Ella laid in bed for a while, lost in thought. She hadn't even bothered to change out of her uniform yet. Tired of ruminating, she rolled out of bed and looked around the penthouse suite.
No matter how much I think about it, I can't figure out why he's so dead set on me. Is there any other way to look at it? He's obviously had a lot of chances with other women, and yet, talking with me one night is enough for him to be sure enough to marry me? And why weren't any of the previous ones good enough? Something doesn't add up.
Alone in the suite, she made sure there were no cameras before going into his room.
Let's see what you're hiding, mister.
His closet and drawers were only filled with clothes. She had never seen a guy with this much clothes before, and they ranged from suits to PJs to tracksuits.
Zero things hidden in his drawers... It must be somewhere else... Unless it hasn't been long enough for him to be hiding stuff here. He had a desk in his bedroom. In the top drawer were the engagement papers she signed. I could easily make these disappear...
She had the papers in her hands. Leon's worried yet hopeful face flashed through her mind. "Ugh, I can't do this." She put the papers back and closed the drawer. She checked the other drawers, but they were locked. Not willing to try out her lock-picking skills, which were practically non-existent, she thumped her fist on the desk and turned away.
Clack. Something fell behind her.
On the floor, there was a facedown photo frame. She picked it up, hoping with all her might that she didn't break it, and she set it back up on the desk where she thought it was.
"Wait..." She looked at the picture closely. It was a picture of a young boy with his parents. He looks familiar.
The front door opened, and she froze.
Crap. She rushed to put the picture back and, with a quick glance, made sure everything was in its right place before rushing out of his room. It took her too long. She came face to face with Leon.
He had tossed his jacket on the couch and was undoing the buttons on his shirtsleeve as he walked through to his room. He saw Ella coming out of his room and smirked. "Find anything interesting?"
"Um... I..."
He shrugged. "You're free to go through my things anyway, so I'm not mad or anything. I mean, the way I see it, what's mine is yours."
"Is that so?"
"For the most part, yeah."
"By the way, I thought you were busy this afternoon."
"I got through my meetings and finished my work early because I didn't want to leave you alone here too long. I was worried about you having another panic attack."
He was worried about me? Maybe he was worried I'd be doing exactly what I was...
"Now, if you don't mind, I like taking a shower after work. You're welcome to join me, of course."
"No, thank you." She stepped out of his way, blushing.
"Oh, and we can go out to dinner if you want; just name the place."
"Shouldn't I be cooking? Isn't that a part of my job?"
"You can if you want, or we can go out, or I can cook for you." He walked past her. "Let me know what you want to do." He closed the door and headed for a shower.
He's super relaxed about this whole thing. Is this a ruse, or does he think it'll help me stay calm? Does it matter?
"Not the decisive type, are you?"
Ella nearly jumped out of her skin. She didn't notice his assistant had come in as well.
"Sorry about that, but I couldn't help but notice you think over things a lot," Zeke said.
"Depends on the situation..."
"Even running away can be because of thinking too much."
"Um..."
"Zeke."
"Right, Zeke. How much do you know about me?"
He pushed his glasses up. "I have investigated you, so quite a bit now."
"I see..."
"Not thinking about running or something, right?"
"Kinda late for that now." I'm securely trapped.
"Well, that seems to be your go-to, so I wouldn't put it past you."
"I..." He's right.
"May I ask you to do something?"
"Sure?" She hesitated.
"Please don't hurt him. He's always been under a lot of pressure, and he will continue to be for the foreseeable future, which means he needs someone who can provide him comfort."
"I don't know if I can do that..."
He sighed and wiped his glasses. "How about you try before questioning whether you can do something or not? You seem to be quite the defeatist, Ella."
Second time I've heard that... Everyone seems to want me to try with him... which I suppose makes sense given the situation. But how do I try?
"Might I suggest making him a meal? You can cook, right?" Zeke asked.
"I'm no five-star chef, but yes, I can cook."
