Chapter 9.

    I will be your ally

“You're back already.” Annie asked immediately I stepped into the apartment. She had a free day today from the restaurant and she was really taking advantage of that as she was on cucumber face mask and sipping her margarita. Rainie would have been here with her because she loved things like this, but she had to travel for a two-day out of state job. So, it was just Annie and I now.

“Yeah, I am. Boss gave me the rest of the day off.” I plopped down on the couch and tossed my handbag aside. If I give thought to what happened forty minutes ago, me hugging my boss, I could feel myself dying from mortification.

“Wait, let me get this right. You got the day off, not that you were fired, right?” She sat up from the lounge chair where she was on the balcony receiving sunlight. The sliding door was open which was how we were able to converse properly without shouting over ourselves.

“Yes, Annie, I got the day off. Besides, what's with you and Rainie if I get fired? What happened to ‘If you are tired of the job, you can just quit?’ Or were you people just saying it just for the sake of it?” I questioned her, though my tone was light to prove that I had no animosity while asking this.

“That was until he gave you a super car as company vehicle, I knew that you are better off working there. Plus, it'll be nice for you to fall in love.” She added the last part quickly because she knew that love was a sore topic for me.

“Wow! Who needs a pimp when I have my friends doing a fantastic job at that?” I teased her laughing slightly.

“Pimp? It's no pumping. Rather, it is matchmaking. We need to live voraciously through you or don't you think so?”

“Why don't I live voraciously through you guys? Or it doesn't work that way?” I quipped.

She snorted, “As if. Raine is a flighty lover, never settles in one place. I am skeptical lover, always doubting the sincerity of my lovers and as such dump them before I get dumped. Then, there is you, who is a cynic when it comes to love. The chances are higher for you to fall in love based on Romantic Comedy plot than for us to fall in love. We bet on you and so that's why we are giving you a push so you can open your heart to your boss. Else, the possibility of a wedding anytime soon is looking as bleak as a cloudy glass tumbler.” 

“Annie, you know mine is much more deeper than me just being a cynic. It's Family history. Love has never been something of beauty in my family. It's always been catastrophic and I need no drama like that in my life. Best I avoid it altogether.” I pointed out.

Annie knew so much about my family's pathetic love stories because she heard me narrate it time and time again.

“V, you are not your family. You are you and you can't use what's been happening to your family as an excuse to give up on love completely. Open your heart and you will be shocked how beautiful true love can be." She cajoled me.

“But I dated Connor.” I protested weakly even though I knew that excuse would not fly.

“As if. Connor was just a means to pass time. I want you to experience true love that would have you grinning ear to ear. That you think of them almost every time of the day. You are always excited to speak to them. A thought of them brings a smile to your face. That kind of love is beautiful. I have had it once,” Her eyes became sad at this and I wished I was closer to rub her shoulders and console her of her once great terrible loss, “But, that doesn't deter me from still looking out for the one. I really believe that you can fall madly in love with someone and your love story Is what you will tell your kids.”

“You seem to have been watching a lot of Rainie's movies and she has brainwashed you. I never want to be like my family with pitiable love stories. I'm content with just being on my own.” I said to her, my heart wavering a bit as my thoughts crossed to my boss and the little flutter of feelings I felt when my hands wrapped his waist. For a brief moment, I thought to myself “What if, just what if, he was mine to begin with? What if I didn't have ‘The Love Plague ’ and he didn't have his own emotional baggage, would we be a good match whose love story would make people coo? 

“Whatever you say girl. I am certain that love is brewing for you because this is the most reaction you have given to someone else. This is definitely a Grumpy X Cynic love story.” Her lips lifted in a smile and it elicited one from me automatically.

“Keep telling yourself that. If that is what helps you sleep at night.”

We were silent for some minutes before she broke the silence, “What really happened at the office? Your day off doesn't sit right with me. You sure your boss is okay or you didn't do anything?” She asked me again, looking at me this time around.

I thought to tell her what happened at the office because if there is one thing I don't do is keep secret from my friends, most especially Annie, but for some reason I wanted to keep what happened in the office a secret, to protect Ryan.

“He's good. Was possibly sick of seeing my face at every turn.” I joked.

“Never! More like he sent you away before he gets too addicted to your face.” She said.

My heart fluttered at this. At the thought of becoming his special person who he wanted to see at every turn.

What's with my heart and Ryan?

Damn my stupid heart!

************************

“V, when was the last time you checked in on your Boss?” Annie came into my room later that evening. I was currently seeing Bad Boys: Ride or Die on N*****x and I was at the part where Marcus just told Mike that they shouldn't have killed his son's witch mother. I was laughing really hard, until Annie walked in. I had to pause my movie to give her my rapt attention.

“I'm sorry. I didn't quite get your question. Why would I check in on him? He must be quite busy.” I pointed out to her. Honestly, it'll be insane to dial up someone who had a lot on his plate just to check in when I wasn't his girlfriend or anything of such sort. 

“I think you should check up on him.” She suggested mustering the most serious tone I have ever heard her use. I dropped my laptop on the best and looked at her face properly to see if they were any secrets it held, but it wasn't telling me anything. Now, I was getting afraid. If she was just saying this because of the silly shipping her and Rainie were doing, I would genuinely not find it funny one but because my heart has already started beating rapidly.

