The No-Kiss Agreement

Chapter 12

A/N: The image above does not belong to me. It belongs to the person who uploaded it on the internet.

Saint's POV

"What are you doing after work hours?" Perth asked me without any preliminary greetings after I swiped on my phone screen to take his call.

"Did you mean tomorrow because my work hours don't end till tomorrow. I'm doing an allnighter due to the client's deadline." I replied.

Perth sighed loud enough for me to hear.

"Can't you stop being a workaholic just for once?" he whined. "I so wanted to spend some time with you after work this evening. We never see each other anymore since you started that project."

Perth was referring to my newly opened fashion design company which admittedly was taking so much of my time. But if I were to be honest with myself, I could drop my work any time and go meet up with Perth but seeing him too often was risky business for me. I can feel myself in danger of falling for him and I can't allow that to happen. We are such good and close friends and Perth was the straightest of all the guys I had ever met. It would do no good to fall for him and expect him to reciprocate my feelings.

"I'm sorry, Perth," I tried to make my voice sound regretful. "But I can't afford to miss this important deadline."

I heard him sigh loudly once more.

"Fine, if you really have to do that allnighter," I heard him say. "But promise me that tomorrow you will set aside time for me."

"I promise," I said.

"Your voice doesn't sound sincere," he complained. "Say it one more time but with strong feelings."

"I really have to go," I ignored his complaint. If I didn't know that he was straight I would swear that he was flirting with me.

It turned out that I did have to do that allnighter because my assistant had an emergency situation in his family and couldn't stay to help me finish the project before tomorrow.

By the time I got home at five in the morning I could do nothing else but drop in bed like a heavy sack of potatoes.

I woke up the next day feeling refreshed and energized.

I stayed in the shower longer than usual because I had gone to sleep last night in my office clothes and had not bothered to clean up.

When I arrived at my office my trusty and efficient secretary informed me that she had arranged my work for shipping to the client. The client would be receiving it the same day.

I really felt lucky and grateful that I happened to have Sara as my secretary.

I bent down to give her a quick peck on her cheek which was my usual way of saying thank you to her and she had never objected to it.

Uh Ehrmm ... a sound came from the doorway of my office.

Sara and I looked at who was standing in the doorway.

"I just started my workday," I raised my eyebrows at Perth. "Our agreement was to meet up after work hours today."

"Sorry, but we were supposed to meet up yesterday evening," he said walking into my office. "Our meeting is actually very delayed."

"You've got to be kidding me," I protested. "I'm not dropping my workload just because you show up. And what about your own work. Aren't you supposed to be working as well? Are you not worried about losing your job?"

"I asked my dad to give me this day off because last night, since you did an allnighter I decided to work late into the night as well."

I sighed. That was the advantage of working for your own parents. They would never fire you from working in your family business.

"Well, if I dropped my work right now, all my clients would leave me for another business," I argued.

"I'm not expecting you to drop your work right now," he explained. "I will just sit quietly in one corner of your office and watch you work."

"You will be in the way," I complained.

"You weren't listening," he countered.  "I said that I was going to find some quiet corner in your office and sit there like a statue. I won't get in your way, I promise."