"Good, then let's get to work."
"You're going to help me?"
He thought about saying it was to make sure she didn't poison him and thought better of it. "Yes, since I know his taste buds and I need more than your word that you can cook. Besides, I'm hungry. Don't worry, I'll eat and leave before you two sit down to eat. Now, let's get started." He rolled up his sleeves.
"Thank you." Despite the scowl, he's not half-bad.
---
Leon finished his shower and came out of his room refreshed, while still drying off his hair. He watched Zeke and Ella chatting and having fun while they cooked. "So she can smile..." He sighed. "How is he able to get that reaction, but I can't?" Leon had always been the ladies' man between the two of them, and yet he was struggling with Ella while she enjoyed her time with Zeke.
Leon leaned on the doorframe of the kitchen entrance, his arms crossed as he watched them.
Once the food was done, Zeke set himself up with a plate of food.
"Thank you for the help," Ella said.
"Thanks for the meal." He held the plate up for a moment and turned to leave. "Leon... Uh... is something the matter?" He knew Leon better than anyone else, which meant he knew what that look meant; he was jealous.
"You two seem to be getting along." He continued to glower at Zeke.
"I was just helping her make dinner." He showed off his plate. "She wanted to make food you'd like, so who better to ask than me?"
"Tch, whatever..." Leon grumbled.
What in the world is going on with them? "Does that look mean you don't want to eat my cooking or what?" Ella asked.
"What? No; of course, I want to eat the dinner my fiancée made for me."
"And that's my cue to get out of the way." Zeke rushed past Leon with his plate, avoiding eye contact.
That was weird... Ella stared at Leon for a moment. "Are you mad or something?"
"Baffled mostly... Maybe a little mad."
"Mad I made you food? If you wanted to go out to eat that badly, we can still go."
"It's not that." Leon looked back to see Zeke closing their door. "It's... Why is it so easy for you to get along with him, but with me, it feels like pulling teeth?"
"It's not that bad..." she mumbled. "I generally get along well with people, but things are already complicated with you."
"You're resistant?" Leon brushed his damp hair back with his hand. "Ugh, I guess I should've picked a better day to approach you, but time is limited..."
"What did you just say?"
"Shall we eat? The food smells good." He went straight up to the pots and looked inside. "I do love my pasta, especially with chicken and Alfredo sauce; Zeke knows me well. And did you bake... apple tarts?"
"Did I make the wrong dessert?"
"No... I just haven't had them in a long time." He couldn't help but think about his grandmother, who used to love to bake, especially tarts. "I didn't think I was gone long enough for that."
"I will admit that Zeke had crust dough pre-made, but I made the filling... And you were in the shower quite a while."
"I must've gotten lost in thought and didn't notice." He glanced at the time and his eyes widened for a moment. "Quite a bit lost in thought, it seems."
"Don't worry about it. How about you sit down, and I'll serve us up?"
"I'll help."
After setting up their food and sitting down at the table, they ate in silence across from each other.
"So..." Leon struggled to think of something to say. Normally, he found it easy to strike up a conversation with everyone, so why was he struggling now? "This is delicious; you're a great cook."
"Zeke deserves a chunk of that compliment."
"But so do you."
"Thank you."
He dug into the dessert. "Oh, now this is so good... Mmm..."
Note to self: he loves dessert. She couldn't help but smile at his reaction. He enjoyed every single bite of it.
"How about we go on a date this weekend? Something... fun that will allow us to enjoy each other's company..."
"Sure; I have no plans currently." Technically, I'd normally meet up with the girls, but we haven't set anything up yet.
"How about... going to an amusement park?" He had gone one time when he was a teenager with Zeke and a few friends, but never found another chance to go.
"Um... Okay." She swallowed hard.
"We don't have to if you don't want to; the whole point is that we both get to have fun."
"I'm just not great with some of the rides... like roller coasters that loop around and those fast drop things."
