I CHOKE on my sandwich. Telling Lucas he is handsome wasn't on my to-do list today, and neither was the act of fighting to gain my composure after he pulled an Uno reverse on me like this. He's smirking victoriously and I feel like punching him, but I don't want to lose my job because of my poor self-control, so I don't.
"Are you okay?" Lucas asks concern etched in his voice even though his face suggests he's enjoying my reaction. For the past two weeks, I've been free from his shenanigans, and I managed to maintain my composure well enough to complete the task I was given in just a week. But he poofs back into my life for a few minutes and suddenly, I'm messing the table and choking on my food.
I know he's a good guy. Mary and Jerald make sure to remind me every time I complain about him, but seeing him smirk at my suffering dulls all that. I just want to rip his balls and-Okay, let's stay professional Iris. You're better than this, you won't stoop down to his level.
"Yes, I'm fine," I reply wiping the juice that just escaped from my mouth with a serviette.
Damnit, this is so embarrassing.
Lucas' smirk grows wider, "I didn't know I was handsome enough to make you choke. You just made me feel more confident."
Ah, fuck this jerk. I grit my teeth, " Stop flattering yourself, I didn't choke because of your face. You just said something unexpected."
Before he can reply, a chair is pulled in front of us, making both Lucas and I stop our immature banter to face the new company we just made. It doesn't surprise me when I see Lynn sitting where Keith was a moment ago, chin in hand as she gives us the most fake transparent smile I've ever seen a woman pull off. Her brown eyes glare at me.
"I also want to join in the fun," she quips sweetly and I don't respond.
This is Lucas' battle not mine, and I don't intend to be involved.
"Join what?" Lucas says in a bored tone, " We're about to leave."
"But you guys were all smiley before I sat here, am I wrong, Iris?"
Just as expected, she stalked my social media profiles. It's a superpower most women possess-all we need is a name and face and we can pull out a person's entire social media record in minutes. But it's creepy in situations like these where you fall victim to someone's getaway plan and suddenly become a random woman's subject of interest.
I return Lynn's creepy smile at her, "Who are you?"
" Excuse my manners. I'm Lynn from the Fashion department," she says with a faked laugh.
" You're excused," I reply sharply, thanking TikTok silently for the bar," and it's nice meeting you even though you seemed to know me before we even met."
Her eyebrows shoot up and I fight the urge to smirk. When handling people who annoy me, I trust my gut and reply with whatever comes to mind without hesitating. It's a perk that comes with having a liar for a mom-and I love how I'm almost always able to make my opponent feel attacked, like Lynn right here.
Lucas notices the growing tension between us, so he clears his throat, " Now that you two know each other, let's go to our respective departments. We have a magazine to work on that's coming out next week," he commands.
But Lynn ignores him. I'm the center of her attention now and I hate it. However, I don't think I can escape her wrath with Lucas around me at all times like this.
"Do you two know each other from somewhere besides here at work?" She asks.
I tip my chin up, " And why does that matter to you if I may ask?"
"Nothing, just curiosity. You could say that Lucas is my prio-"
Lucas cuts her, "Lynn, go back-"
" Priority because I like-"
"Lynn that's enough!" Lucas finally barks, making Lynn swallow the rest of her words. "Go back to your team and leave us alone before I do something I'll regret."
And here I was thinking he was not assertive enough with her. It's like watching competitive brats fight, but with a twist because one of the brats likes the other.
Lynn frowns at me before turning to Lucas. "Okay, I'll go now," she says, her voice barely above a whisper.
My God. I can tell she's desperate for Lucas just by her behavior, but it's also very cringe. It's like her every breath depends on him.
I didn't know people like that existed in real life.
"Are you okay Iris?" Lucas asks snapping me back to reality.
Putting my sandwich back in the lunchbox, I wipe my hands on the serviette, " No. I'm annoyed that I have to handle more of that in the future."
"Sorry," Lucas replies in a low voice, body slouching on his seat as if he is releasing tension and making his shirt cling to his body like a second skin, which successfully draws my attention somewhere it shouldn't be-his body.
Muscles protrude from his long-sleeved shirt and I can't look away. Jeez. This man looks like one of those chiseled extremely hot Greek sculptures from a millionaire's garden, and for a moment I understand why Lynn is clingy.
