Bab 4: Stay By My Side
"Hello…" Cyd shyly greeted Ben from the door and hesitated whether to step into his office or introduce herself without going inside. Taking a deep breath, she finally decided to step inside and closed the door behind her.
Once in front of him, she extended her hand, forcing a smile. "I'm Cyd, Kevin's assistant and in charge of our international clients."
"Hi, Cyd. Ben Lee…" He slowly got up from his chair and took her hand, "We only exchanged numbers when we met last time." Leaning his body slightly forward, he peered closely at her face. "It sure turned out to be a nasty bruise, huh?"
Flustered, Cyd stammered, unconsciously bringing her hand to her forehead, "Oh… o-oh yeah, that last time... well, it has healed along nicely, but really, it was my fault."
Remembering what she went to see him for, she straightened herself and worked on her most professional tone. "Okay, I'm sure that Kevin has already briefed you about our department and the work that we do. I know that Lily and Jenny will assist you until you have chosen your assistant, but please let me know if there is anything I can do to help."
Ben nodded and smiled. "It may take a while before I would even start looking for an assistant. I'm hoping to get someone who I feel could be a big help to me. More of I need one rather than I have to."
"Darn," Cyd thought before saying out loud, "Take your time, but I'm sure that you would be looking for one very soon as work does not sit idly around here. Anyway, we're here if you need anything. That is the list of room extensions right next to your phone, and my name is just under Kevin's. My office is just down the hall next to the Banking Department and–"
"Next to Kevin's. Got it! I'll holler if I need anything. Thank you," Ben finished for her.
Feeling dismissed and subtly annoyed but not knowing why, Cyd went back to her office. Ben seemed to be a regular lawyer, not lacking of things to say and wanting to have the last word. She should already be used to lawyers by this time, cocky or not.
Later in the afternoon, Cyd made her way back to Ben's office to give him a document. She knocked lightly before opening the door. He looked up from some papers that he was reading.
"Hi again. Busy?" She said lightly, then continued, "Kevin sent you an email this morning about this client from Australia requesting our opinion on Islamic Banking, right?"
Ben nodded, obviously not wanting to waste time on small talk.
Cyd handed him the file and, like her usual practice, immediately went around the table to stand beside him to point out some notes she made on the file. Ben suddenly shifted his chair away from Cyd as if he found the move she made and the close distance between them… inappropriate.
Feeling embarrassed, Cyd stepped back.
"Sorry, just wanted to tell you that I did my research, and at the side of the cover are my notes for your reference." She looked at him, but he was already studying the file she just handed over. Again, she felt that the conversation has ended, she walked out of the room.
Shaken and, yes, stirred, Cyd felt very uncomfortable remembering the scene that just happened. Could it be that he thought she did it on purpose? "The gall…" she thought, "…and to think– to think! – I am just assisting him temporarily!"
Gritting her teeth, she marched straight into Kevin's office.
"Kevin…" Cyd began in an exasperated tone.
Kevin was typing an opinion that he was supposed to send a few hours ago, but he looked up and immediately saw the typical ‘war mode’ look on Cyd’s face.
"Oh, that 'listen to me' tone. What's wrong now?" He reached for his cigarettes and readied to light a new stick, waiting for her to continue.
"Kevin…" Cyd started, "… I know I did say that I would try, but I don't think I like our Mr. Ben Lee…"
"Any special reason why?"
"Too many to mention, but maybe because he is not you. He is so uptight, a bit cold actually and calculating, to name a few."
Kevin puffed on his cigarette, shaking his head as if clearing his thoughts.
"Poor fellow can't help who he is, but like, I will take someone uptight but outstanding in his field over a cool but average guy anytime.”
Cyd frowned.
“Cyd, I'm not kidding."
"I met him only twice today, and I have already lost his good opinion of me," Cyd continued.
"...And is that such a bad thing?" Kevin sighed as he shook his head. "Look, Cyd. Ben is still going to be here tomorrow and the day after that. You can make a few more blunders, and for as long as you don't make the same mistake twice, that's okay. I am very confident that you will, later on, have him wrapped around your little fingers, as you have me."
