One Night Stand With Alexander Blackwood-Chapter 91 - Ninety-one

After Maya had regained her composure, she turned to Cody who still had his arms around her shoulders. Being self-aware, she pulled away from him, creating a considerable distance between both of them.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, fixing her hair.

"I came to see you." Cody replied with a good-natured tone.

Maya glanced at him, giving him a look as though he had lost his mind.

"Are you joking?" She asked, regaining her fearless attitude to which Cody noticed.

"You don’t look as tense as you were earlier. Does that mean you are comfortable with me?" He teased, leaning into her.

Maya rolled her eyes. "Don’t flatter yourself." Then she qaqadded, "tell me. Why are you really here?"

"Didn’t I just answer?" Cody mimicked her by folding his arms. "I only wanted to see you."

"I don’t believe you." Maya spat.

Cody shrugged. "Whether you believe me or not is up to you." He then took a seat, and comfortably placed one leg over the other. "I’m here to ask you out on a date. And before you reject me, just know that I have taken a two-day absence leave on your behalf. You are welcome." He smiled at her.

Thinking he had done a good job, his grin widened. Meanwhile, Maya stared at him, feeling... stupefied.

"What did you say you did?" She asked, slowly inching towards him.

Cody didn’t sense the danger as he repeated his words. "I requested a two-day absence on your behalf so you could spend time with me."

Maya stared at him... speechlessly.

Then—

She moved. "You did what?"

She shoved him hard in the chest. The force caught him off guard, his back hitting the couch as he let out a startled breath.

"Maya—wait—let me—"

He didn’t get to complete his statement before she grabbed the front of his shirt, ruining the fit which he had spent an hour on. "Who gave you the right to decide things for me?" She demanded loudly.

He reached up instinctively, not to restrain her, but to steady himself. "I was just trying to—"

Before he could finish his words, her foot slipped against the rug as the world tilted around her.

Cody reacted without thinking, his hands tightening around her arms to stop her from falling. The sudden movement pulled them together close... and fast.

Their lips brushed against each other. Then pressed.

Silence fell between them as their gazes met.

Cody froze first. His grip loosened immediately, as his breath turned shallow.

Maya pulled back like she’d been burned, eyes wide, chest rising too fast. She avoided eye contact as she settled the floor.

They neither spoke nor moved. And somehow... this felt worse than an argument.

Cody’s eyes was fixed on Maya as he unconsciously rubbed his lips.

"I didn’t—"

Maya cut him off immediately. "Don’t say anything. You have done more than enough." Exhaling, she breathed out. "You may leave now. I never want to see you again." Her eyes were closed as she uttered those words.

Cody’s eyes flashed. "But—"

"Now!" She shook her head, interrupting him while she pointed to the door. "Leave. Now." Her voice turned quieter, plea evident in her voice.

Cody stared at her for the last time before he walked out.

Once he was finally out, Maya let out a deep breath. She touched her lips caressing it. She didn’t expect that a kiss would feel this good. Well, it couldn’t be considered a kiss as their lips were just pressed against each other.

"Come on, Maya." She scolded herself loudly. "Don’t have such thoughts."

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While Maya was deep in thoughts about the kiss shared with Cody, Serena was dressed in a modest yet elegant gown.

It was a black gown, adorned with simple gold designs. She paired it with a single necklace and earrings. And she wore a pair of black shoes. Nothing too glamorous. Nothing too flashy. She was only meeting her boyfriend’s grandfather.

"It’s just one man. You’ve met him before." She talked to the mirror, admiring herself. "You can do this." She nodded with a confident smile.

But the next second, her face scrunched up. "I can’t do this."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Are you done?" Alexander’s voice sounded from outside the room.

Serena answered, "yes."

"Okay. I’m coming in." The next second, Alexander walked in.

He looked at Serena whose expression was filled with exhaustion, and his eyes narrowed.

"You look stressed." He commented, and took her hands into his.

Serena nodded, then took a deep breath. "I feel tensed. I’m officially meeting your grandfather today. Do you think I look proper? Do you think I should change my dress?" She asked, fussing over the little things.

