Page 27 of My Heart's Doctor

My friend had to think about his answer, which meant you didn’t need to be a genius to know what was going through his little head.

“I’m not talking about leaving that same night, but we could certainly get more than one date for another day. I have no doubt about that.”

“Orson, you need to grow up!”

My friend burst out laughing.

As always when I was with him, lunch was a fun time where we didn’t stop talking and laughing. Being with Orson guaranteed entertainment, which is why I knew I would have quite an enjoyable evening.

Shortly before nine in the evening, Orson was knocking at my door. He didn’t even ring the building’s doorbell anymore because the doorman knew him and let him in.

“My God! You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life. If I didn’t see you as a sister, and a younger one at that, I swear I’d reconsider the whole marriage thing,” he exclaimed as soon as I opened the door to my apartment.

“Stop talking nonsense. And you look very handsome. In a tuxedo, you even look like a serious man.”

“Hey, that hurt! I am a serious and responsible guy. Being a ladies’ man doesn’t make me less responsible.”

“I’m not going to keep arguing. I’ll get my clutch and we can go,” I said as I went to fetch it.

“Devon, you really look beautiful; well, you’re always beautiful and sensual.”

“Thank you,” I said, as I passed by him and tapped his shoulder with my clutch. “I made an effort for you.”

“Well, let me tell you that you shouldn’t have tried so hard because tonight you’re going to have all the men swarming around you,” he said, shaking his head.

“And you won’t even notice because you’ll surely be chasing after every single woman at that party.”

“Hey, that hurt!” he said again, as we rode down in the elevator.

“I remind you that the last time we went dancing, you left the club with a woman and abandoned me.”

“That was a dance club, now I won’t do it because it’s a business event.”

“So you wouldn’t stay at the party for me, you’re doing it because it’s not convenient for your work. You’re a disaster as a friend!” I said, shaking my head and smiling.

“Don’t twist everything I say, beautiful,” he said, feeling defeated.

We arrived at the venue where the event was being held, and I was amazed by the beautiful decoration of the hall. It had been decorated with elegance and sobriety, personalizing the space with the company’s colors and logo. The round tables were adorned with ivory tablecloths and arrangements of natural flowers and candelabras with candles. The hall was decorated in a minimalist and functional style, and the warm lighting made the atmosphere look sophisticated and relaxed. The different areas had been divided with fabrics, separating the table area from the dance floor and from what I assumed was a place to get some air or simply chat.

As soon as we arrived, and before sitting down, we were informed of our assigned table and served a welcome cocktail as an appetizer, which we drank standing up. At that moment, some of Orson’s acquaintances approached us, he introduced them to me, and we stayed chatting with them. When we reached our table, our tablemates were already there. Orson made the introductions again because they were also acquaintances. At the table we were ten people, and among the remaining eight there were two couples, three single men, and one woman. They all seemed very nice to me, and even though they talked about anecdotes involving themselves that I couldn’t comment on, I enjoyed listening to them.

The event began with the formal speech from the company owner, and then dinner was served. At eleven o’clock, we were invited to invade the dance floor and have fun with the good music that was playing. The first song that played was “Don’t Be Shy” by Tiësto & Karol G, and my friend stood up anddragged me to the dance floor. Hand in hand, we danced happily while laughing at some of Orson’s antics. The song ended and “Take My Breath” by The Weeknd began to play. We continued dancing until Orson spotted the cocktail bar and took my arm so we could head over there.

“Time for a tasty cocktail, beautiful.”

“Order me a Cosmopolitan while I go to the bathroom,” I indicated, as I separated from him and began walking toward the restroom area.

“Okay, but don’t take too long fixing your makeup and doing those things women do because you already look like a goddess,” he said, as he approached the bar.

“You really know how to flatter a woman and boost her self-esteem,” I said, smiling.

Orson turned and looked at me with a mischievous expression.

“Beautiful, I know how to raise many things for women, but I’m not going to show you because you’re like my little sister, but believe me when I tell you that I’m an expert at raising things for them.”

“It’s impossible to talk to you,” I said, while laughing and starting to walk away.

I hadn’t taken two steps when the smile vanished from my face. A few meters away from me was William Cavaller looking at me seriously. He was with a group of men who seemed to be having a relaxed conversation, but he didn’t seem to be paying attention, instead keeping his gaze fixed on me. I didn’t know whether to greet him or walk past, but I chose to look away and continue on my way because after all, I wasn’t familiar enough with him to approach and say hello. We had only spoken a couple of times, if his grunts could be considered as such.