Love Over Everything — Chapter 9

Naomi curled up on the white sofa in the living room. She was already in her nightwear and her laptop was balanced on her lap. She was going through the pictures from the photoshoot she did earlier today.

She had to give her opinion on them and decide which one she liked best which will be considered by the Board of Zick Cosmetics.

Zick cosmetics was a popular cosmetic company in California; they recently signed a deal with Naomi to be their Brand Ambassador and Influencer. And part of Naomi’s contract was to be the face of the brands’ products.

Halfway through checking out the pictures, Naomi was distracted by her cell phone which was ringing.

She reached for her phone which was on a nearby table, She checked the caller ID and saw that it was an unknown number but she picked it anyways.

“Hello!” Naomi said unsure.

“Hi, Babe.” The husky voice said and Naomi’s heartbeat increased. She could recognize his voice anytime; the voice that had been tormenting her in her sleep for the past few days. It was him, Ryan, the person she couldn’t stop thinking about since the night she met him.

She ignored the butterflies in her stomach, swallowed painfully, before answering him. She didn’t want it to be obvious that she was happy to hear from him.

“How did you get my number?” She managed to ask.

Upon her question, a smile found its way to Christopher’s lips. He was proud of her that she could recognize his voice without him having to introduce himself.

“How I got your number shouldn’t be the issue right now Naomi. I can’t believe you left, just like that, without a goodbye, without leaving a note. You got me worried, Naomi.” He said at a go and Naomi could sense the worry in his voice. A part of her was starting to feel guilty for leaving him unannounced.

She sighed before she replied. “I’m sorry, I had a flight to catch that morning.” She replied.

“I believe you have to make it up to me,” He said.

Naomi chuckled, “You must be kidding me.”

“I’m serious, I will be coming over tomorrow evening. I should land by 7.15 pm. I’ve taken the weekend off to come to see you so you have to make it up to me.”

"You're joking, right?” Naomi asked in disbelief. She was four states away and She couldn’t believe he was going to take some time off to come to spend the weekend with her.

“I just finished packing my suitcase ma’am. So am I welcome to stay in your apartment or I should book a hotel close to your apartment?” He asked.

Chris was happy when he saw in the information Ruben gave him that she lived alone.

“Why? You know you don’t have to right? Besides you have a company to look after.” She said to him.

“I really need to see you, Naomi. You are all I could think of since that night. I might go crazy if I don’t see you this weekend, Please.” He said sincerely and Naomi heaved a sigh. She would be lying if she said she hadn’t been thinking about him too. She missed him.

Naomi was someone who always had plans for her weekend but fortunately, she was still unsure of what to do this weekend. She was used to spending most of her weekends with Linda but her elder brother, Luis managed to convince her to let Linda spend the weekend with him. She had reluctantly agreed to her brother’s plea. It was high time her best friend and her brother gave in to what they felt for each other.

“Fine. I’ll pick you up at the airport by 7:15.” She concluded.

Christopher, on the other hand, threw his fist in the air and did a celebratory dance. He was sure by this time tomorrow he would be with her. He was eager to see her again. He had never been this excited in his whole life. Even though it was just for the weekend, he wanted to go far away from Vivian and her drama and spend some time with the person whom his heart truly belonged to.

“I’ll appreciate that.” He said trying to hide the excitement in his voice but he failed woefully. “I’ll give you a call before I board my flight.”

“Okay. I’ll be expecting your call.”

“Thank you so much, Naomi, I can’t wait to see you.” She could hear the eagerness in his voice.

“Me too Ryan. Goodnight.” She replied before ending the call.

As soon as Naomi ended the call, Another call came in on Ryan’s phone. It was Vivian. Despite the fact that she was the one who put him in this mess, he promised himself to be civil with her just because she was the mother of his unborn baby.

He sighed, then answered the call.

“Hi, honey. Why haven’t you been picking up my calls?”

Christopher cringed at the sound of the endearment. Heaven knows that even if he tries, he could never feel anything for Vivian.

“I was busy,” he answered reluctantly.

“Okay, I just wanted to update you about the wedding.” She said and Christopher groaned.

“I finally saw the perfect dress today and your mom was kind enough to pay for it. We also paid a visit to the event planner to finalize the menu for the wedding and also the decorations. Have you gotten your suit already? Will you be wearing white or black? I want your outfit to match with that of the ring bearer.” She said excitedly.

“There will be no wedding, Vivian. I’ve told you this more than a hundred times. I don’t love you and there’s no way I’ll marry you because I’m in love with someone else. I keep on telling you but you refused to listen to me. Don’t be surprised if I don’t show up at the altar.”

Tears welled up in Vivian’s eyes immediately. “You can’t do this to me, Christoph, you can't do this to your child. We need you Chris; I promise I’ll be a good wife and you will fall in love with me gradually. Your parents and my parents have put so many resources in this wedding. Please, Chris, we’ve sent out all invitations, Don’t let me be the laughingstock of society.” She pleaded.

Christopher sighed. It was a pity that his parents were taking this marriage seriously. It seemed they cared more about Vivian, her parents and their future grandchild than they cared for his happiness. The last time he spoke to his mom, she said the same thing Vivian said ‘He should give Vivian a shot, marry her and he will eventually fall in love with her.’ His mother emphasized that since they have a baby on the way, they would surely get along.′

The whole situation was making Chris go crazy. But one thing was for sure, he would never get married to Vivian.

“There will be no wedding. Goodnight.” Chris didn’t give her any chance to reply as he ended the call immediately.