Chapter 6: Day Out
2134 Words
WE headed straight to the mall and went to Marcus’ favorite play area. Surprisingly, Stephen has not been there before. Eric seemed embarrassed and promised Stephen he’ll bring him here more often. I just smiled as I understand what Eric is going through. He is busy at work and sometimes unable to find time to take his kid out. Compared to how my dad was to me though, Eric is still doing much much better than him.
As the kids and Marcus’ nanny went inside the play area, Eric took my hand and asked if I could help him pick out a necktie for work. He doesn’t usually wear suits for work since he’s mostly out in the field. However, his new client is pretty demanding and he feels the need to dress up whenever they meet even if it’s just a video call. He says the client will be flying into the country in two weeks so he needs to dress up when they meet.
We walked towards the stores with our hands intertwined. It felt nice. Our relationship doesn’t have a label yet but I am not in a hurry to find out right now. He’s proud enough to flaunt us being together, so I guess it’s safe to assume that he’s after more than just a one night stand. Besides, the kids are in it too, which makes me feel more secure. He wouldn’t get his kid involved if he doesn’t plan to be with me for the long haul.
While we were walking, he kept stealing glances at me. When I caught his eyes, I smiled and asked what he’s looking at. He said “I’m looking at the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.”
My smile grew wider and I hit him lightly on the arm. I think I’m blushing. A lot of people have complimented my beauty before, but not a lot of them have made me blush. Eric is only the second person who’s done it, the first being Marco.
As we made our way inside the store, I asked if he had any preference in terms of color or design, but he said that he doesn’t, I asked what kind of suits he has. We eventually decided to get a suit and tie, and a shirt combination, since I wasn’t sure which tie would go with the suit he currently owns.
I had him try on what I picked for him, and I had to hold my breath as I saw how good he looked in it. The pants had to be taken in a little, but the sales clerk said she’ll take care of it and we can pick it up later after it has been altered.
I walked towards Eric and fixed his tie. I stepped back a little and bit my lip as looking at him made me remember what we did earlier in my bedroom. If not for the nanny interrupting us, we would have gone all the way. Just the thought excites me already.
Eric: “Why are you looking at me like you want to eat me?”
Krista: “Maybe I do.”
I moved closer to him and ran my hands on the lapels of his suit. He put his hands behind my waist and pulled me towards him.
Eric: “You naughty girl.”
He pulled me in for a kiss which was short and sweet. We kept our bodies close together and was interrupted once more when the sales clerk cleared her throat and asked if there’s anything else we needed. Eric answered “No, we’re good without taking his eyes off me.”
Sales Clerk: “You guys look really good together. I bet your kids look gorgeous too.”
Eric: “They do.”
Eric planted another kiss on my lips before I pushed him back to the dressing room so he could change back into his clothes. He teasingly asked if I wanted to join him but I opened my eyes wide as I made him aware that the sales clerk could hear him. He just chuckled and went back into the dressing room.
I looked around some more and checked the little suits that I think would look great on Marcus. I’ll probably come back here in case he needed a suit in the future.
I noted how clean their store is and that their display is very enticing.
Sales Clerk: “Yeah, since we changed the display, it has generated more business for us. It’s all thanks to the new President and CEO.”
Krista: “Oh? How come?”
Sales Clerk: “She helped the store owners come up with the concept and even sent designers to set them up. Almost all of the stores who revamped their displays had their sales increased to almost 100%.”
Krista: ”Wow, that’s impressive.”
Sales Clerk: “I even heard from the owner that the President and CEO of the mall is really young and very pretty too. She’s very impressive.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle as the clerk didn’t realize that she’s actually talking about me. I decided not to reveal myself, and just be content with the fact that my suggestion to revamp the store displays for the tenants actually paid off.
When Eric came out of the dressing room, he paid for his purchases before we headed out of the store. I thanked her profusely, and she didn’t realize I was thanking her for more than just assisting us in the store. Eric noticed how happy I was when we left the store and he asked why.
I told him about what the sales clerk said about me. Eric put his arms around me and kissed me on the cheek as he congratulated me while mentioning how proud he is of me. I thanked him and we went back to the play area.
After a few minutes, the kids had come out all sweaty but looking very happy. They both can’t stop talking about the things they did inside while we were wiping their sweat. After we'd changed them into fresh shirts, I held Marcus on my right hand, while Eric took Stephen’ with his left, and took my hand on his right. We looked at each other and smiled.
