MIS-MATCH

Chapter 2

I turn around as I find out someone has put a hand on my shoulder. I give the stranger a confused smile, but his expression is stone cold. His silence is worth a thousand words. Is he here to save the day? What's certain is that he's the exact opposite of David.

No offense to the latter, but this guy is much more interesting, at least for what I can see. I wonder if he wants to chat, even just for five minutes. He checks his watch and, for the first time since we made eye contact, his expression changes.

He startles me as he asks, "You seem to be in a hurry, lady. Am I right?" He isn't wrong. I mean, I wanted to leave this place and forget my embarrassing figure until, like, three minutes ago. So, why do I feel like time has stopped?

"Oh, no, I was this close to leaving when you arrived. I'd be glad to stay here and chat with you, though." He presses a finger on my lips, inviting me to keep my mouth shut. Okay, maybe I'm rambling too much.

"Not here, though. We need to stay away from prying eyes," he points out. Then, a devious idea flashes in his mind. "How about I book a room for the two of us?" What does he want from me? Is he already set on hooking up with me? We haven't even introduced ourselves yet!

"What's your name, by the way?" Does he read my mind? I freeze. I meant to ask first, but I guess I have to answer.

"Billie Presley. Oh, please, no puns." Do I really have to make that clear? I mean, out of thirty-nine guys I had speed dates with, a whopping thirty-six made corny jokes about my name. Yeah, a lot of them. I hope Mr. Mysterious Man isn't like any of those idiots.

To my surprise, he has an unusual compliment in store for me. "Hmm... Interesting. It gives some diva vibes. In a good way, don't worry. It's like you're destined to great things." He scratches his head. He gives elegant, even sexy, vibes when doing even the simples gestures.

I've never heard a man telling me I have a great future ahead. Every other guy I've approached so far, excluding the dork, have only made trivial compliments on my 'aesthetics'—courtesy of Claire.

It's like this mysterious figure and I are bound to be together. For the little I know of him, it looks like he shares the same mindset as me, which is helpful. He strikes me as the kind of person who has the easy solution to every problem, even the hardest.

Back to the real stuff, as he means. He heads to the reception and books a double room, or at least this is what I understand. As he's done, we reach the elevator. He says, "The room is on sixteenth floor. I hope you're comfortable with heights."

He laughs under his breath as he mentions heights. I'm not afraid of them at all; I even have fond memories of Mom and Dad taking me and my brother hiking when I was a teenager. They still have a place deep in my heart, even now.

Time flies as we finally reach the sixteenth floor. He walks down the hall at a brisk pace, while I trail after, struggling to keep up with him. He's fast, damn. If I don't move faster, I'll lose track of him.

He stops in front of a door with a golden knob and the number 1603 on a plaque, also made of pure gold. He gently inserts the key and unlocks the door. As he opens it, I feel like fainting at any moment.

The room is the literal definition of luxury. Starting from how huge it is, to the majestic king size bed at the center, to that chandelier. It's so precious that it could break if I stare it for too long.

He gestures at me to approach him by the windows. "Look at these curtains. Pure silk. I bet you've barely seen such a thing in your life. And, no, movies don't count." He laughs again, making me wonder if he's making fun of me or just wants me to tag along with his laughter.

I steer clear from the curtains. I don't think touching them is a good idea. Silk is very delicate. I don't want to take risks and have to pay for accidental damage. I have bills to pay. Okay, technically I split them with Claire, but she changes jobs like underwear and her pay is so-so most of the time, so the main burden of such expenses is on me.

Okay, enough talking about finances. I have to focus only on the man that makes my head spin like my favorite record. I carefully sit on the bed and take my boots off, leaving them underneath the night stand.

He follows suit and takes his shoes as well. He manages to conquer me again with such a simple action. Why does everything he does look like a movie? Am I sure he isn't scamming the shit out of me?

"Penny for your thoughts?" He snaps me out of my absurd beliefs. I can recognize frauds. I mean, after thirty-nine mismatches, that's the most basic thing I can learn to avoid repeating the same old mistakes, even though I always fall back into that nasty pattern of me not succeeding in swaying a guy's opinion in my favor.

He offers me a glass of champagne. "Let's get to know each other better, Billie. I'm looking forward to you learning more about me, too." He points at the bottle, which seems to cost at least twice as much as the flat where I live.

"Don't worry, it's on the house." He shows me an envelope with a letter confirming what he says. The note can easily pass off as an invitation for a royal event because of how posh it looks. I'd like to believe I'm living in a dream, but this is reality, and it's even better.

I have to thank David, somehow. Hadn't I been paired with him, and hadn't I made a poor figure with him, I wouldn't have come across this other man. I need to ask his name now. I can't keep referring to him as the 'mysterious guy' forever. Or is he hiding a secret identity.

I blurt out that particular thought. "You know, you look like one of those secret agents you see in thrillers. I mean, you definitely have the looks, and I'm sure you also have the skills." I need to stop watching that much TV. I fantasize a lot and, as such, come up with this shit. Do I really have a good reason to believe he's a sort of spy?

He chuckles. "Do you think I look like a secret agent? If so, why? By the way, I'm not. I own a business, though." I wonder what it is about. I'm sure he earns a lot of money with barely any effort after loads of hard work to become the man he is now.

He extracts a business card from the pocket of his blazer and hands it to me. I read its content out loud. 'Jake Ellis, co-founder and CEO of Nova Hotels.' Now that I think of it, the hotel we're staying right now belongs to that chain as far as I know. This means I've just scored a bonus date with its owner. What a twist.

Claire will turn green out of envy when she finds out.