Date The CEO.com

Chapter 208: The Same Person? Find Out with a Kiss

Eve slowly closed the door, careful not to make an audible sound. 

The voices outside continued to converse. She pressed her back against the door and went through her memories. She had read about the university and secondary education Ambryan had in the past. They were both educational establishments in Maize City.

As for primary…, nothing came to her mind. Should she check his Wikki page?

Taking out her phone, she typed his name on the search engine. Results from recent news flooded the screen. A small profile of his wikkipeddia popped on the top right corner. She clicked on it and scrolled down to his educational background.

"It's not there…," she muttered, noticing the lack of primary school. 

Her blood went cold. 

Eve went on her speed dial and pressed the phone against her ear. She began to pace in circles inside the small space. Her heart pounded in her chest. Why was this bothering her? It wasn't like she had photographic memory to remember everyone she interacted with as a child.

''We grew up in the same hometown' wasn't the same as 'We grew up together in the same hometown',' she justified to herself. He must be someone she briefly knew. Maybe in a social event?"

"Eve?" Andie said as soon as she picked up. Kitchen noise sounded in the background. It gradually faded away as she moved to a quieter location. "What happened? Is it an emergency?"

"No. No, no, no." Eve cleared her throat. It had gone dry with how much air she breathed from anxiety. She tucked the wig behind her ear. "I just wanted to ask something."

"What is it?"

Her lips pressed together as her thoughts gathered together. She tucked her right hand under her left armpit. Tension trembled in her muscles, including her jaw. "Wa-Was there a boy with violet eyes and black hair when we were kids?"

At Shie Bakes Shop, Andie scowled. She wrapped her arm around herself and tried to stay warm in the storage room. Her head shook at such a question. "... you have to be kidding with me, right?"josei

She could count the number of people with that description in one hand. 

"I'm not." Eve admitted. Her voice reduced to a small one. That reaction backed up the ominous feeling that clouded around her. She felt like she needed to justify herself. "I was just wondering how common those features are."

She heard Andie click her tongue. Then, the call went silent for a number of seconds.

"Well…," her best friend began to say, "There was one."

"Really?" Eve blinked. Her steps skipped to a halt.

"Yeah! Noah!" Andie yelled with a groan. She smacked the wall beside her. This was ridiculous. They just talked about him weeks ago. "Don't you remember? He's your first kiss and all. How could you forget?" 

She suddenly felt bad for the guy—though the feeling only lasted half a second. It was more than enough time he deserved from her. Just the thought of his name infuriated her insides. "Although, I never had a good impression of that boy. No wonder I also didn't like Ambryan when I first saw him. Noah must have ruined all violet-eyed and black-haired guys for me."

Eve broke out of her reverie. The drumming in her chest had reached the back of her ears. Her sternum started to hurt. The ominous feeling now came like rain. Little by little, the vague image in her head became clearer. It was nearly face.

But, still...,

… there still could be someone else, right?

"No, I mean someone besides him," she tried again.

"That we knew? Like someone we actually talked to?" Andie snorted. "There's no one else. Or I would have teased him that at least said person was nice. I'd remember anyone who looked like him if they weren't annoying."

"That's true…" Eve bowed her head, trying to wrap her mind around the situation. There was Ambryan. And then, there was Noah. Two people she never associated with one another. Although she did remember Noah, it was hard to recall his face since she was 4 at the time. 

She did know he had black hair.

But the eyes… maybe she thought they were more blue? Like indigo? Or did she just make that up to fill in the gaps of her memory retention? This was starting to give her a headache.

Then again, Andie was around the same age. Was she just that had at recall?

"You think Rose knows something?" Eve blurted out. That was another person she could ask. 

"You can try but I highly doubt it." Andie sighed. What was the big deal anyway? Avery and Ambryan Hathaway were partly famous because of their physical features. But their direct bloodline couldn't be the only one that possessed them. 

Eve closed her eyes. Was Ambryan really Noah? 

They seemed to have opposite personalities. 

It was hard to digest.

"Is there anything else you need?" Her best friend asked, breaking through her thoughts. "I have to go but if you still need me, I can stay on the line. I'll tell them that it's an emergency."

"No, it's okay. I'm good." 

"You sure?"

"Yeah." Eve nodded. She only needed to wear leotards. Her absence was taking too long. "I also have to go. Ambryan seems to be more on the edge than usual. He might think I got kidnapped."

"I know that's a bad thing to happen," Andie defended before sharing her real thoughts. "But! I do want to see what he'd do if that was the case. If he dropped his extended working hours because of Elias, I think he'd stop everything just to find you."

"You're exaggerating."

"I am… a hopeless romantic. Get it straight."

Eve managed a chuckle. "See you later."

"Take care! And do keep me posted whenever possible."

Andie stared at her phone as the call ended. Was it coincidence that her best friend asked about Noah who had the same features as Ambryan? Or was she reading into it too much? It seemed sort of random that this question came up with Ambryan present for the shoot.

It had to be connected to him.

"Oh, whatever." She blew her bangs in frustration. "I'll find out eventually."

Opening the door, Eve hastily walked out in a beige trench coat. The piece of clothing had enough structure that it didn't seem like she only wore leotards underneath it. Her bare feet touched the floor.

The conversation ceased as soon as she walked out.

"Ah, you're finally done," Cale noted. "If you had taken a second longer, I think Ambryan would have broken the door. But I assured him that it's like a closet that has no windows or other exits. So if something happened to you, the culprit would have to use the same door."

Eve glanced at the person in question. The pair of violet eyes looked more piercing than usual. They rooted her on the spot. She compared his face to the half-completed image in her head—searching for more similarities that could complete the picture.

Ambryan scowled at her dazed look. "Are you alright?"

He bolted off his seat to check on her. Her gaze never left him. Her head also tilted up the closer he reached her. The previous panic had left her. In its place was a mesh of pure curiosity. If Ambryan and Noah did end up as the same person, would that actually be something bad?

Because what should matter the most was the man before her now. 

"Evan?" Ambryan attempted again, snapping his fingers in front of her hazel eyes. "Is there something wrong? You're awfully distracted."

"Did I—ever tell you how handsome you are?" 

Eve flinched at her own words. It was the first excuse that she could think of. Now that she heard it out loud, they sounded lame and unattractive. That was definitely not a way to look cool. 

A smirk blossomed on Ambryan's lips.

It made her want to take her compliment back even more.

"I should go check how it's going outside," Cale cut in, making sure his voice was loud and clear. "The staff haven't dropped by. There could be a problem."

The door clicked when he left the room.

Ambryan understood the excuse immediately. He circled his arm around Eve's waist and hoisted her up for his lips to meet hers. His free hand held her chin, keeping her close. 

Eve stayed still and relished in the moment. But her consciousness had other ideas. A faint recollection of a sloppy kiss from two decades ago tingled in her senses. The level of skill alone was too far from one another. They shouldn't be comparable at all.

Yet, they both managed to warm her up.

Ambryan eventually broke the kiss. His face lingered close, their noses touching. The feeling of wanting to have her touch surround him was getting harder to bear. The hunger was akin to a predator's instinct to devour their meals. It was a foreign concept up to now.

But it felt so natural. 

"Maybe I should compliment you more," Eve joked. 

Ambryan pecked her cheek. Then, brushed his lips against her skin. "Maybe you should. I want to hear how I compare to other men in your eyes."

"Well, joke's on you." She scoffed, smacking his torso with the back of her hand. She bit her bottom lip and grinned as she leaned in for another kiss. "There's no other man in my eyes."