CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: and open the door
1824 Words
Why was he mad at me?
Ava could not help but wonder. It did not seem to leave her mind. It was bugging her terribly, especially that she was alone with him again inside the elevator. The silence was killing her. She hoped it was killing him too. They were riding down to the second floor. There was an adequate distance between them since she was leaning at the elevator wall, a little away from him.
“Can you at least let me know that you are going somewhere?!”
She felt herself frowning again. She bit her lip, kept thinking about it. Nobody, aside from her father, shouted at her. She swore she felt something when he angrily asked her that. Her father might have shouted at her, but it was an angry shout. That kind of shout where disappointment and anger were so evident in the tone. It chilled her to the bone. It made her want to curl herself under the bed.
However, Zephyr’s was different. Way different than the way her father would shout at her. She did feel something, something nice that she almost believed he cared. Her heart moved because he sounded so worried. She could not miss the panic in his voice. She was sure that Mason could attest to that.
“Can you at least let me know that you are going somewhere?!”
Ava’s heart almost jumped off her ribcage when Mason’s office door suddenly opened and barged in no other than her bodyguard. She did not how to address him yet. Their laughter just died when they heard Zephyr’s voice. He was staring only at her… panting. His eyes were filled with something, an emotion she was not sure yet.
“Why…. Why are you… panting?” Ava hesitantly asked. She was sitting on the black leather couch adjacent to the door, in front of Mason. She was clutching the edge as she twisted her body to look at him. “What’s wrong?” She asked. This time, her voice was calm, hoping he would calm down too. “You scared me.”
“No. You scared me.” He shook his head at her. The crease on his forehead as he looked at her, his eyes showing so much concern, or was she just hallucinating. Dreaming, perhaps?
When she did not say anything but just stare at him, she saw him sigh and almost jumped off the couch when he suddenly sat beside her. Not so close, though. But close enough that she could smell his musky and minty cologne. So male, so addicting.
“I panicked,” Zephyr said.
Hearing that, she took a deep breath and twisted her body to face ahead only to see Mason leaning back on his chair. His eyes were doing that ‘investigation’ look again. The way he was looking at her made Ava want to punch him in the face.
Her heart was already racing and it had to be worsened by Mason’s curious look on her face. She was already embarrassed when Mason walked in on them with their faces so close. Ava wanted to clarify things and did not want Mason to get the wrong assumption so she walked out of her office and went here to Mason’s office. They talked. Mason and admitted he was just teasing her when suddenly, an intruder walked in.
“You panicked?”
Ava’s eyes squinted at Mason when he asked her bodyguard that. Zephyr already said that he panicked. She gave Mason the look that asked, ‘did you seriously have to ask that’. Zephyr was worried about me, no need to confirm it.
Keep dreaming, Ava Lauren.
“Yeah. Weren’t you working?” Zephyr gave the confirmation to Mason’s question and asked Ava.
What the heck?
Ava Lauren gave Zephyr a look that screamed, ‘who are you to ask me that’. “I can do whatever I want.” She told him.
“Yes, you can. Yeah, right. You’re the boss.” Zephyr muttered. He sounded so defeated.
Ava sighed and turned to look at Mason. “I’ll show him around.”
“Didn’t you just ask me to do it?”
Ava sighed as she stood up from the couch. “I change my mind. I’ll just do it.”
“You’re talking as if I’m not here.”
It was soft but she still heard Zephyr mumble.
“Let’s go.”
Ava told Zephyr and started heading for the door. She was already out of Mason’s office and Zephyr was just making her way out when Mason called out.
“I’ll just order lunch. Have lunch with him!”
The door closed and they were standing in the hallway like idiots, avoiding each other’s eye contact. Ava had her arms crossed over her chest, pushing up her breasts. Zephyr’s eyes landed on them and he could not stop himself from asking, “Aren’t you going to put on a blazer?”
“Is what I’m wearing a problem for you?” Ava asked, finally meeting his eyes. She was frowning again.
What’s with this guy? He’s not even a boyfriend. Why is he acting like one?
“You’re right. I’m not your boyfriend and never will be. I just thought that it would right and appropriate to put a blazer one. We’ll be having a tour of this huge company where there are obviously male employees. We don’t know what’s in a man’s mind. Just please.”
