Chapter 4 Friendly dinner

Raven drove into the garage of her home and turned off the engine. She grabbed her purse and keys, snatched up her cell phone and iPad and got down from the car. She pushed the door close with her foot and walked towards the front door.

"Welcome home beautiful".

Wilson, her nextdoor neighbor said from the apartment beside hers. Wilson had been giving her obvious greenlights of his interest in her but she chose to ignore it. She wasn't ready for a relationship. She had goals, dreams to realize. She had plans to be at the top of the ladder of success before she decided to settle down. She was just twenty five. She still had five more years to actualize her dreams before she thought of considering any man's offer.

"Hello Wilson",she said to him.

"Got back pretty late today",Wilson said. He was in his early thirties with blonde hair and brown eyes. Raven found herself comparing him with the stranger she saw today. Wilson wasn't as tall and as muscular as he was and...

"Raven!"

Raven whipped her head up and stared at him. How long had she been spaced out?

"I'm sorry Wilson. I'm just so tired",she said. "Did you say something?".

"I was just wondering... if you could come over later for a friendly dinner". Wilson said. He averted his eyes, only to look back at her and look away again with a nervous laugh.

"Something funny?",Raven asked with a smile.

"Not at all",Wilson said quickly. He smiled shyly and touched the back of his neck. "It's just... you make me nervous".

Raven chuckled and turned towards her front door. She pondered his offer, wondering if she should go for it or not. She didn't want to encourage him into thinking something else. Maybe she could accept his invite just this once, for friendship sake.

"I would love that",she said finally to him.

Wilson was caught off guard by her unexpected consent and he stuttered as he tried to speak.

"That's...that's awesome",he said. "So I'll um...I'll prepare...what would you want...like me to get you?".

Raven laughed softly. She inserted her key into the keyhole and pushed the door open. Then she turned back to him with a killer smile.

"It's just a friendly dinner Wilson. You don't have to go extra miles for me",she said over her shoulder and walked inside her apartment.

"Okay then...I'll... I guess I'll see you by..."

The door slammed shut, cutting off Wilson's stuttered reply.

"Seven",he finished while staring at the door. A mile wide smile lit up his face and he rushed into his apartment.

Once inside the sitting room, Raven dropped her purse and cell phone on the coffee table alongside her iPad. She toed off her heels and picked them up, making her way up to her room.

The apartment was spotless. A single large bedroom with a sitting room, bathroom and kitchenette. It had a balcony overlooking the westside of the city and she loved to sit there and watch the sunset.

Right now she needed a hot bath. Stripping off her clothes, she walked to the bathroom adjoined to her room and filled the tub with warm water. Choosing her favourite bath oil, she squirted the lavender scented soap into the warm water and swirled it until bubbles flew up from the soapy water. The sweet scent of lavender filled the bathroom.

Raven scooped her hair into a messy bun and lowered herself into the warm water. She sighed contentedly and rested her head on the edge of the tub, allowing the water to soothe her aching muscles.

The work of that day had been terrific. A client had applied for a loan of a million dollars and the procedure to process the loan had been hectic. Climbing up stairs repeatedly, signing numerous documents, driving around the city to the client's place of work, coming back to the company, more stairs climbing, more paper signing.

It had been so stressful for her.

And then she had met that stranger at the parking lot. The one with the mesmerizing eyes that made her feel things she didn't understand He had been both annoying and intriguing.

She took out time to ponder about the abominable thing he did. A contracted relationship! Raven scoffed in annoyance. Eleanor Manchester had signed a contracted relationship when she could have any man she needed in the world? She was a movie star, one of the most sought after in the entertainment industry. She was an idol to many and yet it was this same woman that had been crawling on the ground, begging to be loved in return.

It irked Raven. She didn't know why women couldn't be more independent. If a man didn't love you, to hell with him. She would never stoop so low to beg a man for his love. Love wasn't a thing to be begged for;it flowed freely, just like she told that stranger.

His words played in her head over and over again.

"I don't do love.....I devour".

"Such a bastard",she muttered and relaxed more in the tub. The scene of Eleanor played back in her head like a plague. She felt disappointed at the movie star. Someone like her would never dream of begging a man to love her. Never!

Thinking of the contract, she suddenly remembered the words of the stranger when he was on the phone with someone. She was sure she heard him tell whoever was on the other end to bring in the next person. It annoyed her immensely that women were willing and foolish enough to sign a contract just to be with him for what? Six months? No matter how handsome he seemed to be, and truth be told he was sinfully handsome, that didn't mean she would be so stupid to sign a contract to date him for....

The blaring sound of her cell phone snapped her out of her train of thoughts. She groaned tiredly. Couldn't the person have waited a little more for her to soak more in the tub? She literally needed this bath.

The phone kept ringing with no sign of stopping. Raven had no choice but to drain the water in the tub and wash her body clean. She quickly toweled herself dry and wrapped another towel around her body before hurrying towards the sitting room.

A smile split her face when she saw the caller id.

"Hey grams",she said into the receiver.

"Don't you 'hey grams' me young lady",an older woman said from the other end in a shaky voice, clearly upset.

Raven laughed and sat on the couch, still wrapped in the towel. She placed a slim leg on the table and crossed the other one over it.

"What's wrong grandma?",she asked sweetly. "Still upset with me?"

"Three months already Raven",Raven's grandmother said. "And yet you haven't travelled down here to see me".

"I'm sorry grandma. I've just been so busy with work",Raven said softly.

"An old woman sure gets lonely at times",Raven's grandmother said in her shaky voice. "Daren never comes to see me. He doesn't even bring the kids over anymore".

Raven sighed at the mention of her elder brother's name. She and Daren weren't in speaking terms, ever since the last fight they had over their late parents house. Raven wanted to keep the house as a fond reminder of their loving parents but Daren had gone ahead and sold it. She had been enraged and hadn't spoken to him ever since. This was the third year now.

"Please grandma, don't cry",she tried to pacify the woman. "I promise, I'll take a month leave and travel down to spend time with you. It will just be the two of us".

"You better",the woman said and then switched over to a different topic. "Still angry at your brother? It's been three years Raven honey. It's time to let it go".

"Please grandma, let's not speak about this",Raven pleaded. The memory left a bitter taste in her mouth and she didn't want to think of how heartless her brother had been.

"Okay then. How's work? Is that Wilson boy still pestering you?".

Raven laughed genuinely. Ever since she told her grandmother about Wilson, she never failed to ask that question whenever they talked.

"Not really grams",she said. "But he did invite me for dinner tonight".

"And you're gonna go?".

"It's just a friendly dinner grandma. Nothing more".

"Better. Now you tell me how it all went tomorrow. I'll be expecting your arrival soonest. And be careful with that Wilson boy".

"I will grandma. Love you in tons".

"Love you honey".

The call disconnected.

Raven looked over to the wall clock. Almost seven. She had a friendly dinner to prepare for.