FREE⇡RIDE⇣HOME [Elevator Hitch || COTAG]

What, are you jealous?

My coworker places a brown paper bag on my desk, and puffs his cigarette. "Here, eat this. When are you wrapping up?"

"Soon. Sorry, I have to finish this." I peek in the bag. "Ooh, cupcakes?! Thanks!" I take one and unfold it carefully. "Did you buy these just now?"

"Yeah. There's a pastry shop nearby." He wraps his arms around my shoulders from behind.

I munch on my cupcake. "I'm almost done," I repeat.

He rests his head on mine, and moves it away whenever he sucks on his cigarette, to not get ashes on my hair. "Hurry up, I want to take you home."

"I'm done," I state, as I crumple up the cupcake wrapper.

He gently bites my ear, as I shut the computer off. I groan in annoyance. "If you're hungry, have a cupcake, not me," I whisper.

"I prefer you, though~" he nuzzles my neck.

I push his face away. "N-Not here..."

I stand up, and grab the bag of cupcakes in one hand, and his hand in the other.

We walk to the exit together, and once we step outside, My coworker lifts me up and spins me around teasingly, knowing I'm afraid of heights.

He laughs stupidly as he throws me over his shoulder and runs to his car. I pray no one is watching us from the windows.

"Nooo... not again..." This time, I pierce my nails in his back to keep myself in place, instead of screaming and squirming.

He gently passes my head below the passenger's-side doorframe, and seats me down.

I sigh in relief and put the cupcakes at my feet. He sits down on the driver's seat. "Could you refrain from carrying me around?"

"Nuh uh~ you have to confront your fear," he smirks.

"Listen, you can literally do whatever you want to me, as long as we're not in public. I just don't feel comfortable with that."

"Whatever I want?" He asks in surprise.

I rethink my statement, worrying it sounded improper. "Well, yeah, I guess..."

We drive to my apartment, and go up the stairs to my door.

I turn the lights on when we enter, and head to my bedroom first, where my clothes are. I grab my one and only backpack, and start filling it with my shirts and pants.

"Wait outside," I tell my coworker, as he follows me inside.

"Is there anything I can do to... help?"

"Not really. You just have to wait."

I sit down on my knees, to pack up easier. "...Actually, you can take these suits and put them in the car already." I hand him a few clothes hangers with brown, grid-patterned suits, almost identical to the one I'm wearing right now.

He analyses them thoroughly. "I only ever see you in this suit," he points to me, "despite these being almost the same."

"Yeah, this one is my favourite."

"You'd look great in blue shades, like your hair." He crouches down and starts playing with my hair, throwing it from one side to another.

"Thanks, now, could you go to your car?"

"Yes, sir!" He rushes out.

Now I can in peace collect all of my underwear and all the other embarrassing things, before he comes back.

I throw the whole drawer in my backpack, and wipe the sweat off my forehead. "Phew..."

Once I'm done, I get a few more things from my kitchen, and exit, before clumsily locking the door to my apartment with my only empty fingers. Why hasn't my coworker come back yet?

I slowly descend down the stairs, and hear my female neighbour's voice, alongside my coworker's. Well, that's just great.

"Have you read her other works? They're all so well-polished and make my heart flutter!" I head a squeaky, girly voice say.

"Mhm, weirdly enough, her first novel was the best one, despite her inexperience back then. I still reread it every once in a while to this day."

"Oh yes, a chilly romance between a butcher and his meat... Ooh! Even thinking about it sends shivers down my spine! Brrr..."

They're talking about book. I guess it's fine then...

"Is that your boyfriend?!" My neighbour squeals, when she sees me walk down the stairway towards them. It catches me off-guard.

"Uhm!" I exclaim, and awkwardly walk past them.

My coworker grabs my arm, and takes all of the important folders and documents from my hands, to ease my burden. "I'll see you again someday. Goodbye!" He winks to my neighbour, and we walk down together.

It makes me feel really uncomfortable. "Yeah, bye."

I put my stuff in the back of his car, and sit in the passenger's seat, waiting for him to sit with me.

He gives the documents to me, because it's a lot of papers, and sits down.

As he's buckling his seatbelt, I can't help but ask: "did my neighbour bother you?"

"Hm? Oh, no, I was expecting much worse, but she seemed like a kind lady."

"Yeah, I heard you two getting along." My voice deepens, and I point my face in some other direction.

He laughs. "What, are you jealous?" He stars the engine, and gets ready to drive away.

"What? No... I'm just... well, she always tells jokes that make me uncomfortable."

"Like the one about you being my boyfriend?"

"Yeah..."

"Why does it make you uncomfortable?" He gets on the road.

That's a great question. "I don't like it when people assume things..."

"They wouldn't have to assume things, if we'd make it official..." he whispers, shyly.

I yelp. Is this a confession? "What do you mean by that..?"

"N-No... It's nothing." He sighs. "Should we go to the grocery store on the way?"

"Yeah. Do you have a specific dinner in mind?"

"Not yet, but we'll see."

✂