HE IS FUCKING HOT!
"How about we handle this your way?" He suddenly says, drawing my attention back to his face, and even then, I can still understand why Lynn wants him so badly.
Who wouldn't want a man like this?
"What way?" I ask, trying to maintain my composure. Now that I'm aware of his alluring features, I can't seem to sit still.
Green eyes linger over my grey ones the moment I ask the question, making me squirm in my seat as my body heats up. He could tell me to sit on his lap right now and I feel like I'll obey his every word without putting a fight.
"Let's fake date."
I still in my seat when he proposes the idea, even though my heart has already said yes before my mouth opens.
Sometimes I thank my mother's behavior for giving me trust issues. It helped me guard my heart against the bad boys in college whilst getting what I wanted from them - their bodies.
Mary used to call me the boy whisperer in college, but really, it's just my way of avoiding disappointment. I only trust myself and my decision, the rest of the world can go fuck themselves for all I care. Except for the people closest to me, obviously.
"What's in for me?" I ask even though I already know what I want. Or at least my body does.
" What do you want?" Lucas retorts in a dangerously husky voice that I find myself crossing my legs subconsciously before I do something stupid-like touching myself down there.
A loud laugh comes from the corner Lynn is sitting with her friends, and thanks to that, the dirty images happening in my head stop.
This is a workplace environment, not a bedroom.
I stand from my seat and nod at Lucas. "I'll think about it. Let's talk after I've come to a conclusion."
Lucas' gaze falters and my eyes " accidentally" land on his zipper where a huge bulge has appeared.
So I wasn't the only one affected?
The thought makes me feel better for some reason, making my confidence kick in again-as it should.
Walking away from Lucas is an easy task after that, and I can't help but smirk at how smooth my escape was. My phone vibrates in my pocket and I take it out, to see two messages from Grandma.
GRANDMA: Vanessa is home *smiley emoji*
GRANDMA: She said she misses you.
My heart flutters at the news even though my head knows she's lying.
IRIS: Tell her I'll be home soon.
I switch off my phone and sashay away, wondering what the look on Lucas' face is like right now.
Lust filled? Or maybe business mode?
Either way, whatever is going on between us just escalated to something way more unprofessional, and there's no going back to being normal anytime soon.
I just hope we're both adult enough to realize that.
★★★★★
"Iris dear!" Mom cries when she sees me entering through the garage door before proceeding to hug me with a genuine smile on her face.
I hug her back, "Hello Mom." She smells nice and looks well-kept. Maybe she found another man to leach off from, or that job interview she told me about four months ago was true.
That'll be surprising enough to kill me.
"It's been a long time, mommy missed you so much."
"And I missed you too Mom," I reply breaking the hug. Mom proceeds to take my handbag before heading to the couch with it, and like always, she begins rummaging through my bag.
Typical mom.
Placing the grocery-filled plastic bag I got from the convince store earlier, I begin unpacking the goods on the kitchen island. Our kitchen has an open design, so I can see my mother's actions clearly in the living room.
She finds my purse and takes it out. "What has my baby been up to? Do you have a boyfriend yet?"
" No, and I'm not looking for one," I reply.
" What kind of girl doesn't want a boyfriend at your age?"
Maybe if you were a normal mother who stays in one place and doesn't give me trust issues, I'd already have one by now.
I roll my eyes before walking around the grey-themed Island towards her, countering her question with mine. "Are you working at that saloon you told me about last time?"
"No, the supervisor stressed me out and didn't pay me, so I left," she replies instantly as if she had already thought of the answer before I asked, and I know she did.
That's just how she is-a get-what-you-want-and-leave-the-disaster-handling-to-your-family kind of woman. It's frustrating because I never seem to learn my lesson every time she fools us-even when I know that she will end up fooling us. It's like she possesses some sort of charm, and I must say, that charm works like weed because every time she comes home, we momentarily forget about reality.
Snatching my purse from her, I give Mom a subtle glare. "Don't you mean there was never an interview to begin with?"
Mom snatches back my purse, " I did have an interview, and I passed. But the working conditions weren't good so I quit. What's so hard to understand about that?"
