Leap OF Fate

Start over. The phrase rang in Serene's ears and tugged on her heart. Yes, Justin was an asshole for not correcting her misunderstanding of his relationship with Bryan. Apart from that, he has not really done anything to her. "OK" was all she could muster. When Justin heard this, she felt a huge thorn pulled out of her chest, making it lighter. He smiled.

"Thank you." He spoke so softly and sincerely. Serene felt the warmth in her heart when she heard him speak. Such simple words, yet he said it like she saved her life.

Their call already ended for a while, but Serene still continued to stare at the phone she held in her hand. Start over. Such simple words, yet it carried a heavy meaning for her.

Indeed, things between her and Justin started at the wrong foot. Let's not forget that besides the whole drama of his relationship with Chester and Bryan, their first meeting was not really ideal. In fact, a huge chunk of it was a blur in Serene's memory. Start Over. Reset. Second chance. Serene let out a deep, long sigh. "I hope I did not make a mistake."

*****

A week quickly passed like a heartbeat. Serene's once again setting her foot on Rain International. She went straight to the conference room and waited for Arthur's team. She busied herself in preparing the things she needed for the meeting. "You're early," a deep warm voice cut off her typing. She looked up at the sound of the voice.

"Good morning, Mr. Rain" She gave him a smile. It was the first she has given him after they agreed to start anew.

"It's Justin. You don't have to be so formal, Serene." He was also smiling at her. And boy, did that smile suddenly make Serene's chest beat wildly. "Besides, didn't you say we're starting over?"

She cannot help but swallow. Biting her lower lip and looking at him shyly, she answered, "You're right." Part of her regret that she agreed to giving him a second chance. Somehow, it felt easier to be in the same room with Justin when she's feeling angry or irritated by him, not like this when he's all smiles at her, making her uncomfortable and unexpectedly weak in the knees

Thankfully, Arthur's team has entered the room. Had the two of them spent more time alone, she did not know how to handle the man opposite her who did nothing but flash her his pearly whites.

They proceeded with the meeting. She showed the team how to configure their site and talked about how they would like their employees to interact with the site. She seriously listened to their requests and provided her recommendations and guidance.

In an hour, the meeting concluded. Arthur's team has long left the conference room, and she was about to step out herself when Justin broke the silence, "Lunch?"

Serene looked at him. He looked like a child asking for candy. Oh my heart, Serene softly murmured, then answered him with an "OK"

The two of them exited the conference room, one after the other. She walked ahead of him, tightly clutching her laptop on her chest while he casually strode after her with his hands in his pockets.

Once again, she sat shotgun while he drove. She buckled her seatbelt over herself immediately after sitting. She did not want a repeat of her embarrassing performance last time she shared a ride with him. Of course, her hasty movements did not escape Justin, who just smiled but said nothing.

"What do you want to eat?" he looked at her, still keeping that schoolboy smile.

Serene seriously contemplated his question. "Uhm... are you ok with pasta?"

"Pasta it is!" He started the car and drove out of the parking lot. Serene kept her attention to the window.

"Relax, Serene. I won't bite" he amusedly said and even chuckled. Serene just gave him a nervous smile.

Relax? Easy for you to say, she thought to herself. Her heart feels like it's going to break out of her chest. How can she relax? The more he kept his calm attitude, the more she felt on the edge.

"How did you know Dylan?" he started.

"I used to host events and would sometimes walk the runway. Dylan and I worked together in one of those shows." She gave him a quick glance, then averted her eyes again to focus on the view outside her window. "Dylan's very good with people. He's easy to talk to and work with." "That he is." Justin nodded and glanced at her.

"I remember Dylan saying that you also modelled?" She asked, her voice hitched a little and her brows lifted as she looked at him.

"Yeah." He also gave her a quick glance then returned his focus to the road.

"I can't believe that we've been in the same circle but never met before. Did you model here or abroad?"

"I did some magazine covers here. I was not very active like Dylan."

After a while, they reached the restaurant. She lived in Hyacinth Bay for a long time, but she has not been in this restaurant. The exterior looked like an old Italian home with white walls, red ceramic roofs, wide windows spilling with multi-colored flowers. The interior was clean, with modern furniture. Justin chose a quiet spot for them. He guided her to sit on the chair with the back towards the wall while he took the seat opposite hers. A server came to pick their orders soon as they took their seats.

She picked a cream based pasta while he picked pesto based. They skipped the wine since Justin's driving while she did not feel like having one.

"You seem to enjoy eating a lot," Justin stated as he looked at her thoroughly enjoying her order. She nodded while she enthusiastically chewed her pasta.

"Yes, I'm a foodie." She looked guiltily at him. He just chuckled but said nothing. "What about you, don't you enjoy eating?"

"I'm OK. I like good food, but maybe do not enjoy it as passionately as you do."

"Passionate?" With a raised brow she asked, "Are you saying that I'm a glutton?" She pouted her lips and looked somewhat offended by what he said.

Justin gave her a chesty laugh. There were tears in the corners of his eyes when he stopped. Serene couldn't do anything but glare at him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you," he cleared his throat to gain his composure. "I just feel that you're the kind who not only enjoy eating but maybe appreciate the process that goes with it too." Satisfied with his explanation, she sweetly smiled at him and nodded.