Distant

“I need the files on Trés chic’s order, can you forward them to my mail?” Damien’s voice rang through the phone.
He was no longer sweet and tender like before.
Heck, he wasn’t even seductive anymore. He sounded thoroughly professional. He sounded like Céline was exactly what she was, an ordinary assistant.
He only called when he needed something concerning the office and she barely even saw him. She kept getting a cup of coffee for him but that was it, nothing else remained the same.
Céline was truly in trouble now.
“Yes, I will do that right away…” she stuttered. The line went dead immediately and she was left with the torture of self blame in her head.
Her plans had gone ten steps backwards ever since that cursed dinner she had with him at the Maroon restaurant. That place made her feel like she was finally having her dreams materialize themselves.
She thought Damien wanted her. But since she uttered those cursed words, it was like he retreated into a cage, locked himself and threw the key far away. It had been a week and he still was withdrawn towards her.
Her heart ached, more than she wanted it too. The emptiness she felt was depressing. It was almost like her heart truly wanted him to be into her. She liked it when he couldn’t work and kept stealing glances at her all day long. She liked it when he held her hands and took her to that restaurant every single day. She liked it when he wanted her. Now, she felt like a piece of trash, and it hurt. Even if the whole thing was only a game for her, she couldn’t stop her heart from wanting those moments again.
Maybe it was his fault her heart had gotten attached to him. Yes, he was the one that smiled that lovely smile of his. He was the one that kissed her like he meant it. It was his fault her heart missed him.
He was the one always taking care of her. She didnt ask him to do that. He got her lunch every day at work. He drove her back home. He even gave her goodnight kisses, somehow she became used to those things and she missed it.
He didn’t take her out for lunch anymore but he always got her something to eat through Tiana. He waited for her to leave the office building before he left. It was like he was avoiding her.
He even got an office created for her. So, she didn’t have to share an office with him anymore. That meant she didn’t get to share those sexual moments with him anymore, those moment when she was working and he was just happily staring at her. She missed those the most.
God, she really messed up.
She had been trying to win him back. She worked twice as hard and never forgot to drop his cup of coffee five minutes before he walked in. Yet, her efforts were all in vain. Damien remained in his own bubble.
Her new office was like a hollow cage where she came to sulk at herself everyday. The place was beautiful and well decorated, but it was empty to her heart.
The office phone on her brown mahogany desk rang again and she got shaken out of her thought. She picked up the phone and placed it against her ears.
“Hello.” Her soft voice called.
“I haven’t received the mail yet, is there a problem?” Damien questioned sternly.
“Err- no. There isn’t.” She tried to explain.
“How come I didn’t get it then? I didn’t employ you to sit around. Hurry up!”
The ringing sound of the hung up call, stayed behind long after she dropped the phone.
Damien hated her.
He was so cold on the phone, Céline felt her heart shake in its cage. This was the Damien everyone feared. All the privileges she had earlier received were cut and done.
She really messed up everything.
Quickly snapping out of her thoughts before he would call once again, Céline hurriedly searched for the document Damien wanted. She found it and transfered it to her mail, then she forwarded it to him.
The office phone rang again, making her jump.
Did he not receive it? She wondered.
She picked up the device cautiously like it was going to turn into a harmful weapon at any moment.
“Sir, I have sent it.” She hurriedly explained.
“Miss Céline?” A woman’s voice spoke instead.
“Yeah…” Céline hesitated.
Most calls either went through Tiana or Damien himself. The only ones who called her were Damien himself and Tiana.
“This is Mrs Lydia. I called Tiana and she directed me to you. How are you?”
“I am doing great. How may I help you Mrs Lydia?” Céline asked.
“Have you given Mr Culhane the invitation card? I expected him to have called to get the designer make a special Trés Chic standard suit piece for him but he hasn’t.”
As Céline heard the question she slapped a hand to her head. She had totally forgotten to give him the invitation card. She had started working on the speech already but she hadn’t giving Damien the card.
“Mrs Lydia, I am so sorry. I forgot to give it to him. I have been so overwhelmed it totally just escaped my notice. I will go give it to him right away.”
Céline was worried, not because of Mrs Lydia but how Damien was going to take it. She had failed to perform her duties.
“Oh no, you don’t have to be sorry. I understand how things can get in the head office.”
Mrs Lydia laughed at her own comment and Céline could not be more grateful. What would she have done if Mrs Lydia had been offended and had gone to report the situation to Damien straight off.
“Do not forget to get it to him though. We have barely two weeks to put everything into place.”
“Of course, I’ll go give it to him right now.”
She hung up the call and rushed to open her lower drawer searching for the invitation card. She didn’t find it there, she searched her top drawers and yet, she couldn’t find anything. Just when she was giving up, she saw something gold shine inside a carton of files she hadn’t unpacked. She pulled it out and it was the card.
Wheww! She couldn’t imagine what would have happened if she had misplaced the card. Especially with the mood Damien was in, she couldn’t risk making such mistakes ever again.
Céline dusted the card and walked out of her office, heading straight to Damien’s. She had to give it to him before something else came up and she forgot about it again.
When she got to the door, she pulled the door knob open and started walking into the office.
Damien was seated at his desk, his eyes glued to the laptop in front of him. As the door opened, he raised his eyes from his laptop and stared briefly at Céline, then returned his eyes to what he was doing.
“Next time you enter my office without knocking, I will send you back.” His voice was cold and distant.
He sounded like a complete stranger. He was nothing like the man Céline met at a club a few days ago. He was nothing like the Damien Culhane she met at the office a two weeks ago.
She gulped down the strange feelings that were hitting her and she walked close to his desk.
“This came in for you.” She simply said, placing the card on the desk.
Damien scanned the card with his eyes and then looked up at her. “This came in days ago, why am I just getting it now?”
Oh shit! How did he know that?; Céline wondered.
“Actually, Damien, I was-” He suddenly raised his right hand up, causing Céline to swallow the explanation she was about to give.
“You do not refer to me like that. I am your boss, not your boyfriend.” He stared coldly into her eyes. His brown eyes looked like melted chocolate as they emitted heat.
The tiny string holding Céline’s composure, broke and was let loose. Her heart was racing as she struggled to refrain herself from saying something that would get them even further apart.
“Now, what did you have to say to defend your incompetence?”
He returned his eyes to what he was doing and his voice sounded like he didn’t care about what she wanted to say anymore.
“I am sorry. It won’t happen again.” Céline said through clenched teeth.
She wasn’t incompetent. She had already worked on the speech he was going to need two weeks earlier. Her only mistake was that she forgot to tell him. Her insides fumed with anger. She wanted to tell him, how very competent she was. But she needed to be on his good side. She needed him to marry her. She needed his money.
“Call Mrs Lydia, tell her to send in the designs they have.” He was still lost within the letterings of his laptop, not even looking at her.
“Okay.” Céline wanted to say more, but she bit her tongue to hold back.
Dealing with Damien had become like dealing with eggs, any sudden movement and they crack.