Chapter 6

Chapter 6

There was only one time when Wyatt heard me singing. It was back in high school and it was lunch time, and I was with Melody and the other friends I had who I have no contact with in the present. I was munching on my burger, and Melody had gotten fries. We shared a lot of stuff, even when it comes to food. So she took a bite and I took a couple of her fries. We were in the cafeteria, and as usual, it was packed and busy. Everyone was minding their own business. It was noisy, so we had to speak a bit louder in order to be heard. Singing was our hobby. Melody used to bring iPod and we shared the same taste in music. We are both suckers to old music. We both agreed that old and classic songs are much better than what it's being produced presently.

We still had thirty minutes before the bell rings, and Melody and I decided to spend it wisely by having a mini karaoke at the back of the school where no one usually entered or went to. When we got there, it was quiet and you could only hear the distant noises of the students who were shouting across the hall about some homework stuff. I tuned it out, and that's when Melody pulled out her iPod from her pocket and she started telling me about the old songs she had downloaded. Of course, the songs were from Westlife and Linda Ronstandt.

And yes, you guess it right - she downloaded it illegally.

No shame with that though. Almost everyone does that.

Even my mother was baffled when she learned I liked old songs, and her statement was always "You were even not born yet when those songs came out, how'd you even know it?" and I would just give her a casual shrug. The last time I countered by saying there's this called internet, I was smacked at the back of my head. An experience I wouldn't want to experience again. Let's just say my mother had heavy palms because she used to play volleyball when she was in her early teen throughout her mid-twenties.

My best friend handed me her iPod and she groaned when she forgot something in the cafeteria. She settled her bag against the concrete wall and scurried away to the cafeteria. I unlocked her iPod since I knew her lock code, and scrolled through hundreds of songs before I chose the only relaxing song I'd like to listen to. I plugged the earphones to my ears and hit shuffle.

It was Blue Bayou by Linda Ronstandt.

As soon as the song began playing, when she started singing, I joined her. It was really calming - there were no high notes and heavy drums and beats, and the sound of her voice was relaxing. You could clearly feel the emotion of the song. It's not that I was a sucker for love, but when she sang, it almost makes you feel the experience of being in love.

So I joined her. When I got my earphones plugged in, it's like the world in front of you fades and you don't care how loud your voice is, so you just keep singing. That's what I did. I kept singing and it didn't matter if I was loud, or if my singing was awful. But then again, I knew I had a good singing voice. Consciously I was waiting for my best friend to come back, but she wasn't here yet so I was assuming she was still looking for the stuff she misplaced in the cafeteria. Sometimes she was a mess and she always misplaced things.

The song ended and I unplugged the earphones from my ears, and suddenly a clap was heard and it jolted me out of my seat. I looked frantically and saw, just a few meters away from me, his back rested on one of the big trees, Wyatt. His eyes bored into mine and I felt shiver run down my spine. His eyes were intense, and his lips were set on a thin line. There was no reaction on his face, and I tried to search for one. However Wyatt was so good at masking his emotions when it came to me. I didn't know if he was praising me or mocking me when he clapped. One thing was for sure though, he heard me singing and somehow, I was waiting for his compliments even though I knew I wouldn't receive one. He was my enemy and we were far from beings friends for him to throw me a single compliment. Wyatt looked like he wanted to say something but judged against it. He left me alone with the iPod and earphones in my hands, and I was almost gripping the iPod. I let out a sigh and that's when Melody came back, relief flooding her face and she sat beside me, taking the iPod and she started scrolling through her playlist.

I sat there, not knowing what to feel. Wyatt just heard me singing, which wasn't really a big deal. But no one really heard me singing except for my best friend and my close family. They knew I had a bit of passion when it came to music. I was irritated of myself because I wished he would say something about my singing skill, but clearly, I expected more and a rush of disappointment went into my system and I only let out a frustrated sigh. Melody looked at me, raising a brow, but she didn't question me. She knew the irritation would pass by and I'd feel okay again.

After that encounter, I swore to myself I would never sing in the school grounds again.

And he never did hear me singing again.

Not until tonight.

Once the dinner is done, I have received a text from Melody that they've gone home already. She sent me a brief details in the text, and she sends a follow-up message that she'd tell on Monday when we meet again. I send her a quick reply, telling them how sorry I am about not being able to come with them and quickly she sends a response. She tells me that it's okay, and that there's always a next time. I sigh in relief, grateful to have such a good and loving friend like Melody. We're practically brother and sister, and we have this strong bond that cannot be cut. I'm glad to have her in my life. I put my phone back in my pocket.

We're all stuffed and I check the time. It's just quarter to midnight, and I'm quite sleepy. Mr. McKenzie calls it a night and decides to end our fun. He thanks me for joining them - I want to tell him that Wyatt gave me no choice but to come with him but I keep my mouth shut - and shakes my hand.

