Yes,I proposed to my Boss

Chapter Three

Sunlight hit my face like an accusation.

Not a soft one either—like the world had personally decided I needed to suffer for my decisions.

It slipped through a thin gap in the curtains, cutting across my eyes and forcing me awake whether I liked it or not.

I didn’t move at first.

I couldn’t.

My body felt like it had been borrowed without permission and returned slightly damaged.

Slowly, I tried to shift.

Bad idea.

A sharp, deep soreness shot through me from a place I wish not to think of, I froze again, blinking at the ceiling.

What…

What did I do?

What happened last night?

My head throbbed like it was trying to remind me of something I had clearly agreed to forget.

I swallowed slowly, turning my face slightly.

And that’s when I noticed it.

An arm.

Wrapped around my waist.

Holding me like I belonged there.

My breath caught.

Very slowly, I pulled the blanket down.

Silence.

Then realization.

I was naked.

Completely.

My heart jumped so hard I thought it might leave my body entirely.

And behind me—

Warm skin.

Another body.

Also naked.

My entire brain stopped working.

No.

No no no no—

I squeezed my eyes shut.

This is not happening. This is not my life. This is not—

I turned my head carefully, like movement itself might make everything worse.

And then I saw him.

Still asleep.

Curly hair falling across his face, hiding most of it. One arm still loosely around me like it had no intention of letting go anytime soon.

He looked… calm.

Infuriatingly calm.

Meanwhile, I was actively dying inside.

I shifted slightly again.

Pain.

I froze.

Oh my God.

What did I do?

I stared at the ceiling again.

Okay. Think. Reece. Think.

Bar.

Drinks.

Too many drinks.

Dancing.

Laughter.

Elevator.

Hotel.

Room—

My eyes widened slowly.

Room.

Wrong room.

Man.

Bare shoulders.

Kiss.

Another kiss.

His voice.

“Are you sure?”

My stomach dropped.

No.

No no no—

I pressed a hand over my face immediately.

“Finally awake?” a voice said beside me.

Deep.

Calm.

Way too calm for this situation.

I turned my head slowly.

He was awake now, lying on his side, looking at me like this was just another normal morning conversation.

“Yes,” I said immediately, voice cracking slightly. “Can you get your hands off me?”

He glanced down at his arm around my waist.

Then back at me.

“No,” he said simply.

My eyes widened.

“Excuse me?”

“You’re very warm,” he added, like that explained anything.

I stared at him.

That was not an explanation. That was a crime.

I pushed myself up slightly, grabbing the duvet to cover myself properly, my face already burning.

He shifted a little too, leaning back, still completely unbothered.

Only then did I realize his hair was falling over his face, partially hiding him.

I couldn’t fully see him yet.

Good.

Ignorance was mercy.

My brain was still catching up.

Last night came crashing back in fragments.

The bar.

The drinks.

My laughter.

His face.

His voice.

The kiss.

Then another kiss.

Then—

Oh.

Oh no.

My entire face went hot.

I pressed the duvet tighter around myself.

“Aren’t you cute,” he muttered

He let out a low laugh.

“Remember now?”

I didn’t answer immediately.

Because I did.

Unfortunately.

Every single humiliating second of it.

“Yes,” I said quietly.

My voice had suddenly become very small.

He hummed.

“Good.”

I swallowed.

There was a robe folded neatly on the chair beside the bed.

I grabbed it immediately like it was my only lifeline and wrapped it around myself quickly before standing.

Or trying to.

The moment I put weight on my legs—

Pain.

Sharp.

Immediate.

I stopped mid-motion, gripping the bedframe.

“What—what did you do to me??” I turned to him sharply.

He was still lying there, one arm behind his head now, watching me like I was the interesting part of his morning.

“I did exactly what you wanted,” he said laughing

I blinked.

“…Excuse me?”

He shrugged slightly.

“You were very enthusiastic.”

My mouth dropped open.

“You just had s*x with whoever??” I said immediately, panic rising. “What if I have HIV??”

There was a beat of silence.

Then—

He blinked.

“well I have syphilis,” he said calmly.

Another pause.

“…so one-one.”

