SWNOVELS Chapter 12
Adelie POV
The rest of my day at work was boring as I expected. The office hour is finally over, and I am getting ready to leave when Raymond shows up.
"Hey momma," His voice sends chills down my spine, and the sound of that makes my heart misses a beat. No man has ever called me that before, and I kinda like it. I wish he can call me that always. "Hmm?" Turning to face him, I give him a demanding look.
"Do you mind strolling with me tonight?" He asks, and I blink my eyes in shock.
"Sure, why not," Even if I know Asher may not let me out of the house, I still feel like it'll only be right if I give him this chance again. He is my boyfriend now, and I should do what will make him happy, right? "Great. We're just going to have fun outside, get fresh air, and grab ice cream together," He says to me, and I must confess that it doesn't sound bad.
"Alright, I will be more than happy to go with you," I smile at him, and he chuckles softly.
"I will come to pick you up later, okay? I need to get going now. I love you," He says and unexpectedly pulls me into his arms, hugging me warmly, and my heart flutters.
"I love you too," I manage to whisper, and he pulls away from me. He winks at me before he finally strides out of the office, and I release the breath I've been holding unknowingly.
Finally grabbing my handbag from the desk, I stride out of the office but flinch when I see Cynthia standing at the doorstep. For heaven's sake, does this lady want to kill me with a panic attack?
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," She smiles at me creepily, and I roll my eyes.
"What is it this time, Cynthia?" I ask as I lock the door and finally turn to face her.
"Uhm... You said to buy you dinner. I came for it," She replies to me, and I touch my forehead frustratingly. I have forgotten that we talked about something like that. As much as I want to tell her that I want to go home, I don't want her to feel bad.
"We'll make it brief. I need to head home quick enough," I say to her, and she crosses her heart with a big smile playing on her lips.
"I promise," She squeaks excitedly, as she locks her arm with mine. For heaven's sake, when the hell did I get so close to this bitch that won't leave me the hell alone?
Well, it all started two years ago after I started working here. She was in the marketing department then, and she was the first person that welcomed me warmly into the company. I remember when my car broke down on the road, and even though she had no car, she stopped the cab she was taking to work and asked me to hop in with her, after which she paid the fee. Since she was here before me, taking me around and telling me things about the company became her priority until I got used to how things are done here. She's the nicest soul I've ever met.
"Whatever," I roll my eyes. We finally head to the elevator, and arriving at the parking lot after about five minutes, we hop in my car and drive out of the company.
"Since we're on our way now, why don't we start talking about it?" I see that she's really determined, or should I say desperate about this. I can't really say if this is really a crush or madness. If I can remember vividly, she has only met Asher once, or maybe they've seen each other again after then. How could she be attracted to someone she met just once? Ok, you can say that it's fine to be attracted to someone at first sight, but being this crazy over them, there's nothing you can say that'll convince me that this is not madness.
"Can we get there first, Cynthia?" I roll my eyes at her.
"Come on, sweetie..." She persists, and I sigh briefly.
"Well, what do you want to know?" I ask her so I'll know where to start my ranting.
"I want to know his likes and dislikes. What does he do, and what can I do to make him like me?" She replies to me, and I scoff. I have never seen Asher with a woman, and it's hard to tell how a woman can win his heart. I mean, I don't think this will work. If not that he has been doing shit with me, I would've concluded that he's gay.
"Just be yourself, sweetheart. Just be yourself, and Asher will like you," I shrug, even if I know deep down that I'm lying to her. I know this is not right, but I can't possibly allow this nice person to hurt herself because of that jerk, right? "Really? Do I need to get him a gift? Uhm... What does he like? What if I get him a wristwatch? What about sneakers... Or even perfume? What do you think?" She bombards me with questions, and I pull over at the side of the road.
"His birthday is coming up in five days, I think surprising him will be of great help," I quickly purse my lips together, realizing that I just spilled nonsense that may put me in trouble later. Asher used to be so excited about his birthdays whenever it's coming, but after the incident fifteen years ago, he has hated his birthday and stopped celebrating them. Even though I want to think that it was a result of the trauma from that day, something keeps telling me that there's more to it. 'I didn't ask you to buy me a gift, did I?' I can still remember how he screamed at me and almost strangled me when I got him a gift on his birthday twelve years ago. The look on his face that day could kill, and I think I just messed up now. Cynthia is going to get into trouble if she gets him a gift.
"Really? Oh my God! Thank you so much for this information. I will get him a gift, a befitting one that he will love, I promise," She squeaks excitedly. "Cynthia..."
"I'm so grateful, sweetie. You have always been a sweetheart," She squeaks excitedly, hugging me like she's going to choke life out of me.
"Can you stop? You're choking me," I struggle to breathe, pushing him off my body slightly.
"I'm sorry, sweetie. I was just overly excited," She quickly apologizes to me. Seeing the excitement on her face, I feel guilty. I would be ruining her happiness if I tell her otherwise now, and I'm also scared that Asher may hurt her if she gets him a gift. What do I do now?