Cold Feet (COMPLETED)

Damask Rose

Photo: Mega Magazine

Beautiful day, my dears! Today starts the journey of Richard and Dei, their memorable first meeting and first date.  The instantaneous attraction, admiration that keeps growing as they saw more of each other, starts here. Could everything really be as wonderful, as perfect as it really is? Find out as you read.

Thank you for the warm reception to my Prologue, glad that it evoked emotions from you all. More feels as we go along, I hope, not necessarily all angst. Let's try to keep a balance of fluff and angst, just enough to make the journey memorable, shall we? Enjoy reading, and as always, leave a snippet of your thoughts below :) 

Manila, 2012

When Dei first met Richard, she was stunned by his awesomeness.  They were introduced, they shook hands, gazes met and held as though they were spellbound. She could not look away from his melting, chocolate gaze, while he was mesmerized by her soft doe eyes.

Oh he had good looks alright, dark hair and chocolate brown eyes, a high-bridged nose and lips with a sinfully perfect Cupid's bow on top, and that dimple on his left cheek that magnified his smile. But it was when he started speaking to present their ad agency's campaign for Frais, a mouthwash brand she was handling, that she was drawn to him like a moth to flame.

He was a charismatic speaker, he spoke with such passion and conviction. And the campaign was solid, it was perfection played out by a man who knew the brand inside out. This was a budding creative director who put up his own boutique agency with college friends, and he was taking the industry by storm with his fresh ideas.

Of course they won the pitch and the rest was history. And now he was trying to win her heart, not knowing he already won it over, though she just wasn't willing to make it known to him yet. She remembered how it all started, when their company hosted an appreciation night for all their suppliers and agencies. Brand Managers like her were required to mingle with their guest vendors, and he arrived a little late.

"Dei, so sorry I'm late," Richard said as he leaned down to kiss her cheek. "I came from another client meeting and traffic was horrendous along EDSA."

His explanation droned on but all she knew was at that precise moment, he kissed her cheek instead of just pressing his cheek to hers, and she felt a spark of awareness between them. When their eyes met, it was like everything faded into oblivion around them, and she was caught in that moment with her hand clasped warmly in his and her cheek still feeling the indentation of his lips.

"Ok you two, maybe you should take that moment somewhere," It was Janelle, another Brand Manager and Dei's best friend who joked, making them both suddenly conscious. They suddenly let go of each other's hand and both blushed.

"Mr. Faulkerson Jr.......blushing? This is new." Janelle ribbed good-naturedly. Dei shot dagger looks at Janelle after which she laughed and walked away. She faced Richard with a smile, refusing to speak because she was feeling breathless.

"These are for you. Thank you for being such a sweet and agreeable client." He gave her a bouquet of flowers, which she accepted though slightly disappointed that the flowers were not a personal gift. She pocketed the card stuck to the bouquet wrapper and reserved reading it for later.

He sat beside her the whole evening, instantly becoming her date for the night. She loved that it was noisy and he had to lean closer to her each time he spoke, sometimes his lips touching her ear when he did. When it was time to dance, he got up and gently pulled her to her feet, his hand holding hers, making their way to the dancefloor.