Chapter 1 What A Coincidence!

• 12: 45 pm.
• Where was Kelvin?
• Leilani May Collins hated tardiness. They agreed to meet by 12:30 pm but she was here fifteen minutes earlier. Her phone vibrated and she snatched it off the table before it could ring out.
• It was Kelvin.
• “Hey,” she said into the phone.
• “Hey, Leila.” His voice sounded the same as it did on their previous calls. Freya, her best friend, might have put the idea that he might be a catfish into her head. “Sorry, I’m running late.”
• Leila stopped tapping the silk-covered table and refolded the napkin. If Kelvin wasn’t so handsome and probably a potential man in her life, she might have left the diner. She sipped from her glass of water that had gone warm. He was one point down in her book.
• “Alright. How long until you get here?”
• “Ten minutes top,” he replied.
• “Fine. I’ll be waiting.”
• Setting the glass down, Leila played a game of Candy Crush on her phone until her phone pinged with a text from Freya. She groaned almost immediately at the content of the text. It was yet another selfie from her best friend. Freya was at a wedding Leila refused to tag along to. Following Freya was equivalent to setting herself up for a blind date. It had become Freya’s mission to hook Leila up with any available but eligible bachelor.
• The two went back and forth, exchanging selfies and texts. Leila swiped another look at her phone. Twenty minutes were gone. She almost dialled Freya to come get her out of here but on second thoughts, she waited.
• Kelvin could have a good reason for being late. So far, he has been a great companion. Though this date was happening because she insisted on it, Leila would give him the benefit of the doubt. She would wait an extra ten minutes, then leave. Maybe even delete Tinder. That app wasn’t working for her. It might be if she put more effort into making her profile more attractive and used an actual picture of herself instead of Freya’s cat.
• Her brown eyes roamed the place, watching other paired diners laugh and hug with a tinge of jealousy. One peek at her wristwatch and she flashed her reflection on the window a grim smile.
• Five minutes and she was gone.
• Murmurs from the table ahead made her raise her head. A couple were arguing and it was attracting attention to them. While one waiter went to them to diffuse the situation, another came to her table to ask for her order. Leila remembered his face. He had come here twice already. She skimmed through the menu, confused and amused by the items on the list. This type of restaurant wasn’t usually her cup of tea but she wanted to impress this Kelvin guy.
• “Can I have a milkshake?” The waiter glared at her like she had vomited on their off-white tablecloth. His black hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail at the nape of his neck. Might be why he was looking so constipated. “I’ll order when my date arrives.”
• With a curt nod, he walked away without a word. She scowled at his retreating figure, was she going to get her milkshake or what? Her phone vibrated on the table. Freya was calling her.
• Leila didn’t pick.
• The call ended and a text followed. Her best friend wanted to know if her date had arrived and she was having fun. Fun indeed. At this point, she didn’t care anymore. She made to leave but the waiter approached her table with a tray holding her milkshake. She forced a smile to her lips but he didn’t reciprocate it.
• “Thanks.”
• He probably thought of her as one of those people who stopped at a restaurant without buying anything. Wrong. Leila was only here for one person. And he could go to hell.
• Staring at her phone, she gave in to the urge to reply and sent Freya a text with some sad eye emojis. Her phone beeped immediately.
• Freya: You should come here. The wedding is almost over.
• Leila: No, thank you.
• Freya: Come. Join us at the reception. Eat some cake.
• Rising to her feet, Leila used the empty glass to cover the milkshake. Her feet ached from being in heels all afternoon. She wore heels for this man. To make an appearance like her silly best friend suggested. The waiter from earlier was serving a table when she walked past him but the scalding look he sent in her direction made her steps waver.
• “I’m not leaving yet!” she spat at him.
• Some heads turned to her, and she flashed them a smile reserved for her colleagues and continued to the restroom. Gripping the rim of the sink, her heart slowed. Her reflection in the mirror stared at her and her red lips parted in a fake, practiced smile.
• Black hair cascaded down her shoulders, and her brown eyes were highlighted by the makeup surrounding it. She wouldn’t be the prettiest girl in a room by any standard but she was pretty enough. On instinct, her fingertips brushed the dark mark on her jaw. She turned on the faucet and rinsed her hands.
• What if Kelvin didn’t come? Either way, Leila was done with this stupid date. She dried her hands under the automatic hand dryer attached to the wall, patted her hair one last time, and pried the toilet door open.
• The male restroom was beside the female. Leila stepped out at the same time as a man in a suit who bumped into her, causing her to wobble on the damn heels. He mouthed, “Sorry,” without so much as a glance in her direction and the only thing she had to remember him by was the wallet at her feet.
• It wasn’t hers. Scowling, she picked it up and followed the path he took.
• Where was he going?
• The gentle breeze from the air-conditioner tickled her neck while she walked toward the man, but only to find him sitting comfortably at her table.
• Her phone vibrated as she was rounding up and she unlocked it to view the message from Kelvin.
• He was here.
• No way. God, you can't be kidding me. What a coincidence! Leila thought to herself.
• Eyes fixing on the tall, model-like man on Kelvin’s profile, her heart beat fast.
• Suddenly, the man felt her hot gaze behind his back and turned around.
• “Leilani, right?”
• “R... right,” she murmured.
• With a handsome smile, his eyes brightened, “Hi."