*** Mark ***It took another fifteen minutes for Phil's SUV to drive into Lovelane's parking lot.The only sound in the office with Mark was the distant music at the bar upstairs and Phil's car honking outside.He watched as the SUV's lights went off moments after it slid into a recently-vacated spot. The door on the passenger side opened only a few inches, and Mark caught sight of Solana's leg as she made to get out from the car, her silver dress covering her thigh. She lingered a few moments before emerging, purse in her hand. Phil came out of the driver side, too. At the sight of the two, Mark headed out to ride the elevator to the bar. He was dead sure that's where they'd go first.When he entered the bar, he noticed more guests coming in and some leaving. The air was filled with a mix of tobacco and different perfums. He thought idly that the place does look and smell like an expensive bar.His uncle, the lawyer, and a few other men he'd been with earlier were not in sight. May

*** Solana ***For a moment, Solana leaned on the car behind her for support and allowed herself to stare at Phil's retreating figure. 'I can't endure this.' Mark's urgent words when he kissed her this afternoon was a persistent, lingering whisper in her mind. But the thought that came after that always renewed her irritation - the dreaded apology. She took a deep breath, inhaling the cool night air to lessen the effect of that thought. The smell of rain was everywhere. Glancing up at the sky, she concluded that there wouldn't be any rain tonight because of the stars shining brilliantly above. Vaguely, she observed Phil's car driving out of Lovelane before tearing her gaze away and returning indoors with slow, lazy steps. She sucked in air as she passed the lobby, taking in its welcoming Lavender air-freshner. When she reached the edge of the staircase, she stopped to analyze the feel of her most recent kiss. In the last 10 hours, two men had kissed her. One of them spelled tr

*** Solana ***It was a Saturday morning and dawn's light warmly embraced the bedroom, prompting Solana to open her eyes to the new day. It took only a few seconds for the events of yesterday to come rushing back, weighing her mind like a sack of bricks and making her half-glad it was the weekend. At least, she was off duty and would not have to step foot outside till noon. Within moments, that relief got sucked away by the fact that she had to check on the new bar. Not only that, laundry and grocery shopping wouldn't do themselves.Not that she still felt sleepy. But she just didn't want to deal with the world in the hopes of avoiding running into Mark and 'his woman' by accident. The last time she saw him was up here in the suite. But it was doubtful that he spent the night up here. She swallowed the bile rising in her throat at the possibility that he eventually brought the woman up here last night. It was already 7.05 when she checked the time. Sighing her frustration, she f

*** Phil ***Phil took pride in being a gentleman. The type that did not smother a woman. Everyone needed a breathing space. Therefore, calling Solana the morning after they'd spent hours together until nearly midnight was unbecoming of the type of person he aspired to be. Despite feeling like he was choking from desperation, he couldn't risk letting it show. For this reason, he kept himself preoccupied that Saturday morning.It was among the busiest days for the supermarket, anyway. The crowd and rush was expected, even though his current mood was not up for it. He was on his desk in the store and had just finished confirming inventories. It was time to scan the sales floor and ensure all was going well."Sir, Mr. Isaac replied?" Linda announced, causing him to raise his head. Today, she was particularly over-friendly. Phil did not have the time or energy for that. "I don't want to know what he has to say if they aren't supplying TODAY." He kept his voice deliberately firm. "We're

*** Mark ***It was not even 5 PM yet and Phil was here at the bar? It's obvious he wasn't here to chill out. Mark was sure that his plan was to ruin his evening with Solana.The only thought in his head when he ignored his cousin's sarcastic remarks was - 'The time for a confrontation was now.'It was not the man's fault that he read too much into that single word "partner" the other day. But Mark still blamed him. They'd been dating for barely 12 hours and not nine days like he thought. Though, at this point, it didn't matter to Mark if they'd been together for a century.As the elevator door slid open, his stomach rolled at the sight that greeted him. Phil standing mere inches from his girl, crowding her. She lifted her gaze and their eyes met while retrieving her Ipahd from Phil.'She looks at me now,' That thought comforted him immensely. She'd learned to hold his gaze and he loved what he saw in those beautiful eyes. It didn't feel like she was going to cancel their date thi