began, "Your style makes me want to ask where your grandkids are",
"Really? How old do I look?",
"I feel like you're in your late 30s",
Killian gave her an impressed smile, "I'm 39",
"Great, but with the way you dress, you look so old. And your hair is perfect, don't push it back. Give it some love",
Killian sat back,
"How long have you been holding that opinion in?", he asked,
"Since I met you?", nervously, Eris bit her upper lip, fingers crossed that she hadn't pissed him off with her fashion sense,
"Do you want to go shopping with me this Saturday?", Killian asked, "If I'm supposed to donate my wardrobe, I might need an up-to-date brain to help me pick a new one",
"Really?",
"Yeah", he nodded, "but it's in the city. It's okay if you say no",
"I have disguises", said Eris, excitedly, "We can go",
"That's settled then. Back to work",
"Yes, sir",
And they both proceeded with where they left off. Eris stole another glance at him. She knew, without a doubt, that he was going to be the best boss she'd ever had.
…
As the clock struck 9:01 pm, the restaurant was closed, together with all the calculations and cleaning for the day. It was the time Duante was waiting for hours; just him and Deb alone. Since the brothers had no tendency to ask each other about their plans after they were off the clock, it was a pretty smooth exit for Duante.
Deb's house was a 10-minute walk from the restaurant. The town was so calm that he could hear his rushing breath from the racing of his heart. What would Deb say first? What would he say first? What would happen if _ oh, wait, that would never happen. She'd never let him. With all those thoughts running wild inside his head, he arrived in no time.
Deb's home was a two-storey building; hers was the bottom, and Eris occupied the top space. Both homes had lights on, they were both wide awake, and one was waiting for him. Duante gave himself a quick sniff just in case he smelled like gym sweat, but he was fine. And with that, he walked to Deb's door and knocked. Deb opened the door within seconds and Duante's heart instantly missed a beat when his gaze fell upon her.
Deb was wearing a dress! A corseted sundress with ribbon straps. Her hair was tied in a perfect ponytail with two wavy strands hanging on both ends of her face. She looked different, absolutely gorgeous. Duante's mouth ran dry.
"Hi Duante", brightly, Deb said first. She had noticed the look on his face. She was looking forward to it. "Come in",
"Oh _ err _ thank you", as he walked inside, he wondered if he unknowingly stepped on something which teleported him to an alternate reality where Deb actually acted like a girl. Deb was a female version of Killian, an absolute beauty who hid what she thought would make her stand out. Lucky for her, she couldn't hide her extraordinary personality and that's why people fell in love with her.
Now that she wasn't wearing her baggy clothes and her hair wasn't in a hat, or a cap or in a tight bun, she stunned the hell out of him.
"I was starting to think you weren't coming", she said as she walked ahead of him to the couches.
"I thought the text was meant for Meshack",
"I have Meshack's number",
"But last time you texted or called my phone was two years ago",
"Really", she was genuinely surprised, "That long?",
"Yeah", they sat across from each other "So, Debby in a dress. What a night shock",
"I know", she chuckled, "that's why I called you. I need your opinion",
She got up and stood in front of him. She placed both her hands on her waist and posed,
"What do you think?", she asked,
Duante gulped nervously. She was doing things to him. The plot twist was; it was exactly what she wanted. The reason why she called him to her house that night was to see for herself if what Eris said was true, and what better way than to let a man watch his imagination come to life but not allow him to live it?
"You look _", and he was about to say something ultimately flattering then remembered he was there to watch the food being prepared for his brother to eat, "I've seen you look better in T-shirts and jeans", he said,
"Seriously? I look bad?",
He watched as Deb's expression saddened. Now he felt bad, "I'm kidding. You look cute",
Deb beamed, "Rate it on a scale of 1 to 10",
"12",
She laughed. She was happy to hear that. She only had one question to complete her investigation. She went back to sit.
"Did you tell Meshack that you're coming here?", she asked,
Now; If he said yes, then it meant that Duante thought it wasn't a big deal and nothing would happen between them and there was no reason not to tell Meshack about it. But if he said no, then Eris' words would be confirmed. Why? Because he's in love with her, and being alone with her was a huge deal for him and it'd make Meshack suspicious. Unfortunately, Duante didn't know that he was getting tested, and so _
"No, I didn't tell him", he shook his head.
That was it. Deb had seen everything she wanted to see. She had imaginary checked every box.
"Can I ask you something, Duante, and don't lie to me", she began,
"Yeah, sure",
"Do you _ have feelings for me?",
Duante was taken aback. What the hell just happened? How did they get there? It slowly started to hit him that he might be in a trap. But there were more than two ways on how that situation was going to go. One; he'd confess his feelings for her, she'd acknowledge it and they'd make out and decide to date secretly so that Meshack never finds out. Two; he'd confess his feelings and she'd reject him and make things even more awkward between them then Meshack would notice, ask why and find out about his brother's love for his girlfriend and cause a fight.
But there was a third option, the one where he'd deny it and let things be as they always were,
"I don't have feelings for you", he chuckled scoffily, although his heart was currently bleeding and wailing,
"Are you sure?", asked Deb, not how she pictured the quiz to go,
"100 percent. I like you, of course, because you're cool and you're making my brother happy, but having feelings for you? No, I don't",
"Is that right?", she mumbled, now feeling awkward,
"Why did you think that?",
"Someone told me _ someone said you're in love with me",
"Someone? Who?",
"Eris. She said the way you looked at me the other day was evident",
"Eris? Your new tenant?",
Deb nodded, "Yeah. It's nothing though. Let's forget about it",
Duante was suddenly invaded by a ball of anger that made his eye twitch. So it was her? The person who wanted to destroy the balance he worked very hard to maintain. Maybe it wasn't a big deal to Deb, but it was so much more to him. Previously, he had nobody to blame for his pain, but he finally found a punching bag.
***
