"Come on, Ellie. Come on, come on, come on..."
The nuisance of the traffic made Simon's jaw clench in anger. His left hand was steering the wheel while his other hand was holding tightly at Ellie's cold hands. He pushed the car horn repeatedly with frustration. Anxious and frightened of the possible circumstance if the traffic holds their way any longer, he has set up his mind on going on with his own feet.
The hospital was still hundreds of meters away around the corner of the street. Swiftly but carefully, he removed the seatbelt that was wrapped around her fragile body. He carried her on his back and set off once he made sure she was safe enough. "Finally", he thought, the years he spent building his physical strength by taking multiple classes of different martial arts and hitting the gym almost every day- it was when Ellie and Baste started dating-- all of his efforts were so he could protect Ellie someday and now it's paying off. But -oh God- he didn't wish it to be that way, losing Ellie wasn't his biggest fear but it would surely destroy his soul forever.
With every strength in his body, he moved his legs as fast as he could. He was in full force with his pace and yet, he was moving with slow. His mind was automatically functioning, his body moved with carefulness because of his fear of dropping Ellie's body.
Strangely, his breathing became difficult. He was wet and soaked from his sweats and his vision was getting more blurry as time passes. He could feel his heart pounding from his chest and all of his pulses beating, especially the ones on his neck and temples. Perhaps, it was because of the temperature or maybe his anxiousness about the greater misery.
The temperature was 37 degrees Celsius, and it felt hotter than usual because of the crowded streets of Manila. Everyone was looking curiously at him, some were whispering; some were simply staring. Although he was near to his limits, the hospital was getting near the more he progress. With his willingness to save Ellie, he managed to call for an emergency before his vision went black and he eventually lost his consciousness on the cold floor of the hospital.
Ellie woke up, blinded by the bright lights of the hospital. Her mother was beside her reading a book while eating slices of apple. She had no memories of before she passed out. Even though it was clear that she almost lost her life, her mother seemed to be calm despite the situation, "Congrats, God let you live for another day dear. You can explain to us what happened when we get home".
"B-but, I can't remember anything."
"Simon brought you here after he found you shivering on the floor inside the restroom. The doctor said you've had an episode of a severe panic attack."
"T-then, where's Simon?"
"He lost his consciousness too, but the doctors said he's fine". She could not believe Simon would have done such a thing for her. But even so, she was thankful and decided to ask him for a fancy dinner to show her gratitude for his sacrifice. She was discharged as soon as she took the medicine the nurse gave her and was advised to have some days of rest for her mind. But, there's no way she could rest now that she is back working in the company. She was rather worried about her colleague's perspective on her performance, as an heir she would like to let them see for themselves that she is capable of doing greater than her father's legacy.
Back home, she spent her time recalling what happened for her to pass out. But no matter what she does, all it did was stress her more. She ought to have a conversation about it with Simon, perhaps he might know something.
The next day, she went to work not listening to her mother's nagging. She apologized to everyone for the inconvenience she brought yesterday, it was a relief when everyone smiled sincerely at her.
Her secretary passed her the documents of qualified applicants from yesterday's interview. No one met her high standard but they were short in staff recently, so, she have to at least choose a minimum of five people among the applicants. Her secretary cleared her throat and passed her a file that contains one of the applicant's documents, "The other heads suggested Mr. Angeles be one of our models, ma'am. Apparently, they all find him quite fit for the role and would bring large profit and benefits for our company". 'Angeles' was familiar in her ears, it was no strange surname at all. And as she expected, it was the person she was thinking of.
She gulped while looking through the pile of papers in the envelope while avoiding his picture. He was not qualified at all, even for the company's minimum and basic standards. But knowing the physique of Baste, he will surely bring more popularity for the 'Alfonso Apparel'. She knew she have to make a sacrifice. This was just the beginning of her renewed journey with the company yet, she needed to trade herself for something -she thinks- is much more valuable. Although her father will understand if she won't allow Baste to work for her.
"I-I'll think about it."
She was working for the company ever since before she turned 18 and debuted. Employees, investors, and other directors of companies praise her for her wits not only in the fashion industry but also in managing a business. Advancing to a higher position at such a young age was truly impressive; it was not only because she was the heir, it was sheer hard work. But, not everyone sees it that way, there are always contraries and opposite reactions to everything.
Competition does not stop nor it will ever, but so as her determination and firmness to succeed and achieve everything she wants.
