“Sir, is there something going on that I don’t know about? You’ve been working since morning without even stopping for lunch.”
Joseph peered down at me concerningly with his tablet pressed tightly against his chest and a coffee cup held out in his hand. He set the coffee down on my desk with a worried glance at the stacks of files on either side of me.
I graciously accepted the cup and reassured, “It’s nothing. I’m just trying to go home a bit earlier this week.”
I’ve been trying to finish my work faster so I could leave work with Danary and go to her house to visit Liam in the evenings. It was something that had quickly become routine since the night Liam asked me to stay with them.
Even though it was just having some home-cooked dinners together, I didn’t want to give it up for a bunch of paperwork that could be done at a different time. It just felt much more heart-warming to eat a meal that we cooked together than sitting in my cold office to eat by myself, even though those boxes that she gave me in the past happened to also be her cooking.
To add on, I had grown much closer to Liam over these last couple of days.
Ever since I noticed his trouble with one of his problem sets from the university-level robotic class and helped show him how to analyze the electrical circuit, he had been willingly coming up to me with different papers and books in his hands after dinner instead of hissing at me from the sidelines like the first time I met him.
In fact, during last night’s dinner, he showed me his math work for a miniature rocketship that he worked on by himself as a hobby. He wanted to show me his setup in their little backyard and asked me to pick up some explosives for launching the rocket.
At first, he wanted me to get liquid nitrogen and liquid oxygen so he could mimic NASA’s setup, which Danary then vehemently forbade, but I managed to get him to compromise with the stars that are usually inside normal fireworks.
It was the first time he asked me to do something with him, so I didn’t want to miss tonight’s dinner for a bunch of lousy paperwork, which was why I had been locked down at my desk since morning.
The overseas branches had been bothering me about getting more funding and were trying to get me to visit their offices to see their accomplishments, but I didn’t want to leave for an extended period of time for such a reason. I had just barely started courting Danary. And I had less than a month left to convince her to stay with me before she disappeared from my life.
I sighed heavily at the thought and mindlessly sipped the coffee that Joseph had brought in for me.
I cringed at the taste.
Joseph raised an eyebrow, confused by my reaction. “Is it not to your liking?”
“No, no, it’s nothing.” I quickly set it aside and waved his comment off.
It’s just that I had gotten so used to Danary’s overly sweet coffee that Joseph’s coffee now seemed bitter to me even though I used to like it.
“Um… Okay, then…” Joseph shifted awkwardly from side to side. “I actually came in to tell you that someone is asking to see you in the lobby. Should I let them up?”
My eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Anyone that I personally knew already had their names placed on the register to be allowed access to my building at any time. It was how Sebastian could constantly pester me during work without any heads-up.
So, who could it be?
“Sir? Should I just tell them to come back later with a pre-arranged meeting instead?”
I shook my head and pushed my papers to the side. “It’s alright. I’ll take a quick break from work and drop down to see who it is. Thanks for letting me know.” I quickly straightened out my suit and walked out of my office to the elevator.
As I made my way down the hallway, I caught a glimpse of Danary working diligently in one of the open conference rooms. Her hair fell a bit out of her updo as she leaned over some blueprints and notes with the rest of the team hovering around her.
I wasn’t sure why but I always found it very attractive to see her so hard at work.
I wanted to stay longer to watch her, but I knew that I couldn’t make our relationship too obvious at work.
I sighed at the thought as I stepped into the elevator, jabbing the button for the lobby.
I wanted to tell others to make sure that no one would try to dare to lay a hand on her again, but she kept refusing, mumbling something about how I would only regret it in the future. I couldn’t tell if she truly thought that I would ditch her out of the blue one day or if she was just too timid to meet other people yet. But either way, I had to respect her decision.
The elevator dinged when I reached the lowest floor and opened up the crowded lobby of my building. I glanced around in search of anyone who seemed to be waiting but found no one of the sorts.
Perplexed, I walked over to the little old lady sitting at the receptionist’s desk. “Hey, Emily. Joseph just told me that someone was looking for me down here. Do you know who it is?”
Her eyes immediately light up. “Yes, yes, of course.” She moved her chair aside, revealing a familiar little boy dressed in light trousers and a white button-up with a tousled head of hair.
My eyes widened in surprise. “Liam?”