"Are you fine going home by yourself?" Mr. McKenzie asks me.

As I'm about to answer him, Wyatt cuts in and says, "I'll take him home."

I narrow my eyes at him suspiciously and he seems to sense it as he looks my way, arching a brow. I refuse to put up a fight because I would just end up losing and he would end up roasting me. Plus, I'm already tired and I just want to go home and feel the comfort of my bed. I would give up anything just for me to be in my bed right now.

Wyatt's girlfriend, Mia, kisses Mr. McKenzie on the cheek and bids him goodbye. He climbs in his Audi car and waits for him to hit the road. Once he does, he motions for his girlfriend to enter his car, to which Mia obliges happily. She gives her hair a little flip and winks at her boyfriend and I resist the urge to gag and make a face.

Despite telling myself that I don't want to argue anymore, I fish my phone out of my pocket and open the Uber app, and then book a car. A few seconds later, my screen lights up and tells me that my book has been accepted. It's a Toyota Vios.

"Is that an Uber?" Mia asks as she sticks her nose up on my nose and I jump slightly, shocked that she's here beside me. I thought she already climbed in her boyfriend's car. "I thought Ajax is taking you home? He's waiting in the car."

"Oh no," I give her a small smile. "It's okay. He doesn't need to do that. I have already booked a car and he's just 3 minutes away, so it's really okay. I don't want to bug you guys anymore. You guys can go home. This has been a tiring day for all of us and I miss my bed already."

"Um," Mia says as she looks from me to her boyfriend. "I would suggest you cancel the booking now because Ajax is... well, I assume you know how he is."

I nod at her, getting what she's saying. Wyatt is a persistent bastard.

Soon enough, Wyatt gets out of his car and calls out his girlfriend's name and me. I show him my phone, indicating that I've already booked an Uber and that's when he rolls his eyes, closes the door of his car loudly, and walks towards me. Mia watches her boyfriend and once Wyatt is within reach, he takes my phone out of my hands and cancels the booking. I look at him in shock, trying to decipher as to why he would do that. Mia just looks at me with an 'I told you so' look and leaves us alone.

"I told you I'd bring you home," Wyatt says gruffly as he glares at me. I don't know why he's adamant to take me home when I can clearly take care of myself and book an Uber so I can get home. "Don't even argue with me, Pierson."

"Yes, boss." I add that comment just to piss him off and Wyatt arches a brow at me, irritation clear in his face. "Can I get my phone back, please? The reason why I don't want you bringing me home is because I don't want to go home yet." Lies.

"Where are you going then?"

"Why do you ask?" I counter, crossing my arms. His left eye twitches, indicating that he doesn't find all of this a bit funny. And in his body gesture, left eye twitching means he's pissed. I've known him since high school, and I know some of his body gestures already. "But fine, I don't want to go anyway. I just want to sleep. So if the offer is still up... I'd take it, or I can just book another Uber."

"Hop in," he seems relief and I just brush it away. He seems exhausted and I wonder what happened at work earlier. It almost seems like he's stressed.

"I still want my phone back though." I raise my hand and Wyatt puts my phone on my palm, our skin brushing and it sends shiver down my spine. The contact is just for a couple of seconds, hell, it's not even a second and I felt the warmth of his skin. For some reason, there's this urge to make another skin contact with him. "Thanks."

I head to his car where Mia is waiting patiently for us. She smiles at me and I climb at the back seat, feeling like a third wheel. I puff an air, slightly irritated at how commanding he is. There will be a time where I will not be able to hold myself back and just smack his head. I can tell it's near. But for now, I need myself composed. The last thing I want to happen tonight is punching him in the face and get fired immediately. I'd be in a lot of trouble. If I ever did punch him in the face, then he'd retaliate. Not only he's intelligent, but he's all brawn too if needed. He'd been in countless fights in high school, and his enemy either ended up getting rest for a week or two, or they'd transferred to a different school.

That's also one thing he hated about me, though. Though he was constantly being praised for his good looks and consistent high grades, he'd always get a scolding about his attitude and the way he carried himself off. The teachers low-key didn't like him, but he was precious to them. He was smart, athletic, and cooperative if needed. He really was a great competition to me.

Wyatt hops in the driver seat, puts his car in reverse, and in less than a minute we're hitting the road. He tells me that he'd drop Mia off first and I just hum in response, not really wanting to open my mouth. I'm still irritated so I refuse to talk. I might say something trashy that would result me getting thrown out of a moving car.

Suddenly my phone rings and I take a look at the screen. It's an unknown caller - the number isn't saved on my phone. I let it ring for a few seconds before deciding to answer it. It could be an important call or something.

"Hello, who's this?" I greet and I see Wyatt looking at me through the rear mirror. I quickly avert my gaze and focus on the caller.

