"Are you okay, Peanut?" Dad interrupted my trail of thoughts, bringing me back to the present.
I looked up at him as he sat down beside me. "Terry told me something," I whispered in reply. I knew he was close enough to hear my words clearly. "He quit his job at the restaurant."
"Ah, that. I thought he wouldn't tell you about it until he gets a new job," he gave me a weary smile as he caressed my arm.
I snapped my head towards him, surprised by his admission. "You knew? Since when?"
"He comes here often while you are at work. I wanted to tell you, but he doesn't want to stress you out. It wasn't my place to tell," he replied sheepishly, looking guilty for hiding this fact from me.
I pursed my lips to mask my displeasure. I couldn't scold him for it since I had my fair share of lying to him. He was only doing it on Terry's behalf. With a defeated sigh, I allowed the topic to drop as we watched an episode of a night sitcom before going to sleep.
~~~~
The next day, I felt detached to my surroundings and allowed my alarm to beep continuously in the background. I stared at the white ceiling in my bedroom, a little lost in my thoughts. Memories from last night kept flashing on my head, the short moment with William in his car bringing back a blush on my face.
I just laid there thinking for who knows how long until I felt my phone vibrate on my bedside table. I painstakingly reached out and grabbed it, eyeing the caller I.D. on the screen. My eyes grew wide as I read the name. I quickly clicked the answer button and placed the phone on my ear.
"Hello," I greeted, my voice thick from sleep.
"Good morning. Did I wake you up?" William asked, his voice sounding distant and calm.
"No. I'm already awake before you called. Is there something you want?" I asked, a little flustered at his sudden morning call.
"Are you done getting ready for work? It already past seven," he asked, ignoring my question discreetly.
He successfully got my attention. I animatedly jumped out of my bed and pulled the phone away from my ear, eying the time at the upper right side of my phone. I hissed and frantically skipped towards the bathroom for a quick shower.
I pressed the phone back to my ear while I balanced on one leg to take off my pajama bottom. "Got to go. I'll call you back when I get to work." Before he could reply, I quickly ended the call and placed my phone on my sink counter.
Half an hour later, I was already out of my apartment. My hair is slightly wet because I hardly had any time to blow-dry it. With peanut butter and jelly sandwich on my mouth, I half ran down the flight of stairs. When I got outside the apartment, I took a moment to catch my breath and take another bite of the sandwich.
"That looks delicious. Can I have a bite?" I looked up at the familiar voice in front of me. I gaped as I watched him leaning comfortably on his black SUV.
"What are you doing here?" I asked after I shoved the rest of my breakfast into my mouth.
"I'm here to give you a ride to work," he replied confidently as he stopped in front of me. "I knew you would need a ride," he added with a smirk as he reached out to tuck a stray hair behind my right ear.
I shook my head in disbelief as I felt my cheeks react to his touch. "Well, you are in luck since I do need that ride. The tide is in your favor today."
"I expected as much when you answered," he said, grinning smugly.
I smiled back in reply before I walked towards the car. The passenger door was already opened, with Mark by the door holding it for me. I looked up towards him, nodding my head in greeting.
When we pulled out of the pavement outside my apartment building, I expected a silent morning ride with William, but he had other plans so it seemed.
"How was your sleep?" he asked, slightly twisting his body to face me.
"It was fine. I didn't go to bed early, though, since Terry and Andrew visited last night," I replied, my body going stiff on the last note.
"Is there something wrong?" he asked as he looked at me in worry.
"It's nothing," I replied, brushing the topic off. "How about you? Why the sudden interrogative morning?" I quickly changed the topic.
William studied my face for a moment before he replied. "Well, there were promises made last night, and I'm eager to cash in those before you change your mind."
I chuckled at his reply, feeling a little shy as I remembered our not so discreet way of saying goodbye last night. I glanced towards the driver seat shyly. "Don't fret. I wasn't drunk when we agreed to it, so I'm aware of those promises myself."
"Are you sure you weren't drunk? I faintly remembered your cheeks being red last night," he teased shamelessly, his laughter resonating inside the car.
I playfully slapped his arm, but I couldn't help laughing along with him. He looked so different. The sound of his laugh was new and refreshing to my ears. I only hope this happy bubble we are in since last night won't pop. Then suddenly, I felt a small pang of pain in my heart. The smile on my face faltered a bit. I shoved the negative feeling away and tried to focus on what I have now. I'm not going to sour our morning with my bitterness.
As Mark drove the busy streets towards my workplace, William and I continued to talk about the little things. He asked me about my likes and dislikes and my hobbies – which was a lost cause since I had little time to myself since I moved here. He kept on asking me things that he could have easily found out through that stalker file he had of me. The effort left a small hopeful smile on my face.
I was about to start asking a question about him when our morning ride together was cut short. With a defeated sigh, I eyed the main entrance of my workplace.
