Chapter 56: Chapter 56

Isabella's pov;

On Christmas Day,

"Isabella…"

Who is calling my name so delicately?

"Huhhh…"

"Wake up, Isabella," they said, their palm touching my cheek.

"Whyyy…"

When I opened my eyes, Mr Martinez kissed me on the cheek and whispered, "Wake up. It's time to open the diner."

"What time is it?" I massaged my eyes.

"10."

"What!? Did I sleep in? What day is it?"

"It's Christmas. Did you forget about it? You were decorating the restaurant the day before."

"Did you just f*ck me on the day before Christmas?"

"It's called making love," he replied, flicking my brow.

"Whatever." "Arghhh!" I exclaimed when I attempted to sit. I felt a sharp pain in my back.

Mr Martinez raced up to me and grabbed my hands, asking, "What happened?"

I tapped him on the shoulder and said, "It's all thanks to you. Why did you do it after I told you it was enough? Are you a moron? Did you not hear me? Argh…"

"Shall I call a doctor if it's too painful?" he inquired as he helped me sit.

"Take me to the restroom. In this state, I don't think I can walk to the bathroom."

He took me into the bathroom and dumped me inside, where I closed the door and showered. He was too aggressive last night, causing my legs to shake in the shower. I still can't believe we went through so many rounds last night. I'm curious why it was hard even after we've done it so many times.

I stepped out of the bathroom after showering to see Mr Martinez seated on the bed, as if waiting for someone.

"I thought you were gone, Mr Martinez." I said while drying my hair with a towel.

"Why are you approaching me in this manner? What happened to addressing me as 'Alex'?"

"Because I'm not used to it."

"But you did it last night while we're doing..."

Before he finished, I said, "It sprung out of my mouth out of nowhere. And aren't you on your way to work? What exactly are you waiting for?"

He took the towel from me and used the hairdryer to dry my hair while stating, "I was waiting for you."

I took the hairdryer from him and dried my own hair, wondering, "And why is that?"

He snatched the hairdryer from me again and asked, "Don't you know how to properly dry your hair? You're leaving the wet part out."

While he was blow drying, I said, "My mum used to blow dry my hair like this when I was a kid, saying I wasn't doing it properly..."

"Then I'll do it for you in the future," he said, lifting my chin. And kissed me on the cheek before continuing to blow dry my hair. "What time should I be there for the Christmas party?" he continued.

"Why are you asking me? You are welcome to come at any moment… But don't be late," I said when he tried to depart after finishing blow drying my hair.

"Okay," he murmured as he stepped up to me and kissed my forehead.

What's the deal with his new habit? Before going to the office, kissing me on my forehead. It's strange.

At 6,

In my restaurant, I launched the Christmas party. It's not grand like any other restaurant, we simply offer food and drinks to customers while I perform music. It was not a spectacular affair. I kept things as simple as possible.

I noticed Isaac walking into the restaurant with his mother, father, and brother, Steve. Issac called my name when I tried to move away. There's no point in trying to flee now. I turned and invited them to the restaurant, showing them the table for four.

Isaac's mother inquired as I was waiting to take orders from them, "Issac informed me that you own a restaurant, and my little son enjoyed it as well. I asked my friends about this restaurant, they gave me good reviews and asked me to try it too. Looking at your restaurant, I know why, your restaurant exudes a relaxing and cosy atmosphere."

"Thank you very much, ma'am."

I served them the cuisine they ordered after 5 minutes of receiving the menu from them. I can tell by their expressions that they all enjoy my food, which makes me grin.

"At this young age, you appear to be quite mature and responsible," Isaac's father said.

I nodded to him without looking at him and walked away from the table.

I noticed a man sitting alone at table number five while I was singing. Was he expecting someone? No, since he was busy eating. I went to that table and sat in front of him once I concluded my performance. He gave me a look before continuing to devour his dinner.

"Did you come by yourself?" I inquired.

While eating, he nodded.

"Can I keep you company?"

He put down his fork and remarked, "It's alright. This is nothing new to me."

"Okay."

I yelled to everyone, "Whoever came by yourself, you are welcome to join us at this table. Let the lonely people spend Christmas together!"

Everyone laughed when I made the announcement.

Our table was joined by two girls and three guys. I got up and cleared the way for them, saying, "It is not a must that we spend our Christmas with family, friends, and relatives, expressing thanks and love. Christmas simply means to rejoice, and you may rejoice with us tonight. I know everyone has a distinct story. Some have parted from their parents, some have migrated here, some have been in unexpected situations, some have experienced heartache, and so on. Christmas is a time of renewal and healing for you. You can begin a new life now by taking the first step. I hope you can overcome them and find happiness in your journey. Christmas greetings."

Everyone clapped their hands for me as I walked to the kitchen, which made me feel awkward. Mr Martinez was among them, clapping his hands for me. Did he hear what I was saying?

"You came early," I said as I greeted everyone and moved over to Mr Martinez.

"Someone requested that I not be late. And what was that speech for?"

"A guy was sitting alone eating his dinner as everyone else arrived with someone, so I said hello to him."

He gave a nod with a slight smile.

I showed him the table where he could eat dinner, but he refused and stated he wanted to perform for the customers, so I continued collecting orders from others.

Isaac and others approached me, and Steve hugged me and said, "I want to be a chef like you."

"I'm not a chef because I can't cook," I squatted down, laughing.