At the sound of his name, he quickly lifted his head up from his tablet with a sheepish grin. “Hello, Mr. Cordova.”
Emily energetically explained, “You can’t imagine how surprised I was when this kiddo walked into the lobby without any parent and asked to see you. I wasn’t sure if you knew him, but I couldn’t just let him get trampled by a bunch of adults, so I told him to wait behind the desk with me.”
“It’s quite alright, Emily. I do know him.” I motioned for him to come over to me.
He eagerly hopped off his chair and came over to me, latching himself to my side without a word.
The elderly lady instantly cooed, “Awe, he’s so adorable. Is he your son? Have you been hiding him from me?”
I quickly corrected, “No, no, it’s not that. He’s not mine, but I met him a while ago when he visited work with his mom.”
“Really? Who’s his mother? She must be really pretty to have such an adorable son.”
Noticing how Liam shied away from her question, I protectively placed a hand on his shoulder, keeping him hidden behind me, and warned, “Emily, please stop. I know that you’re curious because he’s not comfortable with being put in the spotlight.”
Emily instantly closed her lips and nodded silently as she sat back down in her seat.
I gently guided Liam toward the elevator. The lobby was so crowded from the constant in- and outflow of foot traffic that I had to scoop him up into my arms to prevent him from being trampled.
Liam looked around the crowded lobby nervously as we waited for the elevator, clutching his tablet to his chest. He usually kept such a cold front that I never realized he was just as wary of strangers as his mother until now.
And maybe part of the reason why I had never noticed was because he had never feel safe enough with me until now to let his guard down, even if it was just a little bit.
Trying to take his mind off the dense sea of strangers, I softly asked, “How did you get here by yourself, Liam?”
With his eyes still warily darted between the unfamiliar faces, he mumbled, “I was bored at home and took the subway here.”
I grimaced at his words. “The subway is too dangerous for you to take by yourself. Please message me next time you want to visit, and I can send a driver to come to pick you up.”
He nodded numbly.
“Does your mother know you’re here?”
His fingers scrunched up fistfuls of my shirt as more people passed by us and reluctantly confessed, “No.”
I sighed. “Liam, I don’t mind having you visit us at work, but you should at least-”
I was suddenly cut off by a higher-pitched voice in the background, making both Liam and me reflexively turn our heads in confusion.
“Mr. Cordova!” Jogging right up to us was a familiar dark-haired female, one that I hadn’t seen in over two weeks. She flashed me a bright smile as her dress slowly settled down from running through the crowded lobby. “I knew I saw someone familiar when I saw your large build sticking out of the crowd like a sore thumb, and I was right.”
“It’s nice to see you too, Cassy… But what are you doing here?”
“I was just meeting a client in a neighborhood when I remembered that your headquarters was around here and impulsively decided to visit. I know you said that you weren’t interested in finding a partner, but you said that we could still be friends, right?”
Liam’s grip on my shirt tightened. I worriedly glanced at him from the corner of my eyes and noticed how tightly he had pressed his lips into a thin line. It felt as if he had grown several degrees colder from the mere sight of Cassy.
Following my gaze, Cassy perked up at the sight of Liam. “Oh, who’s this little guy?”
“A co-worker’s son.”
Liam’s expression immediately turned into a frown. He harshly turned away from her and buried his head into the crook of my neck.
I chuckled awkwardly. “I’m sorry about him, but he doesn’t do so well with strangers.”
Cassy nodded understandingly. Changing the topic, she asked, “By any chance, do you have some time to go out to grab a coffee with me? I can wait down here until you finish dropping him off to his parents.”
Liam’s arms tightened around me with her words. I could hear him mumbling to himself in the crook of my neck. It was almost as if he was trying to prevent me from leaving, and that thought warmed my heart.
Shooting an apologetic smile to Cassy, I politely declined. “I’m actually quite busy right now. Maybe some other time.”
“Um… o-okay. Then, how about-”
Using the elevator’s arrival as an excuse, I cut in, “I’m sorry, but I really need to leave now. I’ll see you some other time, okay?”
Without waiting for an answer, I walked into the empty elevator with Liam in my arms. Then elevator doors closed soon after, locking her out from us as it started to rise to the top floor.
With no one else in the elevator, I gently peeled Liam off of my shoulder and worriedly asked, “Are you alright?”