"If you agreed to work for me, you wouldn't be seating here, hesitating about leaving," William remarked lightly as he stared me in amusement.
"You know that is immorally unfair," I mumbled in exasperation, shaking my head in disbelief. "Can you get out of the car so that I can get to work, please?" I asked after a beat of silence.
"Please reconsider my offer," he said as he ignored what I asked.
I closed my eyes as disappointment washed over me. Well, there goes the beautiful bubble we were in. "We've talked about this, William," I replied softly, trying not to sound rude.
"Just think about it. You completely disregarded it without even thinking about it first," he grumbled under his breath, his eyebrow scrunched together as he eyed me seriously. "Please?"
"Okay, fine. I will try," I answered in defeat, letting out a frustrated sigh. It would have been stressful if we started fighting again. "I will see you later. Have a good day at work," I said after a moment of silence.
"I will pick you up later," he stated with a brief nod, his expression back on business mode.
I nodded in reply as I watched him get out of the car for me to exit on his side of the door, which was facing the entrance of my workplace. I grunted as I jumped down and fixed my slightly wrinkled blouse. I felt William staring beside me before I looked up.
"Oh, screw it," he mumbled in a whisper before he quickly wrapped his arm around my waist, crushing me on his chest.
I gasped in surprise before I felt his lips on mine. I was unresponsive for a second as our lips touched, but then I allowed myself to get lost in his arms. He smelled divine. His cologne was intoxicating, fueling an inner desire that I thought I had lost long ago.
When we pulled away from each other, we were both breathless from the kiss. Though it wasn't the same as last night, the pull it had on us was the same. This was not how I expected it to be.
"Can I stay over the night this Friday?" he asked softly, his voice still slightly breathless from the kiss.
"Uhm..." I stammered unaware of my own reply, not even sure if I had any voice left. Slowly, I took a step away from him and turned towards the main door.
As I walked stiffly towards the lobby, I could feel William's stare on my back. I willed every strand of my self-control to stop me from looking back until I reached the elevator. There was a nagging feeling at the back of my head as I replayed the sweet morning kiss we had a few minutes ago.
It was the feeling I had when the man I used to love told me he wanted to make me his forever, only to leave me when he got the chance. I knew William was different, but I also thought the same way about him.
The next morning, I experienced full-on the after effect of yesterday's public display of affection. I couldn't hide my exasperation as Sydney flashed me a blurred picture of William and me that morning when he took me to work and kissed me in front of my workplace. I had a gut feeling that we were being followed, but I was too dazed to look around and be cautious of our surroundings.
"How did these guys find the right moment to capture this picture? I've been trying to avoid being seen around him, but one slip-up and they are back on my trail again," I grumbled in distaste as I slammed the newspaper on my desk.
Sydney grabbed the newspaper from me as she continued reading the article out loud. "William Maxwell was seen outside Face Magazine kissing a woman with brunette hair and sun-kissed skin. It seems like the bachelor is secretly seeing this girl. The woman looked a lot like the girl he was linked with a few months ago..."
"Okay, I don't want to hear about it," I interjected, covering my ears to make my point clear. "I'm turning the other cheek now and pretend that I didn't see that article. I don't want to distract myself with today's work," I added grimly.
"How were you able to get in the building today? When I got in, the entrance is filled with swarming paparazzi," Sydney asked, ignoring my little outburst.
"I snuck in through the back door. I didn't even know the building has one until Mark dropped me off there," I replied with a heavy sigh. "William is pissed with himself about this as much as I am."
"I thought he would be ready when this happens. He was confident about taking things under control and letting the world know that you are dating Mr. Mogul," Sydney pointed out with a teasing grin.
I rolled my eyes at her statement before letting out another heavy breath. "He was going to publicize it after his sister's wedding. I mean, he is taking me as his date, and there is no going around it," I replied softly, remembering his little rant this morning as he drove me to work. I couldn't help but smile a little at his frustration.
"Ah, the wedding... So, when are you guys flying out to Italy?" she asked, swiftly changing the topic as her eyes sparkled in interest.
"Friday midnight. It was his suggestion. The sooner we are out of here, the better," I replied briefly, my voice almost a whisper. The anxiety I felt whenever I think about being away from my father to be with William for the whole weekend made me uneasy and nauseous. I instantly became light-headed.
"What's wrong, Andy? Aren't you excited? You are being swept away by one of the most sought after bachelors in the city to one of the most romantic countries in the world. Plus, he is taking you as his date for his sister's wedding. You should be ecstatic right now," Sydney almost squealed in enthusiasm.
I turned and eyed her in disbelief. "Ah, not really," I replied with a dead tone.
"What is it, Andy? You can tell me anything," Sydney asked worriedly as she rolled her chair towards me and closed the distance between us. She reached out and grabbed my hand as I remained silent.
