Stay With Me Forever

Chapter 3

It was finally Friday today, and I felt so relieved. The week had been terrible. Mr Carlton was in an unusually bad mood the whole week. Everyone had been walking on eggshells.

I was especially careful not to mess up my responsibilities. Checking and rechecking that his meetings went smoothly, his itinerary did not get messed up, his tux was ready for his fund raiser...oh and his coffee! That had to be especially perfect if I wanted to stay sane this week.

All in all, the work itself was the same old routine, but the stress of not wanting to get yelled at was killing me. Especially when I heard him yelling at others inside his office, behind closed doors.

The yelling itself wasn't so bad. In fact, he only yelled once at the accountant for something that he'd had coming for a while now. But the rest of them.. the way they were coming out of his office, shaking in their shoes, told me they had been subjected to his temper.

Well, anyways, the week was over, and so was the day. I happily folded my laptop and got ready to leave.

I had to work until late again, but I didn't mind as he was going out of town. He won't be returning until Tuesday, so I am given a long break from him.

That's the reason for me working overtime as well. I had to make sure that their were no glitches, and everything went smoothly for him. I can only hope he is in a better mood when he comes back.

It was ten o'clock, so I hurried myself, wanting to get home before eleven. My car was still in the garage, making me take the bus to and from work every day. Our neighbor Mrs Evans had been kind enough to drop Liam to school as well as bring him back, as she already does everyday, since I don't get off work much later than when his school ends.

Mrs Evans had a son Liam's age, who went to the same school as him, so it wasn't too much trouble for her.

When I stepped out of the office building, I was met with the strong cool air of the night, making me shiver. I wrapped my jacket closer around my body and started walking towards the bus stop.

The streets were dark except for the street lamp, as the sky was looking particularly gloomy tonight. I think it might rain tonight. I hurried my phase towards the bus stop as another gust of cold wind hit me, making me shiver.

As the streets were pretty empty, the few people I did find on the streets made me feel suspicious and creeped out. I hated walking on the streets alone at night.

I felt my heart start pounding harder in my chest as I turned the corner and saw three men waiting by the bus stop.

My steps faltered as I stared at them. They didn't look like they were waiting for the bus. And they certainly didn't look like they were going home after work. In fact, they didn't look like they were sober even. My eyes widened as one of them swayed on his feet after he noticed me, giving me a creepy grin.

My palms had started sweating despite the cool air, and my breathing had become uneven. I was starting to panick as I stared back at them.

Suddenly, a car pulled over right next to me with a screech that had my already pounding heart almost flying out of my mouth. I screamed, leaping at least a foot off the ground. This felt like the end for me, and I was in a far too panicked state to recognize the car.

It wasn't until the driver's door opened and the driver stepped out, hurrying towards me that I finally realized it was Mr Carlton. He had left office way before I had, and I would never have expected to run into him here.

My relief was so much that I almost ran to him, hugging him for dear life. My eyes were teary as I stared at his approaching figure.

Light reflected on his face, from the above street light, as he stepped onto the pavement, and I got a glimpse of the look on his face before he stepped into the darkness, coming towards me.

He looked furious! I stared at him, wide-eyed as my tears threatened to fall down my face. But again, he stopped, closed his eyes, clenched his fists, and took deep breaths before he attempted to speak to me. I briefly wondered why he did that. He never spoke to me until he calmed down.

Opening his eyes, he turned towards his car and opened the door to the passenger side. "Get in." He instructed in a stern voice, making me walk towards it like I was in a trance.

I quietly got in and again in his stern voice. He instructed me to put the seatbelt on. I did as he closed the door and got in the driver's seat.

He didn't speak as he pulled out of the curb.

I took a peek at him from the corner of my eye. I could see that he was very upset by how tense his face looked and the slight clicking of his jaw muscles.

I nervously shifted in my seat, huddling myself inside my jacket. He let out a frustrated sigh, making me jump.

"I won't shout at you, Ashley." He said exasperatedly, glancing towards me. He looked about ready to lose all his patience, though.

"Why?" I couldn't help asking. I was curious.

"Why?" He asked incredulously. " Do you want me to?" He asked, his eyes suddenly gleaming with amusement. His sudden mood change left me flabberghasted.

"Well, of course not Mr Carlton. But I was just wondering why you don't." I asked, having calmed down now that I was in his car, away from the drunk men near the bus stop.

"Well... " it was his turn to uncomfortably shift in his seat. "If I have to, I would." He finished finally.

I frowned, not satisfied with his answer but knowing that's about all I would get from him.

Not long after, he pulled up in front of my house. I opened the door to get out but turned as he asked me where my car was. "It's in the garage." I answered.

"Still? When can you get it back?" He asked with a frown.

"Monday. They said they would be done by then.

He pursed his lips and said, "Ok. I won't be here, so you have no reason to be working late." He said, nodding approvingly. "And if in future if you ever have to walk.." I gulped, looking at the warning on his face. He sighed before saying, " Goodnight, Ashley. "

It wasn't until I was inside my house that it dawned on me that he had called me Ashley, not Ms Sanders...