I'm getting busier at work. I'm still working from Smith Co. but now I'm juggling between Smith and Dad's office building having meetings here and there. Overall, Smith Co.'s financial is healthy and there is no problem with the acquisition deal. Last week we had a board meeting talking about the company's structure in future once Smith Co. join Grey Consolidation officially.
Darius was missing though. Actually, he's been missing since our last lunch three weeks ago. He was rarely in his office. He was usually in the meeting room at 8th floor or at 7th floor talking with the legal and operational team. Alex told me he was busy preparing for New York project. I believed that, but somehow I felt that wasn't a coincidence that Darius chose to spend his time not in the same room as me.
Today my mood is under the weather. I was finding it hard to wake up from bed without any logical reason. Working for Dad and see Darius for this past weeks really helped me a lot with my anxiety and my mood. It's a great distraction for me. But somehow this day is hard. Like painfully hard and I don't know why.
So, I just play solitaire on my laptop. Don't bother to work the work.
"What happened to you?" A deep voice I know very well startles me.
I turn my head to see him leaning on the door frame. He looks handsome, but what's new because he looks handsome all the time. He wears a light blue shirt with mocha color jeans which looks absurd but he pulled it off effortlessly.
"What do you mean?" I ask lazily and turning my head back to the laptop, continue stacking the card on the screen.
"You're playing solitaire instead of working which I believe breaking your work ethics or something?"
"You mocking me?" My eyes stay on the screen and my fingers make the click on the mouse louder than necessary.
"I would never." He kisses my head on his way to the sofa. He sits and crosses his leg. "Bad day?" He asks softly.
"Kinda."
Darius gets up from his seat and walks outside room. I turn my head to peek and he's talking something with Ron, his assistant, I don't really hear what they're talking about. Then he steps inside and throw his body to lie on the sofa, his ridiculous feet hanging at the end of sofa.
He seems tired and judging by his messy handsome face and his eye bags; he didn't get enough sleep last night.
"Are you okay? Is there something wrong with the New York tender?"
"Yeah, there's a problem. I have to go to New York." Darius says with his eyes closed. Not that he wants to sleep but more like closing eyes to think.
"What's the problem? Wow. I haven't been to New York for 3 or 4 years I think." I try to remember my past memories in New York.
Ron knocks the door. He has McDonald's bag in his hand. Darius wakes up and takes the bag and puts them in coffee table in front of sofa.
"Come here." Darius calls me. I raise my eyebrows. "Come here. I don't bite." He opens the bag.
I walk toward him and sit next to him. There are McFlurry, fries, and BigMac package includes fries and diet coke. It's been a long time since I ate McDonald's. Darius gives me McFlurry and fries. Which is totally great, because I have this disgusting habit according to Jeremy which I dip the fries to McFlurry.
"How do you know I like this?" I eat my dipped fries, and it's delicious.
"Lucky guess." Darius smiles and eats his burger.
"Why I don't believe you?" I smile at him.
Darius just smiles and continue to eat his burger and fries. "Do you want some?" I offer him my dipped fries.
Darius chuckles. "You used to force me you know, to dip my fries in your-" He stops his words immediately. His face changes.
"I used to what?" I put my fries and ice cream in coffee table. I turn my body to see him clearly.
"Huh? Never mind." Darius takes a sip from his coke.
"Darius." I put my hand on his lap. He's surprised and turn his head to me. "Be honest with me. How did you know me? And looking from this brunch, you really know me well." I lock my eyes into his enchanting dark brown eyes. "Please tell me the truth." Hoping I will find out what he's hiding.
"I... I-"
"Darius!" Some brown long hair lady is in door and shout Darius' name at the same time Darius begins to speak. Gosh!
I pull my hand from his lap and Darius gets up immediately and approaches that angry lady. If I have to guess, that must be Emma, his girlfriend.
"Hi, Em. What are you doing in here?" Darius greets him. He sounds jumpy.
"I can ask you the same question. What are you doing in here?" She looks at me with an angrier face than before.
"Ehm." Darius clears his throat. "Em, this is Jenna. Jenna, this is Emma." Darius gives us an introduction to each other. Which I find it amusing.
Emma extends her right hand. "I'm Emma Woods, Darius' girlfriend." She says with a tone to marking her territory over Darius and I don't really like that. She sure is a cocky bitchy girl.
I just look at her hand and nod. "I'm Jenna Grey. Darius' fiancée." I raise my left hand to show off my pretty diamond ring then I make my way to leave the room, not bothering to take her hand. First, she's a stranger. Second, she's a bitch. And third, I'm petty.
***
I'm hiding in Alex's office room after the little feud with Emma. I'm not usually petty or a bitch. But, I don't know why I did that.
"Thanks for letting me stay in here." I thank Alex as I try to make myself comfortable in this soft sofa.
"You're welcome." Alex smiles at me then back concentrating on paper works.
Unfortunately, the wall between Darius and Alex's room are thin enough for us to hear them arguing. Even though I can't catch the exact words but I can understand enough that Emma was furious to see Darius, and I were in some kind of crappy cheap romance show.