"So, what exactly are you doing in this restaurant?"

"I'm the general manager who gets tired hanging around the office and decides to wait tables. And, the resin is, This allows me to speak directly to the consumers and see their smiles when they enjoy my food."

"Merry Christmas, general manager who waits tables," Steve said as he approached me. Which caused him to burst out laughing.

After they went, I resumed accepting orders.

The clock strikes ten o'clock. Customers had left.

Mr Martinez stated to me as I was clearing the tables, "I assumed this restaurant would be packed with your friends and you'd disregard me for the entire night."

"It's not like them to spend Christmas alone like us."

I heard a tap on the front door, and when I opened it, it was Noah, who asked, "Are you talking about us??"

Sophia, Evelyn, Carey, Julian, Jack, Leah, and Carlos stood behind him.

"Guys??"

"Merry Christmas, Bella!" they exclaimed as they came into the restaurant.

"I appreciate everyone's attendance tonight."

Evelyn stated, "Not everyone succeeded. Some returned to their hometowns."

"Okay. But... shouldn't you be with your parents right now?"

Carlos, "I arrived here after attending their dinner party. As a result, I'm unable to consume anything except wine."

"Take a look around you. Even if you're starving, I'm the only one here to serve you."

"Hey, we came here to enjoy Christmas with you, so please be nice to us at least tonight."

I approached Carlos and said, "The bar is still open, sir. Do you want to have a glass of wine?"

Carlos looked at me and said, "I don't mind."

Jack, "And, I don't want to be your laboratory rat."

I turned to Jack and said, "You! When will you stop teasing me?"

"Never."

I turned to Mr Martinez for help, "Help me out here. Why are you standing still?"

He shrugged his shoulders and said, "They're your friends."

Everyone in the room chuckled when they saw us.

"You never changed, Sophia." And then she laughed at me.

I asked everyone to gather in front of the bar stand, then made and served their drinks.

I took a glass to pour wine for myself while everyone else was having fun, but Mr Martinez stopped me.

"What!?"

"No drinking tonight."

"Dude, it's Christmas."

"I have a gift for you."

"For me?"

He nodded and handed me a package that appeared to be quite large and hefty.

"What is contained within this? Did you pack anything valuable?" While opening the gift, I inquired.

"A basketball?"

"I know you started playing basketball to gain a scholarship to help your mother out, but you grew to enjoy it. You enjoyed two things in your life, your guitar and basketball. You're still singing in front of everyone So I decided to give you another thing you liked."

"What exactly do you mean, my basketball?" When I flipped the basketball over, I noticed my name scrawled on it. It's truly my basketball. I lost it when I moved to North Carolina with my mum during that affair. "How did you.."

"I went to your house to find you. Because you weren't there, I brought the basketball back with me to remind you. I'd been meaning to give you this basketball for a long time but couldn't find the appropriate time. This basketball stores all of your memories, memories of your mother, memories of your friends, and memories of the matches you play…"

"Thank you," I whispered as I kissed him on the lips and wrapped my hands around him, laying my head on his chest.

"I'm delighted you liked it," he remarked as he returned my hug.

"Where is my present?"

I wore the ribbon around my neck and introduced myself to him.

"All right, I'll unwrap to see how it is." And brushed up against my shirt.

I pushed him away and told him, "Is it your intention to strip me naked in front of everyone? I was only joking. Wait."

I removed the ribbon and took the present from my pocket and handed it to him, saying, "It isn't as large as your present. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do."

He inquired as he opened the package, "What brings your ring here? Why are you handing it over to me?"

"In order to receive your ring, my ring finger should be free, right?" I raised my hand and waved it while smiling at him.

Mr Martinez suddenly said, "Come with me." I was pulled upstairs.

He entered the room, took a box, opened it, and there was the wedding ring. He removed it from the package and kneeled on the floor, asking, "Marr…"

"Sorry for making you wait, put the ring on immediately," I added before he finished.

He kissed my lips after putting the ring on my finger. It quickly became intense... "There are people down there," I told him.

"Wasn't it thrilling?" He inquired, mischievously.

He jumped on top of me and...

I returned downstairs after a time, having corrected my clothes and hair.

"Where did you disappear?" Carey asked.

"Went to the restroom.

She gave a nod with doubtful expression.

I fixed my gaze on Mr Martinez, who was conversing with Julian and others.

My pals eventually left.

After they went, I closed the eatery. Mr Martinez hugged me from behind and kissed my neck as I was closing the door.

"What are you up to?"

"Let's do it," he sniffed my neck.

"This is the third time in a row." "How do you keep up your energy?"

He sucked my neck and embraced me firmly, saying, "Come on, it's Christmas." "Aren't you going to offer me any more gifts?"

"What exactly do you want?"

"I want this present," he replied, pointing at me.

"I don't want to open my restaurant late again," I pushed back.

"We'll get everything done swiftly and go to bed early."

"Once you start, you won't be able to stop. I'm not going to believe you."

I stopped before unlocking the door to my room and asked, "Do you have work tomorrow?"

"Why?"

"I intend to shut down the eatery tomorrow."

"What do you mean by that?" he questioned as he approached me.

"Because we're going to have a long night," I replied as I came closer to him, a few millimetres away from his lips. And he smirked back.

He picked me up and remarked, "Then what are we waiting for?" before leading me upstairs.

"But don't be rough. It's painful to walk."

"I'll think about it."

"What?"