Chapitre 17: 17. Red lady

Time ticked and days ran, a week passed. The same thing continued. Going to college, practicing piano and then office. It's been a month since I started working. I am in the office, sitting on the chair and getting bored. Loren isn't here yet. His anger was on the same level this whole week. I took some papers and started making origami. Something should be done to kill this boredom. I made a bird, whose wings flap when its tail is pulled, a frog that jumps. A ball that can be blown and a dragon which does nothing. To draw horror eyes on the dragon, I took an ink bottle and messed up. Turning white paper and my fingers blue. I went to the washroom to wash my hands and saw Loren standing near the sink. He's cleaning his unbuttoned shirt, exposing his perfect muscles from the mirror. I stayed there staring at him, his hard chest, his abs muscles which I shouldn't stare, he's irresistible. He tilted his head in my direction and caught my stare. Averting my gaze as soon as it met his, I quickly turn around to leave. Before I could leave, he told something which made me halt on my heels.

"Did you come to stare at me?"

"No! I came to wash my hands." I turned to face him.

"Then?" He gestured his hand to the sink.

"I'll stick to my words, if you're using the washroom, I'll not," I said and opened the door to leave.

"I don't mind, I told you before." He said and stepped away from the sink.

"I do, and I told you this before too."

"So, you just came to stare at me." He smirked at me.

What? After all this conversation, he returned to the first line.

Reluctantly, I walked towards the sink and washed my hands. Sensing someone standing exactly behind me I turned around. Loren took a step towards me, keeping both his hands on the sink, either side of me. My breathing turned heavy and my heart raced. I opened my mouth to tell him to move but, his action took all the words from me. He removed his shirt revealing his upper body, my gaze automatically shifted on his biceps. Where I found a cut mark on his left arm, it was more like a mark of stitches. My eyes started wandering his body, his every muscle. Anyone can drown over it. My wandering traveled from bottom to stop then stopped when I reached his eyes. I was staring into his eyes. His hand slid up my body giving me chills. My heartbeat turned harder and my eyes followed his hand. I can feel the touch of his fingers traveling. He stopped, resting his hand on my cheek and stroked it with his thumb.

My hands turned cold and sweaty and I realize he had handed his shirt to me. My eyes again met his. By each stroke, he moved his thumb closer to my lips. My mouth turned dry as he traced his thumb on my cold bare lips. He bends close to my face. Tilted my head up with his forefinger, leaving an air distance between our lips. I could feel his warm breath on my lips as he parted his lips. He bends closer, removing the air distance, making my chest rise and fall by heavy breaths. And then we're alert by a sound. We cocked our heads to the source of the sound, it was from his Jeans pocket. His phone was ringing. He rested his forehead on mine. Took a deep breath. "Clean my shirt, my slave." With these words, he stepped back to receive the call.

I stood there watching his back - muscular back. As he walked away receiving the call whilst running his finger through his hair. I looked at the shirt in my hand, I was frozen and confused at the same time. Turning toward the mirror, I viewed my reflection in it. What happened just now? or what was about to happen? Stop thinking Levy! But I can't. I came out after a long time when my mind didn't reach any solution after contemplating the whole scene.

"You took too long to wash my shirt," Loren said sitting on the chair, shirtless. Reading a file.

"Why are you like this?"

"I don't have a little wardrobe in the office, unlike you." He closed the file and turned towards me.

I threw the shirt at him and sat on my chair. He wasn't in his suit. It was just blue jeans and a white shirt, stained with tea at the hem. Today a man was coming for an interview, he'll be arriving within some time. Time passed when uncle knocked and send the interviewee. He left his previous job for better wages. After some questions, Loren raised his voice at him. It was higher than his usual tone. I send the man away, asking him to return after 30 minutes. Presenting it as- prepare yourself for the second interview, your not yet selected. When he left, I turned Lorens' chair so that he can face me.

"What's wrong with you." I stood from my chair.

"Nothing." He didn't look at me, avoiding eye contact.

"Then why did you shout at him?"

"He was lying and I didn't shout."

What's wrong with him?? I wanna punch him to get normal Loren from him.

"What was he lying about?" I asked keeping myself calm.

"He was discharged from his company. He was lying about the better wages, his wages were fine for him." He showed a file which contains his previous job information, except the expelled one.

When I asked how he knew this, he said his facial expressions were exposing his lie.

"Whatever it may be Loren, you're not supposed to shout at anyone. If there's a problem, just tell me. Don't burst out your anger on anyone" I tried to placate him.

He didn't respond to my words. Silence form in the room. A knock broke out this silence. The interviewee returned for his second interview. He accepted his dismission, which was because of his delay in the project. We accepted him with a warning not to repeat this mistake.

