Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Bitch, it's payday today!" I yell at the top of my lungs as I clock out on the login company webpage. My voice earns a few heads turning my way but they can go fuck themselves. Wyatt's door opens, and his head pops out and he arches his brow at me, glaring. I guess I must have interrupted something. He shows me his cellphone, a call on the screen, and I shut my lips tightly, adding a zipping gesture with my fingers and he closes the door. Technically, I really don't have to do the clocking in and out on the webpage since I'm already a secretary, but I got so used to it that when I first arrive in the office and get my computer setup, that's the first page I pull up.

It's been four days since I moved my stuff here on this spot where I do and talk to clients who would like to have a schedule so they can talk to Wyatt for business stuff, and it's been four days since I left my old station and I miss Matt, Kevin and Melody. Matt took my spot so he doesn't have to stand up and walk just to see his lover, he can just turn his seat around and tada, there she is. She and I have been talking through Skype for Business, and sometimes, we make a group chat so we can add Kevin and Matt. Fortunately, we have all access to that and we can still talk freely. It's just different since I got used to talking to them personally, face-to-face, and the fact that I can no longer do that makes me sad. My schedule is the same as Wyatt's schedule. Wherever he goes, I go. I always go with him.

Surprisingly he hasn't done anything that will harm me or that will put me into shame. No, he hasn't done it yet. And that's what bugs me. I've known him since high school – for four years I went to the same school as him, and I learned all his fiasco and successes, his traits and what he likes to do in his free time (#1: always bully Pierson Matthews). But he never dares to lay a finger on me or spew some shits. I've been expecting that since I started being his secretary, but all he ever does is to tell me what I should work on, what I should be doing, and what I should consider when it comes to his schedules. He always brings me to his meetings, which is boring, and the only time he will talk to me is if there's a pending work he should be doing, like a meeting with this and that person, or if I see any conflicts with his upcoming schedules. That's it.

My computer makes a sound, a notification, and my best friend's face pops up on the corner of my desktop, indicating that I've received a new message from her. Sooooo where to? It reads, and I rapidly punch my keyboard to reply to her, telling her there's a pub I just recently noticed where we can go have fun and drink. She reminds me that I'm not allowed to get that drunk since it's "hard to move my big fat gay ass", according to her. I grumble as I remember what transpired the last time I got drunk.

As I'm about to fix my stuff and get my bag after shutting off my computer, Wyatt's door opens and he gets out. He arches the bag in my hand and crosses his arms across his chest, giving me a look.

"Where are you going?" Wyatt asks me as he eyes the bag in my hand. He makes that expression where he shows disappointment and confusion, and honestly, I feel confused too. It's already my off, and the clock shows 9 in the evening.

"Um, with my friends, and we're going to a pub just near here... why?" I respond.

"We've got a dinner with Mr. McKenzie and you need to come with me," he tells me as he shuts the door of his office. From the tone of his voice, his decision is made and there's no room for any arguments. But still, that doesn't stop my mouth from asking him why and that it's past dinner time. I also tell him that this dinner isn't on his schedule and I'm not aware of the changes made. "What is your job? Secretary. My secretary. That means... if I want you to go with me, you will go with me. Unless there's something important you need to attend to. That's in the contract you signed. Is going to the pub with your friends considered as emergency, urgent?"

Damn he's right. Remind me again why accepted this position. "No."

"Then you're coming with me." He fixes the cuffs of his suit and motions me to follow him. I internally sigh, shaking my head, muttering a curse under my breath. He's damn right, and he pushed the contract right in my face. This is what I signed for. "Are you just going to stand there and wait for you?"

"I'm coming!" I shout, rolling my eyes. He doesn't seem to mind.

My friends are already outside when they see me. Even Kevin is there. I guess Melody invited her. When she sees Wyatt behind my back, her grin immediately falters – they all do. She knows immediately that there's something wrong. Meanwhile, the others have this confused look on their faces like they can't understand what's happening.

Melody looks like she's about to confront Wyatt and tell him to fuck off. When her eyes meet mine, I hold it and merely shake my head. Regardless, Wyatt is still her boss – our boss – and they can't make a fuss about my situation or else we'd all be fired.

Honestly this is the first time that we're not going to hang out on a Friday night. Today is an exception, and like they say, there's a first time for everything. I know her night wouldn't be complete even if she hangs out with them, and my Friday night wouldn't be the same if she isn't part of it. We're besties – it's just the way it is. There are some things you can't do alone, but as long as you are with your best friend, there's no doubt you both could unleash hell together.

"Do you want to cancel tonight's plan?" She asks me, her brows furrowed and her eyes a bit sad, knowing that I can't come with them. I shake my head. "Are you sure?"

