In Love With My Rival

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: who are you

            “Many have submitted their application already.”

            Ava heard Mason on the other line. She was checking out for commercial models on the web when Mason phoned her from his office. It was nine in the morning and the two decided to report to work even if something bad happened to them just yesterday. Ava still had a bandage on her forehead. Mason’s wound on the temple was worse than hers. That did not make them stay at home. Work was work.

            “Cool. Come to my office now. I’ll check them out.” She told Mason on the other line.

            “Sure,” Mason said and the call was ended.

            “Damn it.” She muttered, giving up on looking for a possible model for the commercial. If he couldn’t find a woman who was not so overreacting and voice not so pitchy, she might have to do it herself. She would not care if her father wouldn’t like it.

            I have to be a rebel sometimes.

            She thought.

            Rarely. She always followed her father or most of the time. The last and only time she disobeyed her father was just yesterday when she walked out on him, of the mansion. She shook her head, trying not to think about it, but it just popped into her mind and she could not do anything about it.

            “Hey.”

            At the sound of Mason’s voice, Ava looked up and smiled at her assistant. She found herself staring at the white thing plastered on his temple. She felt bad again but tried not to make the feeling obvious on her face. “Hey.”

            “Guess what?” Mason asked a hint of amusement in his voice. Maybe, he found something funny and wanted to share it with his lady boss.

            Frowning, she wondered why he seemed so excited. “What?”

            She watched Mason walked to her, rounded her table, and stood beside her. He placed his MacBook on her table.

            “Look. There are around twenty of them.” Mason laughed as he showed the screen, displaying résumés of male applicants.

            “Twenty?” Her frown got even deeper when she heard the number. “Why so many, though?”

            “That’s what I wonder too.”

            “I’m hot. Of course, they would want to work for me.” She arrogantly and proudly said, flipping her hair over her shoulders. “They would want to be with a sexy woman like me.”

            Mason scoffed. “Keep dreaming.” He was about to say he was wondering why men would want to be with a dragon lady, but he just held himself and told Ava instead, “Let’s be serious here. You need to pick now so I could call him and make him come over here.”

            “Fine.” She muttered and started checking the applicants. “His body is so slender. He’s out.” She shook her head in disapproval after checking out the first applicant. “His name is cute, though. Alexander. I like it, but his body does not pass the requirements.” She added.

            “Yeah, yeah. How about this one?” Mason asked, moving on to the next applicant. When Ava called him and dropped that she needed a bodyguard, he did not waste any more time and posted an advertisement anywhere on the Internet and social media that they wanted a bodyguard. In just less than twenty-four hours, male applicants who thought they could do the job came flooding and submitted their application letter and resume online. What they had to do now was pick the best one that was qualified to do the job.

            “No. Pass. He looked just too buff. He seems like a bodybuilder. That’s scary. Next one.”

            Mason groaned. “Why so picky? For me, he was the best qualified. His body is bullet-proof.” It was meant to be a joke, but Ava seemed not to find it funny at all.

            “No. I don’t want him.” She complained again.

            “Fine. Do you even read the strengths and experiences they’ve written? How about this?” Mason asked, proceeding to the next applicant.

            “Of course, I do but I have to consider their physical appearance too. I want the perfect body to cover me from everything and everyone who wants to hurt me.” Ava said while keeping her eyes on the next guy on the computer. “No. He has way too many tattoos. That’s not so nice to me.” She shook her head and made a ‘tsk’ sound.

            “What do you want?” Mason, instead of getting irritated, just laughed at his boss. He thought he found her reasons funny.

            “I’m just not comfortable with tattooed guys. Just let me see all of them first.” Ava told Mason.

            Mason had no choice but to just shut up while doing his job. He was being patient with his boss. Yup, he loved her so much.

            Note the sarcasm.

However, after all the twenty applicants, she hadn’t picked one. Just when she saw the face of the applicant and thought she did not like him, she would proceed onto the next one until there was no more next left. Mason thought that was terrible. His boss was too picky.

