"Welcome to L'Evans. Please come in Mr. Grey and Ms.-"
"Marshall," I replied to the smiling guy as I saw him give me a quick glance at my underdressed attire. Jared didn't seem to mind as he walked away coolly like it was his regular hang out place. Maybe it was. I gave a nervous glance at the expensive setup and realized this was a place I could only afford in my dreams.
A place where a salad would probably cost me two sets of shoes. It looked like a place of elites and celebrities. I looked like a dishwasher in this place. My Alice attire would have suited this place more.
We were escorted to a table. After having comfortably settled down, Jared picked up the menu, his lips moving silently as he glanced over.
Those were some thick luscious lips.
Shut up, Alli. Please.
"What would you like to have?" He asked me seriously.
This was awkward enough. But hey, since I was feeling extra happy, I was ready to ignore it. No matter how much he chastised me, I had no qualms over anything because for now, I could just stare at him for the time being.
It didn't hurt to stare at a good looking man. Him being my boss was just a bonus point.
"Anything. I will have what you will take," I gleamed.
"Sea food is okay with you?"
"That's really expensi-" I frowned when he brushed that thought off.
"Okay, one Greek salad, two lobsters and a bottle of your finest champagne," He said and dismissed the waiter.
"The lobster was the most expensive item, Ja- sir. You could've ordered some chicken," I said softly, looking around to see some of the guests giving me unapproved glances.
If only he would've let me wear those attire, then we wouldn't have a problem but no, that reminded him of Alice. Stupid guy. He didn't seem to care one bit. He was staring only at me and looked completely oblivious to what people were looking at.
"I wanted to have lobster. Plus, you only said you didn't mind anything and would eat what I was taking. It's no big deal," He shrugged.
Maybe he had gold bars for dinner and played with caviar in his diamond studded treehouses.
"I know it might not be a big deal for you. It is for me though. I hope you know we will go Dutch. I am not letting you pay my half," I said in a low voice.
"It's just one lunch," He sighed, "Don't make a mountain out of a molehill. You don't have to pay me back."
"Of course I have to. This is not a birthday treat or any celebration. I will pay-"
"Okay, how about I cut off your half from your salary the next month?" He concluded, looking like he wanted no more arguments for today.
"Okay. But do so. Don't forget," I warned.
He suddenly gave me a smile. Not his usual derogatory smirk or evil gleam. A genuine warm soft smile. The smile of old Jared.
That contagious smile that melted me into a puddle everytime he gave me that expression.
Holy Christ, my body felt warmer with that smile. This was the first time I was seeing him smile. I forgot the last time he smiled at me like this. His face looked so precious that I wouldn't mind if someone told me to pinch his cheeks.
He looked gorgeous. I felt my ears go warm as I rubbed them vigorously.
Somehow, I was reminded of our café meeting, when I first met him. His lost boyish smile, the one which I loved, his jokes and lame attempts at flirting. At that time, I wanted to get out of there and far away from him... and now it was the opposite. I didn't want to leave at all.
This was the first time I was having lunch with him after starting to work for him and I didn't want this moment to end.
All those years back seemed so foreign that it pained a lot more than I was willing to admit. I missed that Jared... there, I said it. If given the chance, I would rewind a lot of things. I would meet him as Allison and start a new relationship.
I wouldn't listen to my sister. I would be just Allison, in love with a boy.
"What are you thinking?" He asked, the smile slipping off.
"Huh? N-nothing," I said, staring at the empty plate.
"That means definitely something. What is it?" He pressed, tilting one eyebrow up.
"Nothing important. I just zoned out," I brushed it off.
"You tend to do that a lot," He noted.
"I wanted to say thanks for that day. For um... feeding and dropping me off," I said, nodding my head.
"No big deal. What were you thinking?" He asked again, leaning forward and resting his hands on the table.
I hated when he stared at me like that with those big sexy eyes. It made me feel unnecessary things. I didn't like it.
"You aren't gonna let it go, right?" I sighed, looking around.
A faint smile crept on his face again indicating no. Damn that smile. This was getting too much.
"Fine. I was remembering our...uh...first meeting at the café," I blushed, staring at my lap.
His face fell and turned cold again. The light mood suddenly seemed to shift as he leaned back again, his face a blank wall again. He stared at the painting behind me. Alright, the happy atmosphere was crumbling already. My positive vibes were fading.
"I am sorry. I shouldn't have said that," I muttered.
"You are right. You shouldn't have," He said quietly.
"I wouldn't if you hadn't forced me to," I retorted.
"And since when do you listen to me?" He asked.
"For your information, I listen to each and every order of yours. I never disobey you. Stop judging me," I snapped. Positive vibes were turning to negative vibes.