"Don't worry; there are always other rides and attractions for everyone." He winked at her.
"If you say so." The last time she went to the amusement park, she was on a date with one of her exes, and it didn't end well. Justin had proposed to her there, and she ran away, knocking over a mascot in the process. The time before that was even worse, and Sebastian – who was her fiancé at the time – ripped her heart out.
"If you'd prefer somewhere else, like the aquarium, movies—"
"The amusement park is fine." I have to get past this.
"Okay, good. It's a date."
"Yeah... A date..." Nathan's face flashed through her mind. I wonder how he is... She finished her meal. "I'll clean this up and then go to bed early."
"Oh, okay... If that's what you want to do..." Leon put his empty plate in the sink. "Thank you for the delicious food." He kissed her cheek and backed away. "I'll be in my office for a while. You can call on me anytime..." He noticed the blush creeping up on her cheeks and he couldn't help but smile.
"F-funny; shouldn't I be saying that to you? Considering it's my job."
He laughed. "I suppose that's true. Goodnight, Ella," he said, his voice filled with sweetness.
"Goodnight..."
---
After cleaning up the dishes, Ella holed herself up in her room and stared at her phone. Her friends' numbers were at the top, and right below them was Nathan's number.
I really shouldn't be thinking about him now. Regardless of the circumstances behind it, I'm with someone else now.
Ring, ring, ring. Her phone rang, and she nearly jumped out of her skin.
"Nathan...?" She stared at her phone, unable to answer it. "What is he...?" No, we're done; don't talk to him... After nearly coming to tears, she denied his call and automatically called Alice.
"Hey girl, how's it going on the top?" Alice asked, wishing she had gone looking at the view from the penthouse suite.
"Well..."
"Ella? Did something happen?"
"No, not really... but Nathan called."
"...Oh... And what did he say?"
"I didn't answer him; I couldn't." But it still doesn't feel like things were resolved with him...
"It's probably better that way. So, whatcha up to?"
"Leon asked me out on a date this weekend to an amusement park."
"Do you want me and the girls to come along?"
"I don't think that's a good idea, but I'm nervous just thinking about going on a date now. What if I freak out and run away? What if I have an anxiety attack?"
"Hmm..."
Ella could practically hear Alice rubbing her hands together as she came up with a plan.
"What is it?"
"Make sure you let me know when you're going... and you'll go to the one closest to here, right?"
"I assume so... I didn't actually ask."
"Good..."
"Alice, what are you planning?"
Alice started to laugh maniacally.
"Alice?"
"Hmm? Oh, I was just planning on going there at the same time as you with the girls."
"Then why were you laughing like that?"
"I'm not sure... Maybe because it's fun, and it's been a while since we spied on one of us. Man, I think I need to find a new guy."
"Why? What's wrong with the most recent one?" She would've mentioned his name, but she had already forgotten it.
"Too boring... It's been a while since I went out with him."
"I think you've both moved on, then. It wasn't serious in the first place, right?"
"Not for me, at least."
"Alice! Don't lead people on."
Alice was tempted to throw it back at her, with how many times she'd backed out on serious relationships, but she held herself back. "Fine, fine; I'll be clear with the next one."
"Thanks..." All I can ask for, I suppose.
"Gosh, how long has it been since we've been to the amusement park?"
"Since... Justin..."
"Oh, ouch, right... I forgot about that, but who proposes at an amusement park?" Alice laughed, hoping she didn't screw up.
"We were only in our early-ish twenties then... and it was where we had our first date, so it was sweet..." It had ended badly in a public rejection of his proposal, and he snapped a bit after that.
"Time to overwrite the bad memories with good ones."
"I guess so..."
"Come on, Ella; this guy is eager to make things work, so it's going to be fun as long as you let it be fun."
"As long as I let it be? What do you mean?"
"Get out of your head and enjoy the moment. I'll let the girls know to be ready to go once you tell us when. This is going to be fun!" Alice cheered and hung up.
