PACKING & MOVING

I knew he would have eventually asked to meet, but the way he did it then was appealing. Some help in packing all my stuff and moving it to the new apartment of mine would have made my work easy at that point. But because I was moving from living alone to living with roommates, I was a little embarrassed to let him know about it.

That decision of mine would help me save some money as a reserve for my future. I was young and still learning to manage my finances back then. There was a need of mine that couldn’t be met, and that taught me to have some money to take care of times like that.

Not knowing how to say no to the owner of the place where I was working at that time, I found it very difficult to reply to him, and thus, I took a long time. But on getting another message from him, I immediately responded to him.

Mr. Lozano: You taking so long to answer doesn’t give me a good feeling. Do you want my help this weekend in shifting, straight up?

Olivia: I am sorry. Some help would be nice because I am all by myself, but how would I return that favor?

Mr. Lozano: Great! That ain’t no favor. But if you insist, come on a date with me.

Remembering that message of his still makes me smile. It was unbelievable to me, in fact, it is still that way. An owner of such a big place asking an intern working for him to go out on a date with him was, undeniably, a dream come true for me. I wanted to go on the terrace and scream it out to the world for them to know that I am not the boring girl they think I am.

I didn’t want to take too long to respond to him that time because it was definitely something which I wanted to do, I quickly replied to that message of his.

Olivia: I will just need to know the date and time, Mr. Lozano.

Mr. Lozano: Charles*

Olivia: Oops! I will just need to know the date and time, Charles. Don’t mind me asking, how old are you?

Mr. Lozano: I will be thirty this year. Please tell me you’re an adult and not a teenager!

Olivia: Haha. Sweet of you! I am five years younger than you.

Our never-ending conversation had already begun with that. Reading his name every time on my phone, not only gave me butterflies in my stomach anticipating what he must have sent, but it also got me going. In no time, we were chatting throughout the day.

We had started sharing our plan of action for the day, and he had also started telling me about his business little by little. If he was preparing for a meeting, he would let me know why it was so important to him. After that used to be over, he would also tell me how it went even if I failed to ask him.

The whole week passed before we knew it, and the weekend had finally come. I didn’t want to let him know the excitement I had in me to be going out with such a rich guy, so I watched some videos online to learn how to act right.

But when the doorbell of my apartment rang, I jumped a couple of times before I calmed myself down to open the door for him. Seeing him look as dashing as the other day but with denim and a simple white t-shirt, my eyes must have already conveyed my feelings to him that day when I couldn’t take them off his face.

In order to initiate a normal conversation, I said, “The white t-shirt will get dirty, Charles. Do you have a change?”

“Leave that to me,” he replied, and called two men into the apartment by gesturing at them, and I didn’t feel right to stop them either because they looked like his assistants.

So, I casually asked, “Who are they?”

“They are my boys. They will do all the packing while we sit and talk,” he mentioned.

Hearing him tell me that, I felt stupid enough for accepting his help. Who was I kidding? He is rich, and obviously I couldn’t have expected him to help me pack my stuff and pick it up to move it himself. I should have known he would come with help of his own, and I shouldn't have accepted the offer that he proposed.

“Mr. Lozano, please, I do not want to trouble you,” I pleaded.

“I will manage the packing and moving on my own,” I added.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I got you. It ain’t no trouble and it ain’t no favor either,” he stated and took a step closer to me, making me take a step back because I didn’t know how to react to that with two bouncer-like dudes staring at us.

"Do you remember the date?” He questioned me, and when I nodded, he let out a smile at me.

“Let them do the work while you guide them,” he requested.

I had no other option left other than to listen to him because they were all already in my apartment, and, to be honest, I really needed help with so much of my stuff in that little house. So, I walked into the bedroom with everyone to let them know what all had to be packed.

When they got on to doing it, I walked out with Mr. Lozano to tell him about the place that I would be moving into in order not to make him think any less of me for moving in with roommates now.