For the next few minutes, Alexander patiently listened to Serena fuss over the littlest thing.

Then, Serena paused in her tracks as her gaze darted to Alexander who was calmly leaning on the wall, hands crossed over his chest while his gaze remained fixed on her.

"Are you sure you’re listening to me?" She asked, her eyes narrowing.

"One hundred percent." He replied with an absolute gaze.

"You didn’t comment. You’re only listening to my complaints." Serena pouted, scoffing at the end of her words.

Alexander pushed himself from the wall and walked to her. He pulled her into his arms, "you always look magnificent even without trying, and it is something you and I know."

"And besides," he paused, his gaze hovering over her body. "My grandfather is pretty easy to impress. Just be yourself. Also, he has met you before and you could see that he fancies you."

Alexander’s arms tightened around her slightly. His hold wasn’t possessive, only steady like a quiet anchor determined to hold the woman he loved.

Serena let out a small sigh, her forehead resting against his chest. His heartbeat was calm, unhurried, and it made her feel at peace more than his words ever could.

"You’re biased," she muttered, though the worry in her voice was already gone.

"Of course I am," he replied easily. "I chose you. I get to be biased. It’s something I can do."

She let out a soft laugh despite doubting herself.

Alexander tilted her chin up gently, forcing her to meet his eyes. His gaze was unwavering, sincere. "You’re not meeting my grandfather as Alexander Blackwood’s girlfriend."

"You’re meeting him as Serena. The woman who argues with me, worries too much, cares too deeply, and somehow still manages to make me feel like everything is in place."

Her breath caught in her throat.

"He respects strength," Alexander continued. "And kindness. You have both. That’s why he liked you the first time. Not because of how you dressed. Not because of manners. But because you spoke honestly and didn’t try to impress him. You were... you. Those are the people my grandfather values."

Serena swallowed, her fingers curling into his shirt. "What if I mess up?"

"Then you mess up," he said softly. "And I’ll be right there. We’ll leave together. Nothing changes."

She studied his face, searching for doubt, but found none.

Slowly, her tense shoulders relaxed.

"I do look okay, though," she asked quietly, her eyes looking straight into his for confirmation.

Alexander smiled warmly, a fond smile on his lips. "You look perfect. You always do. And it is not the fragile kind. The kind that walks into a room and doesn’t even realize she’s the brightest thing in it. That’s the kind of perfect you look."

A smile finally bloomed on Serena’s lips, small at first, then certain as her eyes sparkled.

She straightened, smoothing her dress once more. "Okay," she said, nodding. "I’m ready. Let’s go."

Alexander took her hand, squeezing it gently. "That’s my girl."

And just like that, the nerves no longer felt so loud as they calmed down.

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Restaurant, Private room.

"Old Man Blackwood, why did you drag me here? I thought we were to play golf today. So what changed?" An hoarse voice which belonged to an old man who was in the same age bracket as Elias Blackwood sounded.

Elias chuckled, holding his cane tightly.

"My grandson is bringing his girlfriend to me. I wanted you to see how beautiful she is. After all, your grandson has decided that he won’t get married." He snorted proudly. "Miles, she is really pretty. I’m just informing you, so you won’t be gobsmacked when you finally see her."

The man bearing Miles rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"You haven’t changed. You are still as proud and cocky as ever."

Elias shrugged playfully. "Well, I have every reason to be proud and cocky." He stuck out his tongue playfully.

Miles’ expression turned nostalgic as he looked up to the ceiling. "In my heart, the only beautiful lady is my daughter." A lone tear dropped from his eye, and Elias sighed and patted his shoulders.

"Everything happens for a reason." He didn’t know what words of consolation he could offer, thus he only said those words.

Miles cleaned his eyes, his features aging a bit. "Where is your grandson and his girlfriend? I want to see who you’ve been praising." He changed the topic, unwilling to talk about his daughter.

"They should be..." The creaking of the door knob stopped his words. "...look, they’ve arrived."

When the door opened, Serena was the first to walk in followed by Alexander.

Miles raised his head to stare at Serena and froze with his eyes widening.

"Y-you..."