Chapter 26

"Yes, I have found the reservation for Mr. James Ashton, but I found no name of you Ms. You should have mentioned while booking that your girlfriend is coming with you as well." She said with a professional tone yet she screeched when she called me James' girlfriend.

Girlfriend!?

My jaw hung opened and I felt chills all over my body. This was getting so weird and embarrassing. On the other hand, I felt James got stiffened and rigid.

"What?! James is not my boyfriend!" I examined with wonder and shock was totally visible on my face. My cheeks turned completely crimson red.

"Ms.." James said gaining all her attention towards him and she batted her eyelashes at him. "This beautiful lady.." he saw me and my heart skipped a beat. There were two things which keep me rooted to the ground: his stare and him calling me beautiful lady. My heart melted and butterflies made their way in my stomach. "Is not my girlfriend, but she's my friend who is here to drop me." He smiled towards her.

I was shocked that he introduced me as his friend. We never became friends, right?

He looked at me that I was looking at him dumbfounded and arched his eyebrow. I shook my head and looked like a lost puppy.

The receptionist handed  him the keys of the room and I took a sigh of relief that finally I would be away from him and get rid of this foolish and crazy feelings and butterflies.

He turned towards me and smiled. It was time to bid him farewell. I couldn't let him over take my senses. I was in rush to go back and hide somewhere where he wouldn't find me.

His eyes had a ocean of multiple feelings which I couldn't decipher. He was neither toxic for me nor beneficial. But there was some kind of force between us which was attracting me towards him.

Okay, I'll take my farewell. Bye, James. Rest of your event details and conversations will be with Emily and Mark because they both are heading." I told him with a tiny smile on my face which was masking my feelings and emotions.

There was mischievous smile on his face and soon he burst into fits of chuckled which made me shocked. I checked if I said something funny or was there something on my face that was making him laugh?

He was laughing and I swear that was the most beautiful voice that fell on my ears. Seeing him laughing whole heartedly was a beautiful sight to behold.

But, I kept this feeling aside because he was laughing at me!

"James what!" I almost yelled because I was feeling humiliated.

He finally stopped laughing and looked at me with twinkle in his eyes. He gave me a cheerful smile and shook his head.

"There is nothing wrong with you, sweetie." He said and my cheeks turned red when he called me sweetie.

"Actually, in high school, my friends used to tease me by mentioning my name with some girl and I used to get offended because I was never interested in anyone." He told me refreshing his old memory.

Why was he telling me this?

"Today, this is the first time that the girl is getting offended while being mentioned with me." He said and chuckled. I understood what he said and my cheeks turned crimson red hearing this.

Jeeeeez! That was so embarrassing.

"Am I that bad, Alice?" He leaned down towards my face and asked me. He was so close and his smile was breathtaking.

"No! That's not true. I mean you're handsome and so dapper—" I started defending myself immediately without thinking anything and stopped when I realized what I was saying.

"I need to rush. Emily and Mark must be waiting for me." I said and my breathing was definitely not normal. I turned and started moving away from him.

His stare was making holes on my back but I kept going and didn't turn back. I got into my car and moved from this hotel. After making sure that I was away from there, I stopped the car and took deep and long breaths.

What is happening with me? How this can happen? So much happened in one day! First James came out of nowhere and then he was so different from before. He was way too sweet and attractive.

He was messing with my senses and I wasn't even able to stop him. I let him mess with me. I can't let him invade my life.

I was in my deep thinking when I realized that I was dying for water. I was very thirsty and I wanted to give water to my throat which felt like a desert. I had a water bottle with me.

I drank water and my phone stared ringing. I saw the caller and it was Emily who was calling. I immediately lifted her call and she started throwing questions at me.

"Where are you, Alice? You didn't call me. Have you dropped him?" She started blabbering her questions.

"Relax. Emily. Yeah, I've dropped him and I have a lot of tell you." I told her, closing my eyes and rubbing my forehead.

"Really? You mean gossip time?" She chirped happily. "Tell me that he was hot." She said and I knew that she must be smirking.

I closed my eyes and said, "I don't know about him being hot but he was James Ashton."

There was silence on other side of the phone and I understood that she was shocked as well.

"Where are you? Come to the avenue and then we will together go to your home." Emily said with a serious yet curious tone.

"Okay, I'm on my way. I'm coming." I said and cut the call. I made myself ready because she was going to throw bunches of questions at me.

_________________

"So he was hot." Emily said before taking a bite off ice cream in her mouth and winking at me.

"I don't know." I rolled my eyes and licked my favorite chocolate ice cream which we bought from the supermarket while coming home.

She was asking me about his looks because she had a crush on him way before. She was so excited when she got to know that I met James and he's our client for next 15 days. She was squealing in happiness and mischief.

"He called you sweetie, beautiful! Now don't tell me that he proposed you as well." She exclaimed dramatically and then burst into giggles.

I got shocked and threw pillow at her but she quickly dodged it and looked at me evilly.

"I wish he proposes you, Alice!" She said and clapped her hands. "He's a billionaire. He handles law firm in USA and now he's opening his firm in UK as well. He is beauty and brains." She exclaimed with joy and started dreaming.

But, she touched my sore spot. Even in my worst nightmares, I can't think about him this way. I haven't even accepted him as my friend.

"Em, don't say this please." I said seriously. "You know that money never fascinated me. That was the reason I left USA and modeling. I bid bye to my old life and embraced the change. I left all bad memories there but James-" I said before taking a deep breath. She was listening me seriously. "James was part of my past and you know how our terms were." I said.

She kept the ice cream pot aside and hugged me from behind.

"I was so scared when I saw him in front of me. Because somewhere from the corner of my mind, my past still haunts me. I neither want to be weak nor violent. I want to keep distances from everyone." I said.

"I'm with you in your every decision, Alice." She said by squeezing me in her hug. She broke the hug and smiled at me.

"You're so brave." She said to me with a clear smile.

"Thank you." I smiled back. "But, please! You and Mark handle James. I will do other work like with decoration and menu setting. Don't involve me in his works." I told her sternly.

"Sure." She said. "I'll try but If he doesn't insist. You know what I mean!" She said mischievously and evilly and wiggled her eye brows at me.

"I hate you!" I scolded her but bursted out into laugh and we both laughed together and enjoyed the night together doing all the girly stuff.