17. It’s a date
The following day, I go to work and try to forget that unexplainable moment that happened with my boss. I tried making sense of what happened and why he behaved that way but kept coming up blank. I could not get any sleep last night because of him, and I hope today at work I won’t have a lot to do. I am already feeling tired, and my day just started.
I stop at Starbucks to get coffee on my way to work. I feel like drinking coffee not made by me today. I join the queue once I enter the coffee shop and wait for my turn. I use my phone to pass the time on the line.
“Eleanor,” A voice says from in front of me. I raise my head up, and a smile graces my lips once I see who called my name.
“Alex,” I say, smiling. I am actually happy to see him. We have been talking a lot on the phone since the day I sent him a thank you message for the flowers. He is actually a really fun person to chat with. “How are you doing?”
“I am good, and you?”
“I am good too, and I can’t believe you are here? This is one place I never thought I would run into you.”
“Why is that?”
“Because you are a billionaire and Billionaires don’t get their coffees themselves. They have people like me who get it for them.”
“I like to get it myself sometimes.”
“That’s actually very humble of you. I know someone who will never do that,” I say, referring to Mr. Jason.
“Who,” He asks
“I think you know who”
“Oh, Jason, I am not surprised, and how is been his secretary like.”
I am about to reply, but the cashier beats me to speak, “What would you like, sir?” The cashier says to Alex
“I will like coffee black, no sugar or cream, and what would you like, Eleanor.”
“I will like a Frappuccino,” I say and take out my credit card to pay, but Alex stops me.
“Let me get this for you,” He says, pushing my credit card back to me and gives the cashier his for both our drinks.
“You don’t have to pay for me,” I say
“I know, but I feel like buying your first drink of the day,” He says, smiling.
“Names please,” The cashier asks
“Alex and Eleanor”
“Black coffee for Alex and Frappuccino for Eleanor,” The cashier says
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Wait a few minutes; your drinks would be ready soon.”
“Thank you,” I say to Alex as we walk away from the cashier stand
“You’re welcome, and you were about to tell me how working with Jason is like,” He says, walking towards a chair to sit down and wait for his coffee. I walk beside him and take my seat, also
“It’s okay” I lie even though we all know it’s far from okay. If anything working for Mr. Jason is hell on earth.
“That’s good to hear. I like the fact that you are not stressed at work.”
“Yeah, me too,” I say, even though that is a lie because all Mr. Jason does is make things stressful for me by making things difficult at work.
“Alex and Eleanor,” A barrister calls after a few minutes
I start walking where the barrister is to get my coffee, but Alex stops me. “Wait, here, I will get the coffee for you,” He says, standing up from his seat and walks to get our coffee.
Alex is such a gentleman; I can’t believe he was friends with that nail-digging monster Mr. Jason. ‘A nail digging monster you are highly attracted to, my mind haunts. It’s so unfortunate that Mr. Jason is a sexy man but a beast in human form.
“Thank you,” I say, collecting my coffee from Alex once he walks back to our table.
“So, what are you doing this weekend,” Alex asks as we walk out of the coffee shop.
“Nothing, why do you ask,” I say, walking out of the coffee shop
“I would like to take you out for dinner.”
“Sure, no problem,” I say, but it’s far from the ‘sure no problem’ way I feel. Oh my God, I can’t believe a man as handsome and sophisticated as Alex asked me out. I don’t even care that he is almost two decades older than me.
“It’s a date,” He says, smiling, and walks to his car.
Oh my God, I can’t believe I was asked out on a date. I need to call Amber and tell her, but she would probably be sleeping by now. I will leave her a message to call me once she wakes up.
I walk inside Crawford enterprise with the smile from the coffee shop still on my face. I can’t stop smiling. Alex asking me out has made me very happy today.
“Morning Nora,” I greet Nora a little more cheerful than usual
“Morning, someone seems happy today,” She says, noticing my bright mood
“That’s because I am, and have a nice day, Nora,” I say before I walk towards the elevator.
Lunchtime, as I am preparing to go down and join Nora for lunch. Mr. Jason’s following words change that.
