Fene’s POV
On November 10th, it was Laird’s birthday. Of course, we celebrated it together. Laird had already reserved a table at a famous restaurant known for its intimate ambiance and live jazz music.
Laird said he would be arriving soon to pick me up, so I didn’t want to keep him waiting too long. With my hair neatly tied up, wearing a ck bolero jacket with floral patterns, a sleeveless knee-length ck midi dress, and ankle-high boots of the same color, I stood frozen on the sidewalk in front of the apartment.
“OMG!”
My mouth dropped wide open, and I immediately covered it with both hands. I held my breath, eyes wide. A red hatchback car with a license te I knew very well pulled up in front of me.
The car I knew so well and had desired sincest month. Yes, the same red car that I drove crashed into the park’s fencete at night. Laird stepped out of the car with a broad smile.
“OMG, Laird!” I held back a scream with a wide grin.
“Yup, I know,” he said, nodding and approaching me.
The first thing I did was hug his neck and then kiss his lips. “Is this car finally free to go?”
“Yeah, it’s yours,” he nodded with a faint smile.
“Oh, even the dent is gone without a trace.” I leaned over and carefully examined the side of the car. I swore it was still scratched and dented thest time I saw it.
“Yup, it’s been fixed since it was released,” he exined with a small chuckle.
“When was it released?” I asked.
“Right after n paid all the fines,” he grimaced.
“Oh, hell, that means this car’s value just went up.” I straightened up and winced.
“It’s okay; you already paid for it with Oscar’s contract, right?” he asked, putting his arm around my shoulder.
“Oh, yeah, you’re right, maybe,” Iughed softly.
“Can we go now?” he asked, opening the passenger door for me.
“Are you driving?” I asked with a mischievous smile.
“Of course. We’ll find a better time for you to drive this car, and I’ll rmend the best driving school in New York,” he said just before closing the door.
I giggled at hearing Laird’s words. A few secondster, Laird got back into the car and put on his seatbelt.
“I feel like you’re giving me a gift, when really, you should be the one getting a gift from me,” I said, still filled with happiness.
“Technically, this car is a bonus gift from your office, not from me. So, yeah, you don’t owe me any gifts,” he said with a slight chuckle.
“But you took it from the police station, fixed it, and brought it here. Thank you, Laird.” I hugged him tightly and kissed his lips again.
“Happy birthday, honey,” I whispered in front of his face, and we kissed again. We passionately kissed, sucking each other’s lips and lingering with our tongues.
“We’re going to bete,” he whispered hoarsely.
“Yeah, let’s go,” I chuckled. I knew we wouldn’t leave and miss our restaurant reservation if we didn’t stop kissing.
***
The Flowsteel Room had an intimate ambiance with dim lighting and one table apanied by a smallmp. Live jazz music apanied the moments inside the restaurant. Laird and I upied a corner table with plush sofas surrounding us.
The food was delicious, with buttered bread as an appetizer, short ribs for me, and skillet chicken for Laird. For dessert, we enjoyed a dome of chocte, which I only had a taste of and Laird finished. The rest of the evening we let dissolve in conversation, apanied by a ss of exceptional whisky and bourbon.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!
“How about Reba? Is she still bothering you?” I asked, leaning closer to Laird.
“No. Strangely, she’s been more uptight at the officetely.” He put his arm around my shoulder and let my headfortably lean on his shoulder.
“Really?”
“Yeah. I think it’s weird, but I suspect it’s all rted to my control-freak father,” he sipped his whisky momentarily.
“Maybe someone told your father aboutst week’s incident, and he scolded Reba,” I said before sipping my Bourbon.
“Could be. I think it’s Derek who talks too much,” he said, lowering his hand to tightly grip my waist.
“Can Derek contact your father?”
“No. I’m sure Derek talks to his father, and then his father talks to mine. Maybe I haven’t told you, but Derek is a McNaught-one of the senior partners at the firm, if you’ve forgotten,” he said.
“Oh, no wonder then. Does your firm recruit a bunch of firm heirs?” I chuckled softly.
“I won’t be a firm heir if you remember my business,” he said, raising an eyebrow with a typical lopsided smile.
“Just kidding,” I teased as my hand brushed his chest, d in a ck shirt.
“But maybe partly true because Derek still wants to be awyer like his father.”
“Oh,” I nodded. “Well, everyone has different dreams. At least you and he know what you want to achieve,” I said.
“Did Derek also tell his father about Reba’s lewd behavior?” I cautiously asked, holding my breath.
“Hm, it doesn’t seem like it. He’s very concerned about his reputation, especially that of his father,” Laird exined.
Hearing that, I understood that men like Derek and Laird might not tell the world about how they’re being harassed. They keep their feelings and concerns to themselves until they find a friend who at least shares a simr fate or can be trusted.
I also knew Laird wouldn’t say anything to his father, not even something pleasant. Their rtionship was so bad, as far as I knew.
“Hey, I have a gift for you,” I said with a cheerful smile to change the subject.
It’s Laird’s birthday, and he already treated me at thisfortable restaurant. It’s time to give him a gift. I reached into myrge clutch bag and pulled out a pink box adorned with a red ribbon.
“You don’t have to give me a gift, babe. Your presence is the best gift for me,” he said with a shy smile. Hearing his words, my face immediately felt hot, and I knew my cheeks were blushing red.
“Just a small gift. Open it,” I urged with a shrug.
“Oh, damn. I remember back in elementary school, you worked hard to buy a gift for the new boy. What was his name again?” He murmured with a smile, teasing me.
“Ugh, stop it. Don’t keep repeating that incident from years ago.” I lightly hit his arm, and heughed.
“Hey, your face is turning red. Don’t tell me you’re still thinking about that guy. Aren’t you curious where he is now?” He teased me again.
“No! Just open your gift.” I was embarrassed, and my face quickly heated up.
I have to admit, back then I was so silly and childish. The childhood memories I shared with Laird would never end if told. Of course, I didn’t want to discuss it anymore, and today should be all about Laird.
“Come on, just open your gift,” I said.
“Yeah, okay.” Laird’s hand skillfully moved to untie the ribbon while humming along with the gentle melody of the song.
Laird slowly opened the gift box. As he opened it, he paused for a moment and then chuckled shyly.
“Fene, this-” he choked up and couldn’t speak as he took out the gift from the box.
“Do you like it? What do you think?” I asked.
He lifted the ck acrylic desk namete with ‘Laird Evans, CEO’ in white letters. Then a small espresso ss with a bag of various coffee beans, each packaged for a single brew.
“I already feel like a CEO,” he said proudly.
“Good if you like it. Dave said you’re always too busy and forget to make it,” I said.
Laird ced his gift on the table, then turned to me. He stared at me closely with sparkling eyes. His hand cupped my cheek and caressed it with his thumb.
“Thank you, Fene,” he whispered softly, and leaned in to kiss my lips.
That night, our kiss felt gentle. Not a passionate kiss like usual. Just a kiss filled with warmth and tenderness. Maybe it was the calming jazz song with the soft piano that caused it, but I immediately realized that our rtionship was now purely moving towards something more serious.
The thought of it made me tremble as Laird showered me with kisses that made us forget about our surroundings. It felt enjoyable yet thrilling, and I knew our journey was still long ahead.