I let the tear trickle down my cheek. I couldn’t believe he had just said that. I had known he would probably think of firing me, but I truly hadn’t expected him to say it.
“Mr. Shawn.” I blinked away my tears, thinking of the next thing to do. Was I to apologize or what? “You can’t fire me for a mere thing like this. I mean, we can just talk things out.”
He tittered, that menacing look creeping to his face. “At this point, I disagree with that. You’re leaving. That’s my final decision.”
“Hey, Raymond.” Ryan yanked at Mr. Shawn’s arm, twirled him around, shooting glares at him. “You can’t do this to her. It’s crazy. Fine, fire me instead. I’m the one arguing with you, not her, okay?”
Mr. Shawn snorted. “My man, you’re a blessing to my job. I can’t let go of you. So, she has to go.”
“This is crazy!” Ryan barked. “Is this how to treat a person? Huh? All because she refused to do the shitty things other women do with you?”
Mr. Shawn shrugged. “Don’t care. She’s going, and that’s it.” He turned to me. “Woman, pack your things, and leave.”
I looked down, nodded gently. “Okay.”
“Everyone, get dismissed,” he added before heading out of here, with his men.
Soon, the workers began to leave, mumbling as they walked past me. I felt very embarrassed, felt like crying, but I was only trying to be strong. This was so upsetting.
“Serene, I’ll send you a call tomorrow,” Natasha said.
I nodded at her, but didn’t take a chance to look at her. She left as well. And, it was only Ryan and I that was left. Why wasn’t he leaving?
I raised my neck to look at him. He sighed, slowly stepped close. I didn’t know why, but he looked really bitter. This man could be so erratic at times.
“Serene, I’m so sorry about this.” His voice was pretty low, sounding like he was tired. Obviously, he was tired. “I-I didn’t mean to cause this ruckus. And don’t worry, I can try to talk to him. Yeah, he’s stupid, but I can threaten him or something.”
I swallowed my tears. “It’s okay. It’s happened already. Besides, my dignity is my pride. It’s very vital to me. If you threaten him or something, there’ll be some terms and conditions for him to hire me back. I feel very intimidated when I’m around him. You’re right, he’s kind of dangerous.”
“He can’t harm you, huh? I can’t let him do that,” he assured me.
“Thanks, Mr. Arthur. But I guess you’ll have to get a new secretary.” I sniffled, sighed, and tried to wear a small smile. “Until yesterday, it was bad working with you. Have a nice time. And, see you someday. Goodnight.”
Saying that, I didn’t give him a chance to say anything. I just walked out of the room, left immediately.
I was so, so upset. What would I do now?
***
“Oh, I’m so sorry, honey!” Praise cried over the phone, sounding very worried.
I smiled a little. “It’s fine. Thanks for your concern. So, have you told Daniel about your pregnancy?”
“Yeah. And gosh, he’s been so glad! He asked me to relax, while he’s helping me with the dishes. He’s completely forgotten about the “hot guy” story. I love my baby so much!” She exclaimed.
I chuckled. “Good for you. As he’s said, ensure you relax. Don’t jump around like a frog, okay?”
“Of course.”
“Alright, bye. See you later,” I said.
“Goodnight.”
I hung up the call, dug my phone into the pocket of my dark hoodie sweater, and just stared up at the dark, cloudy sky. I felt tears building in my eyes, but I swallowed the tears immediately. I really wasn’t willing to cry.
After I had taken my things from the office, I had come home immediately. Mom, dad and Vicki had felt so bad when I had told them everything that had happened. They had assured me that everything would be fine, but I was completely negative about my future. There was really nothing I could do.
I sighed hard, tucked some strands of my hair behind my ear. Since it was eight already, I guessed I should go in, and get ready to sleep.
About standing up, I stopped when I heard footsteps coming from the other side of the backyard. I creased my eyebrows, moved my neck sideways, only for me to see Ryan walking towards me. Confused, I blinked so hard, then stood up.
“Mr. Arthur? Wh-What’re you doing here?” I asked.
He just stood there, smiled like an idiot, looking handsome. He had his hands dug in the pocket of his joggers pants, the bright light of the backyard outlining those blue eyes. What was with this dude? Was I sure I wasn’t dreaming?
He sighed, and walked to me. “You’re surprised? Well, your sis told me that you’re here.”
“Wait.” I slapped my head, acting like I was dizzy. This was dramatic, but I really needed to be sure this wasn’t a dream. “How did you even get here? I mean, how do you know my house?”
He scratched the back of his neck, laughed weirdly, and shrugged. “Um, I kind of tracked your phone. You have a problem with that?”
