AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Part of me would like that.” She traps her bottom lip between her teeth.
“No, I get it. You’re meant for bigger and better things than being my assistant.”
“It’s a noble career.” She steps closer to me. “You’re a pretty big deal, Sebastian.”
“No. But you’re a big deal. Tell me about the plays you’ve been in.”
“Tons and tons.” She waves me away. “My favorite role was Little Red inInto the Woods. But when I discovered Theater History, that was what lit me on fire. I loved being onstage, but I love research and writing and working in dramaturgy even more.”
She’s standing so close to me, I could reach out and grab her hand if I wanted. But I can’t. We’re in the office, for one thing. “Can I read your work? Or can you share some of your research with me?”
She reaches past me and grabs her water bottle from her desk. I drink in her berry scent.
“Sometime. Once you get me talking about it, I won’t be able to stop.” She takes a swig of her water. “It’s not interesting to most people, though.”
Her talking about her grocery shopping list would have me riveted on the spot.
Her eyes, so soft and alluring, are beckoning me to her. But I need to leave. We can’t be here together like this.
I return to my desk, but I don’t sit. “Um, do you want some food?”
“That sushi is still sitting right here.” She laughs and rubs her belly. “But I wouldn’t say not to something sweet. Just to finish off the night.” She tilts her head back in another enormous yawn, and it’s cute. I want to give her the biggest bear hug I can.
“Got it. I’ll find us something.” I grab my car keys. I don’t know why. There’s not much open in Longdale at this hour on a Wednesday night. But maybe the gas station has something.
“You’re not going to call Drake?”
“I’ll give him a well-deserved break. He drove a couple hours roundtrip for that sushi.”
She only smiles, and then turns away to sit on the couch. “I’ll finish organizing the notes from the meetings while you’re gone.”
“And then after you eat a snack, you can go home, I promise.”
“Oh, I will.” She says it like she’s the boss. Not me. And I’m starting to think she’s right.
I drive into Longdale, and the town is mostly asleep. I pull into the gas station on this side of town. But once I’m inside, I have no idea what to get. How long has it been since I was inside a convenience store trying to pick out something to eat? And man, there’s a lot of garbage food in here. Not that I’m above packing away a bag of chips or a candy bar once in a while.
I wander along all four aisles, my mind going back and forth. I want to get something she likes, and so I almost text her. No, I can do this. I can make decisions. I always make decisions. All day long. So why is this freaking me out?
Mambos? Too hard, they might break her teeth. And she can’t risk that because that mouth of hers is a thing of beauty.
Chips? Can’t be too strong and spicy, though. Yeah, I want to kiss her. Am I going to? No.
Doesn’t mean I want spicy nacho breath.
Besides, she said she wanted something sweet.
Ice cream? They have pints, and I finally settle on that. I grab four different kinds because I have no idea if she’s more of a vanilla or chocolate person. Then I grab some Red Vines and some Twizzlers because you’re either a Red Vines person or a Twizzlers person and never the twain shall meet. At the register, I grab a couple of small bags of yogurt-covered pretzels. The woman at the counter’s eyebrows go up.
“You having a party?”
“Uh, something like that.” I run a hand through my hair and glance down at my wrinkled shirt and the two buttons undone. Geez. I really didn’t consider how I looked before I left, which isn’t like me. Yeah, I can be vain. But it’s more than that. I’m the face of the company. I don’t have the freedom to not be presentable when I go out.
The C-Store in west Longdale hardly counts as going out, but that’s okay.
She’s finishing the transaction when I realize the pretzels have gluten and though I don’t remember Elianna ever saying anything about wanting to avoid gluten, I tear down the chip aisle and grab a couple of bags of Doritos, just in case. Then a pack of gum because, you know, of the aforementioned thought about the possibility of wicked breath.
The cashier laughs again, tells me the total, and I have a mini heart attack then and there. People assume that those who have money wouldn’t bat an eye at a thirty dollar plus C-Store run, but I’m not your regular, ordinary person, I guess. I watch my spending, which is probably a big reason why I have so much of it to spend. At least that’s what I tell myself.