"Look," I begin. All their eyes are trained on me, like they are hoping I could ditch Wyatt and get on with our little Friday night party, but I can't. It's part of my job, and I can't do anything about it. The only way I can hang out with them is either Wyatt cancels this late dinner night with Mr. McKenzie or he changes his mind about bringing me. "You don't need to cancel tonight's plan. I'm hoping this would be done in like, an hour or two. I hope so. It's just a dinner with Mr. McKenzie and it really shouldn't take that long. In any case I can't really come and join you guys, I'd let you all know. You know I wouldn't ditch you guys."

"I really hate him." My best friend grits her teeth out. I know she's seconds away from screaming, and I just give her shoulders a light squeeze and I smile at her, telling her I'd be fine. "I don't even know why he became a boss. That prick."

"Don't ask me." I chuckle and Wyatt's car, I assume, comes into view and halts just in front of us. "Go on. Just text me and let me know if you all head to a different pub or yeah, just text me." She nods her head and my friends begin to walk away. I let out a frustrating sigh and grit my teeth, finding all of this irritating.

I never even noticed Wyatt took his car. He rolls down his car window and I immediately take that as a sign to get in the car. As I open the back seat's door, Wyatt scowls and glares at me. I arch my brow at him and become confused. Am I supposed to hail a cab? Did I get mistaken?

"What the hell are you doing?" he asks harshly, glaring daggers at me. If looks could kill, then I'd be dead already. His eyes are so intense, so angry, and in all these years, this is the first time I see his anger. It was a long time ago, but all the memories come rushing back into my head.

"Oh," I say dumbly. For a moment, my heart is racing and this is the time I'm contemplating whether I should run for my life and just let him kill me. "I'll just hail a cab then."

"What the fuck are you saying?" He gets off the car and rests his elbow on the hood, still glaring daggers at me. "Why are you going to hail a cab? Why were you choosing the back seat? Go take the passenger seat. What am I, your driver?"

Oh.

I feel like an idiot. Now that I think of it, he does look like my driver if I climbed in the back seat. That must have been a huge dent in his ego. I flush, cheeks reddening and I begin slapping my cheeks and a small laugh escapes my lips. Wyatt's expression changes for a moment before he scowls and I climb in the passenger seat. After I get in, he begins to speed and in no time he hits the road. The radio isn't even on, and I'm still feeling awkward because of what happened. The ride feels suffocating and it's awkward. His eyes are focused on the road, the way it should be, but my eyes seem to have a mind of its own. His strong jaw is clenched, and his neck is a bit exposed, letting me see his skin and a bit of his collarbone. I shut my eyes, shaking off the feeling. I can't believe I'm inside a car with my bully in high school and in life, yet I can't shrug the thought of how hot he is. What the fuck is wrong with me?

My thoughts keep coming back to his exposed neck and skin, and I wonder what my fingers would feel like when it makes contact with it. Oh for fuck's sake. Now I'm cursing why I became gay. Maybe they're right – those homophones, I mean. Maybe they're right; Satan is the reason why gays exist. Because if not, then why the fuck am I having these thoughts? The images of hot Wyatt inside my head, it's not getting away.

Maybe I really need to get drunk again.

The last time I got drunk, Melody and Matt had to carry me back home and basically had to babysit me because I was acting like a kid. But I needed that. I needed to drink because Wyatt was irritating me so much and I was so pissed and I needed a weapon so I could let myself free. And the alcohol was there and it was my best, best friend for the moment, not until I woke up and realized how fucking awful to have a hangover in the morning.

Finally, after a long painful drive (that or I'm just exaggerating things), we've finally arrived in the twenty-four seven diner. I've heard of this place before it's been rated as one of the best restaurants in New York. There are people who work a graveyard shift, and they come here when they're hungry. Not that I've been here. The restaurant is surrounded by big and tall buildings, and there are a lot of people, but since the restaurant is big, I doubt they have no problems when it comes to seating and tables.

I receive a text from Melody stating that they're now ordering drinks, but everyone feels solemn because of the fact that I'm not with them. I'd kill just to join them, but Wyatt needs me for some reason, and I've been saying this: it's part of my job. Although I'm not really sure why I have to join them.

Wyatt parks the car in front of the restaurant and we both get out. He makes his way inside and I follow him with heavy footsteps. As much as I don't want to be here and join my friends to have fun and drink our problems away, I can't. Although I can just hope that this dinner would get done as soon as possible because I can't really stand Wyatt right now. Technically he hasn't done anything that pissed me off, it's just he's irresistibly cute today and that pisses me off. I hate myself.

When we get side, the place isn't really packed. There are some people, in their business suits attire, chatting with I assume their friends or clients. But with the looks of papers and documents on their tables, I'd say they're here for business. I follow Wyatt until we reach our table. There, Mr. McKenzie is sat with a girl across from him. The girl is no doubt beautiful. Her eyes are a pale blue, and her lips are painted with nude pink. Her blonde hair is pulled back neatly, and she has some hair tucked behind her ears. She's wearing a simple white dress that compliments her beautiful face. She's showing a lot of skins, but you'd never think she's a slut. No, she's not. It's like her beauty is a gift that needs to be showed to everyone. If I were straight, I'd definitely hit on her. But I'm not, so booyah.

