59

Ashely
“Get your hands off me. ” Nadia responded harshly, yanking my hands off her shirt collar.
I took a step backward, observing her. Nadia had that confident poise that I hardly took note of.
“Are you a thief? Why would you look through my things?” I asked.
“I never stole anything. You shouldn’t accuse a person of such a crime.” Nadia answered.
I ran a hand through the sides of my face, “Explain yourself.”
“I walked in here because I wanted to think and I bumped into your bag. ” Nadia responded with her hands thrust into her apron pockets.
My mouth was half open in shock. Did Nadia really think I would believe that?
“I find it hard to believe.” I voiced out slowly.
“But I was telling the truth. Why would I want to steal anything from you?” Nadia asked.
With my hand still clenched into a fist, I watched her facial expression remain as before, calm and collected.
“Never put your hands on me, Ashley, ” Nadia took a step towards me and in an instant, I felt intimidated by her eagle eyes narrowing in on me, “Please.”
“I must have misunderstood you. I’m sorry.” I muttered slowly as my gaze darted towards the window, squinting my eyes to reduce the amount of sunlight pooling in.
I observed as Nadia walked out without saying a word. I swallowed a globe of saliva and crouched low to pick up my cell phone. I noticed a crack on the screen and I mumbled;
“That crazy girl… ”
Why she did have to drop my cell phone?
I was still skeptical about her words but I was beginning to see Nadia from a different perspective. I didn’t still trust her words, why would she accidentally bump into my bag?
“Is she blind?” I muttered while rolling my eyes.
I placed a hand on my hip and thrust my cell phone into my apron pockets. I picked up my bag and slung it across my shoulders and walked towards the kitchen door, carefully. I stood by the door-side, searching for Nadia. I could see Alfred and Damien chatting away like long-lost lovers.
But I didn’t see her but I saw a couple of stainless steel bowls on the center table in the kitchen. I was about to walk in when I heard someone whisper behind me,
“What are you looking for?”
My entire body jerked to a standstill unexpectedly as my heart skipped a beat. My hands flew to my chest as I whipped my head around.
“You scared me. ” I uttered slowly, taking a deep breath.
“What are you doing here? Are you looking for me?” she crossed her arms across her breasts.
“N-No.” I answered with a stammer, “I wanted to speak to Luke”
“He took a break to see one of his siblings,” Nadia answered.
“Oh, I had no idea. ” I answered hurriedly and then decided to walk away before it gets any more awkward. Nadia blocked my path and I lifted my head to look at her.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” I noticed her piercing gaze watching me like a hawk, making me feel uneasy.
“It’s nothing, ” Nadia assured, “I was just wondering why Leo hasn’t clocked in yet.”
She then walked into the kitchen, shooting an innocent smile at Alfred and Damien. I blinked for several seconds, wondering how everything that happened escalated all the way to Leo.
Why would she even mention him?
Was Alfred saying the truth about Leo getting rejected by Nadia?
I turned on my heels with my hands in my apron pockets, wondering how Leo was connected to Nadia. Did he like her?
I shook my head. They barely even spoke so why would he have feelings for her?
I halted on my heels for a moment, rubbing my forehead which was beginning to heat up.
“What am I doing? Why won’t I stop thinking about him?” I muttered.
I took slow steps towards the counter, still not believing a word that Nadia said. She was helpful toward me when we exchanged shifts but now I was starting to wonder who she was. I began to connect the dots with what Emily previously told me. She said that Nadia creepily looked at Leo and my mind reminisced on the way she stared at me.
It was as if she was trying to look through me.
I tried to take Nadia off my mind but the moment when I walked back to the counter, I felt my knees wobble for a moment when my eyes landed on the back of his head while he wore his apron. He looked different, his hair was perfectly permed and curled. The sides of his face memorized me and I felt a blush creeping up my cheeks.
I felt like I was on fire and I might spontaneously combust at any moment, like a person had set a slow and steady match beneath my center, deep in the pit of my stomach. My heart beat fast like a drum as it pumped my blood. The blood rushes to the tips of my fingers, the pulse coming in hot waves that cause everything else to pulse and it triggered something primal in me.
I tucked in the loose strands of my hair behind my ear and continued walking with my hands by my sides, watching him interact sweetly with Emily. When I sat down, I noticed he wasn’t making or trying to make any eye contact with me.
“I thought you weren’t coming to work. I was scared that Mrs. Ping might show up. Everyone kept asking for you. I wonder what you charmed everyone with.” Emily laughed.
“With good looks like mine, I don’t think there’s anyone who would resist me.” I heard Leo respond.
I felt my heart fall while pretending not to listen to their sweet exchange of words. I felt like a fool while watching the empty bakery. During noon, we hardly had customers who wanted to fill up their stomachs with coffee and pastries made of flour, butter, and sugar.
I tapped away my fingers lightly on the table and kept my gaze on the scurrying pedestrians who walked by the bakery until I heard Emily exclaim,
“What happened to your knuckles?” she said.
My head whipped around to notice red bruises around the knuckles of his right hand, it seemed as if he got it accidentally or maybe he got involved in a fight.
“It’s nothing. I got involved with a thug who was trying to beat up a kid yesterday.” Leo answered with a smile.
“You are handsome and you help people too. That’s outstanding.” Emily teased him with a cheeky smile.
I fondled the back of my neck, feeling a slight frustration within me when he still did not look at me.
Why would he say he couldn’t stay away from me and stop looking at me?
Was he really going to pretend as if nothing happened?
I lowered my head and lifted it when I heard Damien walk in.
“Luke took a break and since we need to get some sugar and butter. Alfred said it might run out soon. ” Damien stated, “And we don’t have an anonymous person bringing it to us.”
“And the paper bags are almost finished. I don’t understand why they can’t just eat it all here,” Emily complained with a pout, “And we can’t just take Mrs. Ping’s cash
She might throw a fit if she hears about it.”
“I can go get it, ” I heard Leo speak up.
“That would be perfect but do you know your way around here?” Damien asked with a raised brow.
“I don’t, ” Leo answered, “But Ashley can show me around.”
I felt my heart skip when a beat when my name rolled off his lips. So he noticed me and wanted me to go get sugar, flour, and a couple of paper bags with him.
Why?
I was beginning to get paranoid and I wished the ground could open up and swallow me all up.
“Why didn’t you ask me to follow you? I can show you where to get sugar, and flour at a cheap price?” Emily pouted.
“I know. You should stay here and enjoy the freedom of not having anything to do.” Leo answered with a chuckle.
I watched as a radiant smile swept across Emily’s face. I rose to my feet watching Leo remove his apron and I hurriedly removed mine while glancing at my clothes.
I shot Emily a smile while she waved. I took a deep breath watching Leo walk out first and I, walking behind him. I didn’t want to catch up with him because I was afraid he might find out how shy I was and how fast my heart was racing.
He turned around an alley after the bakery and stopped. I also halted, immediately looking at my shoes while fondling with my fingers.
I wondered why he stopped. When he turned to look at me, my heart began to race again. He began to walk towards me with quick strides and I felt my heart beat again, furiously.
My heart wanted to tell him to stop, that he might give me a heart attack eventually and I might pass out.
He stopped a few meters away from me, gazing deeply into my eyes.
“Are you trying to avoid me?” I heard him ask.
And then a hiccup flew out of my lips.