"It's not that I'm ungrateful about it..." I started, sounding a bit choked up as my mind raced to that lingering feeling I had yesterday after our now front-page-of-a-newspaper kiss. I paused for a moment as I try to settle my breathing.
"Go on," she urged me softly.
"I'm having second thoughts about going with him, about this relationship, about him..." I trailed off as my words got stuck in my throat.
"Where is this all coming from? Why the cold feet?"
"It's not about him. I don't mean it like that, Syd. This is about me. I'm not really..." I stopped again.
Sydney looked at me worriedly as she caressed my arm in a comforting gesture. "Okay. I think this topic needs a more private location. How about I come over after work? I think you need some girl bonding time with me," she offered with a small comforting smile.
I eyed her with gratitude and nodded in reply. I wasn't sure I had the voice to talk for a while. Since I allowed myself to think about it, I felt a little vulnerable. I didn't give William a hint of my wavering resolve, though. I'm relieved everything was in my favor this morning. He was too distracted about asking me a list of questions about my life before I met him. Maybe his eagerness to know about my past triggered memories I wanted to forget.
As the day came to a close, my mood hadn't changed one bit. If anything, I think it worsened as we headed downstairs. When William picked up Sydney and me on the back door of the company building, a few of the paparazzi had camped on our secret exit. Everything went into a frenzy as William's car pulled up, and we got out the door. I poorly covered my face as Sydney and I ran towards the waiting car. I faintly noticed a few men in black suit creating a wall beside us and clearing out a pathway towards the already opened passenger door.
"Damn it!" I cursed silently after someone closed the door behind us.
"Andy, I'm so sorry about this. I should have asked Mark to check out the back exit before picking you up. I didn't know that they knew about this exit," William hastily apologized beside me as he lightly caressed my back.
I looked up towards him for the first time, finally noticing his presence. I felt my heart sank at his pained expression. I couldn't hide all the emotions bottling up inside me since yesterday. Without thinking, I leaned into his touch and curled up on his chest as I wrapped my arms around his waist. He stiffened at my sudden action, but he quickly reciprocated by putting his arms around me. He placed his chin on my head for a second before placing his cheeks on my hair as he took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry, Andy," he whispered softly, his tone filled with guilt.
"For once, I'll take the blame on this though it was your actions that caused all of it," I mumbled lightly. I still sounded strained from my run-in with the paparazzi, though.
"I'll admit it. I was too careless yesterday. I'm surprised you haven't blown up on me yet." He chuckled without humor as he rubbed my back in a soothing manner.
"I'm not really feeling myself lately," I admitted softly, my voice muffled as I pressed my face on his chest.
"Is it a good or a bad thing?" he asked absent-mindedly as I inhaled his intoxicating scent, trying to calm my frantic heart.
"Since I haven't slapped or yelled at you, I think it is a good thing," I replied as I leaned away from him, looking up at his face.
He studied my expression for a second before the stress between his eyebrows disappeared. He leaned down to kiss my forehead lovingly as he let me go from his embrace. "In case you have forgotten, your friend is here with us," he whispered teasingly, nodding his head towards Sydney behind me.
"Oh, please continue. Just pretend I don't exist at the moment," Sydney offered shyly. My head snapped towards her as I watched her face slowly flush in embarrassment.
"Syd, hey," I said an octave higher, feeling awkward with her for the first time. I got carried away with my feelings that I've forgotten the other people in the car with us. I darted my eyes towards the front of the car, eyeing the two men in suit. Mark was behind the driver's wheel as usual.
"Thank you so much for accompanying my girlfriend, Ms. Clark," William addressed Sydney for the first time, turning my attention back towards him.
"No problem, Mr. Maxwell. I didn't know things would be like that. Andy and I have plans this evening if it's all right with you..." she trailed off shyly as I grinned at her teasingly. She glanced at me and rolled her eyes.
"I already told William about our plans tonight. You don't have to ask his permission," I teased lightly, bumping his arm with mine in a playful manner.
"He might take you away from me after that heated reunion," she teased back softly, her voice loud enough to be overheard by prying ears.
I blushed at her words. I heard William chuckling lightly behind me before coughing twice to cover his amusement. I glanced at his direction for a second, eyeing him deadly as he stared back with a teasing glint in his eyes.
The drive back to my apartment was a little awkward after that little stunt I pulled. Sydney and I recounted the events on how we managed to get out of the building with paparazzi on all sides. She didn't look pleased with the attention, which made me grow fonder of her. I was happy to know that our friendship wasn't based on how controversial my life is at the moment.
We made a few turns and rerouting to make sure weweren't followed by the media. It would havebeen tragic if the world knew where Mr. Mogul's current love interest lives. Ihaven't totally grasped the whole situation yet.