Roommates With My Boss

Be My Girlfriend for Next Week

"If you're having a hard time, you can come hug me

Because I'm going through the same thing."

-Hug, Seventeen-

Valentina

It has only been two weeks working for Mr. Knight and I love my job. Everyone at the office was initially indifferent to me when they heard I was the new secretary who replaced Martha. But gradually they all warmed up to me, and I made a couple of friends who are so sweet. I usually walk down to their floor during breaks and hear them talk about their boyfriend issues, and how their family is. Sometimes I wonder how it would feel like to return home to a family that waits for you and asks you how your day was. They worry if you have had lunch and they want to you to share your happiness as well as your problems.

I've never had that in my life, maybe before my parents died. But I don't clearly remember much about that time, just the important moments that I spent with my parents. Like when me and my mother used to bake and waking up in the morning excited as my dad taught me a new tie knot and let me tie his tie before he left for work. They seem like trivial things, but to me they're a few of the happiest memories of my life.

"Val, you are super lucky to be working for Mr. Knight," Bailey, a feisty red-headed girl, sighed dreamily.

"Yeah he's a great person. I mean, he's patient when I make a mistake and is so polite and sweet," I smiled and she facepalmed herself.

"Hon, you're way too innocent for your own good. I meant you're lucky because he's the sexiest man ever," she stated, looking at me with an obvious expression. Before I could comprehend, I blushed slightly and shrugged.

"Ugh, how do you not notice it, Val the innocent gal," she dug into her noodle bowl, mumbling something about fixing me up with someone.

Have I noticed it? Obviously, I have. I've never felt safe around any man alone. But, around Mr. Knight, I feel secure, and surprisingly I feel strangely happy when he's in close proximity with me. His addictive scent of leather and scotch makes me want to snuggle further into him. I'm confused by the warm feeling I get when he towers over me, his arm around me placed on the desk, and his face right beside mine as he scans documents with me.

All the hours working in his office, and not once has he ever tried to be inappropriate with me. His arm never touches my skin, and he never makes any gesture that would make me feel uncomfortable. I used to think there are no men like him. But clearly, I was absolutely wrong.

Lost in my thoughts, I remembered Mr. Knight asked me to grab him a cup of coffee. He went home quite late last night, and even after I offered to stay and help him, he insisted I go home early. So, today he was going to come in late. I reached the ground level and walked towards the coffee shop a few blocks away.

Grabbing some coffee for Mr. Knight, I began walking back to the office, when suddenly I noticed someone looking right at me. I tried to make out who the person was, and a shiver ran through my body when I realized how much this person resembled Michael, my uncle's son. The crowd around me felt like a blur, and I was seemingly paralyzed to the point where I couldn't even breathe. He looked straight at me, a discernible smirk on his face, and even though he was standing at a distance, my body went cold as the memories of the past few years flooded into my mind.