Lillian reclined her seat backwards a little bit to get a better view of the passing city streets. A blur of tall glass skyscrapers mixed in with the older wood and stone structures of the bustling metropolis blended together as she let her mind drift off into her thoughts.
Earlier at the boutique, Andrew received an urgent call when she was in the dressing room trying to calm her loudly beating heart. He mentioned something about a merger going through between a competitor and some other company, but truth be told, she was not exactly present when his secretary Peter showed up a few moments later and explained the situation in full. She was distracted by these strange feelings that she was sure she wasn't supposed to be having towards the only recently stranger turned roommate. And he was the CEO of the company she worked for at that.
Sure, they were brought together via a contractual marriage, but that's all it was written to be. A marriage of convenience. Lillian had no expectations of romantic feelings growing between them, and if anything she assumed it would become the opposite. By living together, she thought he would come to understand what a terrible idea it was and break the contract himself, saving her from having to pay the fine and leaving her with enough cash to rent her own place.
On the contrary, at this very instant, Lillian was sat in the passenger seat of Andrew Geldan's car just a hand's reach away from him, trying her best to focus on anything but him as she was afraid they would accidentally make eye contact - revealing the rapid beat of her heart just by the look on her face. Overthinking was a specialty of the Grace family, though somehow that trait hid itself from her parent's when they decided to sell their house and uproot their life in the city in just one week.
It's great. The timing of this business trip is perfect. While Andrew is off doing whatever it is he's doing with the merger, I'll be able to reset my brain. A clean start! I'm in my twenties! Of course spending so much time around an objectively attractive looking man is going to trigger a biological response. It's only natural. We're not in an actual true relationship, so I just gotta clear my mind and reorient myself to roommate goals. You just need to focus on being a good roo-
"Will you be alright alone in the apartment for a few days? Perhaps I can ask my sister to come stay with you if it's lonely." Andrew's deep, slightly monotonous voice caught Lillian off guard as it sliced through the silence.
"Huh?" Lillian sat forward and turned her head around to face the stony man who was driving the car.
Is he worried about me? I didn't expect to see this man ever show me his concern...
"Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks for checking in, though you really didn't have to." Lillian's voice lowered as she muttered out the last words. Her eyes lingered on his profile for a moment, curious if there would be a reply. Met with a continuation of the previous silence, minus the hum of the cars driving past, she leaned against the back of her seat and let her eyes drift again to the sight of buildings and trees passing by.
Fixated on the world outside the passenger door window, what Lillian could not see were the subtle glances Andrew took of her every red light to see if she was alright.
---
"Well then, we will be off to the airport now. We should be only gone 4 or 5 days. In that time, would you mind placing regular mail and packages on the empty basket next to my desk and forwarding urgent mail to the executive planning team on the 17th floor. I took care of all of our scheduled appointments, but should anyone come asking for either of us, please handle it as you normally would." Peter went through his directions in an organized and precise manner, careful not to miss any detail as Lillian helped carry bags down to the garage.
She immediately went into work mode and offered to help when she saw Peter fervently handing Andrew various documents as he wasted no time reviewing a briefcase full of them as soon as they arrived back at the apartment. Someone had already come in to pack Andrew his bag, and it looked like the secretary was struggling carrying everything at once. It seemed the only reason they had gone up was to drop her off and pick up his luggage, though in the end she followed them back downstairs anyway.
"No problem. I'll update Jacky once I see her at the office Monday morning." Lillian handed the bag to the driver of the car as she and Peter finished their arrangements. From the corner of her eye, she watched as Andrew got into the back seat of the car, his eyes still fixed on the documents in front of him. She then smiled at Peter after he thanked her and entered the back seat from the other side of the car.
"Have a safe trip!" Lillian waved after them and waited until their vehicle was out of sight, then made her way back up to the empty apartment.
Returning back up to their apartment, an cold silence welcomed her after unlocking the door code and entering inside. Still slightly hungover from the night out before and tired from the trip to the clothing boutique, she barely noticed the silence of the space. Ready to wind down, Lillian opted for a relaxing night in. Snacking on some chips and watching TV before turning in early to get a good night's sleep.