Serene crashed onto his sofa, shouting into his pillow. He felt his heart pound, chills moving through his body. He turned around to face the ceiling, sensing his face burn. The scene of Nicolas walking towards him with an intimidating look reappeared in his memory. He scowled at himself, sitting up, clutching the pillow, and slamming it into his face. He took a deep breath.
A growl interrupted his anxiety, his stomach calling out for food. Serene dropped the pillow, pulled his legs out of the couch, and landed on the floor. Serene stared at the empty beige wall, feeling drowsy as he stood up. He didn't really have an idea where he wanted to eat, but he went with the safest bet and made the decision to go to Wrap n' Go. A fast-food restaurant near him. Serene strolled passed the kitchen, grabbing the keys to his apartment.
"It's only a few houses down." he calmed himself, feeling his legs tremble. He opened the front door, stepping out of the cold apartment. The sunlight shined on him, making him feel even more fatigued. He locked the door to his flat, his hands quivering as he shoved his keys and hand into his jean pocket. His heart sank, remembering Nicolas' breath on his neck. The warmth that the assistant felt when Nick was close.
He began walking down the sidewalk, passing by the other lots. The scenario just kept popping back into his head. 'What Ifs?'
'What if I had kissed him? What if he'd gone further? What if he hadn't stopped?' Serene thought, gazing down at his feet. He was in his world, not paying attention to his surroundings. He made a turn, walking into the restaurant's parking lot.
His blue eyes glared down at me. His lips curved into a smile as he pinned me to the wall. Closing the space between us, leaning into my neck, breathing on it slowly, and with every blow he did was every second I held my breath.
"Woah!" an outcry broke Serene's line of thought. He looked up, jumping out of the way of a girl who drove her bike. She drove her bike around, her lips forming a smile, "Wow! You dodged that quickly, my dude."
Serene furrowed his eyebrows, "Are you insane? I could've gotten hurt!"
Her blonde hair swayed behind her as she stopped her bike next to Serene, looking at him, "But I didn't." she sang. She pouted, seeing Serene neglect her as he walked past her and into the fast-food restaurant.
The assistant took a deep breath, regaining his awareness. He was annoyed at how stupid he was not paying thought to where he was moving. He felt guilt weigh on his shoulders, ignoring the girl like that. The entrance to the restaurant opened as Serene stood in front of the counter. The bike rider walked next to him, crossing her arms, "Are you not going to ask how I am?"
"You're the one who was behind the wheel," Serene answered, looking up at the menu.
The girl scoffed, "You're the one who wasn't looking both ways, Mr. Nice guy!"
Serene turned to her, raising an eyebrow. Her green eyes were elegant, like staring into an emerald. She was shorter than Serene, making him look down at her. He felt the guilt press down onto his shoulders, groaning to himself, "Yeah, okay, sorry. I kind of dozed off."
She grinned, "Kind of? You completely cut me out of your vision."
"My fault." Serene confessed, approaching the counter, "Morning. Can I get an egg and bacon sandwich with a coffee?"
The elder behind the register nodded, pressing in the order, "Is she with you?" he asked calmly with a soft smile. Serene quickly returned, not turning around to face her, "No."
He looked up, his smile sending Serene and the girl good vibes. It was lovely seeing an old man smile early in the morning. It brought warmth to those who needed it, "Your total will be 4.58."
Serene fished for his wallet from his back pocket and took out a $10 bill, "Keep the change." he insisted. The cashier nodded, "Have a good morning, sir."
Serene walked past the girl, going to an empty table. The place was empty. The two customers in the building were he and the bike rider. It was soothing for Seven, the silence. He closed his eyes for a bit, putting his head down on the table. Then it was ruined.
Ruined by the memory of the warmth Nicolas gave him as his body was against his.
stopstopstopstopstopstopstop
The girl sat on the chair that was sitting in front of Serene, tapping her fingers on the table, "I'm Emilee by the way."
Serene looked up, not bothering to tell her to scram, "Serene."
"Serene?" she grinned, "Girlfriend name?"
He glared at her, shaking his head a bit, "My name is Serene, but call me Seven."
She let out a small chuckle, "Very well, Seven."
Emilee smiled at him, her cheekbones becoming vivid. Her fingers tapped the table in a rhythm as she gazed around the place, "Quite empty here, isn't it?"
"Usually is when people have work to get to."
The elder man walked towards them, placing their meals in front of them, "Two coffees and a bacon and egg sandwich."
Emilee and Serene turned to him quickly, "Thank you. Have a good day, sir." they both greeted, strangely at the same time. The senior nodded, a smile on his face as he walked back to the counter.
Emilee sighed happily, staring at him, "What a nice man."
Seven scoffed, opening up the wrapper that covered his food, "Old people are precious people."
She nodded, taking a sip of her coffee, "Wow! You can be nice."
Serene looked at her, "I am nice. You've just known me for a couple of minutes." he gazed at his food, taking a small bite. Emilee watched him with a blank expression, continuing to drink her beverage. The assistant's phone vibrated on the gray table, grabbing both of their attention. He checked the notification.
Nicolas Anderson: Don't forget. I'll be driving you to my father's party on Monday.
Serene grinned slightly, his cheeks fading into a blush. It shouldn't make him feel like a high school admirer just sent a text. It was just a message from work. Why was it making him feel weak?
"Work?" Emilee questioned, staring at the slightly brown freckles on his pale face.
"Yeah.." Serene answered softly, "I just entered as a personal assistant for the CEO of a game company."
"Ohh. Fancy." she tittered.
Serene's eyes darted at her, raising his eyebrows," You don't find it uncanny?"
"Weird?"
"Not many guys enter as a personal assistant."
She narrowed her eyes at Seven, crossing her arms, "I guess a lot of people told you that, huh?" she turned her head, staring into his green eyes, "I can tell from your smile that you already enjoy it there."
The assistant scoffed, "That's a bit cliche to say. Why do you think my smiling gives off that idea?" Serene took a bite from his breakfast, waiting for the girl's response.
"Well it was either that, or you got a message from someone you like."
Seven tensed up, his stomach turning at the thought. Was it that obvious? Seven didn't even know his feelings towards Nicolas. If anything, they were far from that. The only reason he smiled at the message was that it was work-related. He did enjoy the first day and he did enjoy the meeting that occurred earlier. Serene didn't feel anything toward his boss. That's what he concluded. Not on the second day.
Seven cleared his throat, wanting to change the topic, "Why did you decide to talk to me this morning, Ms. Emilee?"
"Well, I almost ran you over. I thought I should woo you as an apology."
Seven snickered, "Woo me? A bit forward, wouldn't you think so?"
Emilee's eyes widened, shaking her head, "I didn't mean it like that! I mean it like- I wanted to get to know you as a friend!"
The assistant nodded, turning on his phone again to check the time, "Hm. So just out of pity then?"
Emilee gazed over at Serene's phone screen, seeing the time for herself, "No! I just knew if I went home knowing I almost hurt you, I'd feel guilty." she sighed, getting off the chair and grabbing her coffee and sandwich, "Anyways, I have to go. It was nice meeting you though!" she announced, smiling at Seven.
"Maybe we'll meet again, Ms. Emiliee," he predicted, "Do be careful where you're going next time."