Secret to the grave.

Nick arrived at the office early in the morning, because while he was at home his mother was nagging in his ears until he was damn sure his ears were going to bleed. She kept asking him to take a break and rest at home but he was fine and he didn't even receive any shock, other than being carried around in the arms of a woman. Cough.

Heading to the break room, he took out a coin and inserted it in the vending machine to get a coffee so that his sleepiness would be washed away but just then a figure crept behind him and —— SMACK!

This time it wasn't a smack at his shoulder or arm or waist but his butt ——- Nick jumped, completely caught off guard by the person behind him and pressed the button for the can of soda instead of coffee. As he watched the can slip down and fall in the dent beneath the vending machine's beverage compartment. Nick felt his heart hurt more than his butt, this was the end of the month! He couldn't afford to waste an extra cents and he even had to buy some eggs on the way when he was returning to his home.

" Senior! What are you doing?" Without even looking back, Nick knew who was the culprit behind this, as he turned to glare at the culprit behind him, his gaze fell on Marcus who was grinning rather cheekily at him.

"Oopsie, I was just trying to greet you," said Marcus as he rubbed the back of his head and looked at the can of soda in Nick's hand. " In the mood for a bit of light drinking aren't you, anyway who drinks soda in the morning, aren't you afraid that you will have to take bathroom breaks while working on the tally?"

Nick clenched the can in his hands and gritted his teeth, he wasn't a violent person but he would totally love to throw this can at his senior at this moment!

" Whose fault do you think this is, huh??" snapped Nick as he glared at Marcus, hoping that his glares could do some serious damage to this man who just doesn't learn a thing from his experience! Just how many times people have told him not to do something like this but he never listens does he? So annoying and so frustrating!

" Alright, don't cry like that. I will buy you a new one as for the soda I will keep it in the refrigerator of the employee's section" said Marcus as he took out a few coins and inserted them in the vending machine and handed a coffee to Nick after he was finished buying it. " Seriously, with this attitude of yours I am surprised that you were able to save a girl, how did you even do it?"

As soon as Nick heard Marcus's words, he choked and started coughing as he started sputtering after taking that sip of the coffee.

Marcus watched him from the sideline and once in a while patted his back before sincerely speaking, "It's not my fault this time, you see?"

Nick paused in his coughing and then glared at the man with a hateful gaze. "It is your fault, senior!"

" Seriously?" Marcus let out an exasperated drawl as he shook his head. " I just asked you a simple question and nothing more."

But that wasn't Nick's concern at the moment, he simply placed the coffee can on the table next to him and stared Marcus right in the eye, if he wasn't worried about affecting his image at the company, he would have also shaken the guy completely by the collar of his shirt. " Who told you this, were you there at the time of the incident?"

If so then the most embarrassing moment of his life was witnessed by someone really annoying!

Marcus shook his head, he raised his hand and made a gesture of call before answering Nick's question. " It was your mother, she called me yesterday to let me know that you were having a day off and that was when she told me that you dashingly saved a really pretty girl on the day you were almost entangled with the mafia men."

Nick's heart thudded violently against his chest —— MOTHER!

He couldn't understand why his mother couldn't keep this matter a secret? He even asked her to stay put and don't gossip about it. But she still went ahead and told Marcus about it!

Marcus was completely oblivious to the things that were going on in Nick's head as he smiled and patted his shoulder. " I heard from your mother that you gallantly rushed to save that girl who was so shocked that she fainted a great job, Nicky."

Unconsciously, Nick's eyes scrunched up. It was true that the girl fainted but that was after she picked him up in a princess carry despite her shoulder being shot and with blood blinding her vision and rushed to a safe zone.

In fact, Nick didn't even want to remember what happened after the girl fainted, she seemed to be a rich family's mistress because as soon as she fainted countless cars jammed the road. And her brother with his dashing blue eyes and rich black hair, stepped out of those pricey cars, took one look at his sister who was unconscious and asked, " did she try to save you? It's unlikely for this bear child to faint so easily."

Even now Nick could feel the mortification as the girl's brother picked his sister up in one arm and him in another before carrying both of them to the car. He was so surprised by the strength of the two siblings that he almost asked what kind of meals were they exactly eating?

It was nothing but an embarrassment on his part that two youngsters could pick him with such ease.

( Derren Blake, age almost forty: oh you jester)

No, wait! Nick's eyes widened as he hurriedly fished out his phone from his back pockets. If his mother told Marcus about this then she surely would have also told it too ——his RELATIVES!

He opened the messaging app and sure enough, all his relatives were praising him for his gallant and brave behaviour.

Nick read some of those messages and close his cellphone with a blank expression—— Yup he was never going to tell anyone about what happened back then, this secret he was going to take it to his grave.