Eve.
Wanted.
To.
Slap.
Herself.
She bit down on her tongue hard. That sudden question was unlike her behavior. Years of practice crumbled on this day. The pillars fell down one by one. If she was lucky, Ambryan would turn a blind eye and she could still keep her job.
“Why do you ask?” Her boss spoke up, breaking her out of her thoughts.
Eve cleared her throat. A debate sparked inside her mind. Should she pursue or should she retreat? Either way, she needed a response that would save her. Her brain worked double time in search of one.
“Apologies, Sir Hathaway. There is no need to answer. Your question merely made me think of if the receiver was male. Then, I realized you explicitly said it was for women’s interests.”
A relieved sigh exhaled out of her nose. That sounded believable, even to her. She half-turned back to the door. It would be best if she left before she embarrassed herself further. Who knew what else would come out of her mouth?
“Chocolate doesn’t go well with tea.”
Eve snapped her head towards the work desk. Ambryan had his gaze up at the ceiling. His posture was relaxed against the chair’s backrest. She fluttered her eyes, wondering if this was real. Her fingers itched to clean out her ears. Maybe they were the ones defective.
“Flowers are easily perishable.”
An invisible force squeezed her throat. Speaking became a tedious task. She could only manage a few chokes. “I-I see. Sir—”
“Candies. I only eat sour ones.”
“Ha—wait, what? You do?” Eve gasped. Air flowed back into her lungs. The hazy dream cleared out and reality hit her in the face. Ambryan’s violet eyes had flickered to her direction. She pressed her lips together, realizing they were parted open.
Her boss cocked an eyebrow. An amused smile curled his lips by a millimeter. “Is that surprising? Were Wonka Nerds not popular anymore when you were young?”
“Wonka Nerds? Those tiny candies that came in a box? Usually divided into two flavors?” Eve exclaimed, recognizing the name. She hadn’t seen that candy in so long. They were extremely sour for her taste. Each piece had one sugar granule inside—the only one she looked forward to.
To this day, she had no idea how she managed to eat an entire box.
“Oh, so you do know it.” Ambryan remarked. He had the opposite experience with Richard. The latter only ate chocolates bars as a child which made him obese. Luckily, he stopped by the time he hit puberty. The diet and exercise, combined with his baby fat shrinking, helped him reach normal weight.
“Yes, I—Um…” Eve stuttered. She couldn’t tell if he was mocking her or not but her brain leaned towards the former. That only meant one thing. It was time for her to escape.
She bowed briefly and said, “This has been insightful, Sir Hathaway. Thank you for satisfying my curiosity. I will go back to work. Call me when there’s a problem to address.”
Before the CEO could reply, Eve yanked the door open and stepped out. She allowed herself a few moments of peace. Her loud heartbeat finally reached her ears. She didn’t know what happened. Ambryan had always been closed off.
She only knew the preferences he listed down for suggested holiday gifts from business partners. Even then, those were formal ones. They revolved around the common presents between high society.
‘Wonka Nerds?’ Eve repeated in her head. She walked towards her desk and sat down. She wondered why her boss decided to answer her question. For fairness? Since he asked for hers? It wasn’t like his intention had been personal.
Right?
Ambryan closed his messaging app. He sent Luna the answer Eve had given him. Despite what the designer had said, she ended up asking him to do her this favor. Then, when Eve asked about this preference, Mikael’s words echoed in his mind.
If this ever happens again, at least, he’d be able to give a proper response.
His thumb led him to the DTC app. An invitation burned inside his inner breast pocket. A lay person might assume it contained a hot compress instead of an envelope. He had little choice in the matter.
The opportunity also seemed to be the perfect chance for Evangeline’s reveal. There would be a wide media coverage for the event. He might as well speed up the process of their relationship’s publicity.
.
``Yan: Luna had invited me to the Rainbow Launch on Sunday. She expects us to go together. I will pick you up at 1700 hours.``
.
A buzz vibrated Eve’s work desk.
