TWENTY-TWO: SURPRISE TEXT

KIMBERLY


I texted Iris to wait at Pat's coffee shop and I told her that I was going to tell her something. I got to Pat's coffee shop when I knew customers would be there. When I got there, Pat was seated at a table with Iris and he stood up and left when I came closer. Iris looked from him to me.

"What's going on with you two?" she asked once I was seated.

I sighed and set my purse on the table and rubbed my temple. Iris peered at me and her brows drew together in a frow, she looked back at Pat who had gotten busy behind his counter.

"Did...Pat say something to you?" Iris asked tentatively.

I looked up at her and glanced over at Pat. "What? No, he didn't say anything to me. He is just mad at me. But he won't understand."

"What won't he understand? How is your billionaire boyfriend?" I huffed and rolled my eyes. Iris stared curiously at me. "What's wrong? Did you see him with another woman?"

I clicked my teeth. "Then, that would be none of my business."

"You won't mind if you catch him with someone else?"

"Iris, I have something to tell you," I blurted and shifted uncomfortably on my seat. "That's the reason why Pat is angry with me."

Iris leaned closer. "Is it something I should be scared of? What did you do this time?"

I glared at her. "Iris."

"I'm sorry, I'm just curious."

"I think I am in trouble. I got myself in big trouble."

"What?" Iris' eyes widened and she sipped the coffee in front of her.

"It was all a lie." Iris stared blankly at me. "Iris, look I'm really sorry for lying to you." I reached out and grabbed her hand and stared into her eyes. "It was all a lie. I am not dating the CEO of your company."

Iris' gaze on me was still blank. "You are kidding right?" she said after a while.

I shook my head before I spoke. "Listen, Iris, I had to lie just to be accepted."

Iris snatched her hands away from mine. "You are not saying the truth right now, are you? How did you two come to the canteen together?"

"That's the trouble I am talking about. He asked me to date him as my punishment."

Iris jerked her head back. "You call dating him a punishment? That's every girl's dream."

"Well, it's not mine...or at least I'm not every girl. He is everything I hate. He is so insensitive and ruthless and..."

"Kim! Are you kidding me right now? How did this happen? You are one lucky girl you know. You got Liam McGillivary to look your way."

I stared at Iris in bewilderment. She thought I was lucky when I felt like the most unlucky girl on earth. I wind up on a fake date with the most frustrating man on earth and all my life and all the troubles I have been through, this is the most frustrating situation. "Iris, stop acting like this is good news. You are supposed to be mad at me, I lied about it."

Iris looked dreamy. "If a man like McGillivary looks my way..." She looked sharply at me. "Why can't you be happy? I have worked in that company for close to three years now, but Liam McGillivary can't even remember my face if I appear in his face right now."

My brows knitted together in a scowl. I didn't think Iris was serious until now. "Are you being serious right now?"

"Of course! Anyway, how did it really start?"

"Well, after that article at the coffee shop came out, I had to lie to Khloe to feel better about myself. I had to just do it, but she just made it escalate..."

"Wait, you wanted to feel better? Kim, I have told you, you are good the way you are. You are unique."

I nodded, looking away from her. I am unique that's what everyone says, except it is different kinds of unique. To people like Iris, Pat, and my dad, I am unique in a good way, but to people like Khloe, mum, and every other person, I was just a failure.

"I'm sorry you felt that way," Iris said taking my hands in hers now. She was the kindest human I know. "So he forced you to date him, why?"

"I don't know. I couldn't say no because he would sue me for defaming his name and I will have to pay him twenty thousand..."

"That heartless jerk," Iris cussed.

I smiled despite myself and shook my head at how she switched from fawning about him a few seconds ago to cursing him. "You were crazy about him just now."

"That was before I found out what he was doing to you. So what are you going to do? Who else knows about this?"

I looked over at Pat who quickly removed his eyes from me as I looked his way. He went over to the coffee machine. Iris followed my gaze and sighed.

"Oh, poor Pat..." she stopped.

I turned to look at her. "What do you mean poor Pat?"

"Huh? Nothing. He must have felt bad that you think you are not good enough."

I hiked my shoulder. "I mean I understand the situation but, he is very furious at me, it's not like he is my father."

Iris sipped her coffee. "Maybe you should talk to him, remember, he is also your best friend in the world."

Iris was right. I wronged Pat, I screened his calls and never called him back or texted him back. I nodded and Iris motioned me to go. I went over to Pat, but he didn't let me come closer before he said he was busy and would only talk after business hours. I just sat on the stool in front of the counter waiting for him. An hour passed, but Pat was not giving me any attention.

"Come on, Pat, don't be like that. I just want to talk," I pleaded.

He stopped and looked at me. then came and leaned on the counter. "What do you want to talk about, Kim?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't listen to you alright. My hands were tied and I had no other option..."

"Really, Kim? You didn't have an option?"

"Pat, believe me, I didn't. He was going to sue me and I was going to pay damages!" Pat looked blankly at me and I continue. "You know it's easy for you to stay right there and get mad at me for not speaking up, but I have been through enough humiliation in my life and I know how it feels. You have never felt looked down on before, even by your younger ones. You work and you pay Jennifer's bills but I have never done anything like that. I know what it feels like to be seen as a failure by your younger ones. Don't you think I will do anything to change that narrative? Do you think I enjoy feeling that way?"

A remorseful expression spread across Pat's face. "Kim, I am sorry for that... I never thought about that."

"Not that I am going to blame you for that..." My phone chimed interrupting me. I looked at the screen and froze at the message staring back at me from my screen.

* 'I miss you.' *

The message was from Liam McGillivary. I felt something I didn't understand, a weird kind of feeling, it just washed over me and I felt something settle in my abdomen. Pat must have been looking at me and wondering what I saw on my phone that give me that expression.

"It's everything alright?" he asked, concerned.

I looked sharply at him. My cheeks must have gone red. "Yes, sure. I need to go home."

"Alright," he said and removed his apron. "You suddenly look sick. Should I drop you home?"

"No, no, " I blurted. My heart was hammering against my ribcage.

"Alright, I will just get things arranged here and walk you to the bus stop. I will have Iris help me with the shop while I walk you."

I nodded, hearing Pat talk to me but not really understanding him. He went over to Iris to talk to her and he attended to a few customers, while I sat there my legs shaking and my face burning. A few minutes later, Pat walked me to the bus stop.

"Are you sure you will be okay here? I can still drive you home."

I nodded before I replied. "I promise, I will be alright, this is not my first time taking the bus."

"Are you sure you would be okay?"

"Of course, she would be okay," a deep male voice said from behind Pat.

I looked behind Pat and there stood Liam smiling and waving at me. Oh, my God. My heart did a high jump. He started towards us. When he got to us, he stroked my hair, smiling down at me without even sparing Pat a glance. Pat glared at him.

"We are truly connected baby. I just missed you all of a sudden and decided to come to pick you up and here you are on your way coming home," Liam said still stroking my hair, making my heart race even faster.

Pat snorted. Liam turned and looked at him like a piece of trash, the look he had given me on the first day I went to his house. "What are you?"

Pat glared at him. "You should stop. You are being petulantly obnoxious right now," Pat said.

My eyes widened. I knew what was going to happen next. Pat knows about Liam and me and he was going to say it to his face and that was going to attract a penalty for me. I had to find a way to make Pat stop talking and a way to get Liam away from him, but how?




The Billionaire and the Unlikely Girlfriend
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