Chapter 7: Ella's Decision

Ella did not expect the call from the CEO so soon and was even more disarmed by the fact that he was asking her for dinner that night.

“Oh! I’m not sure if I can make it tonight, Red. I have to look at my calendar,” Ella replied. She knew she had nothing to do that night but found it hard to decide if she should have dinner with the wealthy CEO.

Matt was listening closely and then made an exaggerated frown when he heard Ella’s reply. He spun around in his swivel chair and then placed both hands over his face.

“Yes, Red…. Let me jot that down,” said Ella. She then grabbed a pen and wrote a series of numbers on a piece of paper. “Yes, I will. Thanks!” She replaced the phone on its cradle and turned to her colleagues who were all staring at her wide-eyed.

“Well? What did he say?” asked Nancy, anticipation clearly evident in her face.

“He asked me for dinner tonight,” said Ella slowly, not quite believing what she heard Red say over the phone.

Matt acted like he had a revolver to his mouth and pulled the trigger.

“Then, why didn’t you say ‘yes’ right away, Elle?” asked Nancy, her face showing her dismay. Like Matt, she could not believe that Ella did not decide at once to go to dinner with the CEO.

“I told him I’d look at my calendar first,” said Ella, turning away from her colleagues.

“What’s there to see, Ella? Your calendar’s basically blank!” said Nancy, standing up and pointing at Ella’s calendar which only contained experiment schedules.

Matt looked relieved that Nancy was on his side and joined her in convincing Ella to go. “You have to go, Ella. Our research is on the line!”

“I’m not sure. I don’t know,” said Ella, shrugging her shoulders.

Nancy got closer to Ella and spoke. “Ella, we’ve been friends since we’re undergraduates. You don’t have to do this for the lab. You don’t have to do this for anyone. You should do this for yourself.”

Ella sighed and looked at her two friends. Nancy was pleading with her hands while Matt was crossing his fingers.

“Okay, I’ll think about it,” said Ella softly.

There was a simultaneous sound of joy from both Matt and Nancy when they heard Ella.

“Yes!” said Matt. “Go and secure the research grant for use, Ella.”

Ella scoffed at Matt. “I said I’ll think about it. You do know we need to create a proposal and justify our need for the grant, right? You know I can’t just get the grant by going on a date.” Ella’s face grimaced as she said the last word.

“Maybe you can!” said Matt. “Mr. Kazor seems to like you.”

“As I said, Elle, do it for yourself. Never mind Matt. He doesn’t know what he’s saying,” Nancy waved a hand at Matt as if driving annoying flies away.

Ella was silent as a number of things went through her head. Everything that had happened since that morning came rushing back and she felt overwhelmed. She remembered Red’s handsome face and the first time she saw his penetrating eyes that seemed to look deep into her. Red’s intelligence and inquisitive nature as he asked Ella about her work at the lab. His charm as he talked to Ella when they were alone at the lab.

Ella remembered the warmth rising to her face as she got near Red as the CEO removed his coat. Embarrassment at having spoken negatively about Red’s own security detail. Panic when she splashed the acid on the floor and on Red’s shoes.

Ella brought her hands to her cheeks and once again felt her blood rising and warming her face. She had always known herself to be certain with her decisions and had always been able to predict the consequences of her actions. For once, after so many years, she found herself uncertain and hesitant to take the next step.

“Are you okay, Elle?” asked Nancy who was watching her friend. “You look all flushed.”

Ella seemed to have been jolted back into consciousness and she found Nancy staring at her with a worried expression.

“Everything okay, Elle?” Nancy asked again.

“I’m alright, Nancy. I think I just need a breather,” Ella replied. Just then she realized that she was still wearing her running clothes underneath her lab gown. “I’ll just take a shower,” she said as she took off her lab gown and grabbed her bag with her change of clothes.

As Ella left the office to go to the shower room, Nancy and Matt glanced at each other. Matt made a heart shape with his hands and placed it above his chest. Nancy waved a hand at Matt dismissively and went back to her work.

Ella entered the shower room which was adjoining the office. Steam rose as she felt the hot shower on her skin and she felt her tension washed away. She tried to empty her mind of every thought and concentrated on the pleasant sensation of the warm water cascading over her bare skin. She breathed deeply and after staying still for a few minutes, turned off the shower and dried herself with her soft towel.

As she dressed herself and felt comfortable in her clean clothes, she found that her mind become clearer and she once more saw the world with a clear and objective view. She dried her hair thoroughly and as she did so, remembered Red’s voice over the phone asking her to come to dinner. Nancy and Matt knew at once that she should say ‘yes’, but she hesitated for some reason.

“Intuition,” Ella murmured to herself. With renewed confidence, she walked out of the shower room and went back to the office. Nancy and Matt looked at her as she entered and sat in her chair. Ella was reading her email when she heard Nancy.

“Well?” asked Nancy. “Have you made up your mind? You are going to tell Mr. Kazor that you’re going, right?”

Ella glanced to her side and saw that Nancy was facing her while Matt had also stopped working momentarily to hear her answer.

“I’ve made my decision,” said Ella. Nancy and Matt waited in anticipation.

“I’m not going,” said Ella flatly.

Nancy’s jaw dropped while a groan was heard from Matt.