The wind blew to their direction, as if it was washing his words away, as he professed.
She did not quite get his question. Did he really mean girlfriend? As in, a relationship?
She stared blankly at his face, which had a wry smile carefully crafted out on his face. No one ever rejected him, because he was good with words.
That could be said to be his hidden talent; the only thing he knew best to do. He could get anyone to do his wish with just the words of his mouth.
He thought it would work on Rachael. Of course, it would. So he thought. Even if she was going to reject him, he would make sure she accepted his proposal, as it was the only way he could get through to Archie.
He waited patiently for her response, even though he hated people delaying him.
"I…we..I don't think I can be your girlfriend," she finally responded, leaving him struck.
She rejected him? She dared to reject him? Hm, it was the first of her kind to reject the almighty wordsmith—Andrew—a name he gave to himself, for his ability to use words to gain whatever he wanted.
He was not so surprised. She definitely did not know who she was talking to.
He decided to pull his trick, and he was determined to get her to date him.
"I'm amazed at how confident you are to reject me in the face. I guess you do not know who I am," he began, making sure that his tone affected her emotion, causing her to shudder.
And, of course, he was able to instill fear in her. He smiled in satisfaction as he continued.
"I am doing you a favor, you know. 800 dollars is a lot of money, and to what I know, you cannot afford such an amount of money, even if I give you one month! You should be grateful that I am attracted to someone like you. I am the manager of Archie's Establishment, you should understand the kind of power I wield."
His words were like magic, casting a spell on whoever it is used on. She began to have a rethink, wondering if she made a mistake to reject him.
She lowered her head, getting immensed to deep thoughts, as she pondered on what to say to him. He could make her get fired at work, and she did not want that, at all.
If she gets fired, how would she pay up her father's debt, and take care of her siblings at home?
They were not in love, but she could use this chance, well.
If she accepts him, he would give her more time to gather some money, and pay him back. Where could she possibly find $800 to pay in 2 days?
"I am waiting, Rachael. You are lucky that I am in a good mood. No one keeps me waiting for this long," he added, putting in a sense of urgency and fear in her.
"C..ca..can you give me some time to think about it, please?" She begged, wishing he would listen to her.
"Hm, let me think about it," he said, pausing for a moment, as he placed his finger on his jaw, as though he was thinking.
He then turned to her, "alright. I give you 24 hours. By this time, tomorrow, your answer must have been ready. While you bring an answer, be informed that if it turns out negative, you will have to pay up your father's debt within 48 hours," he said, and touched her chin gently.
He smiled at her, and tucked his hands into his pockets, walking back to the company as though nothing happened.
Rachael stood there, unknown to her what to do. She felt like this day was just meant to bring in frustration on her.
She was happy that she would get away from her boss' criticism, and get some rest, only to encounter one that put her in a tight situation.
Should she agree to his request? She shook her head. She wanted her relationship to be based on love, and not on anything else.
She wanted to feel the love, and do every romantic thing people do in relationships. Could she do that with him?
Her supposed peaceful walk became one with so many different thoughts. She finally got home, and luckily, her father was not at home.
Her sisters were in the room, studying, so they did not see when she returned.
She threw her bag on the other side of the bed, while she slumped into the other part of the bed that was empty.
She was exhausted. She felt extremely tired. It was just her first day at work, and it seemed like a week's work was given to her to do in one day.
She stared at the ceiling. Her mind wandered far off, as she thought about what Andrew had said to her.
Remembering that she had work to do, she immediately rose up from the bed, and to the bathroom, to take a quick shower, before going to the kitchen.
Luckily, her sisters had made pasta, so she did not have to cook anymore. She ate the food, while sorting out the documents she held in her hand.
She needed it to be right, perfect, else, she would have to face another criticism. She quickly finished up her food, and focused on work.
She tried to find errors in the finished document, but it seemed like there was none. She wondered where all the errors he found came from.
"Hi, sis. How was work today?" Jane asked, and she forced a smile.
"Work was fine, just a bit tedious. I have to cover up for the days the secretary was absent, but it's all good," she said, wearing a smile.
"Take it easy, sister Rachael. Remember that you have our support in all that you do," Judy added, and she felt emotional.
She pulled them into a hug, and ruffled their hairs, while they giggled.
"How was school today?"
It was her turn to question them.
"School was okay, we just finished doing our assignment. Dad went to get some groceries at the store, he will be back soon," Jane said.
"We'll go study, now, so you can focus on work," Judy said, pulling Jane along, bidding Rachael goodbye.
She was now left alone to face her work and the dilemma alone.
What would be her decision? Would she pay him back or agree to date him?