𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙲𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝙻𝚒𝚏𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 ✓ (𝟷𝟾+)

The Faceoff

Arin

The buzzer rang in continuous bursts, breaking my sleep. It was five in the evening and a couple of days since I decided to toss my life away for Roger and his company.

My benefit in all this- I would head a team, gain experience and be absorbed into Oswalds'. Dad hoped for me to take over and it was about time, I decided to walk the path. My secret wish in all this was only privy to my heart. I hoped, with Roger spending time with me in close quarters, he might feel something too.

Now don't judge me and don't set your eyes rolling. Haven't we all done or at least thought of something like that?

The buzzer kept ringing and I growled, tossing the quilt aside and pressing the button to let the delivery boy enter. Since the day I resigned and then rejoined the very same one, I have been eating away my feelings in pints of ice cream and Chinese. The perfect combination for sorrow.

The door banged with a soft thud and I opened it in one swing before falling back.

"Your delivery is here.. and so are.." Roger stood at the entrance, holding Ben and Jerry's in one hand and the contract papers in another. He didn't finish his statement. Instead, he stepped inside, unhinged jaw eying the place.

Moving back, I tossed the pile of tissues into garbage and stuffed some inside my pockets.

Shit. I resembled a manatee now. A woman in a hoodie who hadn't washed herself for a couple of days and who might be reeking of garlic and fish sauce.

But Roger had something else altogether, enticing his to notice. He walked over to the side of my bed and checked the empty chunky monkey and cookie and cream pint boxes.

"Do you have some kind of a death wish?" He turned, his hands working in swift motions to open the brown paper bag he held, nodding his head to both sides and tossing it in the garbage.

"HEY.. it's a crime to throw away ice cream.."

"It's also a crime to die of diabetes in your twenties."

I scoffed before moving to a chair. Roger stood stagnant, evaluating my apartment. His eyes roam everywhere in a split second. Not that I was surprised. I lived in a matchbox. Knowing that he was merely checking what his wagon was being hitched onto, I crossed my arms and sit in complete silence. Roger walked around some more, eying my bookstand and smiling at himself before settling on a chair.

His x-ray vision landed on me and suddenly, I felt intimidated. My skin slid into my clothes and goosebumps trailed over parts, his gaze landed. There was no double opinion on me being nervous around him. Even in office, I used to walk around eggshells when it came to Roger. But in my current state, sitting in my jammies and looking like a homeless person, my confident too a plunge towards ground level.

I slid in my chair, uncomfortable hold of his slid gaze still holding my spine. Reeling out of my chair, I pulled a towel and headed to the washroom. Roger nodded to himself, as if he was allowing me to wash away the dust and dirt accumulated over time.

The warm water was soothing but short lived in enjoyment. Knowing the person who was sitting outside knew about me completely, I took longer to get cleaned. It was then, a weird though drifted up in my mind.

What if he thought I am pleasuring myself? Heck..

Turning the knob off and dried myself in a haphazard manner. When I escaped the warmer cubicle to the colder regions of my bedroom, my eyes roamed the place, now devoid of Roger.

Did he leave?

A pan clattered in the kitchen, pulling my attention to him. His back faced me as he opened and closed cupboards, searching for something. The roasted coffee bean smell made it obvious of what he was upto.