XXI - Basorexia
Basorexia
/ba-sO-'rek-sE-a/
noun
the overwhelming desire to kiss; a strong urge to kiss someone
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Her heart was beating wildly inside her chest. She can't believe he told her that.
It has been 15 minutes since Noah went inside his bathroom. She was sitting on his bed while fidgeting the button up shirt that she was wearing. It smells just like him.
The door of the comfort room creaked open revealing a stiff Noah. He was looking everywhere but her. It was like he can't look at her. Wait a minute. Was he shy?
A soft giggle reached his ears. He looked at where the sound came from and found Jess giggling to herself. With all the dignity left in him, he approached her. He reminded himself not to be awkward around her, not after what happened. Why would he be awkward around her? It was normal right? He was her boyfriend. She was his girlfriend.
"Why are you laughing?" He sitted beside her.
"Are you shy?" She was still giggling.
His eyes widened at her question. "N-no. Why w-would I be? Ha. Ha." He wanted to just die. Even his laugh was awkward as hell.
"Okay. If you say so." She stopped laughing at him and stared at him while still smiling.
Why doesn't she feel awkward around him? After what happened? He didn't want to bring that up anymore. "Are you hungry?"
"That was by far the most romantic question you've ever asked. Yes, I'm hungry." It was his turn to laugh.
He picked her up despite her telling him that she could walk like a normal human being.
"I could walk you know." She put her arms around his neck.
"Not if I wanted you like this."
"Like what?"
"I'd carry you all the time as long as I have the strength to."
What is it with him and his habit of making her heart soar? She rested his face on his neck. He let out a hearty laugh. When she took a look at him, his eyes held mirth. She just knew as much as she was happy with him he was happy with her too.
He placed her into a stool in his kitchen counter. "You can cook?" She inquired when he started rummaging in his kitchen.
"Yeah." He said distractedly, opening the fridge to get some ingredients.
"I'm jealous. I can't."
"I guess that's one of the reasons why you shouldn't leave me." He approached her and kissed her forehead then proceeded to wear an apron and cut some vegetables. His back was facing her and it was instantly one of the sexiest things she saw. A guy cooking for you. That's sexy alright.
But as if she could ever leave him. "You could teach me."
"Some other time love. I want to take care of you today." He looked at her and smiled.
There it was again. His rare smile. But now that she thought of it, it wasn't so rare anymore. He would smile when she's with him.
The kitchen was quiet. He was busy cooking for them and she looked like a child sitting there, not doing anything. So she decided to tell him some random stuffs about her.
"You know before, even until now, my mother would scold me because I can't cook."
"She won't scold you anymore once she found out you have someone to cook for you."
True. "Yeah. She would always tell me that if I can't learn how to cook then I must find a man who doesn't know how to eat. But that's impossible right? It was her way of telling me not to get into a relationship if I still don't know how to cook."
"What she said was reasonable." He joked. "Lucky you, you've found me. I can cook for you till you don't want to eat anymore."
"I think you just want to make me fat."
"What's wrong with that? Fat or not as long as you're my Jess I'd still love you the same."
If it was possible to fall in love with a person you're already in love with then she'd be so smitten with him, but that word looked like it wasn't enough anymore.
She opened her mouth to say something but the door rung exactly at that moment.
"I'll get it." She offered.
Noah nodded but when she stood up and he realized what she was wearing he immediately stopped her. "Love, wait!"
She looked back to see him coming towards her. "I'll get it. You should sit down." He kissed her forehead and went for the door.
She waited for him, sitting while looking around the penthouse. Not five minutes later, he came back with a package.
"What's that?" She asked when he set it down the counter.
"Let's see." He took a cutter and opened the package. When she saw the case she already knew what it was. "I broke your glasses. I'm sorry." He looked really apologetic. She smiled at him to tell him to forget it. "Here it is love."
He made her wore the glasses. "How is it?"
"How did you know my prescription?"
"I took your glasses from before and I told someone to get the same glasses. They told me it was over 400." Jess nodded.
"Yeah. Quite bad isn't it?" She inspected the glasses. It was rose-gold.
"But you're the only person who sees the good in me." Noah spoke softly.
She looked at him and saw love in his eyes. He stares at her with this soft expression on his face that tells her he was in love with her as much as she is with him.
"Look." He took the glasses from her and pointed at the glasses' temple.
"Oh wow."
"I made them engrave your name there." Her name was written beautifully in cursive on the sides. Jessica. "And here on the other side is Noah's wife." Mahana.
She looked at him and gave him a soft smile. "Thank you. You didn't have to."
He only shook his head. "I wanted to." They were staring at each other when he slowly leaned in. When their faces are only an inch away, Jess spoke.
"Can you smell that?" Noah sniffed the air. The thick air of romance immediately dissipated and was replaced with a burning smell.
"Shit. My chicken!" She had never seen him pull away so fast from her. She was laughing at him when he turned off the stove. He let out a loud sigh. "Don't tempt me when I'm cooking or we'll burn the house down."
"I didn't do anything." In her defense, she wasn't tempting him or anything.
Noah only shrugged. No matter what she does, even if she's not really doing anything, if it's her, he will always be tempted.
