note: this chapter was exciting to write so I hope you lovelies enjoy it as well. Please do drop your thoughts in the comments, I'd love to hear them, and do vote if you liked the chapter!
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No matter how much he tried, he could not forget what happened two weekends ago.
Talia's words kept circulating his mind. She was getting married. To Simon. The bastard who went behind his back and slept with his wife. She was getting married to the man he thought was a friend, to the man who betrayed him for a woman, to the man who took his place and filled in his shoes in his old household.
Aurora would have another dad now and this fact unsettled Andrew. He wasn't happy about it, especially because that man was the one who betrayed him. Simon would get to spend more time with his daughter than he did and he couldn't begin to see where the fairness in that lay.
It had been a mere three days since the weekend and he already missed Aurora. His arms felt empty. His old routine consisted of hugging her every morning before going to work and hugging her every night as he tucked her into bed and kissed her gently on the forehead, after her eyes had slid shut, tired from the day, his stories lulling her to sleep.
Telephone conversations only went so far. He needed his daughter's physical presence, to feel her laugh not get automated through the phone. He called every night and every night Talia let him speak to their daughter for just a few minutes before bed. He looked forward to every weekend but he didn't want to have to — he wanted to be able to see her every day, to hug her every morning, to kiss her goodnight every night, to tell her tales that weren't found in many English books because these stories came from his mother, her Nainai.
Andrew breathed out a deep sigh, trying to shift his focus back to work as the elevator doors opened. He walked straight to his office, not exactly ignoring those around him but not in the right mood to interact with anyone until he had his coffee.
The thought of coffee made him smile, not because he loved it so much, but because of a conversation he'd had recently with London. She was a tea person and he was a coffee person. He liked tea, he didn't think it was so bad but he preferred coffee over tea. Bitter over sweetness but then London made him tea and her tea was not as sweet as the teas he'd had before.
"Tea isn't meant to be as bitter as coffee but I hate when it's overloaded with sugar or any sweetness. It's got to have the right balance," she had said, taking a sip of from her own cup of tea, her eyes radiating with happiness.
It might have been a trivial moment but he suspected that he'd treasure it for a long time in his heart. Seeing her happy, knowing how much she loved tea and how she took it — it brought him a joy he hadn't quite felt before.
He sipped his coffee just as there was a knock on his office door.
The day went by faster than he'd anticipated and when he lifted his head up from the pile of work that he was still in the middle of, exhaustion filled his bones and lazily his eyes dragged to the clock hanging by the wall.
It was past nine. In the night!
Suddenly alerted, he searched for his phone on the mess that was his desk and when he found it, he grabbed it quickly, fumbling for a moment to unlock it before he called his old house number.
It rang once, twice, thrice—
"You're late. She's already in bed," were the first words he heard when the phone picked up and his heart instantly deflated. The tiredness that he was quick to forget when realising what time it was came flooding right back into his body.
"She didn't want to call?" Andrew asked, unable to help himself from feeling the hurt.
He missed Aurora.
"She did. She waited for your call while watching TV but nothing came and when she asked to call, I told her it was time for bed," Talia told him matter-of-factly, her tone so victorious that it only managed to make him feel more annoyed.
"You could have just let her call," he found himself saying, speaking his mind without thinking twice. Everything needed to be thought out before speaking them with Talia. "A little less sleep will not kill her. It's not even ten yet!"
Talia laughed on the other line and it grated on his nerves yet again. "And you ask me why I'm always so hesitant to let you be around her all time. Your parenting skills, or lack of thereof, are really shining right now."
If Andrew were to continue this conversation, the tiredness from the day would eventually win and seconds from now, the conversation would turn into a heated argument. He decided to be the better person, to take in a deep breath, curtly tell her goodnight and hang up before she had the chance to spit out anything spiteful to him.
He buried his head into his hands, groaning. It had been a long day. He had let work consume him, which at first was a good thing because it stopped him from overthinking about Talia's engagement and if she truly had any ulterior motives, but now it had come to bite him in the arse. He missed his call time with his daughter and that, mostly, were the highlight of his days.
London entered his mind. He had forgotten to call her and ask her how her interview for the sous chef position went. Sighing, he picked his head back up again, massaging his temples. He didn't have a headache yet but he needed a short break. He wanted to dive back into his work, finish it off and have a less packed day tomorrow. He glanced outside the blinds and saw that people were still around. Not as many but a few people who needed to pull all-nighters to meet tomorrow's deadline.
He was not looking forward to that meeting at all.
He decided to call London, hoping she was not tired out from the day or mad that he'd let work take over his day so much so that he'd forgotten about her interview.
She picked up on the second ring.
"Andrew!" London said as soon as she picked up.
"I know I'm an arse for not calling any earlier but I got so absorbed into work," he started but before he could even ask how her audition for sous chef went, she was already talking.
"I love that you're working. Borderline workaholic but I've come to realise that it's a way of coping without your daughter. You'd rather be at the office than an empty home," London said, her tone full of worry and her words stunned him. His old routine had broken and in its place was a slightly less healthy one, and having her blatantly lay it out in words, something that he's been doing but not thoroughly thought through, was sort of like whiplash. She was observant as always and for a second he let himself worry that this was enough for her to distance herself because she'd had her fair share of reservations about starting a relationship with him in the first place but then she said, more softly that he could just about hear the concern caress her voice, "Have you eaten yet?"
He paused, still at a loss for words. Not even two minutes into the call and he felt better, having to hear her voice and her concern. It was nice to be cared about.
"I haven't had dinner yet. I got lost in work and then when I called Aurora she was asleep. And now I feel like an arse because I forgot about your audition and I'm so sorry about that. I promise I'll make it up to you tomorrow."