"I know you well enough to judge you," He shrugged.
"No. If you had, you would have let me explain," I pointed out.
"Not again, Allison. Drop it," He sighed.
"I didn't start it," I smirked.
"For god's sake woman, you can't keep your mouth shut, can you?" He asked irritated.
"Fine. I will keep quiet," I said angrily. See? This is why you shouldn't be too happy. Some idiot would come along and ruin it always.
And in most cases, it was likely to be your boss.
I kept quiet and played games in my phone till the food arrived. I could feel him staring at me throughout the time, not in a creepy way but more like a parent sighing at his child's antics. As soon as the food arrived, I started eating without saying a word. I could feel Jared staring at me the entire time.
"Okay, now you are acting like a ten years old," He noted.
I ignored him. This lobster was so good, it-
"I asked you to keep shut about things from past, not to shut off completely," He rolled his eyes.
"I don't know what are you speaking about," I said, chewing my food slowly.
"Finally, she speaks," He sighed in relief.
I rolled my eyes this time. He was such a kid. Not me.
"Look, can we eat fast and leave?" I spoke through mouthfuls of food, elegance be damned, "Already I am sticking out as a sore thumb. People are judging-"
"I don't care and neither should you. If you came in with a Gucci dress, they would judge you for your figure. If your figure was alright, they would judge you for your skin color. People will find an excuse to judge, so best is to ignore them. You have money and that is enough. You don't have to wear those designer brands to fit in. It's your pocket that interests them, not dress."
"Do you have a problem with me wearing those type of clothes? If so, then you are judgemental. Just because I wear or even some girls wear designer clothes, that doesn't mean-"
"Wait. Why would you think that? Let me be clear. Wear whatever you want as long as you are comfortable and more or less formal in an office environment. That day, you weren't comfortable, you just wanted to wear those because someone asked you to. If anyone was judgemental there, it was them. Not me."
I pursed my lips. He had a point unfortunately. Drats. I wondered how he figured it out. I clearly remember not mentioning anywhere that I had been coerced a bit. He must have noticed it because he rolled his eyes.
"I can deduce what kind of a person you are. You, like many others only dress up when you are going out for a party or any other entertainment activities."
"It boosts the confidence, I can't lie though."
"It's not about clothes, Allison. It's about the person whom you can have conversations with without falling sleep. I don't have a problem so nobody else can," He said slowly.
I froze. Where the hell was the conversation going?
"Has anyone said anything after that?"
I shook my head, "They got the message."
He nodded, "Good. They should. Remember the scene from 'Pretty Woman's? Where she got judged and then she came back with the dude and then had people worshipping her?"
I nodded.
"It's the same case. I am here with you. You have nothing to worry about. You are p-" He paused as I looked down, going deep shades of pink at his implications.
He was still the cute Jared from high school, wasn't he? He wasn't very old now either. Twenty two was really young but his bluntness was still there. I liked that.
"Are you alright?" I asked him curiously, "Did Friday rattle you-"
"Sort of, yes," To my surprise, he admitted, "I was a bit scared, to be honest. I figured you would be tired and angry, not experience a full body setback. It was unsettling."
"I am seriously fine now. I promise you this won't happen again."
"Good. Good," He nodded solemnly, looking too serious for his own good, "I took things too far-"
"Must be really hard to say the word sorry, huh?" I chuckled as his eyes narrowed. If I hadn't known him previously or he had been older, I would've been fired or demoted. But since we both knew he wouldn't do anything as such, he gave me a sour look.
"Anyway," He cleared his throat, changing the topic lamely, "Now what I was saying is, I need some delivery of files today... at my home because I need them immediately for my meeting day after tomorrow and I need to go through them tonight to prepare my presentation. The Serra Industries files. Are you done with them?" He asked, again going back to his businesslike tone.
"Almost."
"Good. Can you deliver them by today at my place? I need them urgently," He asked.
"Is it really necessary for today? I can give it to you tomorrow morning immediately," I said.
"Hmm, okay. But you can finish them today, right? So why deliver tomorrow?" He asked, picking up his fork and starting to eat.
"Well actually, Wade is going to his photoshoot today. He is a photographer. This is his first international photoshoot. I am gonna be seeing him off. So, I can deliver the files tomorrow once I finish them after dropping Wade off," I explained.
Oh no. Mentioning Wade was not a good idea. One should have seen the look on his face. His eyes darkened as the casual look morphed into a hard one. He stabbed the food a bit too harshly and resumed eating.
"I-"
"Fine. Go drop him off and do whatever you want, but I want the files and there should be no mistake," He spat, "Get it?"