The Unspoken Attraction

Chapter 2: The Meeting

Hey lovely human.
Happy reading!

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The morning sunlight filtered through the blinds, casting soft streaks of gold across Ian Aiden Reyes' spacious office. It was Saturday, the day of the dreaded blind date his mother had arranged for him. Ian's stomach churned just thinking about it. He had no interest in attending, especially after meeting Isabella Evans. Their chance encounter had left a mark, and just the thought of sitting across from someone else today felt so wrong.

But fate had another plan for Ian today. There was an important meeting scheduled with a potential client – one he couldn't afford to miss. As the CEO of his company, Ian was always prepared, never letting personal matters interfere with his work. As for him, work is his top priority. Today was no exception.

But amidst his thoughts about the meeting, his phone buzzed insistently. Ian glanced at it, seeing the familiar name flash across the screen: Mom. He sighed, knowing exactly why she was calling.

He straightened his navy suit, glanced at his watch, and sighed with relief. The meeting was about to start, and with it, a convenient escape from the blind date.

The phone buzzed again, but Ian decided against picking it up. He could already imagine the conversation. She would nag, guilt him about not taking his personal life seriously, and remind him that time was ticking. His mother meant well, but what she failed to understand was that Ian had no room for a relationship in his life right now—not with his work swallowing every bit of his time and attention.

As he arrived at the luxurious conference room, he glanced at his phone again. Three missed calls from his mother. A small twinge of guilt tried to creep in, but he shrugged it off. Work came first. The door opened, and in walked the client's representatives. Ian extended a hand, maintaining his usual air of professional cool.

"Good to meet you. Ian Aiden Reyes," he introduced himself, his voice calm and authoritative.

And then he saw her.

Isabella Evans.

For a split second, Ian's carefully constructed mask slipped. He blinked, unsure if he was seeing things. But no—it was her, in the flesh, standing in front of him, exuding professionalism with an air of grace. Out of all the clients, out of all the meetings, she was the one sitting across from him today? The universe had an interesting sense of humour.

"Isabella Evans," she said offering a polite smile, shaking his hand as though they were complete strangers.

The meeting proceeded as usual, though Ian couldn't help but steal glances at Isabella. She was poised and articulate, offering insightful contributions to the discussion. He admired how effortlessly she handled herself, yet there was an underlying tension between them. It was as if they both knew that this wasn't just a standard business encounter.

Despite the professional setting, Ian's mind wandered back to their coffee shop meeting—the way they had connected so naturally, the ease of their conversation. Today was different. There were walls between them now—business, expectations, formality. But the spark from their first meeting was still there, simmering just beneath the surface.

When the meeting finally ended, Ian stood up, extending a hand to Isabella once again, this time holding her gaze a little longer. "It was a pleasure working with you," he said, the words sounding too formal for what he meant. "Likewise," she replied.

"Isabella," he said softly, catching her attention just as she was about to leave. "Do you have a moment?"

She paused, studying him for a moment before nodding. "Sure."

Once the room was empty, Ian felt the air between them shift, the professionalism falling away. He stepped closer, his usual stoic expression softening.

"Listen," he began, rubbing the back of his neck—something he rarely did in a professional setting. "I wasn't expecting to see you here today."

"Neither was I," Isabella admitted with a faint smile. "But here we are."

He chuckled, feeling the tension between them ease. "I know this might seem sudden, but I was wondering... would you like to grab dinner sometime? No business talk, just... us."

Isabella's eyes lit up with amusement. "You mean, like a date?"

But before he could respond, her phone buzzed on the table. Isabella glanced at the screen and sighed softly. "My mother," she muttered under her breath. "She's been trying to set me up on a blind date this morning."

Ian couldn't help the soft chuckle that escaped his lips. "You too?"

Isabella raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess—your mom?"

Ian nodded, a grin tugging at the corner of his lips. "She called me three times."

"Back to our topic just now... about the date. I guess you could call it that." Ian hesitated.

Isabella laughed at Ian's directness. "Sure, let's set a date for us to meet."

And with that, they both agreed to meet again next time.

*******

Thoughts?

Do you think they'll met again?

If it were you, would you go to the blind dates set by your parents? Why?