Ella laid in bed for a while, lost in thought. She hadn't even bothered to change out of her uniform yet. Tired of ruminating, she rolled out of bed and looked around the penthouse suite.
No matter how much I think about it, I can't figure out why he's so dead set on me. Is there any other way to look at it? He's obviously had a lot of chances with other women, and yet, talking with me one night is enough for him to be sure enough to marry me? And why weren't any of the previous ones good enough? Something doesn't add up.
Alone in the suite, she made sure there were no cameras before going into his room.
Let's see what you're hiding, mister.
His closet and drawers were only filled with clothes. She had never seen a guy with this much clothes before, and they ranged from suits to PJs to tracksuits.
Zero things hidden in his drawers... It must be somewhere else... Unless it hasn't been long enough for him to be hiding stuff here. He had a desk in his bedroom. In the top drawer were the engagement papers she signed. I could easily make these disappear...
She had the papers in her hands. Leon's worried yet hopeful face flashed through her mind. "Ugh, I can't do this." She put the papers back and closed the drawer. She checked the other drawers, but they were locked. Not willing to try out her lock-picking skills, which were practically non-existent, she thumped her fist on the desk and turned away.
Clack. Something fell behind her.
On the floor, there was a facedown photo frame. She picked it up, hoping with all her might that she didn't break it, and she set it back up on the desk where she thought it was.
"Wait..." She looked at the picture closely. It was a picture of a young boy with his parents. He looks familiar.
The front door opened, and she froze.
Crap. She rushed to put the picture back and, with a quick glance, made sure everything was in its right place before rushing out of his room. It took her too long. She came face to face with Leon.
He had tossed his jacket on the couch and was undoing the buttons on his shirtsleeve as he walked through to his room. He saw Ella coming out of his room and smirked. "Find anything interesting?"
"Um... I..."
He shrugged. "You're free to go through my things anyway, so I'm not mad or anything. I mean, the way I see it, what's mine is yours."
"Is that so?"
"For the most part, yeah."
"By the way, I thought you were busy this afternoon."
"I got through my meetings and finished my work early because I didn't want to leave you alone here too long. I was worried about you having another panic attack."
He was worried about me? Maybe he was worried I'd be doing exactly what I was...
"Now, if you don't mind, I like taking a shower after work. You're welcome to join me, of course."
"No, thank you." She stepped out of his way, blushing.
"Oh, and we can go out to dinner if you want; just name the place."
"Shouldn't I be cooking? Isn't that a part of my job?"
"You can if you want, or we can go out, or I can cook for you." He walked past her. "Let me know what you want to do." He closed the door and headed for a shower.
He's super relaxed about this whole thing. Is this a ruse, or does he think it'll help me stay calm? Does it matter?
"Not the decisive type, are you?"
Ella nearly jumped out of her skin. She didn't notice his assistant had come in as well.
"Sorry about that, but I couldn't help but notice you think over things a lot," Zeke said.
"Depends on the situation..."
"Even running away can be because of thinking too much."
"Um..."
"Zeke."
"Right, Zeke. How much do you know about me?"
He pushed his glasses up. "I have investigated you, so quite a bit now."
"I see..."
"Not thinking about running or something, right?"
"Kinda late for that now." I'm securely trapped.
"Well, that seems to be your go-to, so I wouldn't put it past you."
"I..." He's right.
"May I ask you to do something?"
"Sure?" She hesitated.
"Please don't hurt him. He's always been under a lot of pressure, and he will continue to be for the foreseeable future, which means he needs someone who can provide him comfort."
"I don't know if I can do that..."
He sighed and wiped his glasses. "How about you try before questioning whether you can do something or not? You seem to be quite the defeatist, Ella."
Second time I've heard that... Everyone seems to want me to try with him... which I suppose makes sense given the situation. But how do I try?
"Might I suggest making him a meal? You can cook, right?" Zeke asked.
"I'm no five-star chef, but yes, I can cook."