We reach the table and once the girl sees us, her eyes immediately switch to Wyatt and she stands up. Wyatt hugs her and kisses her on the lips and the girl smiles brightly. Ah, the girlfriend. Mr. McKenzie sees me and tells me to take a seat beside him, to which I oblige. Good thing that I'm not a third wheel here. He shakes my hand and begins to ask me how I am and if Wyatt is giving me a hard time. Wyatt hears his name and the question, and stares at me, waiting for my answer.

"It's been actually good," I tell Mr. McKenzie and he sighs in relief. I can still feel Wyatt's eyes on me so I let out a smile. If he thinks that I'd talk bad about him, then he's dead wrong – it's not my cup of tea. I may (maybe) hate him, but I'm not going to stoop that low. "I'm getting the perks of being a secretary and the hands of it. It's actually nice to do something different. You know how it gets boring if you've been doing the same stuff over the years."

"I exactly know how it feels," Mr. McKenzie grins, shaking his head. "That's why I let him take over. I've been mentoring Ajax about business. He's quite good at it and he's interested in numbers and graphical stats and all that, and when I let him have a taste of a little business, he wanted more. Until then, I decided to let him take over the company as the new CEO. The only thing he lacks of is, as I've been telling him, people skills."

"People skills, huh," My eyes meet Wyatt's and his eyes darken. I purse my lips and focus my attention on Mr. McKenzie. Mr. McKenzie is, in fact, correct. Wyatt doesn't know how to treat people well, even back in high school. I'm not sure if he's had real friends, like real, real friends, back in high school. Though he was always with his teammates, I'm not sure if he really considered them as friends. "I would have to agree with you on that. Wyatt wasn't really good with people, even back in high school." His eyes even get darker. He thinks I'm spewing shit about him. He probably thinks I'm ruining his image to Mr. McKenzie. "But he's well loved by the school. He's almost good at everything. I was quite a competition to him, and trust me, I had a hard time. He's that smart."

"That's why I suggested you to be his secretary because you got that trait, and you're good with it." He declares and I feel myself blushed at the compliment. "And it's even more amazing because you two knew each other in high school, and now you get to work with each other. Oh by the way, this pretty lady is Mia, Ajax's girlfriend. Mia, Pierson."

"But you can call me Pierce," I offer my hand and she takes it. She shakes my hand and smiles in the process. "You look lovely."

"Thank you," the hair tucked behind her ear falls and she tucks it back, still smiling at me. "I've heard stories about you. Ajax told me about you."

"He did?" I can't help but to look at Wyatt. He avoids eye contact and instead he watches his girlfriend and gives her a kiss on the cheek, to which she can't help but blush. It seems like the conversation about me is over and the waiter comes to us.

We tell the guy, who goes by name Kyle based on his nametag attached on his black shirt, our order. After we made our order we begin talking again. I learn that Mia likes art and she's been painting a lot and she likes to sell it online. Her business is doing quite well, and she has a lot of buyers. She also likes to draw chibi version of people and she would like to draw me as a chibi version. I agree with her and tell her I'm looking forward to seeing it.

It turns out Mr. McKenzie just wants to see me and Wyatt so he made an arrangement to have a dinner with him, to which Wyatt couldn't decline. The foods we ordered are served – mine is Angus beefsteak – and we begin gobbling the foods. It turns out Mia is a heavy eater. She ordered a lots of desserts and two heavy meals, just for herself. When Mr. McKenzie sees her order, he just shakes his head and a small smile plays on his lips. Meanwhile, Wyatt just looks at his girlfriend like she's the most precious thing. Before I eat, I send a quick text to my friends that I wouldn't be able to come join them since this dinner will take longer than I expected it to be.

Mr. McKenzie brags that I can sing French songs well and Mia wants to hear it out. They push me to it and since the restaurant is quite well-known, they have this small band of people on stage and Mr. McKenzie requests to the staff if I could sing with them and they all agree. I tell them no since I'm not really that of a performer, but Mia and Mr. McKenzie practically beg me. I just internally sigh and take a deep breath.

The whole trip to the stage makes me feel heavy, and it doesn't help the fact that I can feel Wyatt's eyes trained on me, burning at the back of my head. I am given a guitar since Mr. McKenzie told them I'd be better if I have a guitar on to play with. The people inside the restaurant stop at what they're doing and their eyes trained on me, but for some reason, I can only focus on Wyatt. Our eyes meet and I begin to strum the strings of the guitar, creating a soft melody before I begin singing La Vie En Rose.

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Author's Note: How are you liking the progress of the story so far? I know I update slow, but here's a long chapter just to make up for it! While I was writing this chapter, I've been playing La Vie En Rose because it's so good to listen to, and it sounds romantic and it has this calming effect on me that makes me focus. Yes, yes, I know what you're thinking - I'm a hopeless romantic guy, so DATE ME. PLEASE *laughs*

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