Chapter 18: Caught Staring by the Window

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"No this is too black," I tell the sales girl for the third time.

"What about this mam?" she sighs.

"This is a bit grayish," I say, observing the fabric of the shirt. "I want the perfect black shirt and pants."

"This is the last piece I'm going to show you, mam. We don't have other shades of black in this," she says, retrieving the pile of shirts I made her carry out.

"Just take anyone!" He grunts from behind me.

"I warned you, boss," I say firmly, looking around the shop while he sighs out of frustration. The sales girl comes out from the back room with a shirt and shows it to me and I perk up with delight.

"Perfect color!" I chimed.

"Finally!" They both utter simultaneously in a low voice and I look between both of them while they both look at each other with a dumbfounded expression.

"Okay, I'll take this pair of shirt and pants." I smile at the sales girl and she scurries away with the items towards the cash counter.

"You are impossible at everything, I must say," he says, shaking his head with a smile on his face.

"I'm not done shopping yet if you might be thinking," I said, innocently.

"What!?" I ignore him and walk past to the cash counter. I pay my bill and walk out of the shop with the shopping bag in my hand. I hear footsteps rushing towards me. "You are joking right?" he asks me, his voice out of breath.

"No. I don't joke with my boss." I say while walking and looking around the shops. "Oooh! I want that!" I run towards the toy shop without waiting for his response. I enter the shop and move excitedly towards the thing, I saw on display and immediately try it on me.

"May I help you, mam?"

"Yes, I want this please!" I say, giving back the thing to the salesperson.

"Sure mam, I'll be right back." he moves out of my vision and I look on my left and Immediately jerk back when I notice him.

When did he come here?

"You want a fake beard now?"

"Why not?" I ask.

"I bet you are up to something fishy." he eyes me.

"Keep thinking whatever you like."

"Okay, look you need to stop doing this." He shakes his head.

"Stop what?"

"You know... Why are you talking like that?"

"I'm talking the way how I must have from the beginning." Without giving him a chance to speak further, I walk to the cash counter. I pay the cash and retrieve the shopping bag and walk out of the shop.

We both reach my home without another say. He doesn't further ask me about my shopping bags and I was thankful for that. As I reach the main door, I put down the bags in front of the door and retrieve a key from my bag that was hanging on my shoulder. I open the door and was about to pick my bags up when he already had.

"You don't really have to-" he brings his palm in front of me and I stop speaking. He goes inside the house first, I close the door behind and follow him inside.

"Auntie I'm home." I motion for him to sit in the living room and he makes himself comfortable on one of the couches. I take the bags from him and he gives them back to me.

"You are late today dear," she says while walking into the living room and when she sees the boss, she smiles at him and he stands up to greet her with a nod of his head.

"Hey, Anna. How are you doing?" he asks.

"I'm good Sam. Please have a seat," she says, nodding her head and motions towards the couch he was sitting on.

"I'm going to put my stuff," I said, looking at aunt Anna and her eyes fall upon my full hands.

"Okay dear but don't take too long." I pass her a quizzical look, not sure why must I stay here if she wanted to talk to him. She ignores me and I walk out of the room and head upstairs.

When I came back down, Aunt Anna was in the kitchen, pouring juice in three glasses and boss was standing near the kitchen island, smiling at something they might have talked about.

"Come, dear, sit with us have a glass of juice." she passes me the glass and I gladly take it.

"So Anna, how do you manage with your new assistant?"

"Oh don't even talk about her... I'm just trying to cope with her. She is just a kid who has a lot to learn yet." she says, shaking her head with disappointment.

"I bet that's something crazy to deal with," he smirks while Anna passes him the juice glass.

"Let's stop talking about me already. How things have been with Sarah?" both I and him almost spurt out the juice at the same time. He starts coughing while I try to look away. "I wanted to know if she is working fine or anything else's the case. It would be good to talk when both of you are here," she says, not noticing the sudden change in atmosphere, we both look at each other for a second and our attention backs towards her.

"W-well... What to say, she is clumsy at times and abrasive but... works fine."

"What? I am clumsy?" I say with disbelief. "And abrasive?"

"And I'm not counting the stubborn part." he points out.

"What about the boss who's always angry for no reason?" my hand twitching underneath the kitchen table. "And I'm not counting the exploitation-of-employee part." I hit him back with my words.

"Hey! that was before two days." he protests.

"So you accept." I give him a winning look and he grunts lightly.

"That was because some employees needed to learn how to behave," he says, tilting his head sideways.

"And where is the mistake of poor barista when the food tastes bad and they have to listen to the fuss their boss creates?" I say, putting both of my hands underneath my chin and batting my lashes.

"W-well the barista must not throw the food their boss requests to bring to their face. Every time!" he hisses at me. I start to speak when...

"I take you both aren't getting along well." Aunt Anna speaks, her voice filled with terror. We both look at her. Her hands clasped together.

"No, we are doing fine," I say.

"Just fine," he said, gritting his teeth just when I finished. We both smile at her, she passes a confused and hesitant smile back.

"I'm going to go back to my room if you guys don't mind. Excuse me please." I stand up and leave before anyone could say anything.

As I enter my room, I shut my door behind with a thud and sprawl on my bed.

Did he really have to bring that up? Almighty knows what Auntie will be thinking now. I hate him. Besides it was two days ago, I've stopped acting like that now!

I dig my face in my pillow and grunt loudly.

After some time I hear the front door close and I walk immediately to my window. I look outside and I see his retrieving figure. It feels nostalgic, I smile to myself, remembering it. I raise my hand and wave at his retrieving figure. His hands are in his pockets and he skips stone with his foot and I chuckle lightly.

Suddenly my heart stopped.

He is looking at me and I'm waving a hand at him. OH NO!

Stupid!

Stupid!

Stupid!

I hide behind the curtain, praying and wishing he hadn't seen me. When I peek through the curtain, I see him smiling and waving back at me, heat consumes my body and I'm blushing like an idiot. I drop the curtains on my window and lay back on my bed, ignoring the funny sensation.

"Stupid him," I mutter under my breath and let myself fall asleep.

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