"Good, then let's get to work."
"You're going to help me?"
He thought about saying it was to make sure she didn't poison him and thought better of it. "Yes, since I know his taste buds and I need more than your word that you can cook. Besides, I'm hungry. Don't worry, I'll eat and leave before you two sit down to eat. Now, let's get started." He rolled up his sleeves.
"Thank you." Despite the scowl, he's not half-bad.
---
Leon finished his shower and came out of his room refreshed, while still drying off his hair. He watched Zeke and Ella chatting and having fun while they cooked. "So she can smile..." He sighed. "How is he able to get that reaction, but I can't?" Leon had always been the ladies' man between the two of them, and yet he was struggling with Ella while she enjoyed her time with Zeke.
Leon leaned on the doorframe of the kitchen entrance, his arms crossed as he watched them.
Once the food was done, Zeke set himself up with a plate of food.
"Thank you for the help," Ella said.
"Thanks for the meal." He held the plate up for a moment and turned to leave. "Leon... Uh... is something the matter?" He knew Leon better than anyone else, which meant he knew what that look meant; he was jealous.
"You two seem to be getting along." He continued to glower at Zeke.
"I was just helping her make dinner." He showed off his plate. "She wanted to make food you'd like, so who better to ask than me?"
"Tch, whatever..." Leon grumbled.
What in the world is going on with them? "Does that look mean you don't want to eat my cooking or what?" Ella asked.
"What? No; of course, I want to eat the dinner my fiancée made for me."
"And that's my cue to get out of the way." Zeke rushed past Leon with his plate, avoiding eye contact.
That was weird... Ella stared at Leon for a moment. "Are you mad or something?"
"Baffled mostly... Maybe a little mad."
"Mad I made you food? If you wanted to go out to eat that badly, we can still go."
"It's not that." Leon looked back to see Zeke closing their door. "It's... Why is it so easy for you to get along with him, but with me, it feels like pulling teeth?"
"It's not that bad..." she mumbled. "I generally get along well with people, but things are already complicated with you."
"You're resistant?" Leon brushed his damp hair back with his hand. "Ugh, I guess I should've picked a better day to approach you, but time is limited..."
"What did you just say?"
"Shall we eat? The food smells good." He went straight up to the pots and looked inside. "I do love my pasta, especially with chicken and Alfredo sauce; Zeke knows me well. And did you bake... apple tarts?"
"Did I make the wrong dessert?"
"No... I just haven't had them in a long time." He couldn't help but think about his grandmother, who used to love to bake, especially tarts. "I didn't think I was gone long enough for that."
"I will admit that Zeke had crust dough pre-made, but I made the filling... And you were in the shower quite a while."
"I must've gotten lost in thought and didn't notice." He glanced at the time and his eyes widened for a moment. "Quite a bit lost in thought, it seems."
"Don't worry about it. How about you sit down, and I'll serve us up?"
"I'll help."
After setting up their food and sitting down at the table, they ate in silence across from each other.
"So..." Leon struggled to think of something to say. Normally, he found it easy to strike up a conversation with everyone, so why was he struggling now? "This is delicious; you're a great cook."
"Zeke deserves a chunk of that compliment."
"But so do you."
"Thank you."
He dug into the dessert. "Oh, now this is so good... Mmm..."
Note to self: he loves dessert. She couldn't help but smile at his reaction. He enjoyed every single bite of it.
"How about we go on a date this weekend? Something... fun that will allow us to enjoy each other's company..."
"Sure; I have no plans currently." Technically, I'd normally meet up with the girls, but we haven't set anything up yet.
"How about... going to an amusement park?" He had gone one time when he was a teenager with Zeke and a few friends, but never found another chance to go.
"Um... Okay." She swallowed hard.
"We don't have to if you don't want to; the whole point is that we both get to have fun."
"I'm just not great with some of the rides... like roller coasters that loop around and those fast drop things."
