Theodore was in a good mood. It showed in the smile he sported. He rarely ever smiled. And it came out as a surprise to the watch he found at the door.
Remembering what the other watch, namely Paul, had almost done – taking his mate’s kiss that was – a scowl replaced his smile, and his mood turned sour.
He was going to have a word or two with the boy.
He didn’t bother going to the staff’s residence, but rather headed for the main one.
Upon his arrival, Mrs. Steams opened the door to him with a smile. “Welcome back, Mr. King.”
“I want the watch named Paul in my office in 10 minutes top,” he said without preamble.
She knew not to argue with him when he sported such a scowl and only nodded her response.
He strode to his office, and within five minutes, he was once again having a stare-down with a stubborn boy.
“Yes, sir? Anything you need?” He asked him in an almost defiant tone.
Theodore appraised the competition. He wasn’t particularly handsome nor strikingly attractive – average at most. But he could see the appeal of the simplicity of a possible relationship with Paul, over the complexity of anything with him.
The young boy’s glare started to waver as he began to become nervous.
“Sir, if it’s about earlier, I seriously…”
Seeing as Theodore didn’t want to hear something that could possibly enrage him, he raised his hand, putting an end to the boy’s rambling before it even began. “How much do you value your job?” He then asked him.
“Oh, sir, please…”
Where was that bravado from earlier? Theodore held back a humorless chuckle.
“That is not a valid answer, I’m afraid,” he told him cynically.
“I need the job, sir. I really do,” he told him almost desperately.
“Then I need not repeat my earlier instruction, am I correct?”
The silence stretched for a moment, and he was almost ready to kill the boy for his impudence. His beast was more than eager to finish him.
“I’ll stay away from Emily, sir,” he told him after a while.
He smirked at him. “I knew I could trust you to be reasonable.”
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
Emily woke up the following day, not to her alarm clock but to her phone ringing.
Boss flashed on the phone. And she made a mental note to change it to something else – like sexy boss.
She took the call, and said groggily despite her desire not to speak to anyone, “911, state your emergency.”
“Very funny, dorogaya,” he told her sarcastically.
“How can I help you, sir?”
“Theodore,” he was quick to correct her. “I thought we’ve established that already.”
“My bad,” she said on a sigh. “How may I help you, Theodore?”
She really was in no mood for his games.
“What’s wrong?” He asked her, almost as if he sensed that something was indeed amiss.
Tears sprung to her eyes. Nobody knew her enough to be able to know her from the tone of her voice.
“Nothing’s wrong,” she told him as she did her best not to sniffle.
“Tell me,” he urged her. “Did someone upset you? Should I have them fired? Should I kill them? Is there nothing I can do to help?”
“Can you revive the dead?” She told him sarcastically.
“I’m not a necromancer, dorogaya,” he told her softly, albeit earnestly. “And I would advise you to steer clear of them. They usually mean trouble.”
She couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her. Then, her giggle turned into a sob – a painful heart-wrenching sob.
“I’m sorry,” she said in between wails. “I won’t be coming to work today.”
And without further ado, she hung up.
She had woken up when her alarm clock went off earlier. But upon seeing the date, she realized that it had been 3 months since her parents passed away.
No one really cared about her anymore. She didn’t have anyone to call hers anymore. She didn’t have her confidants anymore.
She was so far deep in her self-loathing-slash-pity party that she didn’t know how much time had passed when there was a knock on the door.
Who could it possibly? She had already paid her landlord.
She left the bed and went to open the door, her hair a messy bird-nest, her eyes puffy. That should scare away whoever came to bother her.
One could only imagine her surprise when she found her deliciously handsome boss standing at the door.
“Hey,” he greeted her softly.
She only stared at him, not finding the words to say. With his pristine clothes, he looked out of place in the shabby building.
“Aren’t you going to allow me in?” He asked, his head tilted to the side. “I swear I won’t bite – unless you ask that is.” His attempt to make a joke made a small smile appear on her face, and she opened the door slightly. “I even brought you breakfast.”
“Bribing me, are we?” She asked him with a small giggle, as she let him in.
“I’ll be straightforward about this,” he told her softly and yet earnestly, “I’ll use whatever means necessary to have you smiling, laughing, content, happy.”
That put a slightly brighter smile on her face.
“Thanks,” she told him softly. “That means a lot.” Especially today, she mentally added.
He entered her modest flat. He had the decency not to make a comment about it being too small or anything like that as he sat down on her bed. And that made her appreciate his presence some more.
“How long has it been exactly?” He asked in a tone so soft, she almost wouldn’t have heard him had she not been sitting so close to him.
She immediately knew what he was referring to and thus answered in kind. “3 months today.”
Silence stretched comfortably for some time before she broke it by telling him, “I feel silly though. It’s been three months – three. Shouldn’t I be over my grief already?”
“I was worried the last time I breached the subject that you might be in shock. Your voice was so cold when you talked about their passing,” he said as he grabbed her hand and squeezed gently.
“I can be a good performer, I guess,” she scoffed.
“You fooled me, I’ll have to admit,” he tried to lighten the atmosphere.
“It’s just so hard to open up to a total stranger. And a few days back, you were nothing but a stranger to me,” she told him in a hushed tone.
Somehow whispering seemed fitting.
“Well, I know it hasn’t been that long since we’ve known one another, and that the circumstances could be better for such a confession… But kindly believe me when I say that I want to be your friend and your confidant, your lover and your support, your one and only, your first and your last too.”
“It’s not the right time indeed,” she told him and watched as his face fell slightly. “But I appreciate the thought.”