I got home and took a long bath, long enough to wash away my confused feelings. When I was doing my homework, there was a knock on the door. It's Lady Anna she said Adam was upset since he's back from the school and hasn't left his room. My worry began and I quickly ran towards his room. What might happen? Did someone tell him anything? Or did something happened in school? My mind was running in different aspects. When I knocked on his door he didn't respond. I got in and saw, he was sitting on his bed, his legs wrapped in his arms with bend head above them.

"Adam," I spoke softly and walked towards him. He didn't respond. I sat beside him and wrapped my arms around him.

"What happened Adam?" He turned towards me with his eyes twinkling with water.

"My bird flew away." He replied innocently.

A bird? Just a bird? Holy goodness!

And what I was thinking. I sighed in relief and unwrapped my hands.

"Adam, birds are meant to fly. You cannot cage them." I said softly.

"But I provide it food, water, everything and I even took care of its health." He said straightening his legs and waving his toes.

Damn cute.

I laid beside him, rested my head on his laps to face him directly. His eyes were moist. I smiled at him and said.

"Let's see, if a giant takes you and keeps you in his toy house, a beautiful toy house. He provides you food, take good care of you and fulfill all your needs. Will you stay in that house forever?"

He met my eyes and replied. "No."

"So, how can a bird stay in a house? The one who's freer than a human."

"Hmm, right." Even though he muttered it was audible.

"And giants don't exist, Levy." He said playfully.

"Just imagine it." I chuckled.

"Your head is heavy, probably it's thick. You're hurting my legs." He said between his laughter while pushing my head.

"Don't you dare to call my head thick," I said.

"Why not?"

"Don't ask me questions." I started tickling him.

"I'll di... Stop." He said between in guffaw.

I got out of his bed, straightening the creases of my T-shirt, I said. "Get ready we're going out."

"Where?"

"What did I tell about questioning me," I said playfully.

He smiled and got off his bed to get ready, I went in my room, dressed into black jeans paired up with a white shirt and a black cardigan with its sleeves pushed up, exposing my white folded sleeves of the shirt. We drove to an ice cream parlor. After having ice cream. we went to a park it was closed as it's past 10 at night. We ran through lots of shops, bought some RC toys, played games at game centers. Our last stop was a restaurant to have dinner. Luckily, one was open.

I booked a table with fewer people around, as I don't like the crowd. There were only four tables 2 were already booked. The whole place was beautifully surrounded by white curtains. And cylinder chandeliers hanging with a long candle in it. We took our seats and ordered our food. I wander my eyes around on the beauty of the restaurant. My eyes went wide on something. Not something but someone. Loren with a lady. I was astonished at this scene. My wonder was along with sadness, don't know why though. My legs reacted on its own and walked towards him, without having any advice from my brain.

With every closer step, the view of them was getting clear. A lady in a red dress covers her thighs along with black heels. Her neck was decorated with two thin curves of gold strings and ears were decorated with black earrings with golden balls hanging through strings. Just like a couple of pendulum. Her wavy brown hair was pinned back from the front and was freely falling from the sides. Her eyes were a brown almond shape with thick eyelashes. Lips were painted red forming a curve. She has long nails painted with the same color as her dress. Overall she was a red beauty.

I stood behind Loren's chair, exactly in front of a lady. Now what? Why did I even come here? What should I do now? Why should I do anything? I was too confused by my actions. Loren looked at me through his shoulder and stood on his feet, astonished.

"Who's she?" She asked.

"Mo chailín." He replied. [My girlfriend]

What? Again a different language and she knows it too.

"What the hell!" She stood up throwing her fork on the table.

"Fírinne." He replied again. [Truth]

"What's going on?" I asked.

"She doesn't know what your telling." Red Lady got confused.

"She does." He said.

"No, I don't," I replied.

"Loren explain!" Red Lady commanded with anger.

I shouldn't have come here.

"Mar a dúirt mé, tá sí mo chailín." He said. [As I said, she's my girl]

With a swift moment, he pulled me by my waist, making my body collide with his. Before my mind could register a thing his lips brushed against mine, parting my lips by his. My heart raced and my hands moved on its own, rested on his chest. His lips felt warm on my cold ones with a sweet taste. As if he ate something sweet. It felt like the whole world stopped and disappeared leaving us alone, standing in an unknown place. He wrapped his hands around me, pulling me as close as he could, tightening his grip. I tiptoed giving myself completely to him. I stood there in his arms lost in his deep, sweet kiss. My senses returned when I heard leaving footsteps.

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LOCKHART.