She doesn't want to be the center of attention, after all.

Hailey and Luke have waited for her patiently in the lobby and how can she abandon them at lunch and go somewhere else to eat? 

Wouldn't it be inappropriate and rude?

...

Meanwhile…..

Louis and Charlotte are sitting in the conference hall.

And, Charlotte couldn't control her laughter anymore, when she looked at her best friend's cute sulking face.

"Oh!! You look cute" she chuckled as she leaned towards him and whispered in a teasing way. 

"Shut up, Char," Louis grumbled, throwing an annoying glare at her. 

"You are worried, aren't you?" she asked, in fact escalating her teasing.

"I said, shut up." Louis hissed, narrowing his eyes and pursing his lips. 

Meanwhile, Calvin who just came into the conference room frowned as soon as he caught the glimpse of his twin sister and best friend. 

They have started their petty banter again! 

Would there be no end to it? Huh? 

"What happened to you both now?" he asked, pinching the place between his eyebrows.

"Nothing," Louis said, still grumpy. 

"Did you eat his favorite cookie?" Calvin asked his sister.

"Cookie?" Charlotte asked, confused.

"Brina" Calvin joked and Charlotte laughed.

"Stop it, you both!!" Louis hissed.

"I am angry at Charlotte" he added, glaring daggers at Charlotte.

"What did she do now?" Calvin asked.

"Haha...at first, I changed the bouquet he prepared. He found out she loves chocolates so he got her prepared a chocolate bouquet" she giggled.

"You ate it," Calvin guessed.

"I was hungry," Charlotte pouted.

"That isn't the one for which I am angry" Louis hissed.

"Then?"

"Your sister placed both Luke and Brina in the same office room." Louis told.

"Only them….all alone" Charlotte giggled.

Louis grunted his teeth.

"He said that he doesn't mind competition," Charlotte retaliated. "Then, why is he so bothered?" she grimaced. 

Louis is about to rebuke, however, someone knocked on the door, interrupting their serious banter. 

It is almost time for the meeting and others are waiting outside. So, they had to stop. 

"We will talk about this later" Louis said and cleared his throat, before giving permission to enter. 

Soon, everyone started taking their places and as soon as Louis saw Brina his eyes almost popped out in shock and awe.

How can she look so graceful and beguiling in this attire. In fact, every attire, to be more exact. 

He saw her in party attire, casual and now, in professional attire…

In each and every outfit she looked absolutely stunning and incredibly gorgeous.

However, soon his expression sank when he saw Luke walking just beside her. His eyes instantly turned gloomy as soon as he noticed Luke taking the seat beside her.

How good it would have been, if it was him? Rather than this Luke? 

Unfortunately, it is not yet possible. 

Meanwhile, Charlotte was giggling inside. She is enjoying this very much as she has never expected Louis to be a walking barrel of vinegar.

After Brina settled down, her eyes instantly searched for Louis. It was not a tough task as he was sitting right at the head of the table. 

And, soon enough their eyes met and a dazzling smile blossomed on her beautiful face. Her eyes were twinkling and she seemed so happy after their brief encounter.

Meanwhile, when Louis noticed all these shifts in emotions in her, he was indeed shocked. 

He actually never expected that she would be this happy to see him! 

That glow in the eyes….it would only occur if she felt that person is special to her.

So, is he really special to her??

He doesn't know the answer, because she never answered his question.

….

[I got your bouquet. Thank you for luck] Brina texted Louis as soon as she averted her from feasting on him.

It would be inappropriate given so many people sitting in the same room. 

[I am happy that you liked it. Have a good day ] 

Louis immediately texted back.

He is very happy that she took the initiative this time. Something has changed in her, but he couldn't put his finger on what has changed.

But, overall, that's a positive change! 

[Brina, are you fine with today's lunch. If you don't want to….then I won't pressurize you on it] he texted immediately after the previous one.

Yesterday, after he ended their call he started thinking if lunch date would be appropriate enough for Brina.

After considering some matters, he thought of asking her if she is really comfortable or not. After all, she is new to the company and has yet to make some connections. 

What could be more convenient than having lunch with colleagues in order to achieve it? He possibly can't shun her from this and make her look arrogant and proud in front of others! 

Meanwhile, as soon as Brina saw the message, her heart fluttered and it started melting like ice on fire.

He is really considerate and sweet.

Many of the people often miss these minor aspects which might really affect them on a long term basis. While, many of the others just ignore these, always prioritising their selfishness above all these. 

It is really sweet of Louis for taking all these minor aspects into consideration and asking her for her opinion. 

She couldn't help but smile. He is respecting her a lot, unlike Chris and her ex fiance. 

[No, we will be going like planned. The treat is on me *wink*] she messaged back.

This time, Louis couldn't help but smile.

This message is enough to imply that she is willing to put him above all of her other friends and colleagues. She is prioritising him over them! 

It is indeed a good change! 

Meanwhile, Charlotte and Calvin are really shocked seeing his full blown smile and twinkling eyes. 

Louis is such a serious, strict and aloof person who barely shows his emotions let alone smile.

This is rare… to be more precise, it might have not happened before...not at all. 

...

"God!! His smile is going to break my heart…..ahh. He is looking too sexy and I want to devour him" a girl from a rich family giggled as she whispered to her friend.

"Me too. But see his smile….he is glowing with happiness." Her friend commented.

The wisest girl among those three shook her head.

"Can't you both see!! He is surely in love. Till now he is emanating that bossy and unyielding aura…..his mood was surely sour. But as soon as the message popped up, his eyes softened and his chilly face morphed into joy and love. It should be his girlfriend who has texted him" she shared her perspective.

Meanwhile, aa Brina is sitting right beside that girl, she has ofcourse heard everything. 

She couldn't help but tilt her head slightly and take a peek at Louis.He is really smiling and he seems so pleased after seeing her message.

Till now he was a bit grumpy and annoyed. But as soon as she gave a green flag to their lunch date, his mood took a shift of one eighty degrees spin! 

She, of course, isn't a fool to fail to understand what is going in Louis's mind. 

The way he sees her, treats her….she of course realized that she is more than special to him.

It is just that she is too confused and is not in a position to accept this. She knew that she felt special about him but she is not yet ready to decipher her complex feelings for him.

She felt like she needed some time, especially after what she has been through. 

However, she is not someone who is scared to face the feelings looming in their hearts. 

She is not someone who dampens all those feelings in her heart for years and years and later on regret over it. 

It is just a matter of time for her to understand how special he is to her. But, that process is something it would demand a lot of effort from her and as well as him.