Susan

It had been two weeks since my ex broke up with me and I'd been too mortified to reply. I knew something was up the moment he asked me out on a date, he seldom did that, and I can't say I was particularly regretful when he finally spilled the beans and broke up with me. Heck, I wasn't even sure I was sad when he used the words 'big' and 'dominating' to describe how unfit I was to be with him, and how nonsynchronous we'd been for months now. I knew he hated that I was a big girl and coupled with his low self-esteem which wasn't my job to fix if I'm being honest, it was only a matter of time before this happened. My only regret was that I had to sit down in crème de la crème where the breathtakingly romantic ambiance was used as the soft pillow to reduce the brutal blow from another one of my exes. I'd been broken up too many times with men who claimed they wanted financially independent and emotionally stable women, but the moment they realize that I'm more financially stable than they are, they start acting out and looking for excuses to leave, meanwhile deprecating me in the process before finally breaking up with me.

So when Tony had asked me out to the number one restaurant in town which was one of my many restaurants; he didn't know though, I knew from experience something was wrong, but I went nonetheless. What can I say? I'm a stickler for giving people numerous chances. But after that night I gave up on that attitude. Every time I trusted someone more than I should, something bad happens, and September fifteenth; my breakup anniversary with Tony, wasn't any different.

Tony had just finished listing my flaws and why we were so incompatible; they always had to let me go gently because they knew the business world was too small to make or keep enemies especially me, and I was eager to return the favor when I looked over Tonys' shoulder and saw a man smirking. At first, I didn't think too much of it, but then he acknowledged me with a nod, and our eyes locked, and in that instant, I understood that he was a partaker of our conversation and had been the very attentive audience that was invisible to our eyes. At once shame and languid washed over me. It was one thing to have been insulted by a man you couldn't care less about and another for a stranger to see you so washed up by the man you've been sleeping with, who just kept on insulting you without consideration for your feelings as if you were apathetic.

At this point, I tried to speak, to defend myself, at least to look less pathetic than I already did but I couldn't get anything out, hence my mortification that evening. I screamed and yelled inside my head, hoping it would come out, at least I'd save a little face, but nothing. I sat there, head bowed as more insults and words of deprecation clothed me. It hadn't been up to a minute of sitting there with my head bowed when I heard a voice coming to my defense.

I raised my head at once and blue eyes met my brown again, but this time there was no judgment, no amusement at my current predicament, what I saw was kindness and somewhat hidden anger. He smiled at me, his perfect dentition relieving half the shame I was feeling at that moment.

''I'm... you... i... " I stammered, still unable to form words.

''I think the words your looking for is ‘thank you’."

I cleared my throat, regaining my composure. "I was going to say that."

"And yet you didn't."

Okay, that was kind of rude. I understand that pretty boy here had just defended my ass and sent Tony running for his money, but he had no right to be rude towards someone he knows nothing about.

"Look, I'm grateful for your intrusion, no matter how ungentlemanly it is for you to eavesdrop and butt in on a conversation that is none of your absolute business, but it doesn't give you any right to be rude to me."

"I'm sorry," he said sarcastically, "I thought that was your spec."

Wow. In all my years I'd never had such an awful streak of bad luck. Two assholes in one day, that's too much even for me.

I squeezed and frowned forcing down all the harsh words I so desperately wanted to say to my savior. "Thank you. But honestly, I had it covered," I said calmly, gathering all of my belongings ready to leave the table for him to enjoy since he had already helped himself to Tonys' sit.

"Sooner or later right?" an all too familiar smirk appeared on his face and I almost lost it.

the audacity...

But before I could give a comeback, he beat me to it.

"A small piece of advice, stop following assholes like that. They are bad for your self-esteem."

"Excuse you! who the hell do you think you are to make a comment like that?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm the guy who just saved you from your usual dosage of assholes."

‘Yet here you are, the king of all assholes.’

He raised a brow, a sly smile playing on his lips, his blue eyes staring intently, deeply into mine.

“Nothing.” I said faking a smile.

"Why do you think I've dated a lot of men like him?"

"Because from the moment you walked in, I noticed you and studied you...” I wasn't surprised. Five times out of ten I was the biggest girl in the room, it was easy to notice me. Daughters of business moguls are always the definition of the perfect sculpture sculpted by the sculptor. Thin and flawless, minds as sharp as any man in the room but never allowed to say anything why? Because a ladies place in the business world was to just look beautiful like a porcelain bowl. I always stood out because one; I wasn’t as skinny and shiny, and two; because I don’t agree I can’t be good at business because I don’t have a dick dangling in-between my legs. So I stopped giving one damn about their prejudices and started doing me, standing out every single time. It had never bothered me when people talked about me behind my back or in my face, at least that's what I tell myself, but something about the way he said it, was different from how I remember people always saying it. There was a hint of ambiguity in his voice.

"...and my eyes refused to stop watching... you.” He smiled.

I eyed him cautiously, all of a sudden he wasn't giving me a menacing vibe anymore.

"Why?" I said before I could stop myself from asking.

"If I have to tell you why then those assholes must have done a number on you." There it was, that smirk had replaced the beautiful smile that was slowly pulling me in and I was almost warmed up to.

I glared at him. "Stop..."

"You're too beautiful for assholes like them." And with that, he stood up and gallantly strode out of the restaurant. I gawked at his fine frame, only allowing myself the briefest of seconds to admire him before finally deciding to hate him for being no different from the assholes I always meet.

I hadn't been able to decide if meeting him was serendipity or sheer bad luck, but staring at the video that had gone viral with the face of the man I was seventy percent sure was the guy from two weeks ago, I had an epiphany. It may have just been serendipity after all. Now all I had to do was to test that luck further. I mean, who could be more perfect for the next chapter of my life.