Wanting Ella ✔ (Blaq Hearts 1)

24. Salade Niçoise

Anxiety.

It was a bad thing to have. But Ella wasn't exactly new to it. That didn't mean her heart wasn't beating so fast that she felt like throwing up.

She wiped her sweaty palms on the soft velvet fabric of her skirt. She glanced at herself in the mirror again, frustrated at how unsettled she looked. She pulled out a tissue from its pocket and dabbed her forehead of sweat, pinched her cheeks for color so she wouldn't look so pale and... well, terrified.

The weekend had gone by fast. Too fast. And once again, she would have to face Kaiden with the memory of their kiss still fresh in her head.

The kiss.

That was all she could think about the entire weekend. How was it every weekend since she started working for Kaiden had always been occupied with thoughts of him? That just went to show how much she needed to stay away from him.
She scoffed at herself. How many times had she said that?

I'll stay away from him, he's bad news.

She'd lost count, and now the worst had happened.

To think she'd made the first move. God, she'd lost her mind.

But she knew, even though she refused to admit it to herself that she wouldn't have been able to stop herself even if she wanted to. Kaiden had a hold on her, a very strong hold. And to think they had known each other for less than two months and he'd planted such carnal feelings in her.

She exhaled. It was all too much. She hadn't told Alex and that was already weighing on her mind. She'd been in shock when she left the office and had stayed quiet the entire drive home, her excuse being exhaustion before she ran off to her room where she lay on her bed and watched the sunrise.

Now she had to face him. She wasn't ready for this, her mind hadn't prepared itself enough. She needed at least days, months, maybe years to think of what to say to him. What if he tried to fire her?

No, he wouldn't. She may have been too rooted in her thoughts and the ecstasy of the moment, but she when a man wanted something. And that night, Kaiden wanted her. She'd felt him. All of him. His responses to her touch, the dirty words he whispered in her ear, his movements.

She blinked, shaking her head. I wouldn't do to think about him like that, especially when she would be meeting him soon.

On cue, the elevator came to a stop as the doors opened slowly. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched the crowded hallway come into view. Seems like the teams were back to work.

"Hello, Ella, lovely morning today isn't it?"

She smiled at Sun-hi as she advanced towards her with a file in hand. She wished she could say it was a lovely morning. But it wasn't. And it wasn't going to be a good day.

"Good morning, Sun-hi. How are you?" Behind her Mimi caught her eyes and waved, a bagel in her mouth, Ella waved back and faced Sun-hi noticing something different. "No more black?"

Sun-hi smiled sheepishly, touching her pigtails. "Yeah, I thought it made me look too... ordinary." She blushed, lowering her head as she spoke. "And Mimi said she likes how I look with colored hair, and purple is her favorite color."

Ella couldn't help it. She smiled, genuinely this time. They were both so cute. Sun-hi being open with her feelings for Mimi and Mimi, shy. "Well, you should get her to change her hair color to your favorite."

Sun-hi looked up at her, wide-eyed. "You think?" Ella nodded and she squealed. "Oh, that's brilliant. And she'd look beautiful as a blonde, don't you think?" She glanced at Mimi as she laughed about something Naz had said, then smiled wistfully. "Yeah, she will." She faced Ella again. "Thank you. And this is last week's report and our progress so far." She handed the file to her. "Mr. Blaq said we should get it to him."