“Wow. That means you don’t have a bodyguard yet.” Mason told her, rounded her desk again, and sat on the chair at the front of it. He crossed his leg over the other and stared at Ava who was already looking at him.

“You’re right. No bodyguard yet.” Ava confirmed, looking like she did not have any problem with it at all.

“But, you need it as soon as possible,” Mason argued, worried about the fact that their life was still in danger. It was waiting for them outside and it scared the s**t out of him. Mason was completely aware that the possibility of getting shot or worse, killed was so high. It was not safe yet. The world was just so crazy, he thought.

“I know.” Ava shrugged, looking away from Mason and leaning back on her chair. “I’ll just try to be more cautious, I guess.” She told him.

“I’ll let you know once there are more applicants.” Mason smiled.

“Thanks.”

“Everything will be fine,” Mason said, after a few longs seconds of silence.

“I hope so.” Ava’s voice wasn’t sad, but she sounded worried. “I’m scared. This whole thing makes me even more scared to death. I don’t know what’s going on, why these things are happening, who those people are, and what they want from me. It’s… it’s… just… insane. I’m going crazy just thinking about it.” She shook her head and let out another sigh. “I’m starting to lack focus, which is unlikely me. I’m losing interest in my passion which is this, just working. This is not me.”

“It’s normal because of what happened. Me too, I can’t escape it. It always pops into my mind, but I can’t do anything about it. I’m always here for you, though.” Mason’s lips lifted up into a small smile.

“Thanks, Mason.” Ava couldn’t help but smile back at him.

“I think I should go back to my office now.”

“Okay.” She nodded.

Mason stood up from the chair and started walking towards the door when there was suddenly a knock, making him turn around and look at his boss. Ava mirrored his expression. They were frowning, confused, or maybe curious as to who might be knocking on her office door. Maybe, it was her father?

“Let me.”

Thinking that it might be her father, Ava stood up from her chair and walked across her office to her door. Her pointed heels were clicking distractingly on the marble floor. She felt Mason follow him as she opened the door only to face the most beautiful man she had laid eyes on.

Shock. Frozen. Speechless.

Ava couldn’t feel herself moving and speaking as she came face to face with a Greek God standing in front of her office door. She could feel her heart beating fast. She could not take her eyes off the man. She forgot about everything, about work, the incident that happened yesterday, even Mason who was staring at them with so much confusion in his eyes. It was only him in her eyes, in her mind, in heart and soul.

Stupid.

She thought.

You have to blink.

I can’t.

You’re drooling.

I don’t care.

She felt shameless and she did not care. He was too beautiful. She was afraid that if she’d blink, everything was just a dream. She would be so disappointed… or devastated. She started checking out the man… shamelessly. Staring at his beautiful face, her eyes were glued to the man’s captivating dark brown eyes. Her blue ones refused to look away from him.

I can’t believe this is really him.

She thought.

I’ve been thinking about you.

Ava wondered he wasn’t looking away from her too. She wanted him to do it first, to look away from her and just talk. But, why was he just standing there frozen in front of her too?

What the hell is going on?

“What is going on here?”

She heard Mason talk, but that did not make her take her eyes off the Greek god in the doorway. Her hands were falling awkwardly on her sides. She felt so stiff in her knee-length white fitted dress. It had very thin straps and she was grateful she had taken off her black blazer and put it over her chair because she was showing her sexy body to him. Yup, she was crazy. Her cleavage was showing off a little. The room temperature was cold, but she was suddenly feeling hot all over. She suddenly wanted to take a step closer to the man in a brown leather jacket, white tee, brown leather jacket, and black boots.

Bad boy.

But he looks innocently hot.

            “Who are you?”

            Damn it, Mason. Why did you have to ruin the moment?

            Ava’s lips pursed in annoyance as Mason walked to them and looked at her with a questioning stare. She squinted her eyes at him, Mason, being subtly clueless just frowned back at her. He did not have any die. He wished his boss would talk to him about his love life. She glared at him in return, turn around, and started walking back to her desk.       

What the heck is wrong with this girl?