Chapter 6
Valencia
My wild dreams had just begun to come true, but then his phone buzzed.
I wanted to ask him to ignore it, but he checked the message, and his hazy eyes returned to normal.
“Sorry, something urgent came up.”
I blinked, but he had already pulled away, breathing hard.
I hadn’t even gotten time to process the kiss.
“More important than me?” I frowned.
But he bent down to brush his lips upon mine again, softly this time, and replied, “You know the answer is no.”
Then why did he have to leave so suddenly?
“Text me if you dream about work,” he said, turning toward the door.
“And if I dream about you?”
He looked over his shoulder. There was that smile again. The one that made my heart stumble.
“Then I’ll know I did my job.”
And then he was gone.
Leaving behind the scent of lavender. The imprint of his touch.
And a gnawing suspicion that I was falling into something deeper than either of us was ready for.
Sleep seemed to have abandoned me for a while. Because after he left, I simply lay on the bed, replaying my entire conversation with him over and over again.
My body could still feel his touch, the way his fingers loosened the knots of tension within me. And that kiss…
I couldn’t even begin to imagine what it was exactly.
My fingers traced over my lips, shuddering pleasantly while replaying the kiss in my head.
He had shown up just like I asked, done chores he had no business doing, served me, and then left.
Just like the good intern he was supposed to be.
He could have gone further and beyond the kiss if he wanted to. Hell, I had begged him for the kiss.
For much more.
But he had restrained himself.
Why?
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Was he suddenly beginning to doubt what he had gotten himself into? Had the excitement and whimsical nature of my offer already lost its spark?
I kept staring at the ceiling for almost an hour, already missing him.
Then I grabbed my phone and texted him.
Me: Did my good boy reach home safely?
He had left at an odd hour. I was supposed to ask if my intern reached home, right?
I waited for a few seconds, and then the bubbles appeared in the chatbox.
He was typing.
Him: I didn’t expect to progress from your intern to a good boy already.
I saw myself blush in the mirror opposite my bed and placed my hands on my eyes.
I was behaving like a high school girl with a major crush on the hottest guy in the school, who suddenly noticed her.
No, I was the boss here. I had to act like one.
Me: You didn’t answer me.
Him: Sorry, my lady. I will be home in a while.
I typed so fast my fingers hurt.
Me: When can I see you next?
Him: I’ll be there tomorrow, my lady.
I giggled at that response, kicking my feet in the air.
At least, now I knew I was not going to return to an empty home. That thought had me feeling a kind of peace I had not felt in years.
Smiling to myself, I pulled the sheets up, tucked myself in, and went to sleep.
And when the sound of the alarm woke me up the next day, my hands did not go to the snooze button.
I stretched myself and yawned, feeling refreshed.
I had not even bothered changing my work clothes and had fallen asleep in the same office attire.
So I began undressing while also looking at my apartment.
Was it mine?
I had just not realized the extent to which my call boy had gone to ensure the place was clean. Not a speck of dirt could be spotted, and not a thing was out of place. He had not just deep-cleaned the sofa and folded laundry, but he had also taken out trash, put all the things lying around in their designated spots, and when I opened the fridge, I also found a plate of sandwiches waiting for me.
There was a note sticking to the plate that said, “Just reheat them in the oven. Don’t have just coffee and head to work.”
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I blinked.
How did he know I did that every morning? Sometimes, I didn’t even make coffee and just grabbed one cup on the way if
time allowed.
Was this man a genie that I found by a stroke of luck?
My steps had a bounce to them as I walked through the entire apartment, waltzing in and out of the bathroom, singing to myself as I put on clothes before grabbing the reheated sandwiches along with a cup of coffee.
They were simple yet delicious.
Had he made them yesterday? He had not sneaked in to make breakfast for me and disappeared again, had he?
Pulling my phone out, I texted him.
Me: Good morning, the sandwiches taste good.
The reply was instant.
Him: Glad you loved them. You can also share what else you like so I can make it for you.
I chuckled to myself.
Me: So you are a master chef as well?
Him: Not yet, but I can try.
I smiled while nibbling on the sandwich, and his reply came again. Just a second later.
Him: For you.
I stared at the screen:
They were simple words. But the way he typed it, my mind was already imagining him saying that to me.
My phone rang once again, and I grabbed it so fast that I almost toppled my dish along with the sandwiches.
And when I saw the caller’s name, my mood deflated like a popped balloon.
It was not him but the only friend I had managed to make in this city, Sophia.
“Hey Soph, what’s up?” I asked and she chirped back.
“Good morning to you, too. You never called me to inform me how it was.”
“How was what?” I asked dumbfoundedly.
“Wolves and Whiskey? The not so shady place, I begged you to visit.”
Oh right. She was the one who had coaxed me to pay that place a visit.
“Fine,” I muttered, taking a sip of my coffee.
“Just fine? Did you not meet anybody there?” she asked, and I placed the coffee cup and my dish in the sink.
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Chapter 6
“Are you calling me at 7 am to ask about that? Really?” I put the phone on speaker and washed my hands before patting them dry with the kitchen towel.
That had been washed and dried, too, I noticed.
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Along with the kitchen tiles that did not bear any oil or butter stains.
Now, I was beginning to feel guilty instead of amazed.
Just what would he think of me? A dirty, messy person who can’t keep anything clean?
Is that why he left so early?
“Not really, but yes,” Sophie replied and sighed. “You are wasting the prime years of your lif,e drowning in work, Val. Life has much more to it than files and spreadsheets.”
I snorted while grabbing my purse and putting on sandals.
“Like going on blind dates and shopping, yeah.”
“That too. But I meant living, Val. Do you even have anybody to call at 3 am apart from me?” She argued.
I did.
But I didn’t tell her yet.
It felt like he and I were my special secret that was only meant for me.
“I sleep like a baby, so there’s nothing keeping me up at 3 am to wonder about either way. And I am getting late for work, Soph. See you later.”
Sophia stifled a yawn.
“How’s work?”
“I have pending files from last night, thanks to you.”
“You are such a buzzkill, Valencia. Fine, enjoy your date with work.”
I got into my car to drive to work. It was nothing fancy, a pick up truck that I bought from a garage sale, even when Sophia argued I could afford a new car.
I didn’t need one.
“Cool. I am going to visit a few boutiques later today. Want to join me?” ·
I would usually jump on that offer because it was better than staying alone and staring at the walls in my home, but today I had something to look forward to.
“Sorry, not today. See you later,” I said and disconnected the call.
He had promised to meet me tonight as well.
And I was looking forward to our meeting already.
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