Until later?

Karina

I walk around the office tense and with a horrible burning sensation in my stomach, looking around in search of a certain being. And even so, when Wesley approaches, I get the biggest fright.
— Karina, can you stay late today? — talk and I'll stay instantly nervous about your presence.
I'm used to "platonic loves", I had a lot of them when I was a teenager and to this day I create too many fictional scenarios in my mind, where the person magically starts to like me too, without me needing to show my feelings first, doing everything to make me happy. to conquer.
- Until later? — I ask and the lawyer doesn’t seem to notice how
I'm anxious today, as he himself seems very stressed, he even took off his tie.
The office became a mess after the Dark Elves became our clients. Chaos seems to be a natural gift for this family, in addition to excessive secrets. Even I, as a secretary, don't know everything about their cases.
— We have a meeting tonight at 9 pm and I wanted you to help, then I can take you home. — He gives a small smile that makes me swallow hard.
Wesley is the ideal guy. Polite, good-natured and beautiful. Not handsome in the Klaus Dark Elf way, who looks more like a fallen angel with messy dark hair and a feral, malicious posture. Wesley is handsome in the ordinary way, with a bright smile and good manners.
- At 9? — I have doubts.
— I've already spoken to Former and he's going to pay overtime — he explains and I don't
I need to think twice about this.
Since yesterday, when I received the message about the fifteen thousand that I need to make appear out of nowhere, I have been hunting for every way in the world to make money quickly.
— Ah, yes… all right then. — I shrug, pretending that this wasn't the case.
a good proposal. I'm doing my best not to despair.
— I'll tell him that you accepted and there's no need to worry, I'll give you take it at home. — He gives me a quick wink and walks away as if he hadn't done anything.
Why did you wink at me?
— My God in heaven… — I say softly, not knowing if the wink was meant. even malicious.
However, Wesley has never been malicious or attempted a romantic approach, so I think it's definitely all in my head.


