Meeting You

Chapter 7: Storm

The horror of the words you blurted out kept replaying in your mind as you ate and walked back to the car. He didn't say anything but you knew he heard you...of course he did, he was right there.

You kept thinking of ways you could spin it off as something else but there's only so many ways one could deter away from confessing they thought their boss smelled good.

The ride back home was quiet, save for the fast and angry swipes of the wipers. The rain was coming down hard and fast making it difficult to see out of the windows. He cursed under his breath and leaned forward to turn on the radio.

Looks like we're in for a long storm! Make sure you stay indoors unless necessary and report any floods . The rain should let up soon but just in case, the city has arranged for emergency shelters should you need them. Check in with your local fire department for more details.

Neither of you spoke as you took in the words of the host of the radio, clearly unprepared for this sudden storm considering the sky was blue all day. The worry of the storm offered a temporary refuge for your mind. You felt a chill go through you so you rubbed your hands down your arms, hoping the friction would warm you up.

"You cold?" It was the first words he had spoken to you since you got in the car. Without another word, he reached towards the centre console and turned a knob. Instantly, hot air blew all around you.

You relaxed against the seat when you felt your eyes being drawn to him. The way he was so calm as he drove through the mess that was outside. The way his hand clutched the wheel. The way he filled his entire seat and drew attention to himself.

It felt like forever had passed and you were ashamed to admit that you had been staring at him drive when you noticed an array of blue and red lights reflect off his face just as he turned the corner towards your apartment. He pulled over to the side and tried to look out the window but couldn't really see much.

You opened the door, ignoring his protests, and ran out of the car. Raindrops slapped against your face as you joined the group of people that were huddled underneath a tent, caution tape all around your building.

You noticed one of your neighbours and walked right up to her. "What happened?"

She was clearly distraught, in a robe and holding her cat. You looked down on her feet and noticed she only had time to grab one muddy slipper. "It's a flood. From the storm. All of our stuff is gone!" She wailed.

What? No. Please no. You turned back to look at the building that had become your home when you decided to leave everything you've ever known for a job the city. Soon, you didn't even feel the rain anymore but you were already soaked. Did it matter? Did anything matter anymore?

You poured hours of hard work to make it into a home...your home. You hunted through many hardware stores to find the perfect yellow paint for your kitchen; you had found a few tins of your beloved buttercream yellow on the clearance rack just when you had given up the dream of having a yellow kitchen.

The diy tiles you had so painfully laid your self or even the hours you spent painting the wall behind your bed so it resembled the view of your window back home.

A fireman walked over to the group of people, a stack of cards in his hands. "Listen up everyone! The damage is quite significant and I'm sorry to say but we cannot let you inside. Since this is a result of a natural disaster, the city has offered a few vouchers for local hotels. Please line up accordingly so I can hand them out to you."

"Come on, Dearie." Your neighbour grasped your hand as she led you to the line up to grab the vouchers. You still couldn't believe that your building had flooded.

Suddenly, it was your turn and the dimpled smile of the fireman eased your worries. "I have a feeling this is your first flood."

You smiled tightly and nodded. "Is it that obvious?"

He laughed and reached behind him to grab a blanket, and moved forward to wrap it around your shoulders. Your heart warmed at his warm gesture and you gave him a small smile. He was kinda cute and looked to be about your age and if this was anything short of a disaster, you might've been excited at being surrounded by firemen.

"You were reacting the same way I did when I first moved out here." He held out the card to and leaned closer to you. "Word of advice, go with the hotel on 5th avenue. They have the comfiest beds and awesome amenities."

You took the card and nodded gratefully but then you felt a hand land on your shoulder and gently squeeze it. "She'll be fine."

You turned to look behind you, having completely forgotten that your boss was still here since you ran out of his car like a cat after a mouse. His eyes weren't on you but narrowed at the fireman. He took the card from your grip and handed it back to him. "She won't be needing this."

His hand slide down your arm to hold yours and he led you away from the shocked fireman. "What did you do that for? I doubt I could afford the hotel on my own!" You tried to rip your hand out of his grip but he just tighten his hold on you and continued marching back to the car.

"You're not staying at a hotel." He spit it once the car was in sight. "It's not safe." He opened the passenger door and held it open for you. "I know a place."

You crossed your arms, which was harder than you thought with the blanket around your shoulders, and stared at him. "I'm going back to get that voucher."

You had only managed to turn around before you felt an arm around your waist. "Please, Y/N. Let me do this."

Something in his voice reminded you of when he was at the hospital with you —desperate. You took a deep breath and let him guide you back to the car. You had an inkling as to this "place" he was talking about but you didn't want to jump to conclusions so you kept your mouth shut. For all you knew, maybe he had a deal with one of the luxurious hotels and was going to put you up in a penthouse suite or something. He was rich after all.

You must've fallen asleep in the car because you woke up just as he pulled into his parking spot in the huge parking garage. He hopped out of the car and made his way to your door, opening it and holding onto your hand again. You didn't say anything because honestly? You were drained. You were on autopilot as you followed him up to his apartment.

He unlocked the door and with a dramatic sweep of his hand, beckoned you inside. "Welcome home, roomie."

You ignored him and walked straight to where you remembered the bathroom to be and locked the door behind you. You brought the water to its hottest setting and stripped yourself of the wet clothes you had on. Once you were underneath the spray of water, it felt like everything was going to be okay.

You quickly finished showering and wrapped the towel around yourself when you realized you had absolutely no clothes to wear. You slowly pulled the door open and peeked out into the hallway. That's when you noticed the neatly folded pile of clothes sitting on the floor. You grabbed them and shut the door. Looking through the pile, you noticed it was a pair of sweats, an old t-shirt, and some thick socks.

You quickly put everything on and realized they smelled just like him. You stood there in the bathroom and sniffed the collar of the his shirt when a loud knock had you jumping into the air, as if you had been caught doing something terrible.

What were you even thinking? Let's be honest, you weren't thinking. That was the problem. Ever since you met him, your judgment and thinking has been really messed up. You've said and done things you normally would never.

Ignoring the look of your sunken eyes in the mirror, you smoothed out the shirt and opened the door. It was all in slow motion: the way your mouth dropped open and the way your eyes grew wide.

He, your boss, was shirtless.