"Hey," the person on the other line speaks, his voice a bit deep. I immediately recognize the voice.

"Kevin?" I ask for confirmation and he hums in response. Two pairs of eyes are now boring at me. One is through the rear mirror, and Mia's head is turned my way, looking at me intently. "What's up?"

"Nothing," he rasps. There's a five-second silence before he speaks again. "I just wanted to check up on you because you seemed upset earlier. Ajax is kind of a douche, isn't he? Anyways, that's what I would like to know. Are you already home?"

"Yes and no, I'm not." I ignore the two pair of eyes trained at me. "But thank you. I'm about to go home. Don't worry. There's always a next time. I told Melody I wouldn't miss it next time."

"Would you like me to pick you up? I can do it."

"No, that's fine. No need to pick me up, but thank you for offering." I chuckle, shaking my head. Kevin seems to have been paying attention to me. "Seriously, go to sleep. It's already midnight."

"Alright, alright," Kevin chortles and I can imagine him raising his hands up. "But if you need something, just don't hesitate to call or text me, okay?"

"Okay,"

"Go home safely and good night, Pierce."

"Good night, Kevin." He ends the call and I see a smug smile on Mia's lips. "What?"

"Who's that? Your boyfriend?" Mia winks at me and giggles, fixing her hair in a bun.

The driver, Wyatt, rolls his eyes and pretends he didn't hear his girlfriend's assumption. He turns his eyes back on the road and focus on driving. Good. I don't want to end up in the hospital. I shake my head at Mia and she just throws me a playful smirk, turning her attention to her driving boyfriend and I ignore them both. Somehow the thought of Kevin being my boyfriend fills my head. I'm not really sure why. It must have been because of his call. I appreciate it, though – Kevin checking up on me is nice. I let out a smile, thinking of Kevin's kindness and I accidentally look at the rear mirror. Wyatt's eyes are on me again and for some reason it makes me uncomfortable. When he stares at me, it's so bold and he doesn't look away. It's intimidating me, and I can't help but feel awkward.

I'm not even sure why he keeps looking at me. Maybe he wants to say something to me. But I doubt that. He's a loud-mouthed bastard, and he really doesn't have a filter on when he speaks. He could be silently judging me; I mean, this is Wyatt we're talking about. He hated - hates - my guts and if he had the power to remove my existence, he would do it in a heartbeat. His reason as to why he hates me still baffles me. Just because I'm gay doesn't give him the right to hate me. But hey, his mind doesn't work properly. I'm not sure how he was raised by his parents - and I'm not going to judge that by the way - but I'd really appreciate it if he widens his understanding and mind.

A few minutes later, Wyatt halts the car to a stop. Mia bids good night and kisses her boyfriend on the lips. I look away, feeling awkward and a third wheel. She climbs out of the car and waits for Mia to enter the building. Turns out she's living in a condominium. Once she enters the building, Wyatt turns to look at me, twisting his body in the process. He looks between me and empty seat beside him.

"Um, what?" I ask him, trying to be oblivious. Sadly he doesn't want to take the hint that I don't want to sit beside him. I'm still pissed at him, at least slightly.

He rolls his eyes at me and glares. "Switch your seat, idiot. I'm not your driver."

"You, sir, are verbally attacking me." I cross my arms at him and match his glare. Just because he is my boss doesn't give him the right to degrade me. If my mom hears him saying that, he'd get a punch in the face real hard.

"Don't be a drama king, Pierson." Wyatt argues as he scowls. "Switch your goddamn sit, or else I'll carry your ass here." He growls and I let out a sigh. Exhaustion is beginning to really creep up on me and I just want to have a good night sleep. Without putting up another verbal fight, I climb out of the back seat only to climb in the passenger seat. The seat is still warm from his girlfriend's ass and as I take a seat, I purposely glare at him and he glares back. "What's your address?"

"Avalon Fort Greene," I grumble, resting my chin on my palm, my elbow resting on the windowsill. I look outside through the mirror and even though it's midnight already, the streets are still a bit crowded with people.

It turns out Wyatt knows the place as he immediately speeds up, not giving me a time to buckle up. He has seen my little dilemma when I almost fall out of my seat and he suppresses a laugh. I shoot him a glare but he completely ignores me. Once I'm comfortable seated, I buckle up and roll my eyes at him. Despite that we're already in our mid-twenties, he still acts like a child. A comfortable silence falls upon us, and I begin humming. The radio isn't turned on, and I'm glad it isn't. The songs being played throughout the night are great, but I don't really feel like listening to it. From the corner of my eyes, I see Wyatt nodding his head and a smile tugs on my lips, which I immediately remove. It just dawns on me that I'm alone in the car with my boss, with Wyatt, and he's taking me home. It's not a big deal, but Wyatt is like, extremely attractive and despite the reason that I don't like him as my boss because he bullied me in high school and his attitude altogether, I can still appreciate his beauty. I internally groan. The last thing I want to happen is for me to like him and it might lead to something more.