Later that day, Jess received a call from Via asking her if she was fine. The two talked to each other as if they haven't seen each other in years. When the topic was about Nathan, Via only sighed telling Jess that he wasn't himself these past few days. She knew he felt guilty. She wanted to comfort him, he was her bestfriend afterall.
"Love?" Noah called from his bedroom. She was currently sitting on his couch, watching Disney movies in his living room.
"Hmm?" She asked distractedly. She was now watching Tangled and she was at the point where Rapunzel thought Eugene betrayed her.
Noah appeared from his room and took a seat beside her. "I know I said I'd take care of you today but I need to go to work. It's urgent and important. I'm sorry." She paused the movie and looked at him. Why is he saying sorry?
"No, it's fine. You should go. I'll be fine by myself." She assured him but he only shook his head. Is he planning on not going to work again because of her?
"Come with me?" She didn't expect his next words to be like that.
"What?"
"If it's okay with you. Come with me. I want--need you there." She immediately sensed that something was wrong. She cupped his face making him sigh.
"What's wrong Noah?" He doesn't want to tell her.
"I just need you there with me and I don't want to leave you here alone. Please." The truth was he got a call from Neo telling him that his father was on his way to his penthouse. He didn't want his father to know about Jess. He knew what kind of a person he is. He was sure his father would make Jess as a leverage when he needed something. And he didn't like that. He wanted her out of his family's mess. He doesn't want her being used against him, it would mean defeat.
"Okay." She agreed. If it would make him comfortable for her to be there then she was fine with that.
"Thank you. Now let's get dressed." They needed to get out of there, fast. Her eyes widened. "Separately." He added, already reading her mind. He could've laughed but he chose not to. She was not ready for that part of the relationship and he was willing to wait for her. She could take all the time in the world and he would still wait, even respect her for that.
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"You own this?!" Her jaw dropped to the floor. They were outside Noah's "office". And by office she meant a whole building. It was so big she couldn't count nor distinguish, not in her shocked state, the floors of the building. She remembered he had said it was a gaming company and she only thought it was the same skyscraper sort of building but this, she was so amazed by the architectural design.
He chuckled at her. "Yes love. Come on."
He pulled her to him and held her hand. He doesn't give a fuck about what people said. It's normal to bring his girlfriend to work.
"You're loaded." She concluded when she saw the interior of the building.
He looked beside him to see her being so awed by her surroundings. He couldn't help but chuckle. He chose not to reply though.
"Which floor exactly is your office?" She was aware of the people staring at them. Some whispered to each other but like Noah, she ignored all of them. She couldn't help but feel uncomfortable though, she didn't like being looked nor judge at and these people were doing exactly just that.
"Top floor." He was pissed at his employees for being too nosy. He knew Jess was trying her best not to feel uncomfortable. He walked faster trying to escape the judging eyes of the crowd. He didn't give a fuck about what they will say, what he was worried for was her. He didn't want her to feel uncomfortable around him because of this.
"You okay?" He asked when they were in the elevator.
"Yeah. Just a little overwhelmed. When you said you have employees working for you I didn't know it was that many." She told him honestly. And the fact that those people she saw was only on the first floor, she couldn't help but ask herself how many people exactly are depending on Noah?
"You don't like it?" At this point he knew to himself that he'd do whatever she says. Whipped culture everyone.
"No! I think it's great. A lot of people depends on you. It means you're really responsible and smart." She likes that in a man. She didn't say it out loud though.
He smiled softly. The elevator dinged, signalling them that they've reached the top floor, his office. They stepped out.
"I'll give you a tour some other time, you're still not well from what I can see." She's alright now but Noah was being Noah again.
"Okay." She chose not to argue.
He opened the door to his office for them and let her in first. He heard her gasp and then he locked the door.
"This.Is.Amazing." She said, slowly. Even in the interior of his office there were plants littering. "You love plants." She assumed.
"No. Neo does. He said it would make him work more effective. Said it brings peace to his mind or somewhere along those lines." They weren't a company that sells plants to people, some might misunderstand. Neo just loves plants. Weird but that guy was one of the smartest man he'd ever met.
"Oh." She should tell Via. The girl would probably plant his house grass. "So...." She looked at him finally done with being awed although she was still actually awed.
"So?" He parroted.
"You have work. You should go. You said it's urgent and important."
He only chuckled and walked closer to her. There was no urgent or important work. He just wanted to get them out of the penthouse as soon as possible. "You're more important love." He held her waist. He could feel her heart beat accelerating. It only made him smirk. He did that.
"You were a CEO before you became my boyfriend. You should go." As if that would make him go away.
"Try again." He challenged.
"You've been absent for weeks, shouldn't you be guilty you're only letting your employees do all the work?"
"Try harder babe." Her heart jumped with the endearment. With one hand he used it to lean on his desk and the other to grasp her waist completely caging her in. She didn't even realized they were at his desk now.
"W-what if you go bankrupt? You'll make thousands jobless and peniless. Neo will suffer too. You will suffer too. Everyone will hate you because you were too lazy to go to work." Dramatic, she knows.
