Ignoring His Greeting

"Thank you, Sir! I really appreciate this opportunity," Murphy expressed, his tone filled with gratitude as if he had just been granted his greatest wish.

"It's no problem," Carl replied in his usual authoritative manner, the tone he often used with his employees.

I caught the tail end of their conversation as I emerged from my room, my hands occupied with tying my hair up into a messy bun. Taking advantage of my day off, I had slept in and now, dressed in pajamas, I made my way towards them. However, by the time I reached the living area, Murphy had already left the apartment.

"Why was he here? And why was he thanking you?" I inquired, leaning forward to grab the water bottle from the table.

"He had some business matters to discuss with me," Carl explained.

"What kind of business?" I asked, taking a sip of water.

"He's looking for employment and requested a position in my office. So, I decided to hire him," Carl replied as I placed the bottle back on the table and turned to face him.

"That's generous of you," I remarked.

He simply nodded in response.

"So, what's on your agenda for today?" he inquired.

"Well, nothing special. I was thinking of catching up on homework and tests," I replied.

"No, no, no... You hardly get a day off, and when you do, you're bringing work home with you," he protested, raising an eyebrow at me. "You need some rest and relaxation."

"I don't know..." I hesitated. Part of me wanted to stay home and unwind after the events of the past week.

"I won't take no for an answer. We're going to spend the day at the beach. It'll be a beach day," he declared, giving me a playful once-over. "But please, don't tell me you're planning to go in your pajamas."

We both chuckled.

"Alright, I'll get ready," I agreed.

"That's more like it!" he exclaimed as he turned to head towards his room.

As he walked away, a random thought crossed my mind. Unsure of whether I should bring it up or not, I called out his name. His steps halted instantly at the sound of my voice, but I remained tangled in uncertainty about whether to proceed with my question.

"Yeah, what is it now?" he responded as I called out his name.

"Nothing," I replied abruptly. I couldn't quite pinpoint why, but I suddenly felt hesitant to bring up the topic of Arthur.

Despite my initial urge to inquire about Arthur's potential presence, I let the thought fade away. Perhaps Carl had invited him, sparking a glimmer of hope within me. However, I remained doubtful.

"Why would he invite him?" I reasoned with myself. After all, it wasn't necessary for Carl to invite him to every outing we had. With this uncertainty lingering in my mind, I chose to refrain from asking Carl about it.

Carl retreated to his room, and I followed suit, slipping into my swimsuit and draping a sheer gown over it, along with a pair of jeans shorts. I adorned myself with a large hat, sunglasses, and grabbed my current read before heading back to the living room where Carl awaited.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Absolutely!" I replied with a smile.

Carl was already dressed in his beach attire, a vibrant printed shirt paired with yellow shorts. Together, we left the apartment.

I trailed behind him as we entered the elevator, a basket hanging from my arm. As the doors closed and the elevator descended, my heart began to race, a nervous excitement building within me as the numbers on the keypad changed.

"Yeah, what's up?" Carl responded casually as I called out to him.

"Nothing," I replied, abruptly dropping the idea of bringing up Arthur. Something inside me hesitated, though I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

Despite my initial curiosity about Arthur's potential presence, I decided to let it go. Maybe Carl had invited him, but I couldn't shake off my doubts.

"Why would he invite him anyway?" I mused to myself. It wasn't like Carl to invite him to every outing we had. With these thoughts swirling in my mind, I opted not to question Carl about it.

Carl retreated to his room, and I followed suit, slipping into my swimsuit and draping a sheer gown over it, paired with denim shorts. I added a large hat, sunglasses, and grabbed my current read before returning to the living room where Carl was waiting.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Absolutely!" I replied, flashing a smile.

Carl was already dressed for the beach, sporting a vibrant printed shirt with yellow shorts. Together, we left the apartment.

I followed behind him into the elevator, a basket hanging from my arm. As the doors closed and the elevator descended, my heart began to race with nervous excitement, anticipation building as the numbers on the keypad changed.

Carl slammed on the brakes abruptly just as we exited the gates of the building, jolting me out of my thoughts.

"What's wrong? Did you forget something?" I inquired, turning to face him.

Adjusting the rearview mirror, Carl peered into it with a look of anticipation, as if expecting someone to appear behind us.

And then it happened.

A figure materialized in the mirror, walking towards our car. Tall and with piercing blue eyes, the person approached us.

I felt the back door open, then close.

That's when I lost control. My breath caught in my throat, suffocating me. Desperately, I turned towards the window, hoping for a breath of fresh air, but it was futile. Instead of air, all I caught was his reflection in the side mirror, adding to the overwhelming sense of suffocation.

Carl hadn't mentioned that he'd be joining us, and I couldn't help but wonder why. My mind raced with questions—why hadn't he informed me? Why did he do this to me?

I turned towards him, my forehead creased with frustration, seeking an explanation. Why had he deceived me like this?

If I had known he was coming, I wouldn't have agreed to this outing. I would have come up with excuses, any reason to stay home. His presence in the car now felt like a betrayal, igniting a mix of anger and embarrassment within me.

I wanted to flee from the car immediately, unable to bear his presence any longer. I could hear them exchanging greetings in the back seat.

"I hope we didn't keep you waiting too long," he spoke up from behind.

"Not at all," Carl replied, his tone light and friendly.

Despite my inner turmoil, everything seemed fine on the surface.

"Hi, Grace," came the unexpected voice from behind me.

My entire being seemed to freeze in place, as if I had turned into a statue, cold and lifeless. I couldn't afford to make things awkward or suspicious by ignoring his greeting, not with Carl right there beside me. But the words got caught in my throat, refusing to come out.

I sensed Carl turning his head towards me, likely trying to decipher the reason for my delay. 'Come on, Grace!' I urged myself inwardly.

Finally, I managed to force out a response, though it felt strained and forced. "Hi," I said, clenching the edge of the seat tightly to keep myself from trembling.

As Carl pulled the car onto the road, an awkward tension enveloped the air, suffocating me with embarrassment. The journey to the beach felt endless, each moment filled with curses directed at myself, Carl, and Arthur.