“No, no.” I waved my hand to beckon that it was fine. “Anyway, do you need something? It’s really weird to see you here.”
He took a step close, that cute smile beaming on his lips. “Knowing that you won’t be working with me anymore, I kind of miss you. Crazy, right?”
“Very crazy.” I nodded, my eyes widened at him.
“Oh, you see…” He twitched his lips sideways, raised his eyebrows. “I also enjoyed our conversation last night. To be honest, I realized that if I get to be your friend, I’d be less lonely.”
“You’re a loner?” I raised a brow at him.
“Kind of.”
“But, I can tell you’ve got a lot of friends.”
He shrugged. “Having a lot of friends doesn’t stop a person from being lonely. Being with the right person might be the vaccine to kill one’s loneliness.”
“True,” I affirmed. I was silent for a while, feeling quite weird. Being a bit hesitant, I asked, “So, you think I can be that one person? I mean, the great Mr. Arthur wants to be my friend?”
He chuckled. “Guess so. I mean, I still feel bad for you. Not like that’s the reason I wanna be friends with you. It’s just that, I think you’re cool.”
That made me feel weird. I couldn’t even tell if it was a good feeling or a bad one. I just knew that it made me feel weird.
“Okay. I’ll see about that.”
He sighed. “I’m really sorry about what happened. Raymond’s a dick.”
“A big one,” I remarked.
“So, don’t worry about him. I’m sure you’ll get a new job.”
“You’re sure you’ll be fine without me around there?” I asked.
He smiled wider. “As long as you don’t become a stripper, I’m ready to let go of you.”
“You’re crazy.” I chuckled.
He took my hand, squeezed it in his, his lips pressed against each other. I felt so uncomfortable. “Someday…” His smile became a bit faint. “… the coward in me will wash off. And, I’m hoping it won’t vanish at the last tick of the clock’s hand.”
“Hm?” I wiggled my left eyebrow at him. One thing I hated was when people spoke in parables. What was he saying? “Don’t get you. Speak in a more lucid way, I suggest.”
He glanced at the ground, chortled before pulling his hand from mine, then looked at me. “It’s nothing.” He sighed again. “Guess I should get going. Now that I know you’re fine, I feel less guilty. Have a nice night, okay?”
I nodded, smiling. “And you too. Thanks for visiting.”
“Welcome.”
He took a step backwards, then turned around to take his leave. Only taking two steps forward, he halted. I squeezed my eyebrows, wondering what was going on with him. Had he forgotten something?
“Mr. Arthur? Do you— oh my gosh!”
I gasped, my body giving in to the force that jerked my waist. I almost tripped on my own legs, but I managed to maintain my stability. It was as if a hurricane had abruptly occured, and its strong wind had swallowed my body.
Gasping for air, I looked directly into Ryan’s eyes. I was so confused, scared, dazed and numb. Why had he pulled me that hard? What was with this desire and emotions I could sense in his eyes? What was going on?
“M-Mr. Arthur?” I called his name in a whisper, my heart throbbing against my chest.
Uninformed, he locked my chest against his. I could feel the fast rate of his heartbeat, and I knew he was nervous. His hot breath brushed against my nose, down to my jaw, which made me feel even more weird.
He seemed hesitant. He wanted something. What was this?
“I’m sorry,” he murmured.
Without being permitted to, his lips clashed against mine. He kissed really, really hard, but it wasn’t hurting. It was as if he was being careful, it was as if he was trying to be passionate. His left hand crawled to my hair, and he pulled my head closer, so I would have no choice but to give in to his kiss.
This wasn’t the man I knew. It felt like he was being disguised as a different man tonight.
My heart felt heavy. I was so puzzled.
After a long kiss that felt like it wouldn’t ever end, he pulled away, panting hard. The desire in his eyes hadn’t wiped off. To be honest, it was scary. Infact, he was scary.
“M-Mr. Arthur?” I called him out in a whisper, feeling extremely worried.
“Goodnight.” Murmuring that, he turned around, hurried out of here.
Feeling extremely perplexed, I turned to my left, and stepped backwards. As if I had lost control of my body, my butt dropped to the bench behind me. Involuntarily, I touched my lips. I couldn’t decipher what had just happened, I didn’t know the right emotion to feel, I couldn’t think straight.
Why had he done that? Did he feel something for me? Or, was he planning to make me fall for him, so he’d use me, just like the other women in his life? Now that he wasn’t my boss, was he planning to get close to me?
This was stupid. He had just left me here, had left me speechless, had left me thinking about his craziness.
**