Say Thank You

The commercial shooting went smoothly and really caught the attention of everyone who saw it. Of course, Caspian's athletic body covered only in underwear, a briefcase, and a pair of work shoes was a sight that no one could resist, even for the men.

"So you're taking a time off?" asked Havier. Elora had returned to her room shortly after filming was over. And as usual, Havier never knocked on the door when he entered Elora's room. Elora, who was tidying up her desk at work, complained in the form of a sigh, then she muttered 'yes'.

“I just found out that time off can be accumulated like that. How much leave do you get? One month, two months?"

Since working at Dreamcatcher, Elora never took a time off or sick leave. Except at that time … even then Elora got in faster than she should have.

Elora's stamina and dedication to her job are truly extraordinary. Maybe that, and also her ability to always make their clients satisfied, makes Elora's boss immediately agreed when Elora applied for a leave.

"Actually, I can take up to a year off. But this company might close if I take too long leave."

"Arrogant," snapped Havier.

"Of course. Must doing it."

Havier handed her a report on the implementation of the project they were working on earlier.

"I'll read tomorrow," said Elora. She slung her bag and glanced at the clock in the room. It's eight o'clock in the evening.

"Yes, I'm not asking now either. You're not the only one who wants to go home right away.”

*

Elora walked down the underground parking lot. She can never be calm when in a quiet place with dim lighting like now. Yes, all of this was due to past trauma which, no matter how long Elora tried to deal with it, the scars still lingered like scars. Elora winced when she heard voices, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the source of the sound came from some of her office mates who were chatting with … Caspian.

What is he doing here? The project is already finished this afternoon. He had more than enough time to go home.

The underwear project team leader greets Elora when she finds Elora walking past them pretending not to see. Now Elora remembered the name of the team leader. Madison. A woman who is known to always curious about other people's business.

"Hey, El! Do you want to come?" call Madison.

Elora gave a fake smile. "No, thank you. I want to go home."

"You don't even know where we're going," said another. It's a friend who always clings to Madison.

I don't want to know, Elora replied to herself. "Bye!" That was all Elora gave in return, and she walked back to her car.

Elora could feel Caspian's piercing gaze, following her every step. Elora tried desperately to ignore it but failed. She tripped on her own feet when she got to the front of her car.

"Shit," Elora cursed in a whisper. Elora pushes a button in her car key to unlock it, then she immediately opened the door, threw the bag into the passenger seat, and sat behind the wheel.

Elora took the time to catch her breath. Without being asked, her eyes darted to Caspian and his friends at work, who now looked annoying. Either, maybe because they were annoying … or because they seemed to be trying to tease Caspian.

Elora pushed aside her last thought by shaking her head vigorously. She put the car key into the hole and started turning it. There is no reaction.

"Huh?" Elora started to sweat when her attempt failed three times. Not the right time to go on strike.

"Need help?"

Elora jumped up from the car seat and shouted when suddenly Caspian stood beside her. His hands rested on the edge of Elora's car, his body bent so that he could align his gaze with Elora's face. Elora lowered the windshield at the driver's door.

"No, thank you."

"Can you say any other words?" asked Caspian again, tilting his head.

"Like what?" Elora almost rolled her eyes. The last thing she wanted now was to have an insignificant argument with a strange man. The first thing she really wants to do is take a shower.

"Like 'yes, I need your help. My car suddenly broke down and I couldn't fix it myself '. Like that,” said Caspian who then shrugged.

Elora's attention was momentarily diverted to Caspian's muscles, which made his shirt appear cramped in a seductive way. Damn the men with their testosterone.

“This is an old car. A strike is usual."

"Then what do you want? Calling a crane?" Caspian glanced at the watch wrapped around his left wrist.

"Yes. They are available twenty-four hours."

"Trust me, when they come you will be home because I will fix your car quickly."

"No, thank you. I don't want to owe you anything,” Elora said, sounding stern this time.

"Okay, whatever."

Caspian turned around, as Elora contacted the crane service.

First call. Second call. And until the fifth call, there was no answer. Is everything conspiring for Elora to deal with Caspian?

It seemed Caspian was deliberately slowing down his path because when Elora got out of the car and called him, Caspian wasn't that far away.

"Change mind?" Caspian mock.

"Just make it quick. You should go in no time, right? " Elora glanced behind Caspian, but there was no one there anymore.

"Where?" Caspian followed Elora's line of sight. "With them earlier? No, I refused."

"Why?"

Caspian opened the hood of Elora's car and put on support. "Because you didn't come."

"Stop saying nonsense."

"It's up to you if you don't believe it."

Caspian started checking Elora's car engine and did something Elora didn't understand.

"Turn on the engine," Caspian ordered a few moments later.

Elora got back into the car, turned the key, and the engine roared on the first try.

"Wow ...," muttered Elora, softly. Caspian closed the hood of the car and walked over to Elora. He is standing by the driver's door again, exuding an aura of 'I'm amazingly seductive without much effort'.

"You forgot something," said Caspian.

"What?"

"Thank-you note."

"Thank you."

Caspian chuckled, which made Elora's heartbeat several times faster.

"Nothing like that."

Elora gasped. "Are you asking for something in return?" Elora's hand searched for her bag, while her gaze was still fixed on Caspian. "How much?"

Caspian shook his head. "No, not money." He was silent for a moment. “Not right now. Later when we meet again, I'll ask for it."

*

Caspian's last words annoyed Elora all the way home. she does not like having a debt of gratitude to others. Elora must respond immediately. Or maybe it would be great if they didn't have to see each other again. Looks like the possibility is also thin.

Elora traced the road next to Lake Wakatipu, which is now dark as night. Elora occasionally glances at the scenery that accompanies her to her one-bedroom apartment, which is located on the outskirts of Queenstown.

Living in Queenstown, New Zealand, is a gift that Elora is most grateful for in her life. At least whenever she feels stressed about work or life's problems, Elora can simply get out of the car, enjoy the views of Queenstown or take a hiking trail to the forests around Lake Wakatipu, and the fatigue in her brain immediately disappears.

Like tonight. The view of Lake Wakatipu blends with the expanse of stars in the sky, never fails to amaze Elora, even though Elora has seen it thousands of times. Elora imagines how nice it is to soak in warm water, and after that sips wine while sitting enjoying the evening from the apartment veranda.

Earlier, Elora took the time to stop by a restaurant to buy dinner. As a result, she came home later than she should have, even though the road leading to her apartment was notoriously lonely and winding.

Sure enough, the road is pretty quiet, even tonight no vehicle passed except Elora's car. This made her anxious again. And Elora was getting more and more worried when she saw a group of people huddled in the middle of the road, blocking Elora from passing.

Elora immediately stepped on the brake pedal. she's keeping a safe distance while making sure what's ahead. Was it an accident? Or a drunken tourist?

Elora squinted, saw a figure standing with his back to Elora, which Elora seemed to have seen somewhere. The figure turned, and how shocked Elora was when she found out that it was Caspian.

*