Partners In The Trap

"Agh...damn, today's been a total disaster, and you know what's even worse? My life, with all the helplessness I feel!" I grumbled in annoyance at Jennifer, who was staring at me in confusion. I could see a faint smile tugging at her lips. I don't know what she's thinking right now, maybe it's because I've been complaining too much lately. I sighed after taking a few deep breaths. All my anxiety was definitely stemming from the same person, the grumpy manager, Jacob Andreas Haydn. "If you finish your work on time, he won't be mad at you, Amy!" "Hey, who says I don't finish my work on time? I try to finish it as best I can in the shortest time possible. You guys are just rushing!" I said, trying to defend myself as best as I could. Regina came over to Jennifer and me, carrying a tray with three iced coffees and three portions of fries. Regina frowned as if she already knew what Joe and I were talking about. "Mr. Jacob again?" She asked. Her lips pursed tightly as if mocking me. "Should I just resign from this job? I can't deal with someone as overly perfectionist as him? Or should I try moving to another division where I haven't had a long relationship with him?" I asked, taking a sip of my iced coffee. "Why don't you just ask my dear Mr. Henry for help? He'll definitely help—" Before Regina could finish her sentence, I spat the iced coffee in my mouth right in her face. "Cough..." I coughed and nearly choked. Regina's shocking statement made my heart leap out of my chest. "Why are you so surprised? Did I hit the nail on the head?" She looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I was silent for a moment, trying to process what Regina was trying to say. Clearly, I couldn't act rashly now. Almost everyone in the office was already starting to suspect the still-secret relationship between me and my director, Mr. Henry William Haydn. I didn't want my answer to backfire and make things awkward at work. Dating one of my superiors? What was that dream I had last night? Something that rarely happens in the real world. But strangely, this very rare thing happened to me over the past month. I sighed, trying to figure out what answer I should give Regina and Jennifer, who were waiting for my answer. Should I just tell them the truth that Mr. Henry and I have been dating for a month? "Amy, what are you thinking? Why are you daydreaming like that?" Asked Regina, the impatient woman who couldn't wait for something that piqued her curiosity. "T-that, that's me—" Before I finished my sentence, my phone, which I had placed on the table, suddenly rang. The call from someone at an inopportune time seemed to attract the attention of Regina and Jennifer, who were sitting directly across from me. Their eyes immediately fell on my phone, which I hastily grabbed, but I'm sure they had read the name that flashed on the screen just before I picked it up. "Mr. Henry?" Regina and Jennifer said in unison. Wide smiles spread across their faces, making them look incredibly annoying. "It's not what you two think!" I said, trying my best to deny the scenario in their minds. But they kept smiling, which made them look even more annoying. "What were we thinking?" Jennifer asked. "Of course, what else? I know what's going on in both of your minds! The point is, you don't have to think anything nonsense, understand?" "What are we thinking?" Regina asked again, and somehow I felt like she was setting me up. I ignored them for a moment and glanced at my phone, where Mr. Henry's call was still in progress. Now I was confused about whether to answer it or not. He's a man who hates being ignored, he wants him to be the main focus of my life. But the problem was, I was with these two annoying coworkers. "Damn, what should I do? If I answer, Jennie and Regina will become even more suspicious of me," I thought. But if I didn't, it would only get worse because I really like Mr. Henry. "Come on, just answer the call! What are you waiting for?" Regina said. It felt like a good thing, because they were the ones asking me. "W-wait a minute, but this could be a trap to expose my relationship with Mr. Henry." I thought. "You're clearly confused. Come on, Amy! What else are you thinking about? If he calls you, just answer! What are you worried about?" "Who's worried? I'm not worried at all!" "Really?" "Okay, okay, excuse me" I said, getting up from my seat and walking away from them to a safer place. "Hello, Mr. Henry—" "Where are you? I keep texting you, why aren't you responding?" Mr. Henry asked in his distinctive, masculine voice that always drives me crazy. "I-I was at the coffee shop with Jennifer and Regina. I don't feel comfortable answering your phone or responding to your messages when I'm with them." "I don't know what the problem is if you reply to my messages wherever you are as long as you have your phone. Would it be a problem if they found out I called you privately?" "It's not that, I'm just afraid they'll find out that you and I—" "Are a couple?" "T-that-" "Is it so embarrassing for you to be my girlfriend?" "Of course not! It's not embarrassing at all. It's just that I still can't believe that a woman like me could date a man like you," I said, my breath catching in my chest. It was hard for me to honestly say that I felt like I was dreaming. A dream so beautiful that I was afraid to wake up. Mr. Henry is an extraordinary man, he's incredibly handsome, dashing, intelligent, and has a charisma that makes him impossible to resist. Meanwhile, I'm just an ordinary employee who's just joined the company he leads, and in less than half a year of working there, I've already had such a special opportunity, almost every woman in the office wishes they were in my position. "Is that so?" He said, and I could hear a small laugh in his voice. It might have sounded strange to him, but it was the truth. I felt incredibly happy, and on the other hand, I was still in disbelief. "Y-yes, that's how it is—" "Okay, I'll pick you up now!" "W-what? Pick me up?" ***