“What do you mean? I can't just randomly call him out the blue, it would be absurd.” I protested because I was not getting the drift of this conversation.

Annie stared at me for a full minute, I would know seeing as I was counting it before she sighed deeply and said, “Nothing ever escapes you, does it?”

She sat on the sofa and handed me her phone and then played the recording from X.

“Since this afternoon, the internet has been buzzing over an anonymous release of Current CEO of Falcon Enterprises in name of Ryan Falcon appointing corrupt Treasurer who attended college with him. It has been reported that Ryan insistently appointed him because according to him, he was the best for job despite him being young to control such crucial position. Now, we'll have you know that despite the fact that what goes on in private enterprises shouldn't bother us, but we are forced to have an opinion on the basis that this is one of the top companies in the world, if not the top. Also, for a CEO that was sworn in less than a month ago, shouldn't he be focused on ways to clean and uphold the company's image rather than put them on the news for something negative. Which begs the question if the current CEO is qualified or if he was just inaugurated on the basis of sheer nepotism?” This was where the video ended.

I was in shock, but, somehow within the short period I have worked for Ryan, I knew that this didn't have his scent on it.

It was his Father through and through. He was possibly going ahead with the threat he made this morning. 

This was stupid in my opinion because at the end of the day he was one of the major shareholders in the company and these was going to affect a lot of things.

I picked up my phone and dialed Ryan's number. I just wanted to ensure he was okay and not taking this criticism to heart.

The phone rang, till it reached his voicemail ’Ryan Falcon here. If it is urgent, leave a message.”

I decided to leave a message, “Hey Ryan. Hope you are good? Just saw the news and wanted to confirm if you are okay?" Then I ended the call.

“Alright, just wait it out. He should reach out to you." Annie said to me before exiting my room.

I shut down my laptop, unable to focus on the movie any longer.

Every ping, I hastily grabbed my phone only to be disappointed it wasn't from Ryan.

After waiting thirty minutes, I decided to dial back again, but still met his voicemail.

He wouldn't do anything stupid, would he? I thought to myself.

After waiting for another extra ten minutes, I knew that I would die of anxiety if I kept on waiting in the dark.

I pulled on a pullover on my half-cut bra and wore a joggers. I snatched my phone from my bed and hurried out of my room.

“I would be right back. Let me just check if he's at the office.” I told Annie, rushing out before she even gave me a reply. 

Because of how jittery I felt, I decided to take the bus, instead of driving over there. On the drive there, I tapped my left foot rapidly on the floorboards. 

When the bus pulled up at the station closest to the office, I took off immediately. Racing at fast as my legs could carry me. 

When I got to the office, I greeted the security guards and swiped my card to get in. I hit the floor number of the elevator so hard like it was going to make me get in faster.

Immediately I got to the floor, I ran to Ryan's office and swung the mahogany door with a might I didn't know I had and my heart calmed down significantly when I saw Ryan sleeping on the couch.

“Whew! I was scared for nothing.” 

I walked close to where he lay and that was when I was hit with the smell of whiskey.

I saw the half-empty bottle laying beside him, properly corked. Trust him to be a neat freak despite his drunken state. I bent down and stared at him for a moment admiring the clear skin, his chiseled jawline and his long eyelashes. I was one of those girls who always cried how unfair it was whenever she saw guys who have long lashes. Like what in the world are they using it for?

“Ryan! Ryan!" I called his name and shook him lightly.

His eyes fluttered open slowly and he looked deep into my eyes that it made my heart skip a beat. What was wrong with me? Since when did my heart move from ‘I hate this guy’ ‘I detest this man’ to ‘It hurts whenever I see him hurting.’

“If it isn't my overzealous secretary.” He said and lifted his right hand and placed his palm fondly on my cheek.

“Ryan, you are drunk. Let me get you water to drink so you can sober up.” I said and attempted to get up to get water, when he grabbed my hand and pulled me to himself. Because of the force, I fell fully on him. I gasped in shock and attempted to stand up, but he use both hands to wrap around my waist and press me against his body. I could feel the outline of his body and it was making me hot and bothered. I tried not to squirm so as not to cause him to be aroused.

“It's sometimes hard and I feel like I have no one on my side. My Father seems like an insurmountable force I can't conquer.” Drunk Ryan said to me. I knew that if he remembered this night tomorrow, he would be beyond embarrassed.

I cleared my throat in order to regain my voice which I lost in the nervousness of being squished on top of my boss who possibly hates my existence, “Then I will be your ally. You can lean on me when it gets hard.” I assured him fully meaning it.

“You would? You can't take it back.” He said.

I nodded my head in another form of assurance.

“Thank you.” He said looking at me with much tenderness.

I smiled nervously and tried to untangle myself from him, but he pushed me back into him even deeper. Boy, he was strong.

“Stay here with me. I love your body on mine.” He said in a brazen manner that shocked me. I felt my cheeks heat up at his admission.

At his admission, I hiccupped. What was with him and admitting weird things now he was drunk?

I didn't even get to formulate a reply when he smashed his lips on mine and began kissing me.

That was not the crazy aspect.

The crazy aspect was that I loved his lips on mine.

The even crazier  aspect was I kissed him back.