Chasing Imperfection (Chasing Series 2) (22 page)

     I love Blake because he splintered through my guarded heart and made it beat again.
His passionate nature and his beauty ensnared,
seized
and held me captive
.
I’ve never felt more alive
than
when I’
m with him. He simply took my breath away and he accepted me fully—as a woman and as a person. I’ve never felt so complete and I fell madly in love
.
I fell hard
.
He
took every single thing to another level and made it his—a fact t
hat he applies in all aspects in
his life.

    
There was nowhere to hide—
I
clung unto the man
and hopped on to
the nonsensical rollercoaster that we made for ourselves—
there was
no one to blame but
us
.
    

     It was time to get off the rollercoaster and face the reality of the mess I’ve created for myself.

     I got myself out of bed and looked for Blake.

    
He was staring idly
at
the counter, pensive. Freshly showered and shaven in his dark suit, he looked elegantly and magnificently gorgeous. My stomach did a somersault. He instantly looked up when
I
enter
ed
the kitchen.

     “Hi
.
”

     “Hello,” he smiled sadly at me. My chest
clutched
heavily.

     He turned around and started to prepare a cup of coffee for me. I didn’t want him to but he seemed to want to do something, so I
obliged
.

     “What are your plans today?” he asked as he planted the coffee before me.

    
“Thank you. I actually have to go to school for a few hours then I’m going to see Chad. Isn’t he going to be discharged tomorrow?”

     “Yes, he will be. I’ll take you to school and we can go see Chad together if you want.”

     “Aren’t you going to be busy all day?”

     H
e shrugged. “Need not worry—I’ve got it covered.”

     “Okay, that would be fine if you want to take me to school and see Chad together.”

     After drinking our coffees in a comfortable silence, I dashed to the bathroom and showered. I was shocked to find all of my things were still in the same place I left them.
My perfume, toothbrush, facial items and paraphernalia I had
left before we broke up
—
were all
in
the very
same
spot.
Sure
, the place is squeaky clean
,
due to
his housekeeper Freya, no doubt
—but it seemed like
he wanted
them just
as
is
,
like
he expected me to be back here with him
,
again.

     My clothes still hung
in the
H
is and
H
ers
walk-in closet. A beautiful big rounded white suede
lounge chair sat in between the closets. I sat there for a minute staring wide-eyed at the ever-present closet that had my things in them.

     Why didn’t he take my belongings to the nearest trash
bin
and swept his apartment clean of me?

    
He wanted me back
….even if I declined his proposal, he still wanted me back.
Even then,
he just knew
. He knew what he wanted and he wanted me with him.

     There was a soft knock and he called out from the other side of the room. “Hey—I’ll be waiting in the car downstairs. I need to make a few calls. No need to hurry—just letting you know where I’ll be.”

     “I’ll be ready in five minutes,” I called out to him.

    
“Okay—I’ll just be downstairs.”

     I dressed casua
lly with dark jeans, black
long-sleeved cotton shirt and black pointed boots. I pulled my long brigh
t orange p
ashmina scarf that I purchased from Florence on a weekend trip with Chad and loosely snaked it on my neck. I pulled my damp hair in a haphazard bun
. I applied dark brown
eye-liner on the rims of
my
puffy eyes and a coat of mascara. A couple swipe
s
of peach colored gloss
and
I was set.
Grabbing
my black tote,
I
rummaged for my Aviator shades and
walked over to the lift. I bought
us
the same shades because I knew they would make Blake look sexy as hell—and they did. I purchased
them
six months ago—when were simply
just
friends.

     I pushed the building door
open
and got smacked by the chilly bla
st of air. Blake was in his car, his
black
Seventy-seven
Vanquish
,
ta
l
king animatedly on his phone. He had his aviator shades on too and he looked stunning.

    
I stood there mesmerized and drank the sight of him.
When
finally saw me—
he smiled
, g
iving me that gorgeous, arresting signature smile of his.
He got out of the
car and opened the door for me. He was still on the phone and he spoke in fluid Italian.
B
oy
, I wanted to drown in that sexy
musical
drawl.

     I honestly don’t think anyone can compare to him. He’s a man of force and the world was his
oyster. He’s going to become
bigger and larger than life.
S
omeday
he will be a great husband and father to his children. The thought was depressing but it was the truth. One thing I knew about him is that once he commits himself into something, he gave it his all.
W
hen he finally chooses to marry, his wife is going to be one
very
lucky woman.

