Sucks-3

　　I continue, “I hope the interior fits your liking, but we can still request and change—” 

　　He raises his hands to stop me from babbling like an idiot, showing me his long fingers. 

　　My heart pounds in my chest. I feel my face heat when our gazes meet again. I have to break it because Bash is hypnotizing me with those gray orbs that I once took a closer look at. 

　　My lips dry instantly.

　　“You didn’t come to the party my family threw out for me two days ago,” he says in a low voice. 

　　Is he expecting me to be there? Wow! 

　　I grab some files on top of his desk that I placed them perfectly. I grab the iPad where I saved all his appointment and my notes. I’m not supposed to do that, but I can’t just fidget in front of him or gawk at him for the rest of the day. I hug them to my chest to somehow calm my racing heartbeat. 

　　“I sent Lizzy a message that I couldn’t come,” I reply nonchalantly, then I continue to avoid stuttering, “So, as you know, I’m your new assistant; temporarily, and my office is just adjacent to yours.” I point at the door to his left. I look at him like he’s my man-whoring boss who cheated on his girlfriends. 

　　I tap on his schedule on my iPad—it’s company property.

　　“You have a meeting in less than ten minutes.” I look at his schedule and read it to him like a normal assistant-boss conversation.

　　“Trinity, just leave the meeting for a while, can you?”

　　I swallow hard when he moves closer to me. I feel everything around me disappear, and the tension between us radiates. 

　　“Okay, you’re the boss. I placed all the paper works that was left by Mr. Peter Williams,” I agree.

　　“I’m not interested in that either,” he snaps.

　　I almost collapse. Oh, lord, please? Give me some magic to turn into an ant or at least a portal to transport me to the other world.

　　“What happened to you, Trinity?” he asks, looking at me intensely. I can’t help but amaze at how he looks so handsome right now. 

　　“What happened to me?” I ask back, pointing at myself. “Nothing bad happened to me, Mr. Hughes. If you don’t want me as your assistant, by all means, please, just ask HR for my replacement,” I answer with a firm voice. 

　　Thank God! I don’t stutter like I always do when I get nervous.

　　“That’s not what I mean,” he says. I act like I’m not affected; it hurts though, and I want to die right now.

　　“Stop calling me Mr. Hughes. You’re my best friend.”

　　“Were. Ex-best friend, Mr. Hughes. You are my boss, so it’s only proper to address you as—” I answer quickly, but he interjects.

　　“I am your boss, so do as I say.” He sounds intimidating. 

　　Crap! He’s angry. 

　　“Sure,” I answer, defeated. I look down at the empty chair in front of me. I place down the file that I took as my shield.

　　“I came to see you before my flight to the U.K, but you were not there. You went to your grandparents in Boston.” He starts talking, and I can’t help but listen to his deep baritone voice—his sexy voice. I miss it. 

　　“I wanted to apologize that day and take back our friendship, Trinity, but you didn’t even answer my calls nor replied to my messages,” he continues.

　　“It doesn’t matter. That was four years ago.” I continue my facade.

　　He snorts. “That’s it? I mean, you just wasted our friendship for years with just one mistake I made, and you made mistakes too, Trinity.”

　　I face him. The last time I checked, he was the one who yelled at me and pushed me away from his life. “I don’t want to be your friend, Bash, Can’t you understand that? Your friends, classmates, and girlfriends thought I was just your slave. I’m a dog under your leash. Your personal maid!” Boss or not, I don’t care. 

　　I could lose the job that I love, but he keeps pushing me like it was my mistake alone. 

　　“Did I listen to them even once? How many times did I fight for you against them? How many times did I choose you against my girlfriends? How many times did I defend you against those freaking losers, Trinity? How many times?” His voice makes me want to sink into the floor.

　　“I don’t care. I have friends now. I’m sure you made friends with Brits.” And you have a Brit girlfriend.

　　“You’re such an immature!” he snaps.

　　“You’re an asshole!” Oops! I shouldn’t have said that.

　　“Watch your tone and your language when you’re in my office, Trinity. I’m still your boss.” Crap! He sounds angrier. And just his voice almost makes me jump. He did really change a lot. He’s more intimidating, more mature, and hotter. I don’t mean that last word.

　　“My apology, Mr. Hughes,” I say silently by force.

　　“Don’t I get a welcome back hug?” he asks with a soft voice this time. My head almost snaps as I look up at him.

　　Bipolar!

　　This man is unbelievable.

　　“That’s inappropriate. Meeting in less than four minutes, Mr. Seb Hughes will introduce you like the new CFO.” I didn’t realize he moves closer to me and grabs the iPad from my hand forcefully.

　　“Dinner with Luke; to discuss the engagement?” He taps it and reads slowly. He almost drops it to the floor before he throws it to the empty chair that serves our gap. I watch his jaw clench and breathe so deep before he walks away without a single word. The last thing I hear is the slamming of the door behind him.