Warm up?
Warm up?
"Come in." She said without turning around.
As expected, it was Jeremy. She could tell he was the one even without checking.
"I was just wondering when you were planning to leave." He said after he closed the door behind him.
"It's still raining heavily. I guess I have to wait a bit more before leaving. Why? You are in a hurry to leave?" She turned to ask him.
He could guess she didn't want to leave because she was scared of going down to the parking lot after what happened the previous day. But he was here with her right?
"Uhm yes.. it's already nine thirty. My sister would be worried and scared." He said with a frown.
"You have a sister?" She suddenly asked curiously. She was just realizing now that she knew nothing about someone who was going to be working for her.
"Yes. Ellie Wiliams. She is 8." He explained.
"Oh.. really young. What about your parents or siblings? No one is at home to watch her?"
"No." He shook his head. "It's just Ellie and I. Been like this for the past 4 years." He said with a sad smile.
"Oh.. sorry." She said before clamping her lips together. She couldn't imagine how a guy was able to raise his younger sister alone.
"We can actually leave. But I am just considering how we are going to do it. I mean, you would have to stop in my street and take a cab home but you can see it's still raining heavily and I'm not sure you would be able to find a cab." She explained as she rubbed her hands together.
"Are you cold?" He asked as he looked at her with concern.
"I am fine." She said immediately and forced out a cold smile.
"Oh... then... can we stop by my place first?" He asked and quickly explained when he saw her frowning at him. "I need to know how Ellie is and put her to bed. Then I can drive you to your place and take a cab home. Hopefully, it would have stopped raining by then... I hope.." He added awkwardly.
"Well... o-kay." She answered with a shrug before picking up her bag.
"So.. I'll meet you at the parking lot?" He said and moved towards the door but she stopped him immediately.
"No! We are going there together."
"But the employees would see us." He said thoughtfully. "They may think it's some kind of office romance especially since most of them already know I like you."
"You told them you liked me?" She asked in bewilderment.
"Actually, they found out on their own. Just like you did."
"And you didn't think to deny it?" She asked with a frown.
"Why would I want to deny something that is true?" He asked giving her a confused look. "Besides, I'm bad at hiding things."
She looked at him and shook her head as she walked towards the door. "You are so unbelievable."
Jeremy watched her back with a smile and quickly followed her.
As expected, most of the staffs looked at them suspiciously and began to whisper amongst themselves.
"You could have just quit your job here like I asked you to and let them know you are now my personal assistant, at least, no one would have silly thoughts " Chloe said as she hurriedly walked towards the parking lot.
"Well, I can't do that. I need to earn." He answered with a shrug.
"I would have paid you more as my bodyguard."
"And I need a tutor. So having a pretty and intelligent tutor like you is worth being your bodyguard for free."
"Don't say you are being my bodyguard for free because I would be tutoring you. So it's like a trade by barter"
"I just said the same thing." He said with his hands stretched out.
"Whatever! I can't believe I agreed to this." She murmured with a sigh and slowed her steps when she got to the parking lot.
"Just keep moving. No one is going to attack you so don't be scared."
"And who says I'm scared?" She shot back indignantly and hastened her footsteps while looking at her sides nervously.
She threw the car key to Jeremy when they got to where her car was parked and he took the driver's seat.
When they drove out of the parking lot, they realised it was raining heavily than they had thought.
"It should be difficult driving right?" She turned to ask him.
She wouldn't want a case where they would have to park by the side of the road.
"We can manage. The road is still clear." Jeremy said as he drove slowly.
"Where do you live?" She suddenly asked as she put on the car heater.
"Close to your brother's."
"How did you know my brother's place?" She turned to ask him with a frown.
Was he really stalking her by chance?
"Mia lives there right? I met Mia around there once and later found out she lived with your brother." He explained.
"Wait.. pull over there." Chloe said pointing at her side of the road.
Jeremy saw about three people standing under the rain sharing one umbrella and wondered whether Chloe knew them.
Once they got closer to them, Jeremy took a closer look. He noticed they looked like beggars. There was an older woman who looked like the mother of the two little girls standing under the rain with her.
Chloe wound down her window a bit to look at them with a frown.
"Why are you under the rain?" She asked the woman.
"Sister Chloe." The smallest girl who looked like she was around 6 said with a smile and waved at her.
Although Chloe looked pissed, she waved back.
"We were waiting for you." The woman said with a smile on her face smeared with lots of dirts.
"It's raining for goodness sake! How could you stand under the rain with the both of them? Do you all want to fall sick?" Chloe sighed before reaching for a nylon bag at the backseat of the car and wound down the window some more to let it pass through.
The bigger girl reached for the bag and smiled in gratitude. "Thank you sister Chloe."
"Take care of your health. And tell Stanley he's going to be fine— that's if he takes his drugs. There's some cash in there also. Get something nice to eat. See you next week."
She was about to wound up the window when she paused and reached for something at the back seat. This time, she took out a umbrella and passed it over to them.
"Thank you Chloe, thank you so much." The family said to her and kept bowing their heads in appreciation.
Chloe waved at them before asking Jeremy to drive.
Jeremy watched the whole thing with furrowed brows. He said nothing and just kept driving.
*************
Mia's eyes slowly fluttered open when Leo stopped kissing her and pulled back his head.
She looked into his eyes and tried to describe the look she saw but she couldn't get it.
"You are uncomfortable, aren't you?" He asked her in a quiet voice without moving from on top of her but he supported his weight with his elbow which was on the floor beside her.
"I'm not." She said but her voice came out in a hoarse whisper as her chest kept heaving up and down from the kiss earlier.
She hadn't even had the time to process he was kissing her before he pulled away.
"You are." He said before brushing her hair away from her face all the while still looking into her eyes.
"The floor is going to make your back ache." He explained but made no effort to leave.
She didn't know what to say and unconsciously licked her lips then she noticed the look in his eyes change.
"Don't do that." He warned.
"Don't do what?" She asked in confusion.
"Stop licking your lips like that especially when I am lying on top of you like this."
He was restraining himself really well. If anyone had told him he had such self control, he probably would have laughed really hard until he passed out.
"Ohhhhh..."
He smiled at her understanding before asking..
"So... when are we going to dance the main dance? This is like you warming up right?" He asked.
Mia's brows contorted in a frown. "Warm up?"
"Yes." He answered with a nod.
"This... is actually part of the main dance." She said to him.
A smile curved up his lips before he chuckled. "You are joking right?"
Mia shook her head as she continued to look at him while wondering what he was trying to say.
"This is actually the first part of the dance. Well, more like the first part since I only danced my part. Why? Didn't I dance well?" She asked in embarrassment.
Leo frowned deeply and sat up immediately.
Mia also slowly sat up and looked at his face.
"You mean.. you are going to be dancing like this... with a guy?" He asked in disbelief and Mia slowly nodded.
His eyes widened even more and then...
"Ha ha ha!" He laughed dryly with a straight face.