Mirth

Chapter thirty-seven

She felt a lot better with Jaden's presence. She was glad that he thought of keeping her company. 

"Oh my God! What if Mr Williams doesn't find us at the office?" She suddenly asked.

"Relax Anna, I sorted that out already." He said, winking. "I'll surely get a notification from someone inside if anything goes wrong." 

"Jaden, thank you so much." She said, meaning every single word. She gave him a little squeeze on his hand as she thanked him.

"You can count me as a friend, Anna." He smiled, showing his perfect white teeth again as he shot her a glance. "If you need anyone to talk to, you can always talk to me."

"I really appreciate this Jaden." She thanked him again, giving him the puppy-eyed look. "But, how come you never spoke to me until now?" She suddenly asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. She was sure that he hadn't said a "hello" or a "hi" to her. There's no way she wouldn't have noticed if he had, especially with the way almost everyone in the company was very unfriendly. They decided that taking after the CEO and having his DNA was the best option.

"I've actually made attempts to talk to you on several occasions. It just seemed almost impossible with the way you're almost always with the CEO." He smiled. "Of course, I wouldn't expect lesser, you're his personal assistant after all." It seemed as though smiling was second nature for him because she could not count the number of times he'd smiled since he came.

"And for the very few times when you're not with Mr Williams, you're always so glued on your laptop that you wouldn't even notice anyone." He added, as if to clear any further doubts she'd be having concerning her question. 

Anna nodded slowly, as she took in his explanation. 

"By the way, we've had an encounter. Except that you were unconscious when we did." He said after a long pause.

"We did?" She asked, clearly in oblivion. "When was that?" She questioned. 

"Remember the company's anniversary a few days back?" He questioned and Anna's eyes widened in surprise. "I was at the dinner party. By the way, I must commend your looks on that day, even if it's a long time now." He chortled. "You looked absolutely breathtaking that day. I mean, it's not that you don't look beautiful now- I mean, you are a very attractive lady. You know what I mean." He said running his free hand along his tousled hair again.

Anna simply smiled as he spoke. It seemed as though he ran his hand through his hair anytime he was shy, nervous or somewhat embarrassed. He was really cute. She thought. 

"Thank you for the compliment." She said, smiling widely at him.

"You were the spotlight that day. Everyone could not stop staring at you. Immediately you walked in, it was as though you hypnotized almost everyone with your presence." He said, gesticulating.

"Oh no! Don't flatter me." She said sheepishly and a blush crept on her cheeks.

"Why would I? I mean, I have no reason to. I'm just stating an obvious fact." He shrugged. 

"So, you said we had an encounter that day?" She asked, bringing his attention back. 

"Yes. I was hoping to talk to you that day but it seemed almost impossible. I'd thought that the CEO would introduce you formally to all the other employees. But apparently, he didn't as he was so obsessed with showing you off to the company's investors and I'd confess that I was a bit hurt." He chuckled.

"Aww..." She said pitifully, laughing like a drain. 

"When I saw you get up from your seat, imagine how delighted I was. You know, the joy that comes with knowing that you'd finally get the chance to have a one-on-one talk with the woman that pretty much dazzled everyone- the very centre of attention." Jaden gesticulated again and Anna could only laugh. 

"I'm scared that I'd break my ribs from laughing so hard. You know how to pretty well exaggerate something, you know?" She said, grinning. "I must confess, you didn't look to me like a comedian when you handed me that handkerchief. You looked more like a nerd to me," Anna said, still smiling.

"Well, that's why there is the saying that appearance and reality are two very different things. They could most times be mutually exclusive." He added.

"Well, I decided to follow you to at least have a conversation with you, but God was definitely not on my side that day." He muffled his laughter.

"Do you know what happened, Anna? I had a night baptism."