One will ask, how did Harold and Denise have this kind of relationship? Was it always like this? The truth is, no. Harold first came to work for Denise and her mother when Denise had just broken up with Alvin, after he had cheated on her with one of her best friends, Karen. Denise was very devastated and heartbroken. She became very secluded from her friends and family and indulged herself so much in her work. Her mother started becoming worried. It's not like Denise did not like working hard, far from it. She is a hard worker, in fact. But, she began to totally disregard her life. She went to work very early in the morning and came back very tired at night.
It was beginning to take a toll on her health. Her mother, Elena and even other family members tried to talk to her to slow down, to no avail. Her mother therefore decided to get her a driver to drive her around town then, since she worked herself hard so much. She rejected the idea very much at first, until, something happened one day.
That day, she woke up early one morning like she usually does, and drove herself to work. She got out of the car and walked into the multi-billion dollar building which happens to be her father's shipping company. After speaking with her secretary, she walked into her office to work, when suddenly she started feeling dizzy. Then that was it. When she woke up, she was in a hospital, surrounded by machines. It was a scary experience for her and her mother. So, to compensate her mother from worrying even more about her, she accepted for her mother to get her a driver. That is how she met the fine gentleman named, Harold.
When Harold started working as Denise's driver, she made it obvious to him that she wanted nothing from him apart from the normal employer-employee kind of relationship. She did not like him that much, and never forgave him whenever he spoke his mind. She slapped him one time because according to her, he slammed the door too hard after she had gotten down from the vehicle. She avoided him like a plague.
She made a rule, which Harold accepted. She told Harold to stay outside, whenever she attended a function with her friends and family. She also asked him not to speak to her until he is spoken to and never bothered to call him by his name. It was that bad.
One afternoon, Harold found Denise in the garden, silently crying. At first, he did not want to approach her, but he later thought against it and walked towards her.
"Ma'am. I know this probably might not be my business, but, are you okay?" He asked her in a soft voice.
Denise wanted to get angry at his question. Why did he care so much whether she was okay or not? She wanted to scream at him to just disappear, but when her eyes met his, she saw something she never thought she would really see. Harold eyes held worry, genuine worry. He was worried about her. Her eyes suddenly turned soft at this and she looked away. Harold took this as a sign to get closer, and when he did, she did not push him away. He bent down on one knee in front of her.
"Do you mind telling me, what has been bothering you?"
She slowly looked back into her eyes and nodded. She pushed a little, giving Harold enough room to sit by her, which Harold gratefully did. She had told everyone that Alvin had cheated on her with another woman, but she never mentioned who that woman was to anyone till now.
"I don't know if you know this, but I recently broke up with my boyfriend. I caught him in bed with another woman. The thing is, no one knows who he actually cheated on me with, because, I never told anyone about it."
Harold looked disgusted. Who in their right minds will want to cheat on a woman like Denise? Why would anyone want to do anything like that to her? His thoughts were cut short by the next words Denise said.
"He cheated on me with one of my best friends. Her name is Karen. Of all my friends, Karen and Elena were the ones closest to me. So, I never expected her to do this to me. She slept with my boyfriend when she knew very well who he was to me. They both betrayed me in the worst way," she began to cry hard now.
Harold was horrified. He now understood what Denise's mother meant, when she said her daughter was never a rude person. She is like this because she was betrayed by the two people she trusted the most. He held her hand as she continued to cry. After she had calmed down, he gave his handkerchief to her to wipe her tears.
"Ma'am, I am so sorry about what happened to you. No one deserves to go through this. What they did is unforgivable, but, I don't think you should allow the pain to bring you down. You are a very beautiful woman and I am very sure you will get a man who will love and respect you in the way you deserve. Forget about that man, he is not worth your tears," Harold tried to console her.
"Thank you, Harry. Thank you for your kind words." That was the first day she actually called him by his name and that was the first time she called him Harry. Harold hated it when people called him Harry, but when Denise did, he did not mind at all. That day was the first time in the first six months Harold started working in the mansion that Denise spoke nicely to him. And, that was how their friendship started.
But today was different. Harold has started to feel things he was not supposed to feel for his boss and it all came about because of a simple hug. When he finally made it to his room, after his chat with Denise, he let out a shaky breath he was holding and slipped down onto the floor as soon as he closed the door behind him. He once felt this way for a girl he used to date but things ended badly between them.
He knew it was wrong to feel this way about his boss. He could not understand what was happening to him. He sat on the floor and closed his eyes. He thought about the hug over and over again. Each of the hugs had taken him unawares. He was caught of guard by both hugs. And then, he started to feel this way. He was feeling something he thought he would never feel ever again.
He was not the only one in a state of confusion though. Denise was also in turmoil as well. Last night, when she saw Harold fight like that, it surprised her in a way she never thought it could. She was scared, yes. But, what she saw made her admire her driver more. When he came to her, so worried and asking if she was okay, she quickly hugged him without thinking. It took a while for Harold to hug her back. And when he did, she felt so protected and loved. Loved? No, it could not be.
But why did she feel the same thing when she hugged him just now? She leaned back into her bed and covered her face with her pillow. She screamed out of frustration and turned over onto her bed. She just could not explain what she was feeling and it was killing her.