Chapter 129

9- Cherie (Book 2)

“You are hiding something. We know that. Either it’s related to Adonis. The man you met a few days back or it’s related to Elijah, Justin’s friend, who you seem to know. Whatever it is. We don’t want to pry into your life, Eve. But please remember. We are your friends, and we want to let you know that we will always be there by your side no matter what you decide.”

Ashley was holding my hand, sitting at the edge of the bed. Hooking her thumbs in her shorts pockets, Aniya was standing looking at us. Justin was leaning against the doorframe listening to his wife but didn’t comment.

To avoid Adonis, I had decided to stay here but my friends knew there was something, I was not letting them know.

Justin cleared his throat, “By any chance… Is any of these men trying to stalk you or bully you?” Justin asked me sincerely.

I shook my head quietly trying to control the tears that were at the brink of my eyes. How to tell my friends that Elijah and Adonis were the names of the same man?

No, he was not the stalker, nor he was a bully. I was the one bullying myself. I told myself silently.

Justin peeled himself from the doorframe and walked to the bed.

Taking the place beside his wife, he held my hands, ‘Tell us, honey. What do you want? Should we arrange your visits to the doctor? Or should we ask someone to visit you here? We can’t leave you alone.” He had worry in his eyes and I was feeling ashamed for disturbing my friends’ lives due to my personal problems.

“Oh, no!” Justin spoke, “I know that look. You are not a burden on us, Eve. For God’s sake.”

Aniya stepped forward, putting her hand on my shoulder, “We’re here for you, Eve. Whatever it is, we’ll help you through it. You don’t have to go through this alone.”

Ashley rubbed my knee, “Just tell us what’s going on, Eve. We won’t judge you. We just want to help.”

I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of their concern and support. “It’s complicated,” I started, “I just…I don’t know how to explain it.”

Justin gave my hand a gentle squeeze, “Take your time, Eve. We’re not going anywhere.”

I looked up at their kind faces and felt a lump in my throat. These were my true friends, the ones who would stick with me through thick and thin.

Finally, I spoke, “C… Can I get some time? I am sorry, guys but right now I am a mess. I just need some time. I promise I will confide in you.”

Aniya’s eyes seemed misty, ‘Take all the time in the world. Just don’t forget that we are here.”

I nodded slowly, ‘Thank you.”

Ashley’s expression turned to one of concern, “Oh, Eve. We just can’t see you in pain. Ok?” I nodded at her.

“I didn’t want to burden you guys with my problems. And besides, I think I can handle it on my own.”

Justin spoke up, “Well, you don’t have to handle it on your own. We’re here for you, and we’ll do whatever it takes to help you through this. After all, what are friends for?”

I felt a sense of relief wash over me as I looked at them. I knew I could count on them to support me, no matter what.

***

“We are about to go hundred percent on appointments. You all have got just one month. Please start informing your clients that we won’t be entertaining any more walk-ins. Word of mouth is the best. We have printed our brochures. You all are welcome to distribute them in your neighborhood, among your friends, to your boyfriends.” I smiled at my staff who were listening to me intently.

This was my first day at the studio after my sickness. We were having a quick meeting in the back room of the Salon. Mrs. Margret had made sure to ask all the staff members to reach there fifteen minutes before the opening time.

As promised, she had prepared a bomb marketing strategy for the promotion of the salon. I had convinced her to take up the desk job and hire a girl who could be keen to learn from her.

“So, any questions you need to ask?” I asked my staff who were happy to see me again.

Jessica, one of my senior stylists, raised her hand. “Yes, Eve. What about the soc*ial media presence?

Are we going to be more active on it?” she asked.

“Absolutely,” I replied. ‘We need to make sure we’re reaching our audience where they are. So, we’ll be posting more frequently and using more hash* tags to increase our visibility.”

Samantha, our pedicure specialist, chimed in. “And what about online booking? Are we going to start offering that?”

“Yes, we definitely are,” I said. “We’re going to be launching a new web*site in the next few weeks that will allow clients to book appointments online. We’ll also be sending out email reminders for appointments and promotions.’

Mrs. Margret added, “And don’t forget about the referral program. We’re offering a discount for clients who refer a friend, so make sure to let everyone know about that too.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, and I could see the excitement building among my team. We were all ready to take the salon to the next level.

“Alright then, let’s get to work,” I said, standing up and clapping my hands.” We’ve got a lot to do in the next month, but I know we can do it. Let’s make this the best month yet!

When all of them were about to stand up I quickly made another announcement ‘And one more thing, team. As a token of appreciation for your hard work, I’ve decided to offer a bonus to each one of you at the end of the month.”

