Rabbit Hole (Romantic-Suspense)

Chapter 35: Flutters

Chapter 35: Flutters

Waiting for lunch, I sit on Lennox's office's receiving area just right in front of his desk. Behind the desk, there are a series of fixed windows that can see the top panoramic view from the building's façade to the cityscape.

Eyes staring blankly to the vast view, I couldn't help but wonder—

Of all the people living, why me?

Yet, I know, the longer I question the universe cycle and karma, the longer I'll just have to wait for an impossible answer to come. And so, to give this cycle a 'f*ck off' of messing with me, I'll not sit still any longer and just wait for Lennox's help full of ulterior motives.

Having him beside me, humming as he organizes the food that just got delivered, I sigh. Then, I realized—I have never been so stressed just for a mere lunch. We may have been eating lunch and dinner together for a while now but somehow, this lunch is troubling me more than ever. As if all the stress that had been brushed off with those meals with him just poured at me now at once.

Why? I thought, wondering why I am feeling sensitive now of all times I have to leech him off out of every bit of information he has. Then, his thigh accidentally moves closer, causing our thighs to touch, my heart skips and beat uncontrollably.

"Oops, sorry." He mumbled, keeping his eyes on the coffee table, still organizing everything.

Startled for a mere touch that sends unknown irritation and thrill, I flinched a bit, frowning. I glanced at him but seeing him genuinely fixated at the table, the irritation started to waver away when his thick lashes started charming me.

Then, curious of what's taking him so long in preparing the table, I glance at it, quite intrigued of what's making him focus on a simple meal he ordered and seeing how intent and careful he prepares it, my curiosity taps on my observant eyes.

Hmm? Are these too fancy for a delivered meal? I thought, seeing five types of wine glass, three types of fork at the left, one at the right with a spoon, and three types of knife all in a set,—what? Wait, is that a butter knife on a butter plate?

"Hey? What's up with this?" I asked, bothered by the set up he's doing. Just right then, another order came in his office carried by a rider from the restaurant he frequently ordered. Baffled, I give him an eye, but then he smiles at me. A smile, I know something's up.

Then, I instantly glanced back at the set he was doing. There I began to realize it—

"Hey… isn't this?" I uttered, recalling the table setting he's doing. Why haven't I realized it sooner?—it's a table setting set just like at aunt's house.

"Exactly what you think it is." He said, blithe in tone, smirking at the sight of how the realization hit me. Then, he took out pictures of the table setting he saw on the coffee table and laid it in front of me.

"Since you were just going to ask me throughout the meal about this, might as well talk about this while having lunch," Lennox said, opening up the two containers that the delivery guy has put on the table.

"I don't know if I should thank you or what," I said, sarcastically scoffing at the effort he took to mimic what's on the picture. Lifting the photographs, I began to think why Mae has done this.

Knowing how Mae, despite being free-spirited, tends to get intricate sometimes, especially when she sets her mind to accomplish something. And so, putting and leaving something like this doesn't take me much surprise.

"Whatever works for you, I'm down for it," Lennox said, treating me like I don't have hands even to put a straw in my drink.

"Yeah," I said, getting my drink from his hand.

Damn, if this goes on, the next thing I'll know is that I'm already dependent on him. Tsk, I should not let that happened. Ugh, now thinking about it, I have been saying quite a lot because he always carries the expenses wherever we go even if I told him not to—damn it. Everything's good, but the feeling and aftertaste it gave me aren't good.

It feels like—if I don't draw a more precise line between us and post an authority, later on. All these favors could become debt—a debt I can pay with my life. Ugh, what a pain in the head. Just by mere imagining, it sends a chill down my spine.

I thought to myself, seeing a large ominous figure behind me.

I should do well this night; I must gain something I can use against him. But, the problem is…

What? What is it that I can use against this seemingly perfect person?!

"So, why do you think Mae has left this?" Lennox said, abruptly cutting off what's running on my head to ruin him.

Damn that smile. I thought, seeing how he unfailingly keeps smiling in any face of circumstances. Even now, the evident thrill he's suppressing in between his teeth is visible.

"I'm not sure, as far as I know, she hates this table setting," I said, brushing off his expression, focusing on the matter at hand. The anxiety prickles again, thinking up until now, Mae and aunt are missing—or, maybe not.

Considering she had the time to leave something like this behind, she may have just been hiding from Clyde with auntie somewhere…

Somewhere…

Somewhere?

"Then why? What could have pushed her to use the Russian table setting?" Lennox asked, brooding on the pictures as, at the same time, an idea pops out in mind.

Is this what I think it is, Mae? I thought to myself.

"Is this an interrogation? I don't know, okay? I 'am just as lost as you." I said, not wanting to voice out the idea that struck through my mind.

If I'm getting this right, then… I'm going to be finally taking a step ahead of him.

I can find Mae and aunt before he does.

"Hah, yeah, right, I'm sorry." Chuckling his way out, after I kind of figured out what he was trying to do, where we left last night struck in my mind. Reminding me of the

"Anyways, Lennox," I said, calling his attention with subtle firmness on tone.

"Mm?" He uttered, glancing, moving his body sideways to face me, leaving his food on the table unattended, and showing a great deal of anticipation.

"We still have unfinished business," I said, then his blank, anticipating eyes widen, realizing what I'm talking about.

"Was it the kiss?" He asked, leaning his face forward, whispering.

Or so I thought.

Shaking my head in disbelief, I composed myself and tried my best to keep the impatience after glaring at him.

"Dummy pervert, you still haven't answered me yet from the questions I asked," I said, which he immediately responded with—

"For the record, you kissed me first—"And before getting struck with embarrassment, I cut him off and hit his arm. Good thing it wasn't the arm he has wound on.

