Chapter-16

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Ariana

I wasn't able to concentrate on my work.

I had been reading the document in front of me for the last ten minutes but I couldn't grasp a single word written in there as my mind was somewhere else.
It was whirling around in yesterday's incident that happened in the elevator, after the meeting.

I was not comfortable when someone touches me. It's not like I was acting untouchable or something but my past didn't allow me to trust anyone until I know the person closely.

But who was I kidding? People close to you give you the most horrible scar of your life just like my own...mother did to me.

Incidents that happened in my past had made me conserved to myself. So, when in the elevator, the man standing beside me intentionally or unintentionally touched me, I jerked back but I didn't know that I pushed myself into Xavier.

Obviously, he got angry but what could have I done? Firstly, we were in a fully packed elevator where I would never enter on my own. And secondly, the man who stood beside me was making me uncomfortable. I was a little relieved when Xavier asked me to stand on his other side, but the feeling of relief was short-lived as someone from in front pushed into me making me gasp.

And within seconds of that, I was pushed against the elevator wall, trapped between the person who pushed me and the wall. My eyes went wide when I saw the face of that person. It was... Xavier...

Though he wasn't touching me, his close proximity was enough to elevate my heartbeat. He was staring directly into my eyes, making my heartbeat increase even faster. I clutched the file I was holding against my chest tighter.

I didn't get it as to why I got those feelings when he was this close to me. I may have felt different things that I hadn't ever felt before but I never felt uncomfortable around him. And that's strange.

He was staring into my eyes with so much intensity as if he was trying to see through them. I averted my eyes and looked down and just for a second, I looked around and then it dawned on me.

He was protecting me from being touched by others. And that mere thought was enough for my fast beating heart to calm a little.

But again, that calmness was short-lived because his hand touched my cheek. My body tensed under his touch. And I knew my face had turned red as I felt warmness on my cheeks. I didn't dare raise my eyes.

I closed my eyes and they shot open with the ding of the elevator. He immediately pulled away and I too stood straight, not looking at him. After every single person inside the elevator went out then only he exited the elevator, not looking back. I followed him to the car.

The car ride was awkwardly silent until he broke it by asking how I knew the Thai language. And I did what I had never done before, I explained to him how I know it. I told him about my father.

I never, never talked about my father to anyone. He only asked me once and I blurted out about my father to him.

He's making me do many things I hadn't done before.

When he thanked me for helping him in the meeting, I couldn't help but smile because he never thanked me before for anything.

But again that moment was also short-lived because in the next moment he firmly told me to go out of the car.

And when he drove off I made my way into the office building but stopped when I realized one thing...

That was the first-ever normal conversation we had.

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