"I WON'T TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER"

Andrew and Lana's Wedding...

"Let's go, sweetie. Let's leave Mommy for now and go to the church to wait for her there," I said affectionately to my niece, Andrea, who stubbornly refused to leave her mother, Lana, who was still getting ready with the stylist her brother, Andrew, had hired.

"But Aunt Sam, I want to accompany Mommy," Andrea insisted, yet she still managed to reach out her little hand to me.

I chuckled softly and glanced at Lana, who was quietly listening to our conversation.

"Your Daddy will accompany you for now, and Mommy will be accompanied by Grandma," I referred to Lana's aunt, Mama Cecille.

I noticed how my beautiful niece hesitated for a moment. Even though it wasn't explicitly mentioned, it was obvious that she was a spitting image of me. When I looked at her, it felt like I was looking at a younger version of myself.

"We'll go ahead," I bid Lana farewell, accompanied by a simple gesture that she responded to with a smile.

"Bye, Mommy!" Andrea waved at her mother before finally joining me as we left the room.

*****

"NINONG MARIUS!"

The small yet clear voice made Marius turn around. It was Andrea, looking stunning in her flower girl dress. He saw her about to run towards him, but she was quickly stopped by a familiar face. It was only the second time he had come face to face with Sam, Andrew's younger sister, and Lana's sister-in-law, but he never forgot her beautiful face.

"Aunt Sam, I'll just go to Ninong Marius.”

He heard Andrea insist, pointing in his direction. Because of Andrea's request, Sam looked in his direction. Perhaps, it was the moment she recognized him that she finally had a reason to let go of Andrea's hand.

Marius couldn't help but smile at that thought. There was no doubt that Sam was protective of Andrea, her niece. What more if it were her own child? For sure, she would be a good and nurturing mother someday.

But then, Marius suddenly paused. What was he thinking, and why did his mind go there?

To divert his thoughts, he took long strides and eagerly scooped Andrea into his arms. He knew Sam was watching them, but she didn't come closer or intervene, so as a man, he took the initiative.

As he approached them, he couldn't help but admire the kind of beauty he saw before him. He couldn't deny the attraction he felt towards her.

"Now I can attest that the combination of pure British and pure Filipino is indeed incredibly beautiful," were the words that, in truth, resided only in his mind, but unexpectedly slipped past his lips.

He didn't regret saying those words because he saw the effect it had on the young woman. Just like the first time he laid eyes on her, her beautiful face flushed with a deep blush.

*****

"M-MARIUS, right?" I couldn't admit it, but I felt a slight annoyance at myself for the effect those words had on me, coming from a man who, in essence, was a stranger to me.

A stranger, considering it was only the second time we had met. It had been a while since the first encounter, yet the way he looked at me, the shivers caused by the tone of his speech and his voice, I couldn't explain what it was.

"It's good to know you remember," he said, extending his hand toward me.

As funny as it seemed, I hesitated to accept his handshake. However, with Andrea present, watching the two of us, I decided to do the right thing.

I didn't want to come across as impolite, and I certainly didn't want my niece to witness that. Despite the nervousness I felt, it was the only reason why I reluctantly accepted Marius' handshake.

"Of course, Lana is my sister now, and all of her friends are my friends too," I replied with the most composed sentence that came to my mind.

I was anxious, and I couldn't understand why. However, I didn't want to show it. I didn't want Marius to see how affected I was by him, so I tried my best to appear normal in my actions.

*****

"I hope this won't be the last time we see each other," Marius said as we were leaving the venue where the reception was held.

I simply smiled and looked for my niece, who had been running around with her nanny chasing after her.

"Surely not, you're my sister-in-law's best friend, and you're also the godfather of my niece, so it's not impossible for what you want to happen," I replied and waved at the driver of the car that would take us back to the mansion.

"Andrea, Grandma is tired, stop running around," I scolded my niece when she finally seemed to tire out and let herself be carried by her nanny, Joan, along with Grandma Cecille, who allowed me to address her that way.

"As much as I want to, I do not have enough time to entertain you," that was the truth, so I chose to say just that to Marius, avoiding eye contact as I didn't want to get caught in the allure of his gaze again.

"It's okay, there will be many more opportunities," Marius said meaningfully, causing me to look up at him.

"What?"

"I need to go ahead now, take care," Marius replied instead, leaving me wondering what he truly meant by his last words.

"Sam, come on, my dear," I heard Mama Cecille's voice calling me.

The newlyweds had gone on their honeymoon, and Mama and Papa had also decided to return to the UK after Andrew and Lana left.

"Oh, okay," was all I could manage to say, feeling like I had just awakened.

*****

The next day, Monday, my life returned to normal. Since my brother was not around, I had to run our coffee shop all by myself.

In the afternoon, just as I finished work, my cell phone rang. I raised an eyebrow when I saw that it was an unregistered number. I had no intention of answering it, as I didn't like talking to people I didn't know. Based on my beliefs and past experiences, if it was business-related, they would text first before calling.

The call ended without me picking up. I thought it would stop there, but I was mistaken. My phone rang again, and it was the same number calling. This time, I decided to break my usual habit and answered, thinking it might be an emergency.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hello, Sam? This is Marius. I got your number from Lana, I hope you don't mind," the voice on the other line replied.

My heart raced as I suddenly stood up from my chair. "M-Marius!"

"Yes, I wanted to invite you to dinner, if it's okay with you?" he asked directly.

"D-Dinner?" I couldn't believe my question.

Marius seemed to be the fastest decision-maker I’d met, yet despite it all, I couldn't find any resentment in my heart towards him.

"I won't take no for an answer. I'm in the parking space of your building, waiting for you, okay?"

"Parking? W-Wait!"

The line was cut off.

I pondered for a moment, placing my phone on the table. I could still hear Marius saying the words, "I won't take no for an answer!"

Is he going crazy? Inviting me to dinner, asking me if it's okay, and already waiting at the building's premises for me to come out?

Well, technically, I could reject him. But why do I feel like I can't do that?