6: Still Being Watched

I really couldn't get used to having all this free time to myself. I couldn't do anything strenuous because of my hand so I just spend the rest of the weekend cuddled up in bed under my favorite blanket, watching one of my favorite series.  

Monday rolled in faster than I expected or wanted to. What Andrea said the other night really messed up my head. I can't help but feel nervous at the thought of seeing Sir Mitchel, I didn't want to feel awkward around him, and because of my overthinking brain, I hardly had enough sleep.

I got in the office quite early, and as my co-workers started to arrive I feel relieved that none of them gave me unwanted attention. 

"So it was really serious." Axel said to me as soon as he saw my hand. He was followed by the rest of the team, and I immediately saw the worry in their faces.

"This is nothing. I'm just sorry that I wasn't able to do the final revisions." I said to them apologetically.

"No worries. Besides, Sir Mitchel had everything covered and we were able to send the final templates to production last Friday." Janice assured me and I somehow felt a bit relieved.

"Are you sure you can work with a heavily bandaged hand?" Andrea suddenly appeared behind Axel.

"I still have my other hand, Dre. I'm gonna be fine. Besides, I have no deadlines to meet for this week, so I can take things easy." I replied to her and she just smiled at me, giving me a knowing look, and I knew exactly what was running through her mind. She still has the inclination that Sir Mitchel might have a thing for me.

"She's worse than we thought. She has no conscience. She made our boss do the work for her and here she is talking about taking things easy." I heard Belle say from her cubicle. Andrea was about to retort back at them when suddenly someone appeared beside her.

"Good morning Miss Catherine. Sir Mitchel wants to have a word with you in his office." Kyla said smiling widely at me. Immediately, my hands became sweaty and clammy. My heart started pounding in my chest. I glance at Andrea and she's smirking like she knows that something is about to go down.

"Ah. Okay. I'll be right there. Thank you, Kyla." I replied to her and she left immediately to go back to her desk.

"I guess, Sir Mitchel had enough with her laziness. She pushed her luck way too much." Belle said, this time, directed at me. Andrea was about to open his mouth again, but I held her back. I don't want drama this early in the morning.

"Not worth it Dre." I told her as I stood up from my desk and followed Kyla.

"Sir Mitchel is waiting for you inside." Kyla said gesturing at the door to Sir Mitchel's office.

I took a deep breath and slowly opened the door slightly peeking inside the office. Sir Mitchel was sitting behind his desk with two of the buttons of his polo shirt opened and his sleeves pulled roughly up his arms. He was so focused on his work that I didn't want to disturb him at all.

He looks so ethereal with the sunlight coming through the opened curtains behind him. His effortlessly tousled hair drapes over his head complimenting his already perfect jawline. He was so engrossed in typing away on his computer, unconsciously flexing his arms, showing off his perfectly sculpted biceps and triceps.

"Sit down Catherine." he said to me, snapping me out of my daydream. I approached him and sat down on the chair in front of his desk, waiting for him to start speaking. A few seconds went by and he finally stopped typing and faced me with a slight smile on his face.

"Sorry, I was just finishing something." 

"It's okay, sir. Do you mind me asking why you called for me?" I asked not wanting to beat around the bush. The serious look on his face softened a bit and a slight smile and chuckle left his lips.

"Are you okay now? Or maybe you need one or two more days?" He asked with concern evident in his voice, making me try and force down a smile.

"I'm fine sir. I can do my fair share of work. I don't want my co-workers to think that I'm using my injury as an excuse to slack off." I answered him directly, and he nodded in understanding.

"That's good then, just don't overwork yourself. That's all. You can get back to your work." I nodded at him, giving him a curt smile, and went back out of his office.

I saw a familiar-looking woman waiting in the chair beside Kyla's desk as I opened the door. It was the same woman in red as from before. She stood up as soon as she saw me and I was taken aback by her as she flashed me with her dazzling smile.

"You must be Catherine?" she began, and I just nodded, not being able to string my words together.

"I've heard a lot about you. A little birdie told me that you're one of the most talented creators and editors here. I'm Gabriela by the way." She continued, extending her hand to me. I shook her hand in the most awkward way possible before smiling back at her.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting. You can see Sir Mitchel now." I said to her, not wanting her to have the wrong idea.

"It's fine. I had a lovely conversation with Kyla."

"I'll get back to work now. It was nice to meet you. Have a nice day." I said to her politely and speedily made my way back to my cubicle.

"So what was the morning call about?" Andrea instantly asked as soon as we finished ordering our lunch at the newly opened Japanese restaurant near our building.

"It was nothing special. He just wanted to make sure that I can work." I answered her, spinning the chopsticks in between my fingers.

"A lot of employees get sick or injured, but not all of them are called into their boss's office so early in the morning." She said in a know-it-all voice that she always uses, whenever she knows that she's right about something.

I just rolled my eyes at her and folded my arms to my chest, making her laugh as the waiter finally served our food.

"You can be so oblivious sometimes, Cathy, and it's so frustrating to see!" Andrea suddenly said as she started eating.

"Oblivious to what?" I asked as I started munching down on my food. She just looked at me like I said the most bizarre thing that she ever heard of, then let out a frustrated sigh and continued stuffing her face with food.

"Figure it out for yourself, dummy!" and that was the last thing she said to me about it, during our lunch break even after we got back to the office.

I finished writing the synopsis for the new volume of one of our comics when Axel, suddenly appeared beside me.

"You finished with work?" he asked and I just looked at him curiously. It's very unlike him to bother himself with things that he's not involved with, so I shot him a suspicious look. He noticed this and forced a chuckle out while rubbing the back of his head.

"What? Can't I ask my co-worker, how they are doing?" He said, being so defensive about his actions, and somehow, I find that funny. He then ruffled his hair in frustration and quickly went back to his cubicle, as nothing happened. That was so out of character for him.

All through the day, I can't help but feel, as if I'm being watched by someone. When I go to the comfort room, pantry, or even when I'm just in my cubicle, I feel like someone was watching my every move, which made me a bit uncomfortable and slightly threatened. 

When I finally looked at the clock in our office and noticed that it was only ten more minutes before work ends, I started clearing my desk and stood up from my chair, going straight to the comfort room to freshen up before heading home. As I was going back to the office, someone shockingly pulled me to the fire exit. I almost screamed in terror as they closed the door behind them but I was more shocked when I finally realized who he was.

"What heck, Axel! You scared the living daylights out of me!" I half screamed at him as I try and calm myself down. He let out a deep sigh and slowly stepped closer to me, I instinctively started walking backward. My heart started pounding like crazy, then I suddenly felt my back against the wall.

I felt trapped and was getting myself ready to scream my lungs out, but my voice was caught in my throat when he finally said what he wanted to say.

"I need your help." he said, looking straight into my eyes, making me see how genuine his pleas are. I maintained my silence, wanting him to finish.

"I've been wanting to ask you all day, I just couldn't find the right time." He begun.