We took the kids for a bit of shopping since Marcus needed new socks, underwear and an undershirt for school. Eric didn’t know what Stephen needed, so I just had him buy the same things I bought for Marcus since they go to the same school and probably needed the same things.
Eric seemed sad and dejected while we lined up to pay for our purchases. I moved his face to look at me and asked “Hey, what’s wrong?”
Eric: “I don’t even know what my son needed. I am a bad father.”
Krista: “You are not a bad father. You are a busy father, and you are doing your best for your son.”
Eric: “I’m so embarrassed.”
Krista: “Don’t be. I did tell you that my mom passed away when I was five, right? So technically, I grew up with a single dad too”
Eric: “Yeah you mentioned that before. What was your dad like?”
Krista: “Horrible?”
Eric: “Why? What did he do?”
Krista: “Nothing?”
Eric: “Huh? What do you mean?”
Krista: “He was horrible because he did nothing as a father. I don’t remember a single time when we ate a meal together when I was little. We lived in the same house but I barely saw him. When I was a kid, I used to look for him whenever I woke up and after coming home from school. Sometimes I would stay up at night waiting for him to come home. I usually don’t see him. When I do, he’ll just tell me to go to bed. He gave me every material thing, but he never gave me what I wanted the most: his time.”
Eric hugged me and stroked my back. I hugged him back. I looked him in the eye as I moved back a little.
Krista: “Don’t sell yourself short. You’re doing the best you can. My father didn’t even try.”
Eric: “So how’s your relationship with your dad now?”
Krista: “He passed away two years ago, but we managed to patch things up before he did.”
Eric: “That’s good. So the uncle I met was your dad’s brother?”
Krista: “Yeah. When I was growing up, my uncle was like a father figure to me until--”
I was going to say ‘until we started sleeping together’ but that’s a story for another time. Despite my strong feelings for Eric, it’s still too early to reveal that my uncle took my virginity.
Eric: “Until what?”
Krista: “Uhm, until he went to the US and got married.”
Eric: “Is his wife living with him in the country?”
Krista: “No. He came back when they divorce. He got joint custody of their son so he comes here every now and then, particularly during school break. He lives together with his new girlfriend, though. I think they are planning on getting married soon.”
Eric: “That’s nice.”
I smiled at him and he kept his arm around my shoulder. When Marco and I were together, we couldn’t do this much in public since we kept our relationship secret. We didn’t want people in the office finding out because I was his boss and he was my driver, and we know people will judge Marco that he’s just after my money.
Being able to flaunt a relationship feels good. Regardless of our status, I’ll enjoy every moment with Eric and not think too much about it.
Eric: “Uhm, if you don’t mind me asking, what happened to Marcus’ dad?”
Krista: “Well, he left to migrate to the US. He didn’t even know I was pregnant when he left.”
Eric: “Did you try to contact him to let him know?”
Krista: “No, not really. He had kids from a previous relationship and he married her and they all migrated together. I didn’t want to be the reason to break up his family, so I just stayed away and never contacted him.”
Eric: “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that, babe.”
Krista: “It’s fine. I’m over it. I had Marcus in return, and I couldn’t be more thankful.”
Eric: “What if you meet again? Do you plan to let him into Marcus’ life?”
Krista: “I honestly don’t know. I’ve asked myself many times, but I can’t seem to decide. I guess I’ll cross the bridge when I get there.”
It was our turn to pay, and as we did, the cashier greeted me. He seemed to recognize who I was and became extra attentive as she assisted us. She even commented on how handsome my boyfriend is, and instead of denying it, Eric said “Thank you.”
I noted how pleased Eric seemed as we walked away.
Krista: “Why are you so happy? Is it because he called you handsome?”
Eric: “Nah, I’m used to that. It’s because he called me your boyfriend.”
Krista: “Really? You’re not even my boyfriend.”
Eric: “I’ve already given you an org*sm. Am I not your boyfriend yet?”
Krista: “You didn’t even ask me or woo me.”
Eric: “Do you want to be wooed?”
Krista: “Yes I do.”
Eric: “Then prepared to be wooed, baby.”
I could help but smile. I can’t wait to be wooed by Eric.
- Writer