***


— Are you ready for the meeting? — he asks when I can barely keep my my eyes open wider and I'm just existing at my desk.
My money problem kept me in a spiral of stress. So much so that I even forgot about the wink from the lawyer with the honey-colored eyes and only remembered now that he's in front of me.
— Hm... I think so — I grumble and get up. My feet are me
killing and as most people left, since it's already dark outside, I took off my heels, which are mandatory, but I'm forced to put them back on because of this last meeting. — Which room should I go to? Has the customer arrived yet?
I tie up my hair properly, which is outside the bun, and try to keep myself tidy. I must be all rumpled. If I really wanted Wesley to like me, I don't think I should let him see me like this, so out of order, and I would have to be super feminine and smell like the best perfumes, like Gina, for example.
— Room 2 and no, he hasn't arrived yet.
- All good.
With my heels squeezing my blisters, I walk Wesley across the carpeted office. Things around here are simple, Former hasn't invested much in the image of the environments yet, which I think should change now that a bunch of millionaires decided to show up on our doorstep after the arrival of the Dark Elves.
— Well, since he's not here yet, I think there's time to make tea and... — Wesley speaks as he opens the door to the meeting room, but stops mid-sentence, as the lights come on to reveal a demonic figure sitting in one of the swivel chairs.
His posture is almost relaxed,almost, if it weren't for the tail behind him, flicking from side to side like an irritated cat.
— Hello, little human... — Klaus purrs the words that light up the my body like a bonfire and I'm left with my mouth open.
His outfit hasn't changed, he still wears dress pants and shirt and has somewhat disheveled hair. But in a strange way, here in the office, where everything is human and the furniture is simple, he seems more otherworldly, more dangerous.
As if that were possible...
Now that I'm not nearly having a syncope, I realize that the natural color of his eyes, when they're not glowing yellow, is a more mossy green.
His legs are stretched out and he is simply too big for the place. His hand on the armrest even appears to be holding a child seat, because his black-stained fingers are so long.
— How did you manage to get up here without anyone telling us?! — Wesley screams, eyes wide.
— The doormen tend to like me a lot… — Gives lightly shoulders, which makes me swallow hard and feel rooted to the ground. Damn, once again I should be running, but I can't!—I see you haven't changed anything, Karina, you still smell like fear like earlier today. — His attention stays on me and he wets his lower lip with his longer, pointier tongue.
Why are you so obsessed with this fear smell thing?!
— Do you already know each other?! — he asks scared and I want to kill this guy
damn elf with pointy ears and tanned skin!
His smell, which mixes mint, forest and something woody and warm, fills my nostrils and my mind becomes clouded, as there is a predator right in front of me, confronting me within the territory that should be safe.
— We had a meeting in a hotel room today at lunchtime, where Karina kindly called the police on me... — Her malicious and hoarse tone doesn't escape my body, which reacts by getting goose bumps.
He has the power to affect me with terror and anxiety like no other person.
I almost ask what happened after I left the hotel room. However, I don't want Wesley to know even more about the meeting and the damn proposal of a fake relationship with this… being, who can only be involving me in some kind of insane game.
— Was he the one you went to meet at lunch today? — Twist yours body to stare at me suspiciously and I want to die!
— N-it wasn’t quite like that. It wasn't a date.
— No, it wasn't a meeting, it was business — the Dark Elf clarifies.
Good heavens! I hope Wesley doesn't say any of this to Former or I'm screwed!
- What kind of business? —Unlike me, who almost had a After seeing Klaus for the first time, the lawyer seems to accept the situation much more easily, without thinking that he is an impostor.
Klaus stands majestically and I swallow hard, having to lift my chin to look at him from down here. It seems like he's royalty from somewhere and I'm a lowly commoner.
The shadow that the room's single lamp casts on him is truly frightening, emphasizing his horns even more. It's unlike anything I've ever seen, even in my dreams, or rather, in myNightmares.
— She still needs to sign some papers for me. — Klaus has a
malleability in his expressions, a sarcastic way of smiling at the corner of his mouth while he speaks, which I can notice better now, and which makes me even more tense. — But basically, Karina is my new female.
I almost have to hold my chin so it doesn't fall to the floor because my mouth opens so wide.
— Your new what?! — His voice gets even thinner and he has a look very harsh accusatory in his face.
—Actually, Mister Dark Elf is just joking! — I exclaim, trying fixing the situation and waving my arms, trying to make Wesley pay attention to me like those little guys who stand in front of aircraft with glow sticks. — He came here to talk about his family, didn't he? About important things and…
— No — Klaus interrupts my sentence abruptly. — About mine family you can talk to them directly. I came here to finalize our agreement, which I offered you before you, in a very rude way, ended our conversation — you speak as if I were a tantrum child. — What agreement do you have with this man, Karina?
— I don't have any agreement! None! — I look like a crazy person and everything gets worse inside me when Klaus decides to get closer, which makes me stick my body against the wall, trying to protect myself. — I-I'm just trying to fix things.
- What things? — Wesley keeps asking and my heart is
almost coming out of his mouth with each step of the persanes coming towards me, he only stops when the room is filled with a cell phone ringtone.
I'm so confused that it takes me a while to realize that the noise is coming from my device, with “Mother” written on the screen.
— I'll be right back — I say, without the courage to take my eyes off Klaus. as I leave. He's too unpredictable, I don't know what he's capable of and a part of me is even scared of leaving Wesley, however, I have no choice. My mother could be in big trouble.
As soon as I leave the room, I literally run to the nearest bathroom, with every bit of my foot hurting from the heels, and answer it before she hangs up.
- Hi how are you? I ask, breathlessly.
My mother calls me almost every day, it's our agreement, so I don't get too worried.
— Hi, Kari, yes it is.—her voice is weak, much softer than
Back in the day, when he was always shouting at me around the house. —I just called you to see if everything is okay with you, if you are eating properly.
— I'm eating well, don't worry about it and... — before you can
When I finish my sentence, I hear a strange noise and soon realize that he is coughing a lot on the other side. A thick cough that makes my heart race with fear. - Are you really OK? — I ask quickly, giving up talking about the risk of losing the house.
Better not stress her about it now.
— Yes, it's just a mild flu—explains, but she is very hoarse now and
struggling to speak between more coughs.
— We know that the chemotherapy may have made you weaker.
My mother has had cancer twice. This last time they ended up removing her breasts so that the disease wouldn't reappear, which, of course, had a huge impact on her esteem.
— That doctor I saw last said that…—Pause in the middle of word to cough even harder. —Everything was fine, no need to worry. I
finished chemotherapy a long time ago, my immunity must have returned to normal.
I wish I could be there with her now, except my hometown of Nolan has no jobs. It's a rural place and most people use family members as labor.
The grocery stores barely pay their employees and that is not enough to pay off the debt I owe to the hospitals or pay the several late monthly health plan payments.
My head even hurts more just remembering that. I'm sunk in debt and problems.
— It's been a while since you saw the doctor and you never made it back.
I remember them saying that your consultations have to be regular.
— It's okay, Karina. Don't worry about it, okay? I promise that
It's just a little flu, it doesn't mean anything.
My heart hurts so much that I have difficulty speaking and I spend the rest of the call trying to hide my crying. She's sick and I can't do anything.
Anything.