He heard her laugh from the other sideline, amused. "You know, I was slightly annoyed when you didn't call after to ask how it went but you did wish me luck in the morning so it was okay. I figured you buried your head in work again."
Her words did nothing to lessen his guilt. "I'm sorry, London. I'm an arse, I know. Can I make it up to you tomorrow?"
"A hot, sexy arse, yes," she laughed in agreement. His heart lifted at that, feeling her laugh wash part of his exhaustion away.
"How about tonight?"
"What?"
"I'll bring takeout for dinner for you and we can have dinner together. I just clocked off of work so I can grab something for us on the way," she proposed.
He smiled, closing his eyes and enjoying the momentary happiness and relief that he felt. "That sounds perfect."
He hung up and texted her the address. Half an hour later, there was a knock at his office door.
He opened the door and there stood London, chatting to Charlie, a co-worker of his who chose to spend her night finishing last minute details for the big meeting tomorrow, like the rest of those who still lingered around the office.
Andrew's stomach grumbled when he spotted the bags of Chinese takeout in her hands. He hadn't mentioned what he was craving when she suggested takeout and was glad that she had somehow read his mind. He opened the door for her, letting her through.
"Your girlfriend's cute," Charlie said, shooting him a wink before smiling and walking back to her desk.
Feeling elevated, he closed the door behind him. He cleared his desk as best as he could and they unpacked the bags and boxes, diving straight in. They ate in silence, both enjoying their meal.
Once Andrew was finished, he looked at London, who sat opposite to him by his desk. "You're a lifesaver," he smiled.
She took a sip of water and frowned. "You look dead, babe," she commented, worry in her eyes.
His heart only softened at her concern. "I know I look a mess and it's not very attractive but I needed to dive my head into work today," he explained.
She tilted her head, her black hair falling past her shoulders exposing her neck, her eyes connecting with his. She pursed her lips, drawing his attention instantly towards them. "I don't know," she mused, the playful tone in her voice making his heart take a few jumps, "I kind of find this hot and bothered look very sexy."
"Yeah?" he pushed, his smile turning into a smirk as she stood from her chair and started collecting the boxes, putting them into the bag. She rounded the table, standing in front of him. She picked up his takeout, box empty, and put in into the bag.
"Well," she played along, placing the pile of rubbish in the bag onto the desk, "Kind of. Not entirely."
He grabbed her waist, her tempting moves winning over him instantly, and pulled her onto his lap. She yelped, laughing and hitting his shoulder. Her face was near his, her breath fanning his face. Damn right, he was hot and bothered. Keeping a firm grip on her waist, he drew his face closer to hers, watching as her gaze grew hooded, her eyelashes dropped and her tongue came out to lick her lips.
"Not entirely, huh?" he asked, his voice gravelly low.
"Not entirely," she mumbled feebly.
Taking one hand from her waist, he cupped her neck, stroking his thumb against the base of her throat, his touch light and soft. Her eyes darkened, not once leaving his. She breathed, her breath mingling with his. His other hand on her waist moved to her bare knee, stroking it.
He brought his lips towards her, closing the little distance between them, and the instant her groan filled his mouth, he felt himself begin to dissolve as well. He moved his hand from cupping the base of her neck, to her hair, pulling her closer, his tongue sliding into her mouth, searching and yearning for more.
He pulled away, just as she began to reach for more. "Not entirely, huh?" he teased, his hot breath and hers mingling.
Her lustful dark eyes flared up. "Shut up and kiss me, Andrew Cai."
"The Queen's wish is my command," he whispered and she laughed. He smothered her giggles with kisses and the humour was quick to die as the heat built back up again. Her hands were in his hair, pulling, tugging. His hands were on her waist, then they cupped her arse as he pulled her closer towards, leaning back further on his chair. She straddled him, her hips starting to get to work as they moved against him, slowly and hotly.
Then there was a knock at the door.
London jumped off him in an instant, her face red as she tried to smoothen down her skirt. He looked down at himself and his eyes widened. There was no way he could hide that. Clearing his throat and pulling his chair back to his desk, he called out, "Come in."
He didn't even have time to clear his mind as his co-worker stepped in. "Just wanted to let you know that the blinds are open, sir, and um, we can see everything from outside."
Before he could so much as think of a reply, Charlie was out the door, closing it swiftly behind her.
"Oh my God," London exclaimed, hot in the face.
Andrew tried to play it cool. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about," he said, though he felt exactly that way.
"Are you kidding me?" she shrieked, "We were basically dry humping on your office chair with an audience!"
Sensing her panic, he tried to be funny as he said, "Didn't know you had an office kink," and got up from his chair, rounding his table and stepping in front of her, reaching for her elbow.
She glared daggers at him.
"I'm sorry," he said, drawing her nearer. "That's twice I've been an arse today. Can you forgive me?"
The smile she was fighting off made him smile wider. He was glad she felt calmer now as she shook her head at him and sighed. "Fine. I'll let you off the hook this time."
"Does that mean you're planning to come to my office some other time with the same intentions as today?"
"Andrew!" she hit his arm but couldn't stop laughing.
He smiled down at her. "How was your interview? We never got to talk about it," he said, putting all his focus back on her. Today was her day and the spotlight had somehow gotten stolen away.
"Let's go home and I'll tell you all about it," she suggested, raising her eyebrows.
He glanced behind him at his desk, at the pile that he still needed to get done before tomorrow afternoon for the meeting, and then he glanced back at London and there was no way he could say no. This was her day and even though he had a lot of pending work he had to attend to, he wanted to hear about her day. He cared more for his girlfriend than his work that very moment.
He'll have to do his best to get it all done tomorrow morning before the afternoon meeting. He'll probably have to cut lunch too, but it was all worth seeing that hopeful smile.
He smiled at her, pecking her lips before taking her hand. "Let's go home."