12- Closer To Him (Book 2)
Aniya's pov:
As soon as our coffee orders were taken, I began grilling Elijah. "What do you want to talk about, Mr. Elijah? If you are expecting me to tell you about Eve’s whereabouts, then I am sorry."
I was exhausted after a long day at work and all I wanted was a warm bath. I agreed to meet him because I wanted to see my friend's happiness again.
"No. I don’t want any whereabouts, Ms. Aniya. I need a favor," he replied, his voice pleading.
I scrunched my nose and looked up at him, curious but also wary. 'And what is that favor?" I asked.
He looked at me, and I noticed the under-bags around his eyes, evidence of sleepless nights and too much pressure. He took a deep breath before speaking again.
"Can you convince Eve as a friend to let me talk to her? To let me in her life for a little while? Just ask her to give me a chance."
What was it about these men? They make you run away in the opposite direction and then they come after you waggling their tails. Earlier it was Tyler and now Mr. Elijah. I raised an eyebrow, still stern but also feeling pity for him. "And why can’t you do it yourself, Mr. Elijah?"
He seemed frustrated by my question but didn't react. "I don't want to upset her or scare her off. I have promised her that if we won't click, we will part ways like two decent people."
I couldn't help but feel skeptical. "That's decent enough. Then how come I am in this equation?" I asked him.
"Ms. Aniya..." he began.
"Please call me Aniya," I interrupted.
"Yeah. Aniya. The deal is," he leaned forward, ’We need to meet and give time to each other, just to see if we will click or not. We can't go our separate ways if we are not seeing each other at all."
I could see the desperation in his eyes, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for him, "So you, see? How can we part ways without giving us a chance?1’
The man did have a point, "Okay, I'll talk to her. But no promises, Mr. Elijah,” I said, trying to be clear.
"Please call me Elijah. I... I know that... how she suffered, two years ago. And lost her loved ones." He told me and I didn't know what to say. Who shared this with him?
Maybe Eve did.
There was something fishy going on. He met Eve at Justin's place and somehow that old flame rekindled. Just like that?
Nah! I couldn't believe it!
"And what if my friend is interested in someone else?" I looked straight into his eyes, "She might be seeing someone already.” When he tried to open his mouth, I raised my palm to make him quiet.
He might be handsome but that doesn't mean I won't have a say in it.
"A few days back, she was seeing someone. And was genuinely happy. If that man is in her life, then sorry, Elijah. You don't stand a chance."
"You mean before she fell sick?” he asked me, and we got quiet when our coffees were served by the waitress. When she left, I nodded my head at him.
"Yes. Before she fell sick, there was someone in her life."
'That was me!" he placed his finger on his chest.
I chuckled and shook my head, "No. It wasn't." I smiled, "Eve didn't even know the name of this man and ..."
"Wasn't it Adonis?”
Pin-drop silence! I looked at him open-mouthed, my coffee forgotten on the table.
"For her, I am Adonis, Aniya. I call her long legs. It had become our secret joke and we both used to enjoy it.”
Holy crap! He was ... like come on! He was Eve's Adonis? He was THAT man?
I was tongue-tied at the moment, "Ok," I drew a shaky breath and tried to bring a smile to my lips only to be failed miserably.
"Ok, Adonis.... I mean Elijah. I will try to convince her to give you a chance."
"Thank you, Aniya. Thank you so much," he said, relief evident in his voice.
As we finished our coffee, I couldn't help but feel conflicted. I wanted to help my friend, but I didn't want to get involved in something that could potentially hurt her badly. I needed to do something for her.
This man. He seemed serious. The way he was waiting for me in front of the apartment said it all.
***
Once I entered the apartment, I tossed my bag on the couch and dialed Ashley's number. Eve was still not home, and I needed to do it quickly. I kicked off my shoes as soon as I heard Ashley's voice.
She sounded rushed like she was in the middle of something important. I couldn't hold the urgency in my voice.
"I hope I am not disturbing you," I said quickly. "But I need to talk to you about something important."
"I was just about to call you, Aniya," Ashley replied. "Justin told me that his associate Elijah is interested in Eve. He wants to know more about her.”
"Okay," I said, trying to stay calm. "But there's something you need to know. Elijah is the same guy that Eve was seeing before. He's the one she used to call Adonis."
There was a stunned silence on the other end of the line. "What did you say?” Ashley finally whispered.
"I met him this evening. He was standing right before my apartment waiting for me," I explained. "And he's been asking about her."
Ashley was speechless for a moment. "I can't believe this," she finally said. "Why would he come like this?"
"I don't know," I replied. "I think, Ashley!... He does care for her. He was genuinely worried, Ash. Eve has been hurt before, and we don't want her to get hurt again. But to tell the truth, I can't see her in pain anymore. We need to do something. If Elijah wants to go the extra mile for her then why can't we? We are her friends after all.”
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