Chapter 402 – Beginning with a Daring Encounter

“I said it depends on you, and I’ll wait for whatever you decide,” Celsie said.

“You tell me what you want. Are you up for it? If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to,” Benne assured her.

“And then what? Will you go without me? Or you will turn down your best friend’s invitation to stay back with me?” Celsie asked curiously.

“I could go while you stay back home and rest. You will finally have time to yourself the way you love,” Benne said, and Celsie frowned slightly.

She would have jumped at this three weeks ago, but the thought of Benne being out while she was inside didn’t seem like fun. She knew she was just going to be waiting for him to return, and she would be bored, “Let’s go together,” she suggested, and Benne smiled.

“Okay then…”

“Harry seems to believe you’ll just go along with his plan because I’m okay with it. So you can play a little hard-to-get game with him before giving in,” Celsie suggested, and Benne chuckled.

“Where have you been all my life?”

“At the company’s branch in Heden. You refused to promote me early enough,” Celsie said jocularly, and Benne laughed.

“I love you, Jewel. I need to run now. I’ll let you know when I’m done.”

“I love you too, and don’t call me again unless it’s the close of work. As sweet as these calls are, I’m distracted…”

“I’m going to call you. And you better pick up when I do. Bye,” Benne said and hung up before she could protest.

He started the car automatically and drove off immediately, knowing that he would probably see steam rising from Harry’s ears by now. He had kept the guy waiting after warning him not to keep him waiting.

When he got to the front of the company, he chuckled when he saw Harry glaring at him angrily, “Sorry. I was on the phone with my crown Jewel,” Benne said once Harry got into the car and shut the door.

Harry, who had been about to snap at him, scowled instead, “For Christ’s sake, Benne! She’s in the same building as you. You spent the night together on the same bed and left the house together this morning. Couldn’t it wait?”

Benne chuckled as he drove off, “It couldn’t. Don’t worry. You’ll understand me better when you finally find someone you love and go into a relationship,” Benne promised.

“You’re lucky I love Celsie. Else I would have thrown you out of the car,” Harry muttered.

“It’s my car, remember?”

“I’ve sat behind that wheel more times than you have, remember? It’s not about who owns it. It’s about the person who handles it. Ask Richard Miller,” he said with a dark smile, knowing how much Benne hated such jokes, and as expected, Benne looked at him distastefully.

“Sometimes, when I listen to your dark humor, I wonder how you’re my best friend. How can you joke with something like that?” Benne said with a shake of his head, and Harry laughed.

“How can I not joke with it? Feel free to admit that it’s funny and true silently,” Harry said before, returning to his serious mode.

“So about the interview earlier. We may have gotten someone. He will be resuming next Monday, so until then, I’ll try to organize everything to hand over to him,” Harry said, and Benne nodded.

“I suppose you want to use the time to run a background check on him?”

“Sure. If he’s working that closely with you, we have to be sure he’s someone trustworthy,” Harry said, and Benne smiled in gratitude.

“Thank you. Feel free to let me know when I can repay anyone of the many favors you’ve done me.”

“In friendship, there is no repayment of favors. But I’ll appreciate it if you have dinner with me and my father tonight. You can come along with Celsie since I know you won’t want to leave her alone,” Harry said, and Benne turned to spare him a glance.

“Can’t make it. Sorry, I have plans.”

“What plans? I have already invited Celsie, and she is available. Who do you have other plans with?” Harry asked with a scowl since he had already made the dinner reservation.

“I didn’t tell her about my plans. It’s supposed to be a surprise dinner for just the both of us. I hope you don’t mind?” Benne asked, and Harry scowled at him and looked out of the window in annoyance, making Benne stifle the urge to chuckle. As manly and strict as Harry could be, he sometimes behaved like he was his girlfriend, and Benne wondered if he knew that was how he acted.

“I will think about it, though, and see if I can cancel the reservation,” Benne said, and Harry snorted in response, making him chuckle.

“I was just kidding. You know you’re my second girlfriend. I can’t say no to you and hurt your feelings,” Benne said, slapping Harry’s shoulder.

“You’re lucky you changed your mind. I was already mentally composing my resignation letter, which I would submit tomorrow morning if you didn’t show up. You want to hear it?” Harry asked with a smirk, and Benne laughed.

“Not interested. Did I give you the details of the last meeting we had in your absence yet?” Benne asked, and Harry shook his head.

“Shit! There are always so many distractions lately. That was the reason I came into your office earlier, but I got carried away by Barry’s revelation,” Harry said, and Benne chuckled.

“The last meeting was very entertaining. Celsie had a face-off with Anita,” Benne said, and Harry sat up, looking at him with interest.

“What happened?”

Benne narrated how they had been arguing over their ideas for the airline and how he asked Celsie to excuse them…

“No, you didn’t do that!” Harry exclaimed, feeling slightly annoyed on behalf of Celsie, and Benne chuckled as he continued his narration.

By the time he was done, Harry was howling with laughter, “You mean she pulled over by the side of the road and got out of the car just so she could receive your call?” Harry asked in amusement and then shook his head, “You’re both crazy.”

“Even the most normal people do crazy things when they’re in love,” Benne pointed out.

“Yeah. Like Anita,” Harry said with a chuckle, and Benne glared at him.

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