FORTY-FIVE

‘How are you feeling today?’

She woken up to Alexander’s message on Monday, and she had chosen to ignore it. That hadn’t been the only thing she had woken up to; the cramps, nausea, and bloating that usually accompanied her period weighed down on her heavily. She had thought her mood would be better today but she had never been more wrong about anything, she was suddenly upset and sad, and depressed, even Loki could hardly cheer her up.

The plan had been simple, she was supposed to wake up; feed Loki and make sure he was alright before she tended to her activities and went to work. Yet here she was, lying in bed with sore nipples, a bloated stomach, and a stiff waist; she obviously wouldn’t be able to go to the office today! And the fact that it would seem like she was following Alexander’s orders upset her deeply; she wanted to be defiant for once, she wanted him to know that he had truly upset her this time, that he had… hurt her.

The day had just begun yet she was already overwhelmed, she didn’t a genius to point out the fact that it was going to be a long and agonizing day.

Her eyes widened slightly when her phone began ringing softly with Alexander’s contact displayed on the screen, she stared at it for a couple of seconds before silencing it and tossing her phone aside. She pushed the covers off herself and climbed out of bed while being careful not to put too much strain on her stiff back and waist. She groaned quietly on seeing that her sheets were stained; she was in no mood to change the sheets, she merely wanted to take a shower and get back to bed.

Her gaze flickered to Loki when he rushed over to her to rub his head against her feet, she couldn’t help but wonder if he was truly so friendly or if he was just trying so hard to be nice so he didn’t have to return to the pet store. She shook her head at the thought; it was a dog for heaven’s sake, it didn’t know how to put on an act.

At least she knew he was real….

“Good morning…..” She cooed quietly. “Slept well?”

Loki’s noisy breathing filled the room as he wagged its tail enthusiastically. She offered him a faint smile before heading to the bathroom to freshen up.

……

The day had been slow and torturous for Yalda, she had gone from trying to hold herself together to eventually crumbling and crying. Perhaps she had expected Alexander to call again, or at least text to find out how she was doing, yes, she wouldn’t have responded, but she would have at least been pacified knowing he was thinking about her.

Loki seemed to have noticed her mood because he had quietly settled down beside her to probably offer her some comfort, it was little, literally, but she appreciated the gesture. At this point, she was beginning to wonder if she had made the right decision about getting a dog; what if her depressing life eventually rubbed off on the poor guy? What if he got lonely when she went to work?

Perhaps being impulsive wasn’t the best option.

A knock at the door had her gaze as well as Loki’s darted to the passage when her door bell rang. She was in no mood for visitors but she stood up nonetheless, perhaps the guy from the pet store had brought the toys he spoke about yesterday. She made her way towards the door with Loki following closely.

The door bell rang again and she rolled her eyes subtly; the sound was almost irritating. She reached out and opened the door while pulling on a courteous smile, however, the smile faded the very second her eyes were met with the all too familiar pair of greys. Alexander stood there dressed regally in a black suit, looking like the most handsome demon there was.

Her heart stilled momentarily and her breath hitched; she suddenly couldn’t think straight, she didn’t know how to react.

“You did not answer my call or respond to my message.” He said with no preamble.

That snapped her out of her daze and her eyes narrowed.

“Yes, because I didn’t want to talk to you.” She responded quietly.

“We need to talk.” He said.

She shook her head.

“I think you should leave.” She replied.

His brow arched slightly.

“You want me to leave?” He asked her in what seemed to be disbelief.

She nodded.

It was his turn to shake his head. He stepped closer to her and she impulsively backed away from him but ended up bumping into Loki whose presence hadn’t been noticed at all till now.

“Loki!” She exclaimed exasperatedly. “I could have stepped on you.”

Alexander’s brow arched once more as he stared down at Loki who seemed to have had absolutely no idea of what Yalda had said. It noticed his stare and he was surprised with padded over to him to rub its head against his shoes.

“Developed a liking for Pomeranians just like you did for teddies?” He asked her as his gaze flickered back to hers.

Knowing she couldn’t actually make him leave, she turned around and began heading back to the living room.

“Come, Loki.” She said to the dog who was too busy trying to make a new friend. She waited a few seconds for him to catch up, and when he didn’t, she rolled her eyes and proceeded to the living room.

Pushing a throw pillow aside, she settled down on a couch while brooding quietly. Alexander was here again, he had only just arrived yet he was already making her this way, he was already making her mind and heart act up.

Yes, she had been upset that he hadn’t reached out to her, and the fact that he was here now should have made her feel better but just didn’t at the moment.

“Since when did you have a dog?” Alexander’s smooth voice came from the hallway as he made his way into the living with Loki in his arms.

“Does it really matter?” She asked him. It wasn’t like he actually cared.

“Maybe not. What matters is how you’re feeling today.” He said as he settled on the couch opposite hers. “I can see that you’re still very upset”.

Her gaze tiredly flickered up to meet his. She stared at him why trying her possible best to understand him, to understand why he was the way he was.

“I don’t want to talk to you if you won’t answer my questions.” She told him.

“How can I answer your questions when you seem so unwell? I don’t want to upset you further.” He relied.

She chuckled humorlessly as she shook her head.

“I’m not unwell, I’m on my period.” She told him.

He nodded considerably.

“That explains your mood.” He said.

“Don’t act like you care about my mood.” She said.

He crossed one leg over another as he leaned back into his seat.

“Careful, Yalda, you’re being rather rude.” He said calmly, but something about the way he spoke warned her against taking him lightly.

Her throat clenched as she glared at him, it was all she could do.

“Just leave me alone.” She said quietly.

“What else did you find out about me while doing your little research?” He asked her.

Why would she tell him when he never told her anything?

“What does it matter?” She asked him.

His distant gaze stared back at her for a moment before he rolled his eyes and shook his head. They were obviously both irritated.

“Nadia was my father’s secretary, as you mentioned.” He said to her surprise. Her eyes widened slightly and she sat upright as she realized he was actually talking about his past.