With a wink, Kevin went back to work.
Cyd sighed, opened the door, and said before closing it, "You just don't understand me, you know!"
Before the door closed, though, she heard Kevin shot back at her, "Not only you, my dear. I don't understand women at all."
The next few days passed by uneventfully, much to Cyd's pleasure. Somehow, she was able to stay away from him, his office, and work.
"If the mighty Ben Lee needs an assistant, he can just go elsewhere and get her!" She told herself smugly.
The mighty lawyer, unsurprisingly, did not escape the office's grapevine. Many stories about him, his Korean wife, and their only daughter have already gone through multiple versions. Life in the office can get tedious and boring until the next juicy story comes along. Ben and his family appear to be the special flavor of the season.
"They say that the wife is twelve years older, and the second daughter was conceived through IVF procedures already," Carl leaned closer to Cyd and Caren while talking over coffee one evening.
"Silly goose, they have only one daughter. Where did the other daughter come from?" Caren cried. "But he looks devoted to his family, and the wife even comes every day for his lunch. You've got to agree, though, that Mrs. Lee is one lucky gal. Ben is tall, good looking and got something big…"
"…inside his pants?" Carl offered.
"No, Silly! Between his ears!"
Cyd did not join in with the conversation and continued to enjoy her iced coffee quietly. She could not care more or less where the mighty lawyer's endowment lies.
Later that night, Cyd went home and, feeling quite tired, went to bed almost immediately.
-----
Cyd was exhausted, parched, and scared as she has been running for hours with some other people, apparently looking for a safe place to hide. Everything around them was up in flames, but they seemed to be running around in circles as the fire got nearer and fierier.
It was then she saw this tall figure of a man, standing on top of some giant boulders, shouting at her, "Come up here! Hurry!"
She tried, but her legs were not able to take even a step forward. She felt her fear and desperation suffocating her. She wanted to go up to where that man was as she knew she'd be safe with him, but her legs just stopped moving. Just as she felt she was losing consciousness; she suddenly felt a pair of solid arms swoop her up. He started running up to the top of the hill while carrying her. In his arms, all that Cyd could do was stare at the man's face.
Then she recognized him. It was Ben running up the steep hill with her in his arms, saving her.
"What was Ben doing here? Where are we?" She thought, confused. Still, she held on tight with both her arms around his neck. Ben just looked at her and said nothing.
When they reached the top of the hill, he set her down on her feet and hugged her tight.
"I was looking for you all night, and I'm so happy I found you…" His voice was coarse, possibly from all that running he did, or perhaps because of the emotions he might be feeling. Breaking away from the embrace, he looked right into her eyes. "No matter where you go, I'll find you. Stay with me!”
She continued gazing at him in amazement and asked herself silently, "What is happening? Why is he here, and what the hell is he talking about?"
Ben held her tight again and softly murmured, "Don't leave me, please. Stay by my side!"
Cyd opened her eyes, waking up from her dream.
Gosh! What was that?" She lay in bed, slowly going over the scenes she saw in her dreams, trying to remember it as if she saw a movie and recalled all the settings again. She felt her cheeks turn hot as she remembered it all.
-----
The following day, Cyd tried to avoid meeting Ben. She forced Kevin to let her join his meetings and even offered to help catalog the newly arrived books for their library. She was feeling uneasy and felt that Ben might be able to read her mind should he see her flushed face. So, she steered clear from his office and any other areas that she thought she might see him.
It was already four in the afternoon, and Cyd started to calm down. True that her dream was strange, but most dreams are weird; she found herself reasoning out. She was working on some letters and started thinking of what to have for dinner when her office door suddenly opened. She turned her head and saw Ben's whole body by the doorway.
"Cyd, can you join me in the meeting room now?"
Unnerved by the sudden sight of him in her office, she could not immediately respond. She was at a loss for words.
"Come quickly!" He said urgently. "I need you to stay by my side!"
Cyd stammered and asked, "W-what did you just say?"
Ben peered at her and slowly said the following words,
"I said, I need you… to stay by my side."
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