“Eleanor, get the Edison file and come with me.”
“Okay, sir” I quickly get the file from my desk and follow him to the elevator.
“Where is your purse,” He asks once I stand beside him
“My purse?” I ask, confused as to why he is asking me about my purse.
“I thought you ladies go nowhere without that thing.”
“Are we going somewhere, sir?” I thought he needed the file for a meeting in one of the boardrooms below our floor.
“You are coming with me to lunch.”
“Come again, sir,” I ask, not sure I heard him well. I have been working here for three months and the first time I followed him was my last.
“You heard me, and you have ten seconds to get your purse. If I leave without you in the elevator with me, I don’t think you would like that,” He says, and I don’t waste time running back to my desk to pick up my purse. “Fix your hair; you look like a madwoman,” He says once I step into the elevator and join him. He wastes no time and presses the elevator button to take us to the first floor.
I look like a madwoman because you don’t like saying things straightforward and like making things stressful for me.
“I apologize, sir,” I say while fixing my hair. I am still shocked he is taking me for a lunch meeting with him. I wonder if he and Vivienne had a fight or something.
“Thank God, I am the only one going to be staring at your face during lunch,” He says as the elevator arrives on the first floor.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!
What does he mean by that? I wonder as I step out of the elevator and follow him outside to his car. I walk to the passenger’s side, and I am about to open the door when he stops me.
“Sit in the back with me,” He says and gets into the car. Why does he want me to sit in the back? I look at Andrew, holding the door, and ask him if he knows why with my eyes, but he just uses his shoulders to tell me he does not know. I get into the car and make sure to seat far away as possible from Mr. Jason. We all know what happens when my body gets in contact with his.
“Come closer,” He says once Andrew starts driving and my fears come alive. I move a little closer to him but make sure to still keep a reasonable distance between us. “I don’t know why you are behaving like I want to eat you; come here,” He says and pulls me closer to him.
The second his hand gets in contact with my skin, I feel a spark. I look at Mr. Jason, and I don’t think I am the only one who felt the spark. What could have caused that? A shocked expression can be seen in his eyes. I take this time to admire his beautiful eyes. This is one of the first times they are not filled with anger towards me. Have I told you guys that he has gorgeous eyes? Even If I have, I will repeat it. Mr. Jason’s eyes are to die for. His lovely caramel-colored eyes draw me deep and make me want to stare at them all day. I wait for his eyes to be filled with anger as always when he stares at me but instead, they don’t. He just stares back at me, and his eyes hold no emotion as they stare at mine. His phone starts ringing, which causes us to break from our trance.
“Eleanor, go over the proposal and make sure everything is fine,” He says, pausing his phone call.
“Okay, sir” It seems that is why he wanted me to come closer to him and sit behind. He wanted to go over the proposal with me before we reach the restaurant. I check the documents and make sure everything is fine.
After a nice lunch and successful meeting, Mr. Jason and I are back at the office. I walk to my desk from the elevator when I see a bouquet of white roses placed on my desk. I quickly walk over and pick up the card to verify who I suspect sent the flowers. I open the card, and not surprising to me, Alex sent them. I knew it was him because it’s the same flowers he sent last time. I wonder how he knew white roses are my favorite.
“What is this?” Mr. Jason’s voice behind me startles me from my daydreaming.
“Nothing, just flowers,” I say and quickly hide the card. I have to make sure he never sees it.
“Who sent them?” He asks,
“Evan,” I say, the first name that comes to my head. I wonder why Evan was the first name to come to my head.
“Tell him to never send you flowers again.”
“Why,” I asked, surprised
“Because I said so.”
“That’s not a reason, sir.”
“I don’t have to give you a reason; tell Evan to never send you flowers to the office again, am I clear,” He says a little louder this time.
“Yes, you are” To say I am shocked would be an understatement. Why does he seem angry that I said Evan sent me the flowers? Imagine what he would have done if I said they came from Alex. He would have had my head for lunch again. I wonder if he is angry because I was smiling a lot when I saw the flowers, but why would he be angry? How does my happiness make him angry? I don’t understand. I can never understand anything with Mr. Jason.