It happened over whiskey

Chapter 7

Ryan’s POV:

Right now, I am standing in the balcony of my hotel room in one of the most sophisticated hotels in Paris with my morning cup of black coffee. While I was sipping on my coffee along with checking out my meetings for the day on my iPad, a familiar face crossed my mind.

It wasn’t the first time Amber came in my thoughts after the day when we had coffee together. Her pretty face along with that smile that I have grown quite fond of recently often strike my thoughts at any point of the day and I can’t stop the smile that lingers on my face with that thought.

I had noticed her smile fading that day at the café when I told her that I won’t be able to join her for thanksgiving. Was she really planning to spend her thanksgiving with me at the bar?

And what about her boyfriend who was sticking to her that day at the bar counter? Was she planning to ditch him so that she could celebrate the holiday with me?

Oh c’mon Ryan. Stop giving yourself so much of importance, my mind muttered.

For all I could think of, maybe her boyfriend was busy and so she asked me if I could entertain her for the holiday. I was brought out from my thoughts when there was a faint knock on my door.

“Come in”, I said while keeping my iPad on the coffee table and my thoughts in the corner of my brain. “Good morning sir. The Grey’s are already here”, my personal assistant Lara said.

“I’ll be there in a minute”, I said before taking my blazer off the hanger. She was just about to leave when I called her again, “Lara wait.”

She turned around and looked at me with a questioning look and asked, “Yes sir?” “Umm…I want you to schedule all my meetings before Thanksgiving. I want to return to New York for the holiday”, I said while adjusting my tie.

“But sir…your schedule is completely packed with meetings back to back till Thursday and I don’t think it is possible that I can reschedule them in the next three days even if I use every existing minute ”, Lara said while checking the file in her hand that contained my schedule for the next four days in Paris. “I ain’t requesting you Lara. Tell Zack to handle the meetings that don’t hold much importance and can be sealed without my presence. Change the timings of the meetings and schedule them all in the next three days. Tell Mr. D’Souza to accompany me and tell Ace to go with Zack and help him with the paperwork. Get everything ready  before noon and I want all the details in my room as soon as I am out of this meeting with the Grey’s. Are we clear here?”, I asked at last while shoving my hands in my pockets.

She just looked at me timidly and nodded her head in response.

The four days that I spent in Paris passed away in a flash. Lara was right when she told me how stressful it would be to manage everything in three days when the trip was supposedly meant to be a four days trip.

But thanks to my team and the most supportive managers that I have working for me, it all went smoothly and the trip was a major success. I was returning to New York today on Thanksgiving.

As I sat in my private jet with my team celebrating over champagne for the success that the trip was, I couldn’t help but wonder how would Amber react when she would see me at the bar today. I am sure she will be surprised and happy.

Maybe. I don’t know what’s wrong with me honestly.

I have been married to Khloe who is the love of my life but these days when I give my mind the freedom to roam on its own, it finds its home on a face that isn’t Khloe’s. I don’t know Amber other than the fact that she is quite hard working and is full of passion, but there is this undying urge in my heart to know more about her.