She silently cursed when she realized she was thinking out loud again.
“Why? What’s in your mind?” Ava was now getting angry. She was angry for getting ordered like she was not the boss. She was angry that this guy she just formally met was already telling her what to do. “I thought you just said that I can do whatever I want.” She added.
To her surprise, Zephyr just looked at her and muttered, “I’ll be waiting at the elevator.” He left her, standing and Ava shook her head in disbelief.
She clenched her jaw, staring at his retreating back before storming inside her office and to her desk. She looked at her black blazer that was hanging over her white Nordic chair before picking it up and wore it with an attitude.
“I haven’t started yet. Just so you wait.” She said, talking to no one in particular.
She was talking about her promise after she first bumped into him that she would teach him a lesson, but she never imagined that she was just going to be ordered by him.
When she was finally out of the office, she saw him standing and leaning his back on a wall at the end of the hallway beside the elevator. Their eyes met as she walked towards him.
Why do I feel submissive around you?
You’re weak.
Ava cleared her mind of those thoughts. She just could not help, but feel sorry for herself. She thought she was strong enough.
She walked past Zephyr and walked into the elevator. The doors closed when he followed inside and silence enveloped the four-cornered small space.
What is she thinking about?
Zephyr could not believe that he, himself, was wishing he could read this woman’s mind. He wished he would be given a chance to read this woman’s mind. All he got from her was an attitude, a common attitude of women. Sexy but stubborn, he thought. She was just leaning away from him in the elevator, making him wonder if he smelled bad. No, he sprayed some cologne. Or was she just simply mad at me?
What is she mad for? Is she mad that I told her to put a freaking blazer on?
That was another reason why he did not want to have feelings for women. It was going to be chaotic. He was a very impatient man. He hated not getting his wishes fulfilled. He hated dealing with a hard-headed person. He would rather lay on his bed and be alone. Besides, it was going to be a great distraction for his mission.
“You know… if we’re going to be acting like this all the damn time, things won’t be beautiful.”
“Don’t talk to me.”
He heard her mutter.
Damn. Really an attitude.
“We’re here.” He talked, anyway.
“Am I really going to show you around this whole building? There’s a blueprint. Maybe you can use it?”
“You insisted, but fine. I’ll do it myself. Where are you going next?”
Why did I want to be with her in the first place?
The mission.
Right. My mission.
Zephyr reminded himself about the reason why he was with her in the first place. All he had to do was to be patient. In fact, he had never been this patient before. He always lost his patience, even when he was home with Xavier.
“I want some coffee.”
What else? What else do you want?
“Starbucks? Cool. I’ll drive you there.”
Zephyr followed her when she walked into the elevator again and rode down to the basement. He felt like a lost puppy, always trailing behind her. Well, it was naturally like that when you were a bodyguard. Anyway, it was a very short ride.
He kept following her until she stopped on a gray Maserati. He was not surprised anymore when he saw her car. She was freaking loaded, making him so poor. She opened the passenger seat and got inside. Smirking, he got on the other side and she gave him the key. The Maserati roared to life when he started the engine and he maneuvered out of the basement parking lot like a pro. To his surprise, Ava did not even flinch when he sped up on the road.
There was silence again but he thought it was better that way than they exchange an angry and heated conversation. So, he just kept quiet. He would just wait until they arrive at the café.
No words were spoken during the whole fifteen-minute ride. Zephyr parked her car outside and got out. He frowned when he saw her still in the car. Why wasn’t she getting out yet? He waited and thought maybe she was still applying whatever she had to put on her face. Maybe, she wanted to look more beautiful when she walked into Starbucks. That was what girls do, right? So, he just waited
However, two or three minutes have passed and she still hadn’t gotten out of the car yet. He was getting worried already.
“Women.” He muttered and shook his head before pulling the passenger side door open, just to see her sitting there casually with her arms crossed over her chest.
“What the-”
“You must open the door for me. Part of your job.”
That was all he heard before she finally got out of the car and walked past him.
Seriously?
Clenching his jaw, he angrily closed the door and walked after her in long angry strides.
“Ava!”
- Writer