I stared at him.

Then my brain fully short-circuited.

“YOU HAVE WHAT???”

He burst out laughing.

“Oh my God,” I muttered, horrified, backing away slightly. “Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh.”

“Relax,” he said, still laughing. “I don’t have anything of the sort.”

I stopped breathing.

“You—”

“I was joking.”

I glared at him so hard my eyes might have cracked.

“That is not a joking matter.”

“I’ve noticed,” he said, still amused.

I pressed a hand to my forehead.

This was too much.

Too early.

Too wrong.

Too everything.

He sat up slowly, running a hand through his hair, pushing it back.

And then—

His face became fully visible.

Clear.

Sharp.

Familiar.

My brain stalled.

No.

No way.

I blinked.

Then again.

“…Boss?” I whispered.

He paused.

Then smiled slightly.

“Mr Rhodes?”

Silence.

A long one.

My soul left my body.

The ground did not open.

But I wished it would.

“Aah,” he said softly, leaning back again like he was enjoying this way too much. “So you do know me.”

I dropped the duvet slightly, then immediately grabbed it again.

“Can the ground open up and swallow me,” I whispered to myself.

He laughed again.

“So,” he continued casually, “you work for me?”

I didn’t answer.

I physically couldn’t.

My entire career just flashed before my eyes.

Accounting department.

Finance head.

Deadlines.

Meetings.

Reports.

And now this.

“No,” I said quickly.

He raised an eyebrow.

“You don’t work for me?”

“I mean—yes—but also no—please don’t ask questions.”

He studied me for a moment.

Then tilted his head slightly.

“What department?”

I opened my mouth.

Closed it.

Opened it again.

Nothing came out.

“I don’t want to have anything to do with you right now,” I said finally.

He smiled faintly.

“That’s rather unfortunate.”

“Please help me up,” I said quickly. “I want to take a shower.”

Something about the way I said it made him pause for half a second.

Then he nodded.

“Yes, my lady.”

That tone

That calm, amused, slightly teasing tone—

Why is he like this??

He got up first, completely unbothered by his own state, and reached for his boxers before pulling them on.

I immediately looked away.

Not because I cared.

Because I had suffered enough.

He moved around the room easily, like he actually belonged there.

Like I was the one who had entered his world instead of the other way around.

He came back over and helped me steady myself when I stood again.

My legs were not cooperating.

I hated everything.

“You good?” he asked mildly.

“I hate you,” I replied instantly.

He smiled.

“That’s progress.”

I did not respond.

I focused entirely on walking.

Slowly, painfully, I made it to the bathroom.

The moment I shut the door, I leaned against it.

Silence.

Finally.

I exhaled sharply.

Then turned to the mirror.

And froze again.

My chest just above my neck

Marks.

Visible.

Red.

Obvious.

I stared at them.

Then covered my face with both hands.

“Oh my God…”

I whispered into my palms.

“…what have I done.”

"what did he do?"

Outside, I heard faint movement.

And then his voice, calm through the door:

“Still alive in there?”

I lifted my head slowly.

“…Unfortunately.”

A low laugh again.

And somehow—

That made everything worse.

I stood there for a while.

Just staring at my reflection like it might explain itself.

It didn’t.

The marks on my chest were still there. Loud. Undeniable. Like evidence in a case I did not want to be involved in.

I leaned closer to the mirror slowly.

Bad idea.

They were worse up close.

I shut my eyes again.

“Reece,” I whispered to myself, “you are a serious adult. You handle budgets. You handle payroll. You handle financial disasters.”

I opened my eyes.

“…but you couldn't handle alcohol.”

That part was painfully accurate.

I turned on the sink, splashed water on my face, and tried to focus on something—anything—that wasn’t the fact that I had woken up in a stranger’s room after doing God knows what with a man I had just realized was my boss.

My boss.

I paused.

Then slowly looked back up at the mirror.

“Oh my God,” I whispered again.

This was not a dream.

This was an employment-threatening reality.

I exhaled shakily and stepped into the shower before my brain could fully spiral again.

The water was warm, grounding in a way my thoughts were not. I stood there longer than necessary, just letting it hit my skin, trying to reset my entire existence.

