Chapter 141: You are a beautiful young man.
And then, a message notification came in and it had a message that read;
"Hello Charles, my English teacher always told me I need a hook to grab a reader’s attention. Now that I’ve got yours, I’d love to ask, what’s good? And if you’re free, would you be interested in grabbing lunch with me?"
Charles blinked, his mind racing. Who was this person? And why was the message so... unexpected?
Charles had braced himself for a threat, certain that the person on the other end of the message would use the projector image to blackmail him.
Instead, he was met with an invitation for lunch.
His mind spun with confusion, trying to make sense of the unexpected turn of events.
Charles exhaled sharply, his breath catching in his chest as relief flooded through him.
With a heavy sigh, he placed his hands on the cool surface of the kitchen island and sank down into a nearby dining chair, letting the weight of the moment settle.
’What was going on? Who is this person, and why had they reached out to me in such an odd, playful way?’
’Or could this be Augustine? And if it is, why the hell is he using a different number?’
As Charles questioned himself, a scoff instantly rolled out of his lips. The answer to his question seemed painfully obvious.
’Augustine’s using a different number because he thinks I won’t respond if it’s from his real phone number.’
The thought made Charles shake his head in disbelief.
Determined to play it cool, Charles typed out a simple message to the unknown number. ’Who’s this?’ He hit send, though in his mind, he already imagined Augustine’s name popping up on his screen.
The tension hung in the air as he waited for the response.
’It has to be Augustine,’ Charles mused to himself, but a minute later, his phone buzzed with a reply.
’This is Reuben Joachim. The young man in white who saved you from an awkward situation at a cosmetic store.’
Seeing the reply, Charles’s eyes lit up in complete surprise. He had remembered the man in the blink of an eyes.
Reuben... the guy who helped Charles during that embarrassing moment with his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend.
Charles breathed out in relief, the tension in his chest easing.
He quickly rose from the dining chair, his mind shifting gears as he made his way to the bedroom. He needed to get ready for the day and hopefully, clear his mind from Augustine.
"Hello, Reuben. I truly appreciate your help that day, and to show my gratitude, I’d love to treat you to lunch. Pick the restaurant, and it’s on me," Charles typed, hitting send with a sense of satisfaction because he wishes to pay Reuben for his kind act on that very day.
"What if he picks some pricey place? I don’t exactly have deep pockets right now," Charles thought, his fingers freezing above the keyboard.
With a swift motion, he quickly backtracked, correcting his message.
"When I said pick a restaurant, I mean a nice, simple one, not some fancy, expensive joint. I’m too broke to be treating you to a five-star lunch."
After sending the text, Charles tossed his phone onto the bed and walked into the bathroom.
The sound of the water running filled the bathroom as Charles stripped off his clothes, his mind still lingering on the strange but oddly pleasant interaction with Reuben.
The warmth of the shower washed over him, but his thoughts remained tangled.
After a refreshing bath, Charles slipped into a pair of black shorts that ended just above his knees, pairing them with a casual green T-shirt.
He grabbed his handbag, and as he reached for his phone on the bed, he noticed a new message from Reuben.
"Haha... I’ll have lunch with you at Ghal Restaurant down town," came the text message.
Charles sighed, a small frown tugging at his lips. ’I should really use Reuben to get my mind off Augustine,’ he mused to himself. ’If Augustine was truly sorry for what he did, he’d have texted or called by now.’
Charles despised how, despite the pain Augustine had caused him, his heart still clung to the hope of receiving a call.
With a heavy sigh, he stuffed his phone into his trouser pocket and walked out of the mansion, trying to push the lingering thoughts away.
Charles hailed a cab, and half an hour later, it pulled up at the grand hall of Gyapm Corporation.
As he paid the cab, Charles stepped inside the building, noticing most of his fellow cleaners already there, waiting.
There were given a task for the day, handed out by the head cleaner.
The cleaning began immediately, and by noon, the cleaners were given a one-hour lunch break, with instructions to resume at one o’clock sharp.
Charles, eager to make the most of the break, decided to treat Reuben to lunch.
He quickly sent a text to Reuben and then hopped into a car that would take him to Ghal restaurant.
As Charles arrived at Ghal restaurant, he spotted Reuben sitting at a table for two, dressed in a crisp white shirt layered over a simple white T-shirt.
Charles couldn’t help but smile as he made his way toward the table.
"Hello," Charles purred, settling into the chair opposite Reuben, who returned the greeting with a warm smile.
"Have you been here long?" Charles asked.
Reuben shook his head, his brown crew-cut hair shifting with the movement. "Just about ten minutes," he replied, his hazel eyes locking with Charles’s in a way that made the air between them feel charged.
"By the way," Reuben said, his voice lowering slightly, "I know I might sound a bit strange or even creepy, but I have to admit... you’re quite a beautiful young man."
Charles felt his cheeks flush, the unexpected compliment hitting him like a wave.
His heart skipped a beat as he tried to regain composure.
Reuben’s gaze lingered for a moment longer before he casually looked away, raising a hand to flag down a waitress.
But meanwhile, Charles couldn’t shake the warmth spreading through him, the words of Reuben echoing in his mind, as if they had rooted themselves deep into his chest.