Waiting and Awaited

Chapter 13 - Arrangements

"Earth to Cai!" Cai's head snapped at the loud knock on the table. She was in the tanks' mess hall with her best friend, Liya, who was now apparently enjoying making fun of her. It was the day after her second engagement with Rone and she had decided to finally inform the few people important to her about the upcoming wedding before they had to announce it publicly.

When Rone took her back to her apartment, her mother was jumping on her feet as she opened the door, looking inquisitively between them. At Rone's grin, she had clapped her hands and ran to Mr. Bell screaming. Cai realized they already knew. Rone had asked them for her hand while she was changing for dinner. She was surprised her father did not balk at the sudden proposal, though he did then gesture for Rone to follow him to his study and they had stayed there for almost an hour. Rone had left with a slightly more somber expression but still he raised her palm for a kiss at the door. She couldn't explain why she felt her stomach flutter at the intimate gesture but she shrugged it off. She just never had that kind of attention before. This morning, instead of the usual gigantic bouquets, she found a handful sprigs of lavender and a jar of overnight oats at her door. No note as usual.

Now she faced the task of telling Liya the filtered version of their courtship. She didn't want to lie to her best friend, but some of the details weren't her secrets to tell, so she had to go with the simpler, easier version. Fortunately, the younger woman, who was used to treating her like a sister, was too thrilled with the romance to see through it. Unfortunately, she was having too much fun accusing her of being in love.

"For the love of tanks Liya, I am not thinking about him!" Which was, of course, not entirely a lie. She was thinking about her scheduled dress fitting later at the Penthouse with Mrs. Castille. She was a ball of nerves during her shift after she got the note from Rone's mother inviting her to the Penthouse on that same day. She had to make five attempts to start the forklift to carry the feeds, went around the tank for trouts twice before she realized that though she was at the right tank her forklift did not carry any feed, until finally Expert Dean took pity on her and sent her to the office for paperwork.

Liya, of course, the poor romantic soul, thought she was in love to the point of distraction. She kept aiming knowing smiles her way, it had become Cai's cue to stop whatever she was doing wrong. It did not help that a guilty flush always crept up her face whenever Liya brought up the Duke.

"Nobody would blame you, you know. Oh to be the object of such a handsome man's affections, I would melt in a puddle at his feet," she sighed dreamily. Then she seemed to snap herself out of her reverie. "Has he kissed you yet? Oh my, is he good? I heard he is."

Cai rolled her eyes. Another secret that wasn't hers to tell. "Like I would even tell you Liya," she teased.

Liya gasped theatrically. "I am just your best friend. Who else would you tell if not me? Your first kiss, now that's a story. Oh, he's here!" the minx uttered with wide eyes before sitting up straight in her seat and taking a dainty bite of her sandwich.

"Liya stop! And I would never tell you. God knows what picture of us you already have in your head right now."

"What are you never telling? And what picture?" Cai's eyes widened at the familiar deep voice behind her. Liya was not kidding after all. The fiend was now noisily choking on her sandwich and getting redder in the face. She handed her a glass of water. She can't die yet, not before payback.

"Um, about Goldie. It's nothing. What are you doing here?" she blinked at him. He was his usual magnificent self in his work clothes, all in black with his long sleeved knit shirt, work pants and boots. His hair was a little disheveled and Cai wondered if she was more her mother's daughter than she would care to admit. Her hands were itching to stroke them back in some semblance of order. There were 2 middle-aged men behind him that Cali was not familiar with. She remembered her manners.