Chapter 23: CH23: Two is enough
"Mindless eating is not mindless when you go to the kitchen to grab some food,
That's when you have the most power to stop yourself."
- Laura Houssain
===========================
Over the past few days, Deegan had been acting weird. It has become a bit of a bother for Delilah, who kept trying to understand his motives. She did not know why he was being weird.
Occasionally, he would leave some candies or even some money with a little note to buy snacks or gas for her car. Ever since he has been busy with the Safety department, he had spent most of his time there, compare with the time he had spent at the HR. (Thankfully!) Hence, why she would find little gifts from him every now and then.
One time, she was seriously contemplating whether she should tell him that the money was not enough for her gas but decided to be against it. Or else, he will seriously give more money. Delilah was not that shameless (she thinks).
Delilah was not a person who would care or bother too much about this. She was more of a person who would just ignore it but the thing with Deegan was getting weird. Probably because, when they first meet, Delilah had always thought he was a quiet person, who would not look for trouble. But she was oh, so wrong. She really did not expect that Deegan would be this aggressive. Another reason for Delilah's thought was that she kept thinking whether, had she been flirtatious with him that he got seduced or something? For Delilah, who has not dated for a long time, she felt this has been getting out of hand. And she was worried that it might affect them working together. And another thing was that he was nearly five years younger than her! She does not want to be called 'Sugar Mama' or 'Cougar'.
Currently, she was waiting for Deegan to reply to her text. She had texted him that she wanted to meet up with him in private.
When the reply came with an 'Okay', Delilah stretched her arms up and continued her work. She could not afford to waste any more time when there was work to be done.
Messages and emails have poured in. Reports and files have been piling up high on her desk, ever since Firah had taken leave a couple of days ago. Because the work was urgent and important, Delilah had to take over her tasks. She did not mind the work, actually. In fact, Delilah volunteered herself to take over because she understood the urgency of the work. Even though, Firah kept mentioning that she will finish them all once she return to work.
While Delilah was working, a bowl of prawn crackers was placed on the table. She had placed it there so that it was easy for her to eat while working. Although, Sheila had once mentioned that she should not eat in her cubicle but Delilah needs that brain power. And so, she needs food.
Taking a piece of cracker, she tossed it into her mouth, munching on it. The crackers tasted lightly crispy with a bit of salty and sweet. As she continued to eat more crackers, she decided that this crackers were quite addictive. She could not stop eating them! The crackers also did not taste excessively shrimpy, which was quite nice. While she was munching, a few people looked over at her, due to the noise she was making.
Realizing the noise she had made, she looked up and smiled sheepishly at them, a look of apology on her face. But it did not stop her from munching on them, as she ate more. When the bowl was empty, she bent down, reaching for the drawers beside her leg and opened one. She grabbed a bag of prawn crackers from inside and tore it open. Delilah then poured more crackers to her bowl and sealed the remaining crackers in the bag with a stapler.
She then continued to munched while working.
A couple of hours later, her phone beeped. There was a message from Deegan, saying that he was free at the moment and he asked whether Delilah was free.
Delilah replied back, telling him to meet her at the vending machine at the ground floor in a few minutes.
Soon after, two figures can be seen, standing near the vending machine.
Delilah had chosen this place to have a short talk with Deegan because they can have some privacy to talk, without any prying eyes. And also, she needed a drink. She finally could taste the saltiness effect from the crackers!
Standing up, she bent down to grab the drink and took a sip. The two of them were quiet for awhile until Delilah broke the silence. She went for the kill and immediately asked, "Do you have a crush on me or something?"
Deegan's eyes widened, surprised. He did not expect this question. Although, he had a calm look on his face but Delilah could feel the nervous vibes from him. Probably from how he was clenching and unclenching his fists.
He cleared his throat nervously and asked, feigning confusion, "No, why do you think so?"
Ignoring his question, Delilah shot another question, "Then what's with the gifts?"
Deegan scratched the back of his neck as he looked down. He did not dare to look at Delilah in the eye, scared that she might see through his lies. "It's because you're nice to me. And I'd like to repay that kindness."
Delilah threw the empty can at the nearby trash bin and turned back to him. She crossed her arms across her chest, frowning. She then sighed. "Deegan. That is not how you should repay someone's kindness. And whatever I've done for you, I don't expect anything in return. Only for you to learn more from me, when it comes to HR. And also for you to prepare for your future soon. Whatever gifts you have given me... I'm not saying that it's wrong. I'm thankful and appreciate it. But from other people's views, this can be seen as a bribe. I know your intentions are good. But what about what other people's thoughts?"
Realization dawned at him. He did not realized that his actions might bring unwelcoming thoughts. He quickly said, worried that she might get into trouble, "I'm sorry. I did not mean for it to happen this way. And I'm sorry if I brought unnecessary trouble for you."
Waving his concerns away, she continued, "That's alright. Next time, no more gifts."
Deegan nodded.
"But I accept foods."
Deegan broke into a smile. "Alright."
----
The next day.
Delilah had just arrived at the office. Reaching her cubicle, she saw Deegan already in his cubicle, working, while Firah was still on leave. She opened her light jacket and placed it on the back of her chair. And before she sat down, she noticed something on her desk.
She picked it up and saw that it was a packet of rice crackers. Looking over at Deegan, who was working, she cleared her throat loudly, trying to get his attention.
Deegan looked up and saw Delilah looking at him, her eyebrows raised in question as she held up the packet of rice crackers. He smiled. "For snacking," he said.
Delilah laughed. "Thank you. You're going to make me fat soon!"
He just laughed and returned back to his work.
After awhile, Delilah got up and went to the pantry to grab some sweet chili sauce for dips.
Inside, she saw a box of chocolate peanut butter bites. She walked over and read the note on top of the box, 'Help yourself'. She peeked inside and saw rows of beautiful round brown balls with shredded coconut. She licked her lips. 'Looks good,' she thought.
She quickly grabbed a tissue and placed a couple of the chocolate peanut butter bites on top of it. Not forgetting the sweet chili sauce bottle, she went out of the pantry, smiling.
Returning to her cubicle, she took a bite of the chocolate peanut butter bites. Surprisingly, it did not tasted too sweet as she had expected. In fact, it tasted a bit sweet and salty at the same time. The bites melted into bits in her mouth as she chewed. The combination of shredded coconut and the chocolate felt deliciously flaky. She liked how the chocolate still felt full in her mouth as it gradually lessen into a smooth silky velvet.
After she was done eating, she was thinking of getting more. But she shook her head. 'No, two is enough! I must be strong!' she thought firmly to herself. 'No mindless eating. I will eat when it is time to eat again.'
With that thought, she became DEE-termined to work harder as she thought of what to eat again later.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
TheTalkingCupcake
TheTalkingCupcake So, I have not tried making this bites but I would love to try. I mean, I've made Milo bites. I guess I need to widen my varieties. How about you?
Happy reading!
And here's the recipe for this chapter!
https://www.buzzfeed.com/ariellecalderon/day-5-goodful-healthy-eating-challenge-2018?utm_term=.xrEA3l5LD3#.kxA7kNbgqk
Weekly Power Status
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