Amya was awakened by the sound of the alarm in her room from the alarm clock. It was time for her to wake up and prepare for work. The thought of going to work gave her cold chills; she just couldn't face David after the previous night's incident.
Although David was the first one to initiate the kiss, she felt equally guilty for responding to it. As she thought about it, the scene of the kiss flashed before her eyes, and she quickly shook it off. Her heart was already running a marathon in her chest, and her cheeks were beet red.
She placed her hand on her chest to calm herself down and uttered, "What is wrong with me? It was just a kiss, right? And it's not like it was my first kiss anyway. Besides, it was an accident, and it will never happen again. So just forget it ever happened, Amya, and get to work. If you happen to come face to face with the boss, just act neutral like last night never happened. Yeah! I can do that! I hope?"
After saying these words, she went to the bathroom to freshen up. Later, she came out of her room wearing a white blouse and a light pink skirt that hugged her body's figure perfectly, showing off her beautiful curves and hips. She also wore light pink stilettos, had light makeup on, and pinned her long curly hair on one side with a pink plastic diamond hairpin.
When she reached downstairs, she expected to see her mother, but her mother was nowhere to be found. It seemed like she had left for work already. Amya served herself some cereal, and after she finished eating, she left for work.
As soon as Amya arrived at work, all the self-confidence she had when she left home about facing David with a neutral expression vanished. She has been shaking with fear ever since she arrived at the company. Her heart raced with anxiety at the thought of bumping into David and reliving the memories of last night's events.
She almost felt like slapping herself for her nervous wish of not bumping into David at the company, when in reality, she was his P.A., so she had to face him no matter what, unless she quit the job. After fighting with her unsettled thoughts for a long time, Amya made her way to David's office. When she arrived, she found him not present, and she heaved a sigh of relief before wandering around the office.
A realization hit her when she remembered that in the past few months working as David's assistant, she had not really explored his office. She would come and go on certain errands but never took the time to explore her boss's working space.
She first walked over to the office's wooden filing cabinet and admired its magnificent structure. Unlike her office, which was made of concrete, steel, and glass and plastered in white, David's office was plastered and barred with cedar wood everywhere, giving it a homely feel. His desk was made of cedar wood, and on top of it was a black high-tech computer.
Amya noticed some picture frames on the desk. Some pictures showed David with two adults, a man and a woman, whom she presumed were his parents. Other pictures had him with some business people, whom she presumed were shareholders and investors of the company.
When she was about to turn to explore somewhere else, her eyes caught sight of a hidden picture among the others. It showed David standing and hugging a woman who looked about her age. She had creamy white skin, green eyes, long golden blonde hair, pink lips, a flat nose, medium-sized breasts, and visible curvy hips. She bore a resemblance to the adult woman with David in some of the pictures, so Amya presumed she was his sister. As she was about to lift the picture to admire it more, an authoritative voice boomed inside the room with a loud "Stop!"
Startled, Amya jumped and almost dropped the portrait, but she quickly held it tightly to prevent it from falling. She turned around, only to be greeted by the angry face of her boss. Seeing David's angry face, Amya couldn't help but feel cold drops of sweat on her forehead. She knew this could be the end for her because she was caught snooping inside the boss's office without his permission. From the look on his face, he was greatly pissed off.
To calm the tense atmosphere, Amya uttered, "Good morning, sir!" But it only made the atmosphere tenser. Amya could only swallow her own saliva in fear of what would happen next. David still didn't utter a word, standing in the doorway, staring angrily at Amya and the picture frame she was holding. After what seemed like hours of scary silence, David finally walked towards Amya and stood in front of her, staring intently from head to toe. After a few moments of scrutiny, the angry expression on his face turned into one of disgust and hurt.
Without waiting for further reactions, David forcefully pulled the picture frame from Amya's hands and placed it back on the desk. He then turned to look at Amya and said, "Get out! I said get out!!" he shouted angrily.
Amya immediately dashed out of David's office and went to her own office, shutting herself inside. She sat on her chair, trying to calm her racing heart. Unknowingly, tears started pouring from her eyes and running down her cheeks. She never expected to see this side of David; it was so scary that it shook her to the bones.
The memory of David's angry, scary, disgusted, and hurt face was still vividly in her mind. The hurtful and rude way he told her to get out of the office still struck her heart greatly. She didn't expect to experience this side of David at all. She always saw him as a strong, kind, generous, and happy man, not the man she had just seen a few minutes ago.
Although she knew she was to blame for snooping around his office without permission, his reaction scared her the most. Deep down, she secretly wanted to know why he behaved that way, but she quickly shoved the thought away and told herself it was none of her business. After a few more moments of calming herself down, she began her work.
.....
The day was almost over, and David never called Amya to his office, not even once. Amya had lost all hope of reconciliation with David because he did not contact her the entire day. She prepared to go back home, walked out of her office, locked it, and headed towards David's office. She began contemplating whether she should go inside and inform him that she was going home or just leave without saying anything.