"Can we just focus on the main issues here?" I said, hushing him before we get out of the topic again.

"Oh? Hmm, which one do you want to know first?" Playfully displaying a sneer, he asked.

"If you noticed this detail immediately that day, why did you keep this until last night?" I asked, directly looking into his eyes. The eyes are too prone to lying that anyone would mistake them as the eyes of the one telling the truth.

Nonetheless, I'm still here betting every coin to know what alibi he has in his sleeves. Hands stretching out on the back of the sofa behind my shoulders, he maintains the eye contact, naturally giving off an intimate pressure.

"Oh? Well, that's a tough question. Hmm, well…" He said, pondering.

Come on, give me your best shot.

"First, let me say sorry for keeping it a secret, I was initially planning to surprise you when I found them, but unfortunately, in order to find them faster with this clue," He said, pointing at the picture in my hands.

"I need your help." He added, smiling kindly.

"A clue…" I uttered.

"Yep, I know we both know that this table setting isn't just right there in mere coincidence. So, as her closest friend, I want to hear your thoughts." He said, battling with the eye contact we're having.

Sorry, but just like you. I think I'll be the one doing the surprise now once I found her.

"Alright, although your reason is having so many holes in it, to the point that it's making me think that you want to take the lead without my consent, I guess I'll accept it since you told me this," I said, taking a sip from the drink on the table.

"Do you mean trust it?" He said, chuckling at how his tone pushes it. I glanced back at him and flat out said, "Nope, next question."

Mouth parted, he scoffs and smirks. "Alright."

"Why me? What is it that you want with me?" I asked, facing him with my posture as I sit next to him.

"Is his for the question, 'why are you obsessed with me?" He asked, snickering, flashing his dashing white set of teeth.

Seriously? Can this man stop being overwhelmingly gorgeous just for a minute?!

"Yes," I said, gritting my teeth in spite.

"Hmm, why can't I?" He asked, leaning closer, teasingly going on moving on me.

"What's with lavender?" I asked, unbothered by his move. Then, he flinched and paused.

"Huh?" He uttered, asking if he heard it correctly.

"You always bring up lavender as if it's such a trivial thing, even here at your office. You keep lavender scent all around. And somehow, I find it bothering. At first, I thought you just love its scent but, after getting a lot of 'lavender this', 'lavender that' I began to think otherwise." I said, after analyzing his weird addiction to lavender. Remembering several scenarios wherein he always makes the bizarre habit of smelling the scent in the air as if it's still his first time for how much he entered my unit.

For the past month of him bothering me, living in a delusion, he's my boyfriend he always barges in inside. And for that time, I have noticed that he doesn't fail to make this entrance before greeting me.

Leading me to think that lavender has something…to do with his obsession.

Now, why?

"Is it not?" Lennox asked, putting a subtle sarcastic tone in it.

"Huh? Can you talk 'human'?" Not grasping what he meant by that, I asked.

Shrugging, he leans back and loosens his tie. Taking a sip from the juice, he stares at the view through the window melancholy but immediately glanced back at him.

"I don't think this is the right time for you to know everything about that matter." He said, apologetically smiling.

"What? Ugh, you're really giving me a head-ache here. Why do I have to wait when I know I have the right to know?" I asked, irritated.

"Well, I can give you answers, but spoiling the fun isn't my forte, so I'd like to keep everything for myself for a little more while." He said, smirking, taking a spoonful of the unpacked lunch.

Sighing, feeling I won't get any forced and full answers from him, I stopped and took a bite.

At least, I distracted him from asking more about what I know about the picture he took.

"Wait? Aren't we already diverting too far from the main discussion here?" and just right when I was about to relax, he pointed out the picture again.

Damn.

"Well, thank you for letting me in the boat but unfortunately and as sorry as it sounds, even if we're close. No matter how hard I try to decode Mae's clue, I still can't figure out why out of any clue she could have possibly left, she chose this." I stated, hiding the idea I got from him, acting clueless.

I don't trust you, Lennox. If I know, you're just keeping me in check to monitor any contacts I have.

Thinking Lennox has already inserted a virus in my phone to track me anytime he wishes, I'm no fool to use the same phone.

But the bad news is, neither of the people I wanted to contact is not reachable. Dove, Mae, and aunt—ugh. I thought, keeping the extra phone in the bag.

Nodding, as he chews, a scene suddenly appeared that overlapped with how he swallows the spoon.

The feeling, the texture of his soft, the strong yet gentle grasps—what the heck?!

I thought inwardly, catching myself almost indulging in daydreaming.

Damn, Alice. Get a f*cking grip!

Then, what he said after that echoes in mind—"I've always wanted you, but it seems like I won't be getting the whole package this way." As the feeling of confusion started to boil up.

Can't hold it in any longer, I looked at him and asked, "Then, what do you mean by the whole package?"

"Whole package?" He asked, glancing back at me.

"Yeah, you said it last night before you stood up—"

"I didn't know you're thinking about those little details—did you enjoy the kiss?" Eyes sparkling, he asked, excitedly teasing me.

"Shut up and answer." With that, he laughs before taking a large sip from his drink, allowing me to see how toned his adam's apple moves in his toned neck.

Damn, this hot psycho.

Finishing up the drink, he then suddenly, without any warning, took a quick kiss on my lips. And before I could even retaliate, he pressed his thumb on my lips, hushing me off.

"My goal isn't just your body, Alice." He said, cupping up my face, whispering closer on my ears as his breath tingles along my neck.

And although my stomach is full, it flutters as my heart began to beats faster than usual.

What is this?

I thought, strangely feeling the weird rush, warming my chest inside.