Aaron
"Hey." The moment Joshua got in the elevator with the rest of us everyone sort of gravitated towards one corner and left him standing alone. He ignored me.
How could anyone already be grumpy so early in the morning? The weather was beautiful and everyone was excited for the beginning of spring, well maybe except him.
Well I wasn't expecting anything other response after my deplorable behaviour the other day. I thought I was the one calling him out to his bad behaviour but he had turned the tables on me.
I was fully expecting some sort of retaliation because I had been made to expect it but it had been silence from him. I was told he was petty and vindictive and soon I was going to regret confronting but nothing had happened, yet.
Of all the bosses to mess with I had been told Joshua Reade was the last person I should even think about crossing paths with.
I deeply regretted my actions and I didn't know how to apologise. He worked on the 8th, I was on the 2nd. I didn't even have an excuse to go that far up. We were in different departments, and he was technically part of top management. I remained in the elevator after everyone had got off and it was the two of us from the 5th onwards.
"I'm sorry." He still pretended not to hear me. His face emotionless staring at the mirrored metal doors. But I had noticed that cheek muscle quiver when it was just the two of us. The elevator was ascending too fast for my liking. I deliberately pressed all the buttons before his floor and he looked at me.
"I'm trying to apologise."
"By making me late to a meeting." I now knew he hated being late. I hated being late too. See we do have things in common.
He turned to face me and I understood just why everyone was scared of him. His face was drawn and I could see an angry vein popping on his neck. I didn't miss the hand drawn into a fist which he shoved deep into his pocket. Would he actually strike me? For this?
"Maybe if you talked to me I wouldn't have to resort to this childish behaviour."
"Aah, so you do know you are being childish." I hated that he was able to fluster me with just one look. I was just trying to get his attention. This was not going the way I wanted it to.
"I was wrong about you. I really don't know you that well."
"Exactly."
He pressed the emergency button and the elevator came to a quick stop, I staggered and embarrassingly I had had to hold on to his chest to keep myself from falling.
He peeled me off and shoved me to the wall.
"What exactly do you want from me?" Shit, he was mad. That low voice scared me, a little bit.
"I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. It was disrespectful. I apologise. I want to make it right." His eyes seemed like they were boring right through me.
"Pass."
"How can you start by saying no? You should at least hear me out."
"Why?"
"I'm trying to be your friend here."
"Why?"
"Um... because everyone needs a friend?"
"Pass."
"Seriously! What does it take for me to be your friend?"
"I don't want any friends."
"Well, you got one!"
"I heard what you said. Apology not accepted." He restarted the elevator. That sudden action threw me off balance and I fell into his arms again. Not my finest moment.
It felt like I was deliberately throwing myself at him. I prayed he wouldn't think I was throwing myself at him.
Not that I would ever admit it but I had felt a whole lot more of his torso than I imagined and it was so firm and sturdy. Weird thinking about a man's body like that.
The elevator whirred into motion and this time it didn't stop till we reached his floor. He walked out without saying a word.
What was wrong with me? Mama always warned me to think before speaking. I wish that advice had popped into my head before I had just pawed him. Twice. What sort of person did not accept heartfelt apologies?
It didn't help that he was all I thought of like, literally all day. I hated having a problem I couldn't solve.
A lot of things about him bothered me.
How the hell did I know him? The moment I had walked into that interview room he had been the first face I saw. I wasn't stupid, I had also seen that he had also recognised me. But from where? He had freaked out when he saw me, almost scared of me. I really had to know why.
Sharon the receptionist hadn't been much help. She had said he kept to himself and people barely knew anything about him. What she stressed was if I got the job I was better off keeping out of his way.
This same advice had been repeated to me more times than I could count.
Unfortunately, I wasn't wired that way. I wanted to know what was going on with him and most importantly how the hell I knew him.
From the company website, I had gathered that we hadn't attended the same universities or schools. His hobbies were not listed so I doubted we were in the same soccer team or at my gym. I would have immediately noticed him.
He wasn't too tall but tall enough to tower over a couple of guys. He was, I wasn't to admit it, rather blessed with good looks. I think it was those eyes. There were probably greenish but I had been too scared to look directly into them.
Those eyes were a contrast to his dark complexion. At first I had assumed they were contacts but they were all him.
My discreet inquiries about him were not much help. No One seemed to know much about his personal life. He was probably in his late twenties or very early 30s but I couldn't place his age. He wasn't married, at least he didn't wear a ring.
Almost everyone speculated he was gay because he was never seen with women or didn't look at them like other men did. Was it such a bad thing, if a man was respectful?
I didn't think he was gay, my gaydar was always on point. I got hit on a lot, by both men and women and I could always see it when they liked me. He wasn't. If anything, maybe he was asexual. If anything, I annoyed him.
I'm sure had a great smile if he ever bothered to. He seemed to have a scowl on his face permanently. I imagined what his laugh would sound like. Would it be loud and carefree?
What was wrong with me? I was too concerned with a man I had no business being with and who frankly hated my guts.
I hadn't exactly made a great impression. All I wanted was a do-over and show him that I was decent and once he knew me maybe, be my friend.