After wrestling with her thoughts for a long time, she finally knocked on the office door. Without waiting for his reply, she entered and quickly stated her agenda without facing him, "Good evening, sir. I am here to inform you that I am done for the day. If there is nothing else you need, I will be going home now and will see you tomorrow."
She paused, waiting for a reply, but when she got none, she continued, "Lastly, before I leave, sir, I want to apologize for my undisciplined behavior of snooping around your office without permission. I promise it will never happen again. I am sorry." Still, there was no reply. She then lifted her face only to meet David's piercing gaze at her. For a moment, she got lost in his blue crystal eyes, which looked disturbed and hurt. Her heart ached to know what caused that pain, but she quickly reminded herself that she was just an employee, and it was none of her business to pry into her boss's life. She didn't want to get into more trouble than she already was.
Turning to leave, she exited the office, took the elevator to the first floor, and prepared to exit the building. As soon as she stepped outside, she was hauled by immense force. David unexpectedly showed up, forced her into his silver BMW, and drove away with her. Amya was greatly startled by how the day's events were spiraling out of control. Fear gripped her delicate heart as she wondered what David's intentions were. Slowly, her mother's warnings about David filled her mind, and more fear began to consume her. She started shaking, thinking David had bad intentions towards her. Tears filled her eyes, and she cursed herself for not heeding her mother's warnings.
After about forty minutes of driving, David finally stopped the car at a place that looked like a cemetery. He stepped out and began walking towards the graves.
Amya wanted to stay in the car or perhaps run away, but after contemplating her options, she slowly got out and followed David. She found him standing at the far side of the graveyard, staring coldly at a grave with an aloof expression.
Amya stood next to him, keeping quiet. After several minutes of silence, David finally spoke, "You wanted to meet her, right?"
Amya, lost in thought, was startled by David's sudden utterance. "Huh?" she muttered, confused, and turned to face David, who was still looking at the grave with a hurt expression.
"The girl your heart is curious about, the girl that made you see a different side of me today. A side I never thought I would show you. The side that's making you doubt my character and intentions towards you right now. The side I never imagined I would reveal to anyone after a long time," David said in a broken tone.
"She was the light and joy of my life. No one in the world can ever replace her. She was always there whenever I was hurt, broken, feeling low, happy, excited, lonely, and insecure. She was my pillar of hope whenever I felt lost. I wouldn't have become who I am today without her. I owe her everything I have today... She was my everything... But I couldn't save her," David cried, falling to his knees and sobbing bitterly.
Amya never expected to see such a strong man like David break down like this and cry like a baby. She always saw him as someone who had everything sorted out. This scene in front of her proved her wrong. Even the richest and strongest man has a weak spot. Amya slowly knelt beside David, consoling him by pulling him into a warm hug and caressing his back. Without hesitation, David grabbed Amya's waist and buried his face in her chest, crying even more and wetting Amya's business outfit.
Amya turned her head to the grave and saw the name engraved: "IN LOVING MEMORY OF NICOLE PERRINGTON. DATE OF BIRTH 17/07/1985. DATE OF DEATH 12/10/2007."
Amya's heart ached as she realized that Nicole was David's beloved sister. She held him tighter, whispering soothing words in his ear, "It's okay, David. I'm here for you. Let it all out."
David's sobs gradually subsided, and he looked up at Amya with tear-filled eyes. "She was my sister, my best friend. Losing her broke me in ways I can't even describe. I never wanted anyone to see this side of me."
Amya stroked his hair gently. "You don't have to hide your pain, David. We all have our vulnerabilities. It's what makes us human."
David nodded, wiping his tears. "Thank you, Amya. I don't know what I would have done without you here."
As the evening grew darker, they stood up and walked back to the car. The drive back was silent, but it was a comfortable silence, filled with understanding and a newfound bond between them.
When they arrived back at the office building, David turned to Amya. "I owe you an explanation, and an apology for my behavior earlier. Please, let me make it up to you."
Amya smiled softly. "You don't owe me anything, David. Just take care of yourself. We can talk more tomorrow."
David nodded, grateful for her understanding. "Thank you, Amya. For understanding. Truth be told, others would have run away after seeing me react that way. But you stayed, and I am grateful for that and also, sorry. But I still want to make it up to you. How about dinner tomorrow after work? We can catch up and then share a few drinks."
"That sounds like a good idea. Let me think about it. Well I should be going now. Goodnight, David," Amya replied, stepping out of the car and heading home.
As she lay in bed that night, she couldn't stop thinking about the day's events. The image of David breaking down at his sister's grave haunted her thoughts. She knew there was so much more to him than the stern CEO she worked for. Slowly, she drifted off to sleep, her heart feeling a strange connection to the man she had come to know.