Chapter 177 - 177 Made Easy

177 Made Easy

Just like the other private clubs and bars that I’ve been to, there were many staff and guards at the entrance to check for entry requirements. I presumed that Adrian must have given me their name as his guest. After giving them my name and telling them that I was here to see Adrian, one of the staffs quickly led me inside.

It wouldn’t be called a jazz bar without jazz music. The inside was much darker than I had imagined, and it was a little hard to see at first. The stage where the live jazz band was playing was quite large and very eye-catching with all the spotlights. I wasn’t a big fan of jazz music, but I didn’t particularly hate it either. I reminded myself that I wasn’t here for the music as my insides started churning from nervousness.

“He’s waiting for you over there,” the staff told me.

“Thank you…” I thanked the young woman with an appreciative nod of my head.

Although the place was quite dark, each table seemed to be adequately lit up with orange candlelight. I stood a little distance away from where Adrian was waiting for me as I hesitated. After taking in a few deep breaths and letting it out slowly, I made up my mind that I had to be ready. With the words that I had prepared to greet him in advance in mind, I approached the table where he was seated. A round table sat in front of a large burgundy velvet sofa shaped in a semi-circle.

My lips pursed together in a thin line when I realized that the only place that I could sit would be next to him right on the same sofa. There wasn’t a chair in sight and that just had to be fine by me.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be late, but I guess I ended up turning up a little late…” I said as I sat down next to him on the seat.

Adrian was seated alone, and he seemed lost in his own thoughts. Dressed in a white suit, I had to say that he looked as charming as always. The color also reminded me of when he worked as a doctor with his white gown on as well. The vibe surrounding him made me recall the first time that we had dinner together when he convinced me to work for him. It all felt like so much time had passed by since then.

He turned to me immediately when I lowered myself down and sat next to him but not too close. The jazz music from the band that played seemed to fade off into the background when his eyes met mine. He stared at me like he wasn’t sure if I was real. I found myself staring back at him and maybe we were thinking the same thing. He was probably surprised that I turned up and I am also surprised at myself for turning up.

.....

“I honestly didn’t think that you would turn up…” he murmured with his eyes still on my face.

“So, you were expecting to wait here for me all night without me turning up?” I teased him.

I watched as Adrian’s lips slowly turned into a smile and then he let out a soft chuckle. It felt like it had been too long since I’ve heard his laugh or seen his smile although it had only been a few days.

“I guess…” he replied in short.

His response only made my smile widen. I didn’t doubt that he would probably wait for me until I turned up just like he had written in that short message that he sent to me. That was probably why, I didn’t quite hesitate to come here to meet him. I was really anxious, nervous, and scared about meeting him again. In the end, all my fears were all for naught because that was pretty much all it took the break whatever walls of ice that stood between us.

“Well, I’m here now so…” I said before I smiled at him.

“Thank you for coming. I really thought I might have to sleep here tonight,” he said half-jokingly.

“There are many rooms in this hotel,” I pointed out quite correctly.

He just laughed softly at my little attempt at a joke. Just like all the times that I was with him, Adrian’s presence seemed to have a calming effect on me. It didn’t take long for me to feel comfortable being in his company. Although things were not perfectly the same between us as before, it was a much better start than I could have ever wished for.

“Should I get you a drink?” he offered.

“Sure. I’ll leave it to you,” I replied without needing to think.

Adrian waved over a waiter who was readily available to serve us and ordered a drink for me before turning his attention back to me. He was the one who called me here, so I assumed that he had something to say to me.

“I want to apologize…” he said as he turned to face me.

“…What?” I murmured blankly.

“Let me try that again. Someone once told me that saying that you want to apologize and going ahead and apologizing isn’t exactly the same thing. I’m very sorry for what I did to you that day in the hospital, Elena,” he apologized very straightforwardly.

I had always known that he was a mature and very straightforward person, but his sudden apology really did catch me off guard. The way his green eyes stared intensely at me made me feel like he was begging desperately for my forgiveness. I wondered if anyone could ever stay angry at him because that wasn’t something that I could do.

“It’s fine. I was…quite angry at first but I guess I’m also at fault so…it’s ok…” I replied softly.

“You didn’t do anything wrong. It was simply an unfortunate coincidence that we met at the hospital along with…your other client. You weren’t working for me that day either…” he said before trailing off.

–To be continued…