He scowled at me and turned his head away from me with his arms folded in front of him despite being perched on my arms.
“Liam, what’s wrong?”
He huffed, “I thought you said you were interested in Ms. Jane.”
I arched an eyebrow in confusion. “Yes… I did say that, and I still mean it… ”
His face scrunched up even more in distaste. He spat out, “Then why were you talking to that woman?”
Oh… So that was what it was about…
“Liam, she’s just someone I met a few weeks ago. I know that I’m seeing your mother right now, but it would be rude to brush her aside without a word.”
He seemed dissatisfied with my answer as he leaned even further away from me.
“You know that I would never see someone else being your mother’s back, right? She is worth so much more than a meaningless fling.”
He grumbled, “Men still cheat on their partners even when they’re married.”
I fell silent, taken aback by how he seemed to be also well-versed on the topic of adultery. I still didn’t have any clue about the circumstances around Liam’s father, but did he leave them for another woman despite already having a child with her? Was that why Liam was so sensitive about this topic or was this just part of his protectiveness over his mother?
Liam squirmed in my hold, failing to slip out of my arms. “It’s not like I care what you do in your free time anyway. Just leave us out of it.”
The elevator rang when it reached the top floor and started to open its door. Liam pushed harder against me, trying to escape, but I held onto him and pressed the button to stop the elevator from opening.
I didn’t want him to leave without clearing up the misunderstanding first.
“Please don’t push me out like this, Liam. I promise that I only have eyes for your mother. If you doubt me, you can ask anyone I know, and they can tell you that I have never shown any interest in any woman before your mother came along.”
He eyed me hesitantly. “But the newspapers said that you are almost 30 already?”
I cringed at his words, remembering how less than a month ago, my mother had been yelling at me for being able to get a girlfriend despite being a viable bachelor for 12 years already. “Yes… I didn’t have any relationship with females before your mother. I usually just get tossed into a blind date by my own mother whenever she felt to need to fix my lack of companionship, but nothing ever lasted.”
“Fine, I’ll trust your words then. No man would normally want to admit such a thing.” A slight grin appeared on his lips. “I won’t say anything to Ms. Jane as long as you don’t try anything.”
I nodded eagerly, glad that he wasn’t going to report a misunderstanding to her. I had barely been able to build up some trust with her these last couple of days, and I didn’t want to it come crumbling down so soon.
“Now put me down before I scream and get you in trouble.”
I laughed at his little threat and set him down on the ground before pressing the button to restart the elevator.
Once the doors opened, Liam immediately scurried out of the elevators with me on his tail as he made a beeline for his mother’s office. I watched as he threw the door open and launched himself onto his startled mother.
I smiled at the heartwarming sight, wishing to be part of the picture but knowing that I still had no right to just barge in just yet.
Liam was talking a mile a minute as he recounted his journey to the office, telling her about the rats he saw on the subway and how he had called me down to the lobby to let him up, despite Danary’s horror.
The only thing she managed to get out at the end of the story was a reluctant little head pat and a weak smile.
I chuckled lightly at the sight, accidentally catching Danary’s attention in the process.
She looked up at me with a soft smile growing across her lips and motioned for me to come closer.
I took a hesitant glance back at our office floor. When I noted that no one was watching, I pushed myself off her doorway and sneakily slipped into her office. I closed the door and window blinds before I walked over to her.
Stopping in front of her chair, I gave her a questioning head tilt.
She turned around in her chair with Liam still sprawled across her lap, who was still jabbering away about his plans for the rocketship model that he wanted to launch me. When I was standing just a few feet away from her chair, she motioned for me to lean down closer to her.
Once I was hovering just a few inches away from her, I suddenly felt a light peck on my left cheek and the breathless whisps of a soft “thank you.”
My eyes widened as I stood there motionlessly, staring down at the little lady who had turned her head away with a bright red hue ordaining her cheeks.
Her lips had brushed against my cheeks so lightly that I almost thought I had imagined it. My hand mindlessly reached up to touch the warmth leftover from her lips as I stared at her in awe.
It was so quick that Liam didn’t even notice the little exchange, but by the look of Danary’s bright red cheeks, I knew that I hadn’t imagined it.
I wasn’t quite sure what she was thanking me for, but I didn’t complain.
After all, it was the first time she had initiated touching me out of her own accord.
And a kiss on the cheek to boot!