"Just ignore them. They do that often." Alex notices my worry and my uncomfortable face.
"What often? Arguing like a bunch of gorillas in a zoo?"
Alex laughs. "You're funny." He puts aside the paper works and looking at me. "Emma pops up in here quite often when she's not on her shift. But, my Dad kind of upsets every time Emma's in here."
"Why?"
"Dad is a professional. He said office should be the place you supposed to be working not doing some personal stuff. And Darius tries to follow the rule. But, Emma is kind of needy you know. And thank God that Dad's not in here today. Because the noisy steamy sex comes after the argument."
Suddenly, there's a loud thump sound against the wall.
Alex chuckles. "And we're on the right schedule." Alex smiles to me while still chuckling. I was upset and worry about Darius but seeing Alex smiles and laughs, I can't help myself by laughing too.
But, Darius' door was slammed and I see Emma storms off from the office. I don't see Darius following Emma or hear him calling her or do anything to try to hold her.
"Well, that's definitely new." Alex says then he continues to work.
I just sit here and staring at the ceiling above me. My phone's buzzing on my pocket, interrupting my staring at the ceiling ritual. I take out my phone. It's a text from Darius.
DS: Come to the roof. I need to talk to you.
I slip my phone back to the pocket and heading out without saying any word to Alex.
Darius is smoking right now. There's a cigarette between his fingers and he exhales the smoke like he just exhales a weight of the world. His dark brown hair looks messy. His face looks messy but still handsome.
I walk toward him. There's no one in this roof. Perhaps because it's a bit chilly. December winds start to blowing. Darius puts out the cigarette and step on it as he looks down. When he lifts his face, his eyes meet mine.
"Hi." He greets me with a weak voice.
"Darius, are you okay?"
He smiles. "I always like it when you say my name." He brushes his hair with his right hand. "I'm not okay to be honest."
He leans on to the rail and crosses his arm in front of his chest.
"Do you want to talk about it?" I ask him carefully.
Darius shakes his head while chuckling. "Emma was angry with me. And you."
"I'm sorry for causing you any trouble." I lean on the rail too next to him.
"It's okay. It's my fault though. I should keep my distance from you." He's staring at the clear sky above us. "But, I don't know if I can." I turn my head to look at him. "I just... There's so many feelings. I can't contain them." Darius turns his head to my direction and stroke my hair. "Every time Emma and I fight usually followed by make-up sex session." He smiles weakly. "But, when she kissed me earlier, all I can see, all I can think is you Jenna. How bad I want to have that rough, passionate kiss with you. How bad I want to have that steamy careless intimate sex with you. I can't get you out of my mind." He pulls his hand. "And it makes me crazy." He looks down and play with his feet.
Brave yourself, Jenna.
"I don't want you to."
"What?" He lifts his head, and a confusion stated clearly in his face.
"I don't want you to get me out of your mind. I don't want you to distance yourself from me." I take a long breath, "I- I know it's wrong. You have a girlfriend, but this past three weeks when you were ignoring me, when I barely saw you and talked to you, I felt empty. You- you came to me just like that and I was getting kind of used to for having you around me and annoy me." I pull back my hair and chuckle nervously. What the hell am I thinking?? "Karma is probably waiting for me at the end of the line, but I like you. I like you enough for not wanting you to distance yourself from me."
Darius pulls me in. He hugs me so tight. I can smell his cologne mixed with the cigarette he just smoked earlier. Like I said when we were in the elevator, his smell is like a drug to me. And the cigarette gives an additional flavor on him. I really addicted to his smell. To him.
He let go just to kiss my forehead then my temple. "You still smell like a chocolate." I look at his eyes. "And that always turn me on. You have no idea how close I was to hug you and kiss you whenever we were in my office."
Darius presses his lips on mine then puts his hands on my waist, closing the distance between us. His lips is so soft yet so dangerous. As he pulls me closer, I wrap my arms around his gorgeous neck. The kiss begins deeper and deeper. It took a while for me for finally open my mouth, accepting his tongue. When I give him an explicit approval, without hesitant he pushes his tongue to meet mine. And our tongues dance together, adding fire to this kiss. I feel butterflies in my chest and my belly. And I definitely feel my heart beats faster than usual. I don't know that I was starving until I taste him.
I pull Darius' hair. I guess that give him a signal how bad I want him. Because, next thing I know his hands already inside my shirt and he caresses my back carefully. I feel tingling and goosebumps when his fingers touch my skin. I can hear he groans and I swear I was moaning too. Darius still kisses me and teases me with his finger caressing my back. And I too tease him by caressing his neck and pull his hair and brush his hair.
But, he breaks off the kiss. His lips are swollen and I bet mine too. He looks deeply into my eyes without any words and stroke my hair carefully. I can feel something meaningful at every stroke on my hair.
He kisses my forehead long enough then hugs me tightly. This one feels like he just found me after a long, tiring, endless searching. And I hug him back as I feel a relief in my heart that he finally found me.