Charmaine replaced the receiver and rubbed her temples. This had been one very stressful and tiring day. She had been in meetings and conference calls one after the other. What she needed right now was a steaming cup of coffee to re-energize her. She got up and opened her office door and almost collided with Kenneth who was coming to see her, a cup of coffee in his hand. Luckily, his reflex was fast and he was able to take a step back in time.

“I bought you coffee,” Kenneth said, “but you almost spilled it over me.”

Charmaine smiled with appreciation then noticed the man next to him.

Kenneth introduced the man, “This is my cousin Kevin. Kevin, this is Charmaine.”

Kevin smiled shyly at Charmaine as his face went beet red, “Hi.” He quickly looked down at his shoes.

Charmaine thought he looked embarrassed about something and she instantly looked down at her own appearance to make sure her clothes were tidy and in place and that she didn’t accidently revealed herself.

Kenneth saw what she was doing and leaned in to whisper, “My cousin is very shy. I mean very very shy. It has nothing to do with you or anyone.”

“Oh,” Charmaine mouthed then relaxed, “Come in to my office.” When they were all seated, she asked Kenneth, “What brings you here?”

Kenneth glanced at Kevin and said, “My cousin is visiting for a few weeks and I wanted him to meet one of my best friends. I thought it would be nice if we have dinner together, are you available?”

“I am,” Charmaine said as she began logging off her computer. She looked at Kevin, his face was still aimed at the floor. So she directed her question at Kenneth, “Where do you want to go?”

Kenneth turned to Kevin, “Kev, what are you in the mood for? Japanese? Italian or Chinese?”

Kevin looked up at Charmaine and softly said, “A-Anything is f-fine with me. I’m not picky,” then quickly averted his eyes.

Charmaine thought how cute it was to meet someone so shy, and a guy too. All the men that she was acquainted with were bold and full of confidence. It was refreshing to meet someone the complete opposite. She smiled warmly at him and said, “How about a buffet then? There’s a great buffet place that serves all sort of cuisine. It’s close by.”

Kevin lifted his eyes to her again and said, “That sounds good.”

“Let’s go then,” Kenneth said as he stood up and Kevin followed suit.

The walk to the restaurant took only a few minutes and they were given a table right away. As soon as they were led to their table, Kenneth exclaimed, “I’m starving!” and bolted for the food.

“You don’t have to wait for me,” Charmaine said to Kevin, “I’ll wait till Kenneth returns and then I’ll go get my plate.”

Kevin didn’t move. He smiled at her and said, “I’ll wait. You go ahead.”

Charmaine shook her head and admitted, “I’m not really that hungry. I had a late lunch.”

Kevin looked at her in surprise then asked, “Then why did you agree to join us for dinner?”

Charmaine smiled warmly at Kevin, not knowing how that innocent friendly smile affected him, “You’re Kenneth’s cousin so that makes you my good friend too.” Just then, her phone rang and she answered the call. It was her assistant calling regarding a report that was due tomorrow. Charmaine took out her pen and note paper and started scribbling on it. She was so engrossed with her writing that she was oblivious to Kevin watching her with interest and infatuation.

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“Who is she?” Bosco asked as he took a seat across from Raymond.

Raymond, who was in the midst of sipping his coffee, sputtered and the liquor dripped onto the papers in front of him, “Excuse me?”

Bosco crossed his legs and lifted his brows in inquiry, “Well, are you going to tell me who she is?”

Raymond placed his cup down and turned to Bosco, “What are you talking about?”

Bosco rolled in eyes with exasperation and said, “The woman that you want to get back with.”

Raymond froze and stared at him, “How do you know about that?”

Bosco chuckled, “You mentioned her when you were drunk the other night.”

Raymond was surprised by that. He rarely got drunk and even when he did, he was not the type that talked while intoxicated. Flippantly, he said, “You must have misheard something.”

“I knew you would say that,” Bosco responded with a glint in his eyes. “I also know that you’re not going to tell me who she is.”

“Then why are you asking?” Raymond said with irritation seeing the look of amusement on Bosco’s face. “Are you trying to set me off?”

Bosco laughed, “No, I’m just curious as to who this woman is that can cause you to get all riled up just by mentioning her.”

Raymond turned his attention back to the papers that he was reading prior to Bosco’s interruption and said, “I have stuff to do,” an indication for Bosco to leave.

Bosco stood up and headed towards the door. He stopped and turned back to look at Raymond. With a sly grin he said, “I’m going to find out who she is,” then quickly left.