Love At Last

A POSSIBLE HIDDEN AGENDA

For heaven’s sake, ‘was Brielle being serious about what she just said to our boss?’ I was stunned by her sudden reply. Yesterday when I went to pick Brielle from the airport, I conceded to letting her stay over at my house because I thought she only wanted to spend the night and leave the next is day which apparently was today. Now, like what she said yesterday meant something else I couldn’t get, she told our boss she was my roommate; I wasn’t so happy with the reply she gave.

“You’re his roommate?,” our boss asked.

“Yes sir,” Brielle affirmed. I already said earlier that Brielle just came over and now? She could literally paint me as a pathetic liar and a loser in front of our boss if the worst should happen.

“Mr. Cayden?” he called me, making my heart to sink.

“Yes sir!”

“She’s staying with you?” he questioned.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“Umm…apparently…she…,” I stumbled with words as I didn’t know exactly how to squirm my way out of the sticky situation she got me in.

“It’s okay if she stays with you,” to my greatest surprise, he replied. He didn’t seem ticked off that she stayed with me; rather, he felt relieved.

“It’s okay? I asked mildly. I was astonished by his leniency. I thought he was going to make an issue out of me lying and express his not being okay with Brielle staying with me at my house.

“Yes, it’s find by me, “he affirmed. “Miss Brielle here…,” he gestured over the screen towards her direction, “is hardly comfortable with anyone,” he completed his statement. I wasn’t surprised by what he said for I sensed that personality in her also but surprisingly enough, never for once witnessed it myself as she was pretty cool to me.

“I’m happy you both are getting along pretty well or…am I mistaking?” he asked staring at us both.

“Absolutely not, sir,” I concurred for I didn’t have the nerve to say otherwise. “We’re okay,” I added, looking at Brielle’s face through the screen and I sensed a weird expression on her face like she had something else in mind. I wondered if she played with her words yesterday and made me let her sleep over intentionally.

“Have a wonderful day ahead,” he said.

“And you too sir..” “yes sir and you too,” we replied simultaneously. I hit the ‘leave meeting’ button, shut the laptop and turned to face Brielle.

“What?” she asked casually.

“What do you mean by ‘what?’? What was that for?” I fired.

“What exactly are you talking about? Why the fuss?” feigning ignorance still, she asked.

“I thought you were only going to spend the night here, what’s this about being my roommate and all that?” I voiced out, sounding a bit annoyed.

“Can you please relax and hear me out?” she requested.

“I’m calm,” I gave a witty reply.

“Staying together like this would make our boss worry less and also save you stress and besides, my stay here is strictly professional,” she explained calmly.

“How exactly is your stay here alleviating me?” I didn’t understand that part of what she said and requested for a clarification.

“We’re partners right?” she asked.

“Right,” I affirmed.

“How would you feel if you’re always asked of my whereabouts especially when we have meetings like this one?”

What was she saying? That didn’t sound like an ‘excuse’. “That’s just ridiculous. How could you even conceive the idea of staying over at my place? Have you no fear?” I scolded.

“Fear of what or who exactly?” she retorted; her tone portraying ‘I’m done trying to explain things to this guy’. “Fear of you?” she jeered and scoffed.

“It’s not necessarily about being literally scared. We’re both unmarried and without sexual partners or do you have any?…” I paused and asked her, “no, that would be even more brazen…,” I answered for her. “We’re both unmarried and without sexual partners and you still claim to see nothing wrong with it?” I recited Lily’s lines, trying to explain the angle I came from.

“This is the twenty-first century, Mr. Cayden! Don’t go about talking like someone in the fifteenth century,” she backfired.

“That’s really not the case here, you know? Twenty first century or not, I’m not comfortable with letting you stay with me. I’m a man and I have blood running through my veins, okay?…” I gestured by holding out my left hand and poking it continuously, “I have feelings,” I concluded. “I can’t guarantee I’d keep to myself and not try something else,” I added.

We argued continuously with neither of us wanting to yield or give in to the other. I stressed the fact that my problem was that I was just uncomfortable, and she kept jeering at me, telling me my way of thinking was quite archaic.

“Listen. I totally understand if you’re uncomfortable with me being around you but what I just can’t and won’t try to understand in any way, is why you’re lashing me out right now,” she retaliated. “If you don’t want me around, you could just tell me to leave your house and I would comply! It’s that simple, okay?”

“You still don’t get it?” I decreased my voice signifying I was no longer vouching for an argument; arguing with her led us nowhere. We had to reach an agreement.

“There’s absolutely nothing to get, Mister Cayden,” she called out formally.

“Why don’t you see reasons with…,” I tried to request and she cut me off.

“I’m not in the least interested in you,” she blurted; of course that was a lie. She was completely swept off her feet when she saw me for the very first time. “My stay here is strictly professional, okay? You don’t have to be bothered by me. If what I suggest is still not fine by you, you could as well throw me out, I said that before.” I noticed the change in her tone – she sounded a bit more serious this time, wearing an expressionless look instead of a cheesed- off one.