Aloida almost choked with her saliva as she heard what her boss had just said. She had no intention of inviting him inside her apartment. She just could not allow him at the moment, especially since her daughter, Aalyna was with her parents and she was alone in the apartment. Her parents got her daughter this morning, since it was summer time and no classes yet. Aalyna would usually spend her vacation at her grandparents' place. She loved to stay in the countryside where she could be able to swim in the river and beaches and then help with the old folks on the farm. She also had a few friends there.
Aloida took a deep breath and sighed unintentionally.
“What did that sigh mean? Don’t you want to invite me inside your apartment, Aloida? If you do not have food in there, coffee will do,” Mr. Montaro said as he faced her. He was looking at her now with a raised eyebrow.
“Ahm, no… I mean yes,” she stammered as she answered. “Oh, gosh, why am I humiliating myself more in front of him,” she thought, disgusted of herself.
“Is it a no or a yes?” he even chuckled after asking her that question.
She cleared her throat before replying. “You can have coffee inside my apartment, Sir. Oh, I guess, I still have enough ingredients there to cook a fettuccine for dinner, if you have time to wait.”
“Good. I can wait for a few minutes,” he replied in a relaxed mode this time. He even closed his eyes and rested his back on the car’s backrest.
Aloida could not help to stare at his face, which seemed to be created so perfectly. He had a well-sculptured nose, a strong jawline, so inviting full red lips, and a broken chin that gave him a very manly aura. His not-so-white or dark complexion added more to his manliness.
Years ago, she had a man who looked exactly like him, whom she loved all of her life, but whom she needed to give up for her daughter. She knew that she hurt that man so badly when she left him that fateful day inside that cave. If only she could bring back time, and change how things happened between them, she would. Such reminiscences brought a painful pinch and sorrow into her heart that in her eyes cast that melancholy which she knew she could never hide from this world.
Unknown to Aloida, Mr. Montaro’s eyes were opened already and were looking at her with such an unfathomable expression. “Am I too gorgeous to look at Ms. Jeansen?” suddenly, he said with a scorn tagged in the corners of his lips. He moved his body away from the car’s backrest, and thereby causing only an inch away of his face from her.
Aloida was startled, and as she moved her head hastily, it bumped the backrest of the car. “Ouch!”
He chuckled while reaching for her head, cupping it with both of his hands, then massaging that part that bumped the car’s backrest. “You are so careless,” he murmured while he continued to massage her head.
His breath smelling like that of a menthol candy filled Aloida’s nostrils, making her heart beat like a drum again.
“You startled me,” she murmured sheepishly. She could not look into his eyes, while he was keenly looking at her.
He stopped massaging her head and his hand gently held her chin, making her look up at him.
“Why were you looking at me like that? Did you remember someone while looking at me, Ms. Jeansen?” His fingers trailed the contours of her cheeks as he murmured to her those questions. He seemed to be in a playful mood and for a couple of minutes, Aloida could not find the words to reply.
His eyebrows lifted as he waited for her reply.
“Err, no, I was actually thinking of something and was not looking at you at all during that time,” she replied, looking away from him. A white lie from time to time might not do harm, she thought.
But he chuckled and let out a short laugh. “Liar,” he whispered in her ears before he released her and sat properly. He took his mobile phone and noticed him answering a few messages that popped up on his messenger.
They were silent until they arrived in front of Aloida’s apartment.
“Sir, would you still come inside?” she asked before opening the car door beside her.
“Yes. I will.” He then tapped the shoulder of his driver and said, “You can go wherever you want in the meantime. Just wait for my message.”
Aloida stiffened as she heard what he said to his driver. “Would he be staying that long in my apartment?” she thought while glancing at him.
He got out of his car and followed Aloida. He was beside her as she tried to open her apartment door with her key and was gentlemanly enough to get the key from her hand and open the door for her.
“Thanks, Sir. Please get inside,” Aloida said as she entered her apartment. He closed the door and followed her inside.
“Have a seat, Sir. I will just prepare our dinner,” she said, motioning to him the brown leather sala set in her small living area.
He nodded and strode toward the sofa.
Aloida decided to brew coffee first and then brought him the coffee together with a few pieces of cookies on a small plate.
“Have your coffee and cookies first while I cook,” she said as she put on the center table the coffee and small plate of cookies. He looked at her and nodded.
“Alright. Thanks. Is this a homemade cookie?” he asked as he picked one cookie from the plate.
“Ahh, yes. My Mom’s hobby is to bake cake and cookies, sometimes bread.” She smiled at him while watching him munch the cookie.
“Hmm, taste good. Bring me some in the office,” he said, as if it was just natural for him to ask her to bring cookies for him in the office.
When he did not hear her reply, he looked up at her, furrowing. “Why? Would it be too much to ask for cookies?”
Aloida who was surprised by his demands, could not help to smile. “I will bring you cookies,” she said, before turning her back to go to the kitchen to cook.
He watched her back as she walked toward the kitchen. His expression was unfathomable.