But my mind was not cooperating.

Fragments kept coming back.

His voice.

His laugh.

The way he had looked at me like I wasn’t a mistake even when I was actively becoming one.

And worse—

The way I had not stopped.

I pressed my hands against my face under the water.

“Nope,” I muttered. “Not thinking about that. Not thinking about that at all.”

I kept thinking

Slowly turned off the water

“…No,” I said immediately out loud. “No no no no. We are not doing that. We are not spiraling there.”

I stepped out of the shower faster than necessary, grabbing the robe again and wrapping it tightly around myself.

Focus.

Shower done. Survival next.

When I opened the bathroom door, I hesitated.

The room was quieter now.

Too quiet.

I stepped out slowly.

He was sitting on the edge of the bed again, now dressed in his boxers, leaning back slightly like he had nowhere urgent to be in life.

Of course he did.

He looked up when I came out.

“Feeling better?” he asked.

I ignored the question.

“I need my clothes,” I said immediately.

He nodded toward a chair.

“They’re there.”

I walked over cautiously, like the clothes might betray me too.

They were neatly placed.

Too neatly.

I grabbed them quickly.

“Did you touch them?” I asked without looking at him.

“Yes,” he said simply.

I turned sharply.

He added, almost casually, “They were on the floor.”

My eye twitched.

“Of course they were.”

He smiled slightly.

I hated that smile.

I turned back around and started dressing quickly, doing my best not to think about anything else in the room. Especially not him. Especially not last night. Especially not—

Nope.

Stop.

When I was finally dressed, I stood there for a second, adjusting my vest like it could fix my life choices.

It couldn’t.

I turned slowly.

He was watching me.

Still calm. Still annoyingly composed.

“So,” he said, “are you going to explain why you kissed me twice before finding out who I was?”

I froze.

Then narrowed my eyes.

“you mist likely knew I was out of my mind and You didn’t exactly stop me.”

“I asked if you were sure,” he replied.

“I was sure.”

“You were drunk.”

“I was confident.”

“That’s not the same thing.”

I pointed at him.

“Do not analyze me right now.”

He chuckled softly.

“I’m not analyzing you. I’m observing.”

“That’s worse.”

There was a pause.

A longer one this time.

My brain, unfortunately, used that pause to start replaying everything again.

I immediately shut it down.

“Look,” I said quickly, “this was a mistake.”

He tilted his head slightly.

“Which part?”

“All of it.”

Another pause.

Then he nodded slowly, like he accepted that answer—but not entirely.

I looked away first.

That annoyed me.

I cleared my throat.

“I’m leaving.”

“Do you know where you are?”

“Yes.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“…Do you?”

I paused.

“…No.”

He exhaled a quiet laugh.

Of course.

“Sit,” he said calmly.

“No.”

I crossed my arms.

“This is temporary.”

“Everything is,” he replied.

That was unhelpfully deep for this hour of my life.

I shifted uncomfortably.

“So what now?” I asked.

He leaned forward slightly.

“We figure out how you got here,” he said, “and why you decided my room was yours.”

I groaned into my hands.

“I hate alcohol.”

“You said that already.”

“I meant it more this time.”

A faint smile tugged at his lips again.

And for the first time since waking up—

I noticed something strange.

He wasn’t angry.

Not even slightly.

Annoyed, maybe.

Amused, definitely.

But not angry.

Which somehow made everything worse.

Because I had prepared for anger.

Not this.

Not calm.

Not interesting.

Not him looking at me like I was a problem he hadn’t decided to solve yet.

“You do have an interesting style,for a moment I thought I was being wooed by man” he said crossing his legs

“You don't say,with such long hair I thought I had slept with a woman” I said

I stood up again quickly.

“I’m leaving now,” I said firmly.

This time, he didn’t stop me.

But as I reached the door, I heard his voice behind me again.

“Darling

I paused slightly.

Not turning yet.

“What?”

A beat.

“Try not to disappear.”

I frowned.

“…What does that even mean?”

But when I turned around—

He was already looking away.

Like he hadn’t meant to say it at all.

And that somehow stayed with me longer than everything else.