Sweet As You

(11) Cade

Cade had a long day. There's nothing new about that. Every single day is drafted into a structured timetable like yesterday, tomorrow and the day after that. Mark, his assistant made sure he's on his daily loop.

Coming home after spending almost an hour stuck in stagnant traffic, he could use a little sense of normalcy.

Stepping into a hallway with huge flower arrangements wasn't the normal he wasn't hoping for. He had to double-check if he has arrived at his floor.

He was, all right.

Except he keeps forgetting there's a pampered socialite across his apartment. Some nights, the halls were bland, just as he prefers it. This time, however, it looks like a scene in a flower shop on Valentine's Day. His princess of a neighbor should've kept her sunshine to herself.

The last thing he needed is sunshine that seemed to follow wherever she goes.

In shorter terms, there wasn't anything normal about that.

The lack of it made him crave for a glass of whiskey. He'd trade a soul for a sip. As he sits on the couch, checking for his emails or if there were messages from his parents (his mother, mostly) and his siblings, he has the urge to loosen his tie.

He places his phone on the coffee table, thinking better of it. He'd go for a shower after a drink. That glass of whiskey is needed and well deserved. Whiskey and some jazz music.

A frown formed on his face when he hears a knock on his door.

Who would disturb him at ten in the evening? Or any other hour for that matter? He's only has his mother on his approval list. For now. It's too early to allow one of his siblings to terrorize his living room - Christian and Vren being the daily couch surfers. Matthew is almost never home. Andrei never had to deal with women. And his youngest sister is staying at their parents.

Cade had gone from providing his brothers basic accommodation to giving his previous apartment entirely to them for a hideout. Vren from girlfriends who didn't take the breakup well. Christian from hookups who thought there was something more to it.

He padded toward his door, the sight of a bubbly face almost made him groan. Instant regret filled his gut.

"What do you need?" He asks, his voice flat.

Her hazel eyes warmed. "A lovely evening to you."

He shot her a look. "Do you see me as someone who likes small talk?"

"Nope. Do you want to have dinner with me?" Her lips stretched into a beautiful smile.

"Have what?"

She showed him a box of pizza she was holding the entire time. "Do you want to have dinner with me?"

"No."

"It's Hawaiian." She leans, nose crinkling. "Just telling you what you're about to miss. Also, I requested for the sweetest pineapple."

He clicks his tongue.

Kathie squealed, the sound girlish and endearing. "Okay. Silence means yes to me."

Cade could only narrow his eyes.

She wasn't dense. She just shoves sunshine into people's faces. "May I come in?"

"No."

"Can you come out then? We can eat at my place. Or here in the hallway with the filth of the roses which I know you're not pleased about." She wags her eyebrows, ignoring all kinds of refusal on his part.

He gritted his teeth. There's nothing he could say that will make her go away, that's for sure. His only way out of this is her missing boyfriend coming back from where he's dug a hole to bury himself in.