"Don't worry; there are always other rides and attractions for everyone." He winked at her.
"If you say so." The last time she went to the amusement park, she was on a date with one of her exes, and it didn't end well. Justin had proposed to her there, and she ran away, knocking over a mascot in the process. The time before that was even worse, and Sebastian – who was her fiancé at the time – ripped her heart out.
"If you'd prefer somewhere else, like the aquarium, movies—"
"The amusement park is fine." I have to get past this.
"Okay, good. It's a date."
"Yeah... A date..." Nathan's face flashed through her mind. I wonder how he is... She finished her meal. "I'll clean this up and then go to bed early."
"Oh, okay... If that's what you want to do..." Leon put his empty plate in the sink. "Thank you for the delicious food." He kissed her cheek and backed away. "I'll be in my office for a while. You can call on me anytime..." He noticed the blush creeping up on her cheeks and he couldn't help but smile.
"F-funny; shouldn't I be saying that to you? Considering it's my job."
He laughed. "I suppose that's true. Goodnight, Ella," he said, his voice filled with sweetness.
"Goodnight..."
---
After cleaning up the dishes, Ella holed herself up in her room and stared at her phone. Her friends' numbers were at the top, and right below them was Nathan's number.
I really shouldn't be thinking about him now. Regardless of the circumstances behind it, I'm with someone else now.
Ring, ring, ring. Her phone rang, and she nearly jumped out of her skin.
"Nathan...?" She stared at her phone, unable to answer it. "What is he...?" No, we're done; don't talk to him... After nearly coming to tears, she denied his call and automatically called Alice.
"Hey girl, how's it going on the top?" Alice asked, wishing she had gone looking at the view from the penthouse suite.
"Well..."
"Ella? Did something happen?"
"No, not really... but Nathan called."
"...Oh... And what did he say?"
"I didn't answer him; I couldn't." But it still doesn't feel like things were resolved with him...
"It's probably better that way. So, whatcha up to?"
"Leon asked me out on a date this weekend to an amusement park."
"Do you want me and the girls to come along?"
"I don't think that's a good idea, but I'm nervous just thinking about going on a date now. What if I freak out and run away? What if I have an anxiety attack?"
"Hmm..."
Ella could practically hear Alice rubbing her hands together as she came up with a plan.
"What is it?"
"Make sure you let me know when you're going... and you'll go to the one closest to here, right?"
"I assume so... I didn't actually ask."
"Good..."
"Alice, what are you planning?"
Alice started to laugh maniacally.
"Alice?"
"Hmm? Oh, I was just planning on going there at the same time as you with the girls."
"Then why were you laughing like that?"
"I'm not sure... Maybe because it's fun, and it's been a while since we spied on one of us. Man, I think I need to find a new guy."
"Why? What's wrong with the most recent one?" She would've mentioned his name, but she had already forgotten it.
"Too boring... It's been a while since I went out with him."
"I think you've both moved on, then. It wasn't serious in the first place, right?"
"Not for me, at least."
"Alice! Don't lead people on."
Alice was tempted to throw it back at her, with how many times she'd backed out on serious relationships, but she held herself back. "Fine, fine; I'll be clear with the next one."
"Thanks..." All I can ask for, I suppose.
"Gosh, how long has it been since we've been to the amusement park?"
"Since... Justin..."
"Oh, ouch, right... I forgot about that, but who proposes at an amusement park?" Alice laughed, hoping she didn't screw up.
"We were only in our early-ish twenties then... and it was where we had our first date, so it was sweet..." It had ended badly in a public rejection of his proposal, and he snapped a bit after that.
"Time to overwrite the bad memories with good ones."
"I guess so..."
"Come on, Ella; this guy is eager to make things work, so it's going to be fun as long as you let it be fun."
"As long as I let it be? What do you mean?"
"Get out of your head and enjoy the moment. I'll let the girls know to be ready to go once you tell us when. This is going to be fun!" Alice cheered and hung up.
