22 — Oh, no… not again.
No… There’s no way he’s flirting with me… Right?
I cough, feeling the piece of sandwich get stuck in my throat, so I take a sip of my coffee, trying to relieve the distressing feeling and this embarrassment…
“Well… I'll let you enjoy your lunch…. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me, okay?”
“Right, okay, thank you…” I give a forced smile and avert my eyes, feeling my cheeks heat up.
I try to eat as quickly as possible. Maybe it will give me indigestion that will haunt me for the rest of the day, but it feels strange to be under this man's eyes all the time… especially when we're complete strangers.
Even though he has dated my best friend, I have not met him… Actually, I didn’t even know which of the ex-boyfriends is he. Laura has a serious problem with man… she has terrible taste. They're usually very attractive, but always turn out to be problematic guys.
I remember her coming crying to my house saying that her last boyfriend broke up with her without saying why, that he just got tired of her… And I was furious, of course…
But that was before she got pregnant by my boyfriend… Before I see how she’s mean… Before I opened my eyes to her manipulations.
I don't know what to think anymore.
My phone rings, and I catch my eyes on the screen as taking the last sip of my coffee — it's a message from Julian,
**[Where are you?]**
A smile dawns on my lips as I type, **[Why? Missing me already?]**
And the answer doesn't take long to come, **[Always.]**
**[At the new restaurant that opened near the company…]**
I get ready to type some more, but I see that the Owner is in front of my table again, placing a piece of cheesecake on my table. As I lift my eyes to watch him, I notice that the smile doesn't waver on his lips.
“Oh, I think you delivered it to the wrong table…”
“Don't you like sweets?” He asks innocently.
“I like it, but-”
“Great. Don't worry, it's on the house.” The Owner interrupts me subtly, sliding his plate over the blame to me.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” He smiles, handing me a small spoon.
I take the spoon and bring a piece of the cheesecake to my lips… The delicious taste explodes on my palate, and a pleasurable moan escapes from the bottom of my mouth as I close my eyes to enjoy the texture on the tip of my tongue…
“Angelee?” I hear Julian's familiar voice and give a startled gasp, swallowing immediately. I raise my eyes and see that he's standing exactly beside me, passing his green eyes from me to the Owner.
“Julian?” my eyebrows frowned at the inquisitive tone.
I notice that he's looking at the Owner with a serious expression. My eyes land on the man's face as well, and he doesn't seem bothered, but his smile finally wilts, although the corner of his lips is naturally high and give a tease look to his expression.
And inevitably, my eyes return to Julian's face.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, casting a brief glance at the messages he sent at… five minutes ago?
“I was close.” He replies without looking at me but holds my chair. “I thought I'd come get you…. There's something we need to discuss; thought I could steal you for a bit before lunch is over.”
“Oh, is it urgent? Did something happen?” I stopped the piece of cheesecake on the way to my lips, feeling a shiver run down my spine.
“Nothing to worry about, you can finish eating.” I feel his hand come up to my shoulder.
“Really?”
He finally looks at me, stroking my shoulder, “Yes, my Angel. I'll pay the bill meanwhile.”
“No need-”
“Your mouth is dirty here.” He interrupts me, running his thumb over the corner of my mouth, and I feel my face — my whole body heat up.
I clear my throat, suddenly embarrassed, and dare not face either of them, as Julian turns away and walks over to the counter.
“How much was her bill?” I hear Julian ask, and raise my eyes fearfully, analyzing how wide his back looks even in his suit.
“$32 the Coffee and Club Sandwich.” The Owner says with a teasing smile that I can tell from here, it’s infuriating Julian.
“What about the cheesecake?” Julian asks, reaching for his wallet in his pants pocket, but the Owner's voice makes him freeze in place.
“It's on the house.”
I go for an even more generous piece — why doesn't it finish right away?
“No need for that, I insist on paying for the dessert.” Julian removes the black card from inside his wallet, and I take the remaining piece to my mouth, even though it's huge and possibly won't fit in my mouth.
“Don't worry about it, it's a courtesy to Angelee.”
*Wait, what?*
“Fine.” He stretches out the card and hands it to the Owner.
I sink my head between my hands. What is this situation?
… I close my eyes tightly, feeling my face burn with shame. How will I ever come back here again? Impossible.
“Shall we go, Angel?” I raise my eyes and find him standing beside me.
I take a deep breath and stand up, looking back to say goodbye to the Owner with a smile, “Thank you, it was delicious.”
Julian entangles my waist as he guides me to the exit of the restaurant.
And just outside, I allow him to guide me to the car that's surprisingly close by. He opens the car door and waits for me to get in, with a go-in-now expression. I huff and roll my eyes, stepping into the car.
What is going on with him today?
As the sound of the door closing hits my ears, I turn to see that not only has he gotten into the car… but he's close, very close to me. And his lips… his lips are brushing against mine, as his tongue slides into my mouth.
I let him kiss me slowly, deeply, tasting me with a pace that makes me moan… With his hands going up my thighs, lightly squeezing my skin, possessively... And when I'm ready to melt into his hungry kiss, he interrupts it, pulling my lip.
“How sweet…” He murmurs, sliding his thumb along the corner of my lips, brushing it so that my mouth opens slightly.
I hold the air in my lungs because Julian is looking at me in such an intense way… His eyes sparkling with greed…
“Too sweet, I don't think I like it.”
***
Julian and I arrive at the office together, and although this seems normal and ordinary, I feel that there's something different about the surrounding looks. I feel an overwhelming urge to fix my hair, fearing that it’s messy, even though I fixed and checked it at least three times. Julian's hands have the talent of messing up not only my dark hair, but my entire mind.
We try to act calm and collected, but when I'm near him, it feels like he's taking away my awareness. I fight against the reactions my body speaks, against the silly grin at seeing him smile, and the urge to snuggle into the warmth of his body… I try to pretend that nothing is happening between us, but perhaps I also lost my ability to be discreet when I ended a four-year relationship.
As I walk to the room and Julian continues straight to his office, I feel my body freeze as my eyes inevitably search for my old desk... finding the huge bouquet of white roses that's resting there.
Oh, no… *Not again.*
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