"You won't." He was impossible. He was still smirking. If he can't be put off by using others then she'll use herself. No other choice.
"I will." The moment she said that his smirk turned into a frown. "You will make people suffer with you."
"You'll hate me because I'll make them suffer?"
"Yes." Surely, it would work, right?
She heard him laugh.
"Oh love. Alright I'll go do something. I'll find Neo." She clearly did her best. She smiled at him.
"Good." She patted herself in the back mentally.
"But you seem to be forgetting something."
Confused, she stared at him. "What?"
"A kiss." With no warning at all he leaned in while caging her in his arms. Kissing her passionately that it took her breath away. When he pulled away, she was panting.
"You said it was only a kiss." She told him while looking in his eyes. His were a storm of grey. Need, want and love swirling in them she couldn't find the will to say no when his lips landed on hers again.
"Couldn't." Kiss. "Get." Kiss. "Enough." She was gripping his desk tightly she knew her knuckles were white. She slowly freed them from gripping the desk and set her palms on his chest. It only made him pull her closer. He bit her bottom lip, slightly gnawing on it making her breathe momentarily then went back to kissing her again. No matter how many times they do this, it always felt like their first time. She was everything he could ever ask for, he couldn't get enough of her. He just wanted to kiss her any chance he got.
"Oh shit! Porn!" They heard someone screamed.
She quickly pushed Noah away from her. Breathing loudly. To be seen kissing was never in her book and it made her embarrassed. Shyly she pulled Noah close and hid her face on his chest.
He grunted. "What the fuck do you want Neo?" He was beyond annoyed. Freaking bad timing. He was going to kill his friend. He held her close to him aware that she was embarrassed with being caught.
"Sorry man. I didn't know you were doing versace on your desk hehe." His murder plan for Neo was already laid out completely and successfully on his head.
He gave him a glare while Neo was still looking like he was constipated. He sighed and held Jess's face in his hands. She looked at him sheepishly. "Hey baby. I'm just going to do some work with Neo. Stay here, yeah?" She nodded. He gave her a smile and gave her a peck on her lips. "I promise I'll be back soon." She leaned in when he gave her forehead a kiss.
"Okay." They pulled away from each other.
He had never felt that cold before. He decided he needed to finish whatever it is that needed to be done.
"You ready now Romeo?" Neo called making Noah pissed even more.
When the two finally left after giving each other playful punches it immediately washed over her how powerful and capable Noah was. He was still 23 but he's managing his own company already. It makes her feel proud. He went through the toughest times but he's successful and happy now. She wondered if he was this happy before she came. She might be assuming things but she knows she makes him happy as much as he does with her. It made her think back when he said this, all of his success, meant nothing when she wasn't with him.
Three loud knocks made her pause her thoughts. Is Noah back already? That fast? She walked towards the door and quickly opened it thinking it was Noah. But when she opened it, it was a man who looked like he was in his mid forties. He looked familiar too.
"Who are you?" The deep baritone voice of the man asked her. She didn't know what to say. What would she tell him? That she was the girlfriend of the owner of the building they were standing? "Do you work here?"
"N-no Sir." She didn't know but she was intimidated with the presence of this man. He looked at her from head to toe and it made her want to cover herself.
"I see. You're his whore." His statement made her look at him. Whore? His? Noah's?
"W-What?" Perhaps her tongue left her mouth. She couldn't speak without getting nervous in front of this man and it was not the kind of nervous she felt around Noah.
"Where's Noah? I need to speak with him." His voice was full of authority that it made her want to follow him.
"Who are you?" If this man was some bad guy who wanted something from Noah then she wouldn't let him find him that easily. Nervous or not, intimidated or not, she was going to send him away.
He looked at her as if telling her she doesn't have the right to ask him that. She instantly felt little. "Let's just say I'm a very important person in his life." She doubted that. This man looked bad, Noah wouldn't engage himself in people like him.
"H-he's not here." Why did she have to stutter. He only smirked at her and pushed her out of his way. She hit her back against the door. That was really mean.
When the man realized that she was telling the truth he looked at her with anger in his eyes. "Where is he?" Oddly, she wasn't scared. Maybe because her urge to protect Noah from this man was stronger than her fear.
"I told you he's not here." He approached her and gripped her right arm tightly.
"Little girl, you don't know who I am. Tell me where the fuck is he or I'm going to do something that will make you cry." He sneered. It looked like he badly wanted to speak to Noah and it didn't settle well with her.
"I don't know where he is." She was telling the truth. All she knows is Noah was with Neo but she didn't know exactly where they are. The grip on her arm was bruising it made her wince painfully.
She heard him mutter something but all she could make out of his muttered words were "whore". She wanted to kick him. She was anything but that.
"You're lying. We both know that. Now, I'm going to ask you one more time. Where is he?" His grip tightened even more. She whimpered silently. She wanted to tell him to let go but someone pushed the man away from her making him stumble and hitting his back against the same door she'd hit her back on. He pulled her close to his chest as if protecting her from any harm and with a livid voice he spoke with the coldest tone she'd ever heard on him.
"Touch her again and I swear I'll fucking kill you even if you're my fucking father!"