Chapter 9

Helena's POV

I grimaced as everything in me pressed me to take a step back. 

But his eyes planted me in that spot as my legs lost the ability to move.

“Yes, sir?” I managed to respond to his call even with the way my body reacted to his gaze.

He hesitated for a moment, staring at me still and looked to be searching out the right way to put the words.

I fidgeted with my fingers on the table, partly praying that he'd just do it, say it I mean.

But he didn't do, I mean say anything, he just leaned back first straightening up.

“You handled the meeting well today,” he muttered hesitatingly, and something in me told me that wasn't it.

But the compliment still didn't settle well anyway. It was strange, especially coming from him.

“Thank you, Mr. Hale,” I managed to say after a while.

He took a step back before continuing. “Most new hires wouldn’t challenge a projection on their first day,” he added carefully.

“I just, noticed the numbers,” I replied with a small shrug.

“Not only that, you noticed the risk,” he corrected softly.

That sounded more like an approval than anything else. But as I met his eyes again, I noticed how something had shifted in his expression again.

He didn't look himself one bit, far less professional, far more intruding, like he was trying to see through me.

“What made you apply here?” He asked out of nowhere, nearly knocking the wind out of me.

The question took me off guard completely and I fumbled over my next words.

“Tessy, I mean, my friend suggested it,” I managed to reply.

“Hmm,” he hummed, nodding slowly. “And you always follow this your friend’s advice?” He asked skeptically.

“Not always, sir,” I replied honestly.

“But you did this time, didn't you?” He shot back and I gulped.

He was being way too intense for a late night chat. Wait, what? That's not what's happening here. Shit.

“Yes, sir. I guess I did,” I replied as calmly as I could.

He studied me for another long moment, staring at me the same way I noticed him doing to most people.

There was something about the way he looked at people, it almost felt like he wasn’t just listening to every word, but he was weighing them too.

Like some freaky supercomputer.

“You’re interesting,” he broke the silence with and a laugh nearly spilled out.

I put a hand over my mouth, gulping it back. 

“Interesting?” I asked when I felt steady.

“Yeah, steady,” he repeated.

“Uhm, thank you, I guess. I didn't expect that from you though,” I muttered, feeling a bit less professional now.

A smile played across his lips as he lifted his brow teasingly.

“There’s a lot you won’t see coming,” he added and I choked slightly.

That's when I noticed the smirk that had formed on his face, and for a moment, neither of us moved.

Then suddenly, it hit me how close we were standing, like we had somehow leaned forward without knowing.

The well placed office and largely quiet building around us made the moment feel strangely private.

Almost like we had stepped outside the boundaries we should never have neared.

I cleared my throat softly and stepped back from the desk.

“I should probably finish this tomorrow,” I said and he seemed to get the message too as he shifted back curtly too.

The professional look of his returned almost instantly.

“Yes,” he said calmly. “Work hours are over.”

I nodded, quickly shutting down my system.

“I’ll continue in the morning,” I muttered and he nodded.

“Good,” I heard him say from behind me as he rounded the room.

I gathered my bag and slid my laptop inside, trying to ignore the strange tension still lingering in the air.

As I moved towards the door, he stepped aside to let me pass.

“Goodnight, Helena,” he called out as I stepped past him.

“Goodnight, Mr. Barron,” I replied and walked off without looking back.

The elevator ride down felt strangely quiet as my mind replayed the conversation over and over.

I kept wondering why he had asked those questions? Why it felt like the conversation had almost gone somewhere else?

I shook my head slightly, accepting that it was just a conversation. And that was all.

Outside, the night air felt much cooler than it probably was.

I hailed a cab down and climbed inside the moment it stopped, giving Tessy’s address before leaning back into the seat for the rest of the ride.

By the time I reached the apartment, I was proud of myself as I was just about able to forget everything about the conversation.

Just about.

I texted Tessy that I was home as I stepped out and paid off the cab. And before I could reach the door, it swung open with Tessy at the other end.

“Well, well, look who finally decided to come home,” she muttered with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes as I stepped between the door.

“I was working,” I replied with a sigh.

“Of course you were,” she called out and I didn't miss the sarcasm there.

The door closed behind me and ducked under her waiting arms dramatically.

“You’re trying way too hard,” she teased as I stepped inside fully.

“I am not,” I groaned.

“You stayed late on your first day, who does that?” She exclaimed.

“That’s called being a good worker,” I replied.

“Nope, that sounds a lot like desperation,” she chimed with a smile.

I dropped my bag onto the couch and groaned aloud.

“I was finishing the projections,” I explained.

“Uh-huh,” she teased with a smile and walked past me into the kitchen. “You know it’s okay if your boss doesn’t immediately think you’re the greatest employee ever,” she added.

“I wasn’t trying to impress him!” I cried out dramatically and she laughed in response.

“Sure you weren’t,” she said with a smirk on her lips.

I followed her into the kitchen and leaned against the counter. “It's my first job, you know. I've got to try to keep it as much as I can,” I said honestly.

“Don't do more than you are paid for,” she warmed with a smile.

I chuckled and shrugged. “He was still there too,” I pointed out and she stopped what she was doing and turned slowly.

“He stayed late?” She asked in a pitched tone.

“Yeah?” I replied pointedly.

“And?” She pressed.

“And nothing,” I shot her a look as I replied.

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “You talked?” She asked.

“We discussed the projections,” I corrected.

“Uh-huh.”

“That’s it,” I argued with a laugh.

She studied me for another moment before breaking into a grin. “You’re totally blushing!” She exclaimed.

“I am not!” I shot back.

And she laughed. “Relax, Helena. I’m just teasing you,” she said softly and I sighed, dropping onto one of the kitchen stools.

“What a day, right?” She asked from the corner.

“Very,” I replied.

“Well,” she said, opening the fridge, “you deserve something special,” she announced cheerfully.

“What kind?” I asked pointedly.

“Pizza?” She offered, handing the box to me.

I didn’t even hesitate as I reached out for it “Yes!”

Twenty minutes later we were sitting on the couch with two pizza boxes open between us.

The tension of the day had slowly faded as we talked over a movie.

I glanced up as the clock on the wall crept closer to midnight.

“I’m going to bed,” Tessy announced from beside me, stretching before walking towards her room.

“Don’t stay up too late, Miss Overachiever,” she teased.

“I won’t, mom,” I joked as she strolled away.

The room fell silent too fast after she disappeared down the hallway.

I stacked the empty pizza boxes and dropped them in the kitchen trash before heading towards my room.

I've had enough for one day, probably enough for a week.

Just as I sat down on the bed, my phone buzzed softly beside me and I glanced down at the screen to see a new notification staring back at me.

MESSAGE FROM B.