I feel like a masochist.

"So you and Kevin, huh..." He leaves his sentence hanging. That makes me look at him. "I never thought he's gay..."

My brows furrow and I scrunch my nose up in confusion. "He's not."

Now it's his turn to be confused. His eyes leave the road and meet mine. I shake my head, indicating that there's no romance going on between me and Kevin. Yes, Kevin is cute and really attractive, but he's not really my type. Also, he's straight. Right?

"But I thought he was your boyfriend?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Because he called you." He answers like it's the best and logical response to my counter-question. I cross my arms across my chest, narrowing my eyes. I think he might have had a head surgery because now, he's being dumb.

"If you call me and I answer, does that make you automatically my boyfriend?" I arch a brow, waiting for his answer.

"No,"

"Now you realize how stupid you sound," Wyatt glares at me and I shut my mouth.

Clearly he isn't in the mood to deal with my snarky remarks and comebacks - when was he in the mood anyway? But I can't help it. Sometimes he asks stupid questions and that makes me want to blurt out equally stupid answers. I always get myself in trouble because of how my mouth works. A lot of insults come out of it, and the words that come out of my mouth are sometimes really offensive. What can I say? I have developed a dark humor to certain things.

Sighing, I say, "He was just checking up on me because he thought I was upset."

"Because you weren't able to join them?" I hum in response, nodding my head. For a moment he remains silent, his eyes are trained on the road again, but he seems distant. I can practically see his mind wandering around. As he does that, I look out on the road. I just don't want to die yet. "Next time you have any plans, always let me know so I can make an arrangement just to avoid conflicts.­ Dinner was planned already, and it didn't cross my mind that you had a plan tonight."

I take a deep, long breath and let out a big sigh. Of course, he wouldn't think of that. In his eyes, his schedule always comes first and mine is not important. Had I known that this secretary job would be tough, I wouldn't have accepted this position. Money was one of the reasons why I accepted this role, and I low-key wanted to piss him off in the process as I work under him. But now it seems like it backfired on me. I signed up for this and I cannot really back down now. As per the contract, I cannot take my old position back for some unknown reason. Regardless I signed the contract, and now I'm suffering. I nod my head at him, acknowledging what he said. At least we could try to avoid conflicts when it comes to my personal schedule, so that's a great thing, right?

Avalon Fort Greene building comes into view and I sigh in relief. Being with Wyatt alone makes me awkward and tensed. It could be the fact that he's intimidating me, or that I still consider him as my enemy. Or it could be the fact that I find him really hot, especially with his suit on and his slightly disheveled hair. We arrive and Wyatt slowly parks the car to the side. As I climb out the passenger seat, he rolls his window down.

"Thank you for giving me a lift," I give him a small smile and a blow of wind passes us by, messing his already disheveled hair and he doesn't even bother to fix it. Instead he just gives me a nod and doesn't say anything. I figure we'd just leave it at that, so I turn on my heel and start to walk away when his voice stops me.

"It was a fun night," he calls out and I turn around, and there's a small smile playing on his lips. "I have always liked you voice. You sing with so much emotion."

I cough, hiding the blush tinting my cheeks. I rub the back of my neck and it's a mistake that I look him in the eyes because it only deepens my blush. "Thanks, I guess."

"Don't let it get into your head, Pierson." He throws me a smirk. "This is probably the last time I'm going to compliment your voice. Good night and thank you for tonight. See you on Monday." He doesn't give me the time to response. Instead he rolls the window up and speeds away, leaving me with blushing cheeks and mouth agape.

I can't believe it: my enemy slash boss complimented my voice and admitted that he's always liked it. Great. Now I really need to distance myself from him. This can't be good. Wyatt is acting weird; he's supposed to hate me and not say positive words to me. I groan and stomp my foot on the ground, turning around and cursing under my breath. Wyatt is surely messing with my head.

Despite that I'm exhausted and spent already, I can't sleep. And in my head, I'm repeating Wyatt's words – he has always liked my voice.

******

Author's Note: Someone is confused. This is a pretty long chapter, guys! This is so I could make it up to you. I only update once a week, and sometimes, it could take a week or two before I even get to publish it. So my goal is always to make each chapter longer than what I intend to do. This chapter has 4,239 words. Usually I only like, stop when it reaches 1,500-2,000 but this story is an exception.

If you want to know, I'm a sucker for old and classic songs and I love Blue Bayou so much. My mom sings it every time we plug our portable karaoke. And ever since then, it has been my favorite. So yes, I took a piece of my trait and shared it with Pierce and Melody. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter!

So what do you think about their dinner? What would be the reason why Wyatt would talk about Pierce to his girlfriend? Let me know what you think!

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