Dandelion

Chapter 12

                                                                                  Mr. Manager

I have been stuck in this bathroom for an hour now and all I am thinking about is food. It's so close yet so far from me. I can literally smell waffles every time I unlock and peek out the door. To not mention the coffee that is breaking my nose.

 Why do none of the employees come this way? I could have ordered something even if it meant eating or drinking it in here. They collectively avoiding this corridor and I am half thankful but also half not. Elia, please come quickly.

I sunk on the floor as I left my head, rest on the door, gazing at the ceiling with a desperate face. I behaved carelessly today. I shouldn't have done this. I got carried away by the desire of living a different and more exciting life. I guess I should get accustomed to that apartment cause I will be seeing those walls way too often.

At least they look fancy and beautiful though. That is something to be comforted from.

I made myself snicker with my attempts at keeping on positivity till suddenly a knock was heard on the door making me quickly get up and face the door.

"Zein, you in there? It's me, open up." Elia's voice came like a gift at that moment, making me unlock the door without giving it much thought, and once I faced him all I whispered was ' Please get me out of here. I will explain later.'

He gave me a stressful gaze before he proceeded to take off his jacket and place it over my head." Keep your head down" He instructed me before he placed his arm around my shoulders and escorted me outside.

Once I stepped out of that shop, I was met with a wave of voices coming from people that I didn't have the chance to see as I held my gaze low, till I found myself in front of a black van and was ushered to get in it.

It felt like I could finally breathe again, as Elia hurried to take his seat as the driver and soon took off, bringing the chaos to grow distant along with the loud noise.

"Seriously what the hell do you think you are doing?! Do you want to give me a heart attack or something? You hate me that much!?!" The dear silence was disturbed by his speech which was displaying clearly how mad he was with me and unfortunately I could not blame him. I know I behaved in a way I shouldn't have. I definitely took my lesson.

"I don't hate you. All I was trying to do was get some breakfast -"

"YOU CAN CALL SERVICE FOR THAT NOT START ROAMING THE STREETS ON YOUR OWN!" He lashed out, his face morphing in expressions I had yet to see on him. It almost scared me, how different from his friendly aura he suddenly felt.

He took no response from me as I judged best to not initiate any further conversation and he exhaled as he tightened his hold on the steering wheel, glancing one last time through the mirror at me in the back seat. We locked eyes briefly before I looked away and scooped closer to the window, wanting to divert my thoughts to something else.

Why were all these people around her so hard to figure out? Do they love her or do they not? Do they care? Are they on Zein's side or am I just the only one who is traumatized but what happened and I can't help but be suspicious of everyone? They are human, after all, it's normal they would snap here and there yet every slip of theirs, makes me doubt them. 

Are they hard to be trusted or am I the one who is having high criteria for them? Maybe both. I shouldn't try this much. It's not like I want to be friends with them anyways. All I have to do is make sure to always have my own back and not depend on anyone, especially when it comes to my safety, and then I will be okay. I have to survive.

Elia didn't try to talk to me again, till we reached back to my apartment building and he escorted me out of the car and even followed me in the elevator. I guess that he probably will come inside, probably in need to say something more to me in private. The scolding was obviously not over and he might even ask me for a more valid reason why I thought that my action was logical.

I guess if I were to tell him that I forgot I was famous he would think that I am trying to joke with him. Why do people not believe you when you tell the truth to them? It's normal for me to forget, I have barely been someone famous for a day...Yet I can't really say that. Great, now I have to lie.

We stepped out of the elevator and headed to the door of my apartment, my eyes instantly taking notice of him as he placed the password which I didn't know of. This was my chance to memorize it. 120801. I wonder if those numbers are random or have some significance.

Once he unlocked the door he waited for me to enter first and I did so after a brief moment of glancing at him.

"Do you feel good about yourself? Messing with me like this?" He spoke as soon as he closed the door, bringing my feet to a halt as I supposed that he was not planning on getting further inside.

I turned around and looked at him, muttering an apology as I left my head to hang low. An action that it was half an act half sincere, cause I knew I had troubled him. I must have disturbed him from some work when I called him, to not mention that he is supposed to be my manager and as such responsible for me and if Zein was to have gotten harmed, he would probably carry half the blame for that. I indeed deserved his anger but simultaneously I couldn't help but feel unable to take it for the moment.

"There you go...making me feel even worse. You really do enjoy making me suffer." Elia uttered and as I looked up I saw a hurtful expression looming on his face. I think I screwed up more than I can possibly imagine.

"You think I like yelling at you and making you say sorry? Do you really think I like scolding you Zein?" He sounded persistent to take an answer for those questions of his so I replied with a simple 'No'.

"Then why the heck do you go around scaring the life out of me?! You go slipping of stairs then roaming the street and being chases. You seriously must hate me, there is no other explanation." It seems that he has been worrying way too much these days and here I thought I was the only one. 

He gazed at me with a stressed expression as he started pacing back and forth at the small space which he had, his jaw clenching as his hand roamed harshly around his collar, to lax it up a bit.

It was evident that he cared, it was clear as day that he was losing his cool out of love and somehow that fact made me c***k a smile, which gained his attention.

"You are laughing?! How is this to you a laughing matter?!" He scolded, making me burst into laughter. Action that  I probably should not have done, as his expression of stress washed away instantly and was replaced with one that you could swear that could pierce through my head and leave me dead, right then and there.

It was official, I had managed to piss Elia off. The friendly guy with the approachable aura was now giving me a death stare that made me thankful that eyes were not a weapon.

"I am sorry. It's not that your stressful state is funny or anything, really. It's just that I find it... cute," I tried to collect my laughter and speak, in hopes that the atmosphere between us could go back to something more light.

"Cute??! You are really daring me." He replied taking some steps closer to me as I still had a smile on my face. I don't know why his anger seemed so funny to me. I should really stop giggling.

"It's just laughter, I am not mocking you or anything. I just can't help it for the moment." My smile froze as Elia took hold of my waist and brought my body to collapse in his. His eyes fearlessly looking at me, in a way that had me instantly alarmed. I really should have stopped my laughter sooner.

I gulped harshly under his gaze, feeling a kind of tension between us which I could not quite pinpoint. Did he want to kill me or did he wanted to kiss me? Both sounded like things I would like to avoid honestly.

Choi Zein, have you been playing games with your manager too? Seriously what's wrong with this woman's hormones?! What happened to monogamy and loyalty?! Had those words not been in her dictionary or something?!

"Swear you will be more careful." His low tone of voice made me feel a bit weak but I replied with a steady voice anyways.

"I give you my word, I won't cause any more trouble."I stared at his eyes not daring to look anywhere else. His face was kinda close after all and I didn't want anything to be misunderstood nor to give any signal that I will end up regretting.

"Good. Now please stay in this apartment and only in this apartment." Elia added before he let go of me and casually turned around and left as if all this was nothing to him.

It definitely looked like something to me though. There was definitely something in the air just now. There definitely was a desire. Was Zein such a fatal woman? Why every man that is around her seems to be in love with her?

It sounds as much of a blessing as it sounds like a curse. What a jackpot of a body that I got.