But she was no perfect human, her scandalous relationship in the past ruined her reputation and the reason for her misery in the past. Everything was to sacrifice herself for Baste's sake- she was too foolish and naive for love-- and it made a cruel and harsh oath to herself. A belief none was meant to put faith in it, "Love passes likewise how time passes by".
Now she's stuck in an oscillation between her welfare or the company's behalf. In the middle of --her another episode of mental breakdown- a knock jolted her senses back. Simon walked into her office holding a folder with a few piles of papers inside. He cleared his throat as she cut her forlorn figure while she arrange the mess of the papers on her table.
Observing her for 20 years, he instantly knew she was upset. "U-Uhm, are you feeling unwell today Miss?" words came out from his heart and he spoke unintentionally, Ellie was yet again surprised by his sudden concern. "Y-yeah, yes I am doing fine. Thanks" Simon wanted to reply to her words but was stuck in silence and his brain was not able to fathom Ellie's words to his question. He handed her the documents and walked away without saying a single word.
He closed the door silently and leaned back to calm himself down. It was hot and red all over his face and ears, it was as if a fever just struck him so sudden. As he continue his way back to the corridor of the building, the door opened and Ellie shouted for his name. Now he's burning with fervor the first time his ears catch the voice of Ellie calling his name. He is physically unable to turn any parts of his body back to face her nor could he answer.
"Are you free tonight?"
'Y-y-yes..." the stutter was embarrassing and he kept cursing himself from it. But her next question caught him off-guard, "Then, would you like to have dinner with me?". What was it supposed to mean? Does she want a date with him? It can't be, it must be something important regarding their work. Figuring how he could reply without the mortifying stutter, cold sweat trickled down his forehead and nape; "S-sure, I would love to... m-ma'am".
A sigh of relief came out of his mouth as he heard the office's door closed, he turned back and to his surprise, Ellie was standing behind him.
"Are you okay--" a short cursing scream came out of his mouth as he saw her tiny figure below his level of vision. It made Ellie flinch and her eyes widened in confusion. He held his chest concerned if Ellie could hear his heart that was about to explode from anxiousness and excitement. He was breathing in difficulty, just like the time he ran through the streets of Manila to save her. Simon was strangely feeling so weak and his legs were like noodles almost stupefied by nervousness. He jolted nervously as she tried to stroke his back to calm him down.
Ellie noticed his face was as red as a tomato, thinking he must be sick from yesterday's incident, she felt guilt through her bones. He was being in-denial so she had to pull his arms. She held it firmly as she tried to pull his weight towards the inside of her office. She pushed him down the couch and went to fetch a dipper filled with cold water and a clean towel from her office's bathroom cabinet. Simon was flabbergasted with everything that just happened, Ellie must think that he was sick with fever.
She drenched the towel with water and squeezed it until she could. She wiped the pale and smooth surface of his face with the cold towel to ease the heat but her presence and the atmosphere that surrounds them made him feel sicker. The fact that they were the only people inside a room, the closeness of Ellie's body to his own, he wondered why Ellie could be so off-guard and careless. He thought of pushing her away but touching her was far from his principle as a gentleman- unless it's necessary. In the end, he let her do her work with his body. It was not bad after all, the idea of her taking care of him was an example of a dream he longs for until his death.
She noticed his difficulty in breathing and started unbuttoning his blazer to help him feel more comfortable negligently of her actions. Simon was stuck in surprise, he pushed her away afraid of the circumstance of her motives. "W-what are you doing?", "I'm helping you breathe" he felt guilty about his dirty mind, he unbuttoned the blazer himself until all that was left was his paper-white dress shirt. His muscle was toned and visible despite the thick quality of his shirt, Ellie's cheeks were tinted slightly with pink. They both avoided their eyes to hide their flush. She cleared her throat and went back to the bathroom to look for medicine she could give to him but found none.
"Sorry, I don't have medicine right now but I'll get one--" he cut her off before she was about to sprint out of the door. "I'm okay, Ellie... I-It's fine" that was the first time he called her name, and she felt confused as to why it was attractive- well, his deep voice and his strong sex appeal were no wonder why women chase after him. "No, you're not okay so..." she was stubborn to get out of her office to erase the tension inside her, but Simon rushed towards her and pulled her hands to stop her. It was not because he wanted her to stay with him, he was shy about Ellie's kindness to him. "Please, stay..." but his heart seemed to say things differently.
The air suddenly felt warm despite the chilly air-conditioned room. Simon pulled his hands away as he realized what he had just done, he walked outside the room and Ellie didn't make any moves of trying to stop him. They were both shocked by the situation.
But now, it was clear to Ellie, that Simon is an awfully shy type of person.