Not about to give up, I snatch my purse back, " What's so hard to understand is how you never seem to keep a job, even though you spend money like you work for it."
" I have to survive! And why wouldn't I ask money from my daughter when I fought so hard to raise you."
" Your parents did."
" Doesn't change the fact that I stayed when your dad left," she quips snatching the purse, " I left you here because I had no choice but to ensure your safety."
How is leaving me outside the gate on a cold night ensuring my safety?
"It's time to return the favor by supporting your dying mother," she adds, taking the twenty-dollar note from my bag.
I want to argue with her reasoning, but before I do Grandma comes in through the front door with a box full of baby spinach she just harvested from her small backyard garden. For her sake, I try to avoid fighting with my mother since it always leaves her on edge, but that ends up leaving me on edge.
"Iris, you're back," Grandma beams at me and I return her smile.
"Hello, Grandma."
My reply must be off-putting because the next moment, grandma is juggling holding her box in one hand whilst tipping my chin up with the other.
"What is the matter, sisi?" Her gentle voice comes, urging me to whine at her, but I don't. I can't.
"Nothing, I'm just tired."
"Awww, then go and rest. Vanessa and I will do the cooking today."
It's only when her name is said that my mother decides to finally spring into action and help Grandma with her box.
"I will be sleeping over at Mary's though," I mumble, fighting the urge to argue with Mom again.
Grandma smiles at me before nudging my left arm. "Don't forget to greet those idiots for me okay?" She quips, turning on her heel towards the sink where Vanessa is now washing the spinach.
At least Grandma will have company before her husband comes back home.
★★★★★
I'm dressed in PJs and slithering out the front door a few hours later, trying not to disturb the momentary happiness my Grandparents are sharing with their only daughter.
It's not every day that I get to see them laugh with her, so it only makes sense that I leave them be for the time being. After all, we know her time here is short-lived before she decides to embark on another adventure.
I walk out in the chilly March dusk, wrapping my arms around me for warmth. The idea of cuddling myself to sleep in Mary's fluffy blankets with the rain pouring outside made me delusional and I chose the short-sleeved pajamas with matching shorts; now I have goosebumps all over my body as proof of my idiotic life choices.
Regret never felt so cold.
I unlock the small black gate that conjoins the Adams house and ours before slipping in and closing it behind me, sprinting towards the front door... towards my only chance at getting warm again.
I didn't tell Mary and Jerald that I was coming over to theirs because I wanted to surprise them, so I open the door silently to avoid making noise. Luckily, I hear someone humming in the kitchen and I smirk. Unlike our house, Mary and Jerald's has a kitchen on the edge of the living room separated by an archway, so surprising the idiot in the kitchen is going to be a piece of cake.
I walk on tippy toes until I'm standing next to the flowerpot that oozes of rosemary scent. The humming has grown louder now and the voice sounds like Jerald's, but from my memory, I don't remember his humming being so melodic.
Well, fuck that.
I leap toward the arch and do a fake roar for impact, making my victim scream out in horror. Of course, I laugh at him, until a spoon hits me directly in the face; then we're both screaming-me from pain and him from fright.
"Iris?" I hear that familiar silvery voice and I still. I'm closing my eyes from pain, but there's no way I would ever mistake that voice for anyone's, not after today's conversation.
I slowly look up just to confirm if I'm right, and when I do, all my senses go on red alert. " Lucas? What are you doing here?"
He is wearing shorts and a white t-shirt that clasps his body even more than his shirt this afternoon. If I had thought this afternoon was a sight to see, then this Lucas before me would be a feast. He looks like he never skips gym day, and I know I'm in danger when my eyes keep gawking at the beefy chest.
Lucas rushes over and grabs my hand, pulling me from the ground and flexing his muscles without meaning to. " I'm here because I have to finish partying with the boys. What are you doing here? I could have killed you!"
" With a spoon? Yeah right, try a knife next time big guy."
My comment makes the both of us laugh, but even though I'm joining in the fun, my mind is focusing somewhere else - on Lucas's body. It might be the sexual frustration, but right now, I couldn't care less.
I want this man.
I need him hovering all over me, which might probably help relieve the cold I'm feeling.
★★★★★