Bittersweet Expectations (Hate at First Flight #0.5)

39. Magnolia & Cherry Blossom

The silence that dawned in the kitchen was so deafening, suffocating every morsel of air out of me as Ethan Clarke and I had a staring contest that neither of us could exit easily

It was like we were like a predator and prey. Locked in a silent yet fierce exchangement that resulted in whether or not the prey would be the predators' next meal.

The sound of the clock ticking by soundtracked our exchange as if it was egging both of us on, wanting to know who would break the silence.

I continued to stare at my boss' face, trying to read his reaction to my words, trying to gauge and come up with a decision on how to continue.

Ethan Clarke's face was unreadable, comparable to a blank piece of paper. His eyes remained on mine like it was a magnifying glass trying to inspect my thoughts and emotions.

A few minutes passed by before he finally spoke.

"You're accepting Julie's offer."

A statement.

A fact.

He spoke those words with a matter-of-fact tone that left no room for a correction.

I nodded. "I did."

He nodded slowly, his face in deep contemplation. "When do you leave?"

"Two months."

His brows furrowed together, confusion written on his face.

"I wanted to finish up my term properly. If that's okay with you."

He studied me again before he nodded slowly. "I'm fine either way, Ms Bishop."

I almost let out a sigh of relief at his words but held myself back. I didn't want him to see how anxious I had been about telling him.

"However," he began, pressing his lips together as he contemplated his words. I paused, worried as to what he was about to say. "I'm fine with it. I was just wondering, have you spoken to my mother about it. What did she say?"

I smiled nervously. That was another hurdle. "I was going to speak with her tomorrow about it."

He nodded. "Well... it's just... she tends to be ..." his face contorted into an expression that clearly entailed how well he thought that conversation would go over.

"Will she be angry?"

He shrugged. "The last time someone quit, let's just say it was hell on earth living here."

My eyes widened at his words. And here I was thinking that he would be the tougher of the two.

"Do you have any suggestions? What does your mother like? What do you give her when you're asking for something?"

Ethan Clarke stared into empty space as he contemplated. "She loves flowers. I usually take a fresh bouquet with me when I go to her."

I nodded, taking note whilst also trying to picture someone like Ethan Clarke taking a bouquet of flowers to his mother.

"Flowers, okay. Noted. Thanks, Mr Clarke."

He nodded. "Just don't tell her I told you so. She doesn't like spilling her secrets." He smiled at me conspiratorially.

I smiled back as I nodded before I excused myself to my room.

By six thirty in the morning, I was already ready to go to the flower market to pick up some flowers to make a bouquet for Mrs Clarke. I wanted to give it to have it ready for her when she had breakfast at eight.

I looked out of my windows, and a light fog still blanketed the surroundings.

I wondered how I was going to get to the city this early. The earliest bus in this neighborhood was at eight.