HIDDEN PASSION

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

    Dorcas emerged from her kitchen with a glass of apple juice she had made for her visitor. She was living in a self-contained apartment in Ikorodu, Lagos. And her visitor was surprisingly Alexander, the waiter in the restaurant she had been with Nathaniel.

They had been in touch after exchanging contacts and she had been to his place a few times. Those were the times she would tell Lillian that she was in Nath's house. She had limited the time she spent with Lillian ever since she found out that she was in love with Nathaniel, but that didn't make her tell the truth.

The truth was, She had realized that she loved Alexander more and had decided to stick with him. Not that it would stop her from trying to get closer to Nath. She just wouldn't let her friend know anything. She should remain single for a little while.

"How do you find my little abode?" Dorcas asked him as she handed over the juice to him.

Alex accepted the juice with a broad smile and settled it on the table before him. He looked around the room again as if he was just taking it in. "It is comfortable and neat, unlike mine," he commented. 

"Come on, babe. Are you teasing me now?" She said as she sank beside him on the sofa. "We both know yours is better than this." 

He said nothing. He only laughed with her. She met his gaze and their eyes stilled for a while which seemed to be like eternity. 

"Alex," she called, drawing closer to him so that they were nose to nose. "I love you," she added firmly and brought her lips to his for a gentle touch. 

When she pulled away, he cleared his throat before saying, "How can you say you love me when you are going out with that man?" 

"Which man?" she questioned. 

"The rich man you came with to the—," he tried to explain, looking away. 

"Babe, I already told you there is nothing going on between us. I just like him as a friend and nothing more. It's you I love. Don't you feel the same way for me?" she said sadly. 

"Of course, I love you. It's just that —," he was saying but the remaining of his sentence was swallowed by Dorcas' mouth. She rounded her hands around his neck and kissed him deeply. When she pulled away, she said, "Let's forget about everything else except us now, okay?" 

"Fine," he said and lay down on her on the sofa. "I really cherish you, Dorcas. I can't help telling myself that you are too good for me. Promise me you won't leave me," he said in fear. 

"Yes, I promise," she said, with her hands caressing his back and kissed him. 

***

Nathaniel was so lost in thought that he didn't notice when the door to his office opened and closed and his personal assistant came in. 

She had to call him a few times before he jerked back to the present. "What is wrong with you, sir?" Nester asked with deep concern in her tone. 

"Oh! When did you get here?" Nath asked, rubbing his eyes with his right first two fingers. 

"A while ago. What's wrong with you? You can tell me. You have been like this recently. You're just moody," she pointed out with concern. 

"I'm okay, Nester. It's — okay," he falsely admitted. 

"No, it's not okay and we both know that," his P. A insisted and sat before him since her boss didn't mind friendly gestures. 

"I will tell you if you promise to help." 

She nodded. 

"The truth is that I have been searching for someone very special to me and all my effort to find the person is proving fruitless. I don't know what else to do," Nath explained, almost in tears. 

That was the first time she had seen her  boss like that. He had always been so good at concealing his emotions from surfacing. So, for him to act that way over someone really means a lot. 

At that moment, she felt sorry for him. Even though she had a huge crush on him and he would not notice her or probably he was just ignoring her, she still wanted to help him find the person. 

"Who is this person in question? A woman?" Nester asked out of curiosity. Well, she needed some information about the subject to be able to help out. 

Nath nodded. 

"What do you know about her? Can you describe her? Do you have her picture?" 

"The truth is that I don't recognize her, nor do I have her picture. All I know is that her name is Lillian. I don't even know her surname," he explained his predicament. 

"Sir, there are lots of ladies out there with that name. How will you be able to find her without her surname and pictures?" she queried. 

"One more thing,on her left arm, I wrote something there in the form of a tattoo. It's so bold that it could be sighted from afar," he expounded. 

"Come on, there are many Lillian with tattoos." 

"Not with my handwriting and name," he added. 

Nester became silent, her eyes fixated on him. 

"LillyNath," he said. "That's what I —" 

"That's your signature," Nester interjected. 

"I wrote that on her arm, Nester, twelve years ago. We were very young, then. The more I recall, the more I realize that I really was too cruel and selfish to have done that to her," he paused, forcing back tears lingering on the edges of his eyes.  "But I was scared of losing her. I was afraid of my eye problem, then. I hurt her for my own gain. I was scared she would not come back to our town."

Nester heaved a sigh of pity. She felt for him and was also jealous of the lady. She suddenly wished she was the one he was looking for. 

"She is the real reason I studied to become successful, so I can get money to operate my eyes and also be good enough for her when I eventually find her," he said in withal as the tears he was struggling to keep in check proved stubborn and released themselves down his smooth and spotless cheeks. He brought out his handkerchief and wiped them off. 

Nester was about to cry as well after realizing his reason for looking for the lady was to marry her. 'What about me?' came her selfish thought. "What if — I mean, just what if she doesn't love you in return? What if she has gotten married or has a fiance? Just — what if?" She asked nervously, wishing she could have a place in his heart. 

Nath flexed his facial muscles and smiled. "I could feel it that she loved me, Nester. And my still small voice is still assuring me that she is waiting for me. But to consider the what ifs, I really don't know what I'll do. So, let's forget the what ifs," he said with a broad smile, suddenly cheering up and not even looking half as dull as he was earlier. "Do you think you can help?" 

"I am not sure, but I will try," she said at the same time a knock was heard on the door. 

"Yes, come in," Nester answered on behalf of her boss who leaned back on his office chair. 

The door opened and Nath's eyes went to the wine heels the person was putting on. His eyes strayed upward to the straight legs covered with Jean, then to the too-hard-to-ignore hips. He immediately flew his eyes to the person's face in a hurry. The body figure was way too familiar to him. 

And here she was, the person he least expected in his office.