Chapter 25 Chapter 25
ROMAN'S POV
"Thank you for the offer, sir. But I don't want breakfast. I've had breakfast." She finally said, sitting up.
"Are you sure?" I stopped her from rising. "It'll be here soon, I assure you. They're pretty-
"No thank you," she cut me off abruptly, pulling away. Ass leaving her seat. "I'll get to work now, sir. My apologies for showing up late."
I didn't even get a word out before she sprinted off. Going to join the dust and debris in front, the workers pausing to greet her. Notepad appearing out of nowhere to her hands, inspection and assessment beginning. The part they'd been working on before her arrival.
I watched it all for a bit, smirking when I caught her looking backwards at my table at some point. Her features still confused and narrowed. Most definitely wondering what was going on and I liked that.
Let her wonder about me.
Let her worry about my moves, become aware of my presence. It was how I got her back then, wasn't it?
I'd hovered around her constantly for months, getting ignored, pushed to the side and treated as invisible. Then one day, without planning for it, I fell sick and couldn't see her for days. Spent almost a week and half out of school. (High school) But when I came back... she was different.
So different. More receptive and willingly let me have lunch with her. My absence had taught her softness and that was the beginning of her falling in love with me.
So same could apply here too. People never really do change, most especially not her. I've confirmed her behaviours were still the same. Her anger, fire... although there was a calmness to her. A taunting, distasteful feel to her, but she was still pretty much the same.
Even if she wasn't, I don't believe I can't get her. Don't believe she won't choke on that word, 'never' by the time I do.
No woman has been able to resist when I put myself out there. Who the hell was Alina to be different?
That's just jokes.
I stood up right then, "Leaving now, Boss?" Jordan called from behind, subtle.
I straightened, looked in her direction. Dust flying above messy brown curls, feet still uneasy on the floor. An opportunity waiting for me there. "No," I said, "Not just yet."
I headed in that direction then. Pace measured, not in any hurry at all. The sound of walls breaking, curves getting rebuilt filling the air. My nods going to workers as I passed.
I didn't talk to her though, didn't go to her corner. But I was close. Close enough for her eyes to linger. For me to hover, become an itch she couldn't possibly look away from.
"Is something wrong, sir?" She turned to me, impatient as always. I was already getting under her skin. "Did we make a mistake again? Or it's something you don't and haven't approved yet?"
"Not at all," I answered, "Just checking everything out. Kind of felt unfair to you that I just sat back there, away from all the dust and everything. Letting you endure it all alone. That's unfair."
"What?"
I smiled, "I just want to give you a hand, that's all." I faced her, "You're doing really good. The curves at the edges are coming out really great, that's part of the ones you insisted we keep right?"
She hesitated, "Yes?"
"I knew it!" I snapped my fingers, chuckling lightly. "You're a real brain box, Alina. Good job."
"Alina?" She picked at it, watching me. "Since when did you call me by my name alone?"
"Since last night" I said as a matter of fact, "Your name is Alina, I should call you that."
"No, do not." She disagreed, "Do not call by my name, I'll prefer my title sir. Consultant."
"But yesterday you complained I called you that too much."
"Oh, so you DO remember yesterday."
"Of course!" I smirked, "How can I forget? You and I...we had such a time last night. In my office we were...
I paused then. Intentionally.
Shutting my eyes for a bit, letting the silence and weight of my words hang in the air. The curiosity. The nterest.
The workers ...
By the time I opened back up, her features had grown alarmed more than anything. Shaken. But I continued, voice calm and low.
"It's our memories that guided me throughout the rest of the night after you left, Alina. It filled me with warmth. It's what brought all the changes I've been experiencing deep inside of me since this morning. How can I forget?"
"W-what?" She barely whispered, stunned. Her feet moving instantly towards me, crossing the distance of the room, everyone watching until she stood right in front of me.
"What did you just say? What the hell are you talking about here?"
I stared down at her, watching those brown eyes look helplessly confused up at me. "I'm only doing what you want," I half whispered back, "I'm giving you what you want, Alina."
"What I want?" She repeated, "What do you think I want?"
"Me," I said simply, "You want me. Don't you?"
"What?" She blinked.
"I'm giving you me. All of me." I drew closer to her now, intentional. Her feet drawing back too, stepping away. "I'm giving you my attention, my love, my kindness. Isn't that what you want? Me?"
"Y-y-you?? Oh my, you sick bastard!" She cussed in disbelief, features growing irritated fast. That fire rising again, my heart filling with glee to watch her unravel up close.
"You're so sick." She spat, "I told you I wanted us to call it truce, to end the back and forth games between the two of us. Especially like what happened yesterday, did you not get that?"
"I got it," I confirmed, seriously. "I got exactly what you meant. Truce. You wanted me to be kind to you. To show love, affection, not fight with you anymore or be mean. That's what I'm doing now. It's what I'll keep doing from now on, you can count on that."
"That's not what truce means, Roman." She snapped, gritting her teeth. Looking crazy now, glaring. Her hair a curly mess. "Don't you own a dictionary or something? Aren't you supposed to be smart? That's not what truce means, that's not i meant, that's not what I want from you!"
"I don't care," I shrugged, straightening up. "I'll do what I want. Do what I think is truce, you do yours. May the best man win."
"You!" She opened her mouth, baffled. Fuming. "This is not a game!"
"You think so?" I smirked, amused. "Then you're already failing, look around you, Alina."
She paused, sneaking a few peaks. The workers watching us but pretending not to. And she saw them. Understood what it meant.
"You're making things worse, Roman. You're making them think -
"That I'm in love with you?" I supplied, using her words. "I get that. I do actually. But somehow it seems to me that you... you're actually really worried about that. You're so worried that you'd come talk to me about it, but then say you'll never fall for me. What is that? Never."
"What?? What the hell does that have to do-
"You said never yesterday," I reminded her, "You wouldn't even explain what it meant, and still insist on us not acting in ways that made people 'believe' I was in love with you, Alina. Meanwhile we aren't even doing anything at all. Call me mad but that sounds like a personal problem. A secret personal problem. I'm not doing anything and yet you're so agitated, so when I do DO something. Act kind to you, affectionate, 'truce'. What will you do then? I'll like to see that happen. I'll like to see it all play out. Think you're strong enough?"
She stared at me, silent. Expression speechless, baffled. Almost mocking right now.
"You know what?" She chuckled. Stared at me, then next thing turned around. I watched her, thinking it was some truck she wanted to pull. She would get something and come back at me with it.
But no.
She didn't.
She didn't turn back around to me or come back with something.
She just left just like that. Left me there! Standing. Like some idiot.
No words more than that. Most definitely mocking at me!
That got me agitated, totally not the plan. So I moved, reached out for and pulled her right back. Not for a fight though, we were doing the 'truce' bit for now.
But as I reached for her, she anticipated my move, whipping her arm out of the way. With a force too fast too, and that unstabled her feet. Her legs missing a step, then next thing, she went falling sideways. Aiming straight for the hard floors, dust and everything.
But at the last minute, I got to her first. My arms finding her wais
t under that old grey sweatshirt, the other one on her back as I stopped her fall.
Everywhere went silent after that. She went still, her brown eyes wide and alarmed. Staring up at mine, breathless.
But I had one thought,
Bingo.