     He got in the car and still spoke on the phone. We weaved through the London traffic with fluidity. London traffic can be awful especially in the morning. The whole thing about driving on the
other side of the road confused
the hell out of me—that’s why driving here is not the wisest idea. Even Kyle can’t be bothered
driving here. Back in LA, he was obsessed with his silver Lamborghini Roadster and wouldn’t let anyone drive it.

    
Kyle
. I have yet to call him today and find out how he was. Blake d
id a number on him
. The poor thing didn’t see it coming.
I
didn’t see it coming. When Blake sauntered in the room, he looked like his usual composed self—but God, he was
like
a burning furnace with rage and I didn’t
even
notice it. How does he
do
that? Mask his emotions without showing much to those around him? I guess it’s one of those things that his granddad taught him. It comes very handy when it comes to business dealings. But when it comes to personal relationships—it can be very daunting. It’s quite overwhelming really if you think about it.

     I heard him say
“
Ba bene, Zia. Ciao
,”
and end the call.

     “That was my Aunt Seraphina in Rome, she said my uncle wants me to visit again. I spoke briefly with him and he sounded like he’s getting back on his feet.” 

     “What happened to him?”

     “He had a heart attack. I never mentioned it to you?”
No. You
didn’
t because you were
stuck to Ivanna’s side and simply ignored me.

     “No, you never did.”
I gave him a quick glance.

   
He grabbed my hand, kissed it and held it
on his thigh.

     We were
right
around Wigmore Street and quite close to my school. “What time do you want me to pick you up?”
he asked.

     “In three h
ours?”
I b
it
my lip as I look
ed
at him. His thumb was making slow rhythmic circles on my palm. He had a habit o
f doing this and it never failed
to make me so aware of him.

     “Splendid. I’ll be out here when you come out
cara mia
.”
My
beloved
.

     “Okay, see you then Blake. Thanks for dropping me off
.
”
I gave
him a quick smile before letting myself out of the car.

     This is going to be beyond weird…but I must peddle forward.

     Walking towards my Fashion Marketing class, Aloy came up next to me and greeted me cheerily. “What’s up gal? You don’t look ready for class.”
She’s a pretty Asian with an unusual nickname.
Yep
, it isn’t her real name (it’s Ana) but
she was nicknamed that.
I
do think
Aloy suits her better.
It’s u
nique and peculiar like the woman herself.
I met her d
uring
our
class
last
semester and we hung out a few times during lunch in between classes.

     “Yeah, well last night was eventful to say the least. How have you been?” I eyed her outfit, she always has a great funky ensemble and I love
d
it. Sometimes I get all into it
but
most days I just keep it safe
like
today. The only color I have is the bright orange scarf amongst all the black.

     “I’m superb
d
a
hling!
My sister is visiting me from
Boston and she’s arriving tonight. Want to hang
out with us? We might need another sidekick to get some male attention. My sister is the shy type, sadly
.”

     This is what I like about her, she’s straightforward. 
I smiled,
“I would love to meet your sister but no can do babe. My friend is going to be discharged from the hospital tomorrow
so that
will
be taking up most of my time for the next few days.”

     Aloy
pouted
.
“
Oh, bummer! Do
text me if you change your mind then.”

     “Definitely will
,
” I replied as we entered class. The cl
ass was three
hours and I only have it once a
week, thank goodness. I hate three
hour classes
and
I tend to daydream when it gets boring.

     Exactly an hour
and half
after the class started
, our teacher, Mrs. Luton
called a recess for thirty
minutes.

     “I’m going to Starbucks, want to join me?” I asked Aloy who was diligently tapping
away on
her phone. That thing kept vibrating the entire time during class.

    
“Heck yes! I need
a
caffeine fix.”

     “So you’ll have more energy
for
texting the next hour? Who are you talking to?” We’re walking out on the damp street. I suppose it rained while we were inside the building. I love London during cold rainy months. It’s part of its charm and allure.

     “
Bass, the
guy I met over the weekend.
It’s still in its early stages. Nothing major…
you know
…although he’s cute…I don’t know yet.” She was blushing and I found that endearing. She act
ed
with total nonchalance but she was clea
rly more than interested in him.

   
“Yup. Nothing major but cute—got it.”

     She opened the door to let us inside Starbucks and I was grateful for the warmer cozier climate in the small café. “Hey, Sienna—I have to step outside really quick. My mom’s calling.” She showed me the flashing phone screen.

     “No prob. What did you want? I’ll get it for you.”

     “I want a Grande Caramel Macchiato with extra shot
,
”
s
he called out before pushing the heavy door to step outside.