The room erupted with cheers and applause. My staff members were thrilled, and I could see the gratitude in their eyes.

“Thank you so much, Eve!” Jessica exclaimed, her face beaming with excitement.

“You’re welcome,” I replied, smiling back at her. “You all work so hard, and I want to make sure you know how much I appreciate everything you do for the salon.”

Mrs. Margret nodded in agreement. “That’s right. We couldn’t do this without each and every one of you. Let’s make this a month to remember!”

With that, the meeting was adjourned, and my team members started to file out of the room, eager to get started on the new marketing plan. I felt a sense of pride and satisfaction, knowing that we were all working together to make the salon a success.

***

I was wrong. I was fu*cking wrong. While feeling that satisfaction and pride, I had thought I would be able to forget about him. But no.

Despite, so many attempts I was not able to push him out of my thoughts. There were so many things he told me that evening at Justin’s place before leaving. No matter how busy I was, his voice used to ring in my head all the time.

“Don’t you think I deserve a chance? We deserve a chance. Eve. You must be wondering how I know your name. I went to your Salon. The lady… Mrs. Margret told me your name.” He had smiled.

‘There is so much about me I want to tell you, Eve.” He had whispered.

“I am not a stalker, Eve. I promise if you say no, I will not follow you. But please… don’t say no, yet.” He had pleaded with me.

Had he forgotten about me and moved on? Did I make a mistake to push him away?

True to his word, I never found him stalking me or following me. My staff had started showing concerns that why was I working like crazy. They all wanted to give me relief, but I didn’t want to rest even for a moment.

***

After a long and exhausting day at work, I finally stepped out of the parlor, feeling a sense of relief as the cool evening breeze hit my face. As I glanced across the street, my eyes landed on the same club where I first met him.

Without even realizing it, my feet began to move towards the club’s entrance. As I stepped inside, the loud music that had become quite familiar to me, greeted me once again.

Making my way to the bar counter, I took a seat on one of the stools and let out a deep sigh. It was then that a different bartender approached me, asking, “What should I fix for you, miss?”

I thought fora moment before responding, “Something intense. I think I’ll take a cab home tonight instead of taking the driving risk.” I said the last part in a low whisper, almost as if I was speaking to myself.

The bartender nodded and got to work, carefully mixing a concoction that would match my request for something intense. As he placed the drink in front of me, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia wash over me. It was in this very spot that I had first laid eyes on him.

“Hello!” Someone exclaimed, pulling up a stool beside me. I stiffened at the sound of his voice, not in the mood to deal with his snarky comments.

“I can’t see your fancy guy tonight,” Brian continued, looking around me with a sneer on his face. “Has he ditched you?”

I rolled my eyes, annoyed at his behavior. “Shut up and leave me alone,” I muttered, taking a sip from my glass without bothering to look at him.

“I can’t, Eve. I will never ditch you!” Was he serious?

“Brian. I need to enjoy this drink. Leave me alone.”

“Nah! Finish up your drink and then I will take you home. You should not drive after drinking this.” He pointed to my drink. I was in no mood to run away from him.

Because this time there was no Adonis to help me.

“I love the way your lips touch the edge of the glass. I almost imagine them touching my mushroom.

Ha-ha.” I wanted to gag at the joke.

“Fuck off and get lost, loser!” Oh, Adonis! Where are you? I held my head propping my elbows on the counter. My hair was falling on my face, hiding it.

Just then, someone whispered in my ear from behind, making me jump.” Hey, Cherie! Need my help in getting him off your back?”

I turned slowly, not believing my eyes when I saw a familiar face, one that I had not seen in a while.

Looking as handsome as ever. I kept looking at his serious face and whispered, “Adonis?”

He nodded slowly and tucked away my hair behind my ear as if he was looking for an excuse to touch me. His eyes turned cold when they eyed the man sitting beside me.

“Are you leaving the club, or should I throw you out?”

Brian seemed scared but managed a smile on his face, ‘This is a club, mister. Remember? A public place! No one can throw me out. Ha-ha.” He roared with laughter, “Except if you are the owner.”

Adonis kept looking at him with that frightening glare, “Fine!” he muttered under his breath and snapped his fingers at someone, ‘Take him out of here. Next time you see him, handover him to the police.”

The three suited guards who must be above six feet held Brian by the collar and dragged him away.

They did it so effortlessly, not many could notice the slight disturbance.

I didn’t realize that I was still looking at his face, “Y…You kn…know these … club people?”

He smiled gently and cupped my cheek, “I am the owner here, Cherie.”