She jumped at the sensation. After calming down, she returned to her work. Half of her reports had finished. The remaining ones involved the cooperation from other departments. She’d have to consolidate them for Ambryan’s review.
Her temple throbbed when she saw a few of them missed the deadline.
She opened her status check email from last week and resent it, merely editing the given department names. She’d go home on time today if she had anything to say about it.
To cool down, Eve reached for her phone. She had almost forgotten about the notification. When she read the message, her brown eyes flew wide. Her first social event was on its way. It would be packed with famous personalities.
Was this how she’ll use the skills she developed from interacting with Ambryan’s previous lovers? The mere thought of it made her shiver. She’d probably meet some of them there.
Eve glanced back at the chat window. Her thumbs began to type her agreement to the time.
But then, she quickly erased her first message and replaced it with a witty one.
.
``Lin: I thought we agreed not to talk during work hours?``
``Yan: I seem to recall that you broke that rule first.``
``Lin: Still doesn’t mean that you can now start doing it too. Nor does it mean I am allowed to repeat it.``
``Yan: I wasn’t expecting a response. I sent it in case I forget.``
``Lin: Like how you forgot to set up our first meeting?``
.
Eve let go of her phone, one hand at a time. She placed the device lightly on her desk as if it was a fragile item. This conversation would probably last a while if she didn’t stop. She could compare the playful banter to an addicting drug.
Once it started, she found it hard to stop.
The phone vibrated again.
She ignored it and skipped the current report. She would just reply when she finished the next one. Hopefully, the materials she needed would be complete.
.
``Yan: I seem to recall that you also had forgotten about it. You only messaged the day before the meetup.``
.
Eve flinched. That did happen. She merely waited for him to update her on it. Except, that didn’t happen. If it wasn’t for Cale, the first meeting might have been overlooked by both of them.
.
``Lin: And if I haven’t, would you have remembered?``
.
She glanced at the door. Ambryan should also be hard at work. He also looked over most of her reports on the same day. That was on top of other things he needed to do. All of his good night messages came after midnight.
His good morning ones also reached her before she woke up.
A deep scowl slowly creased her brows and her forehead. If this kept up, his eyes would not only become dry but they’d also sting for days. His anti-radiation glasses might soon be replaced with reading ones.
.
``Yan: Of course, I would have.``
``Lin: I have something to say.``
``Yan: Do share. I did agree to your terms. What is it about this time?``
``Lin: You and your sleeping schedule. I understand you’re a busy man but this won’t do. At least, sleep in during your off days. You’re human not a machine.``
.
Eve reread her words. She had always known that he worked late even at home. She merely wasn’t in the position to scold him. After she forced him to get those glasses, she drew the line for Rule #4:
Never interfere with his personal matters.
She hadn’t nagged about anything else ever since.
But now, if it came from Evangeline, it should be alright.
.
``Yan: I hadn’t known you cared so much about my sleeping habits.``
``Lin: I’m your girlfriend. Shouldn’t I care?``
.
Eve covered her mouth with a hand. Her eyebrows rose up at a snail pace.
‘Girlfriend.’
The word multiplied inside in her thoughts, sprouting like plants from the ground. They created a tornado and spiralled around. It destroyed everything in its path. Eve’s train of thought became fragments of broken debris.
‘Girlfriend.’
It was the first time she called herself that.
.
``Yan: Alright, Ms. Girlfriend. I presume that I must consider your words?``
``Lin: Yes.``
``Yan: Then, I shall consider your words if you confirm about the pick up time.``
``Lin: Yes, I’ll be ready by 5pm sharp.``
``Yan: I will see you on Sunday.``
``Lin: You too.``
.
Eve closed the app. That should be it until the day of the launch. Only greetings would fill up the chat window for days to come. She felt her body had become hollow. She would have thought all of her insides had vanished—but one thing debunked that theory.
Her heart that hammered inside her chest.
That had been the first time Ambryan called her that too.
