'Make the First Move'

MY EYES OPENED slowly, adjusting to the light around me. I allowed my eyes roam to ensure I wasn't kidnapped or something.

My mom rushed to my side with worry clouding her normally cheerful face.

"Hey baby, how are you feeling?" she demanded, sitting on my bed.

"I'm much better mom, where's Tam?"

"She's in the kitchen cutting up some fruits for you to eat." She rubbed my hand affectionately and I nodded.

The look on her face showed me how worried she was about the state of my health. I was really prone to different illnesses because of my ' reaction '. The last time I fell ill was a year back when someone had yelled at me in a fashion store for accidentally stepping on her toes. I was glad that my mom was around to help me. She had always been there to assist me not until recently though when work took a toll on her.

My thoughts faded when Tam rushed into my room with a plate containing sliced fruits and a glass of water.

"Oh, thank God, you're awake, you had me worried sick." She placed the plate on the small table beside my bed and the cup also.

"I'm awake now." I muttered as she squeezed me in her arms. A pathetic excuse for a hug.

"Don't ever do that again." My sister smacked my arm and smoothened a rumpled area of my bed cover.

I noticed Mom leaving but Tam didn't as she had her back facing her.

"I feel like ripping that man apart, seriously." She made ripping motions with her hands for emphasis.

"There's no need for that, calm your nerves."

I grabbed her hand and placed them on the bed. She breathed in and out, shutting her eyes.

"Baby, you have a visitor!" My mom shouted from outside.

I wondered who that could possibly be. Maybe it's my boss coming to apologize. Yeah right, only when pigs fly.

"OK mom, I'll be down in a minute!" I attempted a get out of my bed but Tamara stopped me with a firm grip on my wrist.

"You stay right here, I'll check who it is."

Rolling my eyes at her sisterly protective mode, I swatted her hand away.

"I can manage," Then I stumbled past her and hurried to the front door which I opened cautiously and saw Peter standing on the porch with a brilliant smile on his face.

"Hey," He spoke up and walked towards me.

I edged away from the entrance allowing him access into the house. "Hey,"

"Sit please," I showed him to a sofa, and he sat,  eyes boring into my skin.

"I came to check on you, I was so worried."

"I'm fine now,"  A glance down at my at my injury told me it was healing.

"Let me see your hand." He requested and I gave him my hand which he took tenderly, after gazing at the cut for a while and then he raised his eyes to meet mine.

"I'm so sorry." He apologized and I wondered what he was apologizing for, it's not like he caused the injury. I merely nodded, he was about saying something when Tamara walked in on us, her eyes fixed on Peter.

"Thank you again for what you did," Peter smiled and nodded. My hand was still in his hand and when Tamara raised a brow in perplexity, I retracted them.

"I'll be out, I'll see you later." She winked at me and strode leisurely out of the house.

"So." We both said.

Not again.

Peter groaned in frustration and I only smiled, lowering my gaze to the floor.

"Would you like to go out for coffee, sometime?" He asked and my head shot up. I hadn't expected this, is this his way of asking me out on a date?

"And no, it's not a date." He added, with a smile on his clean-shaved face.

"Sure, I'd like that." I consented.

"Saturday,lets say by eleven in the morning?"

I nodded and slipped into a sofa next to him.

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As I lay in my bed, I recollected how my mom compelled Peter to stay for dinner, he talked freely with my mom and Tamara who returned from wherever she went to. I silently watched them converse from my seat, and as I correctly guessed, my family had taken a liking to Peter.

I turned to the other side of the bed and accidentally hit my head on the head rest.

"Ow." I rubbed my head and adjusted my pillow so I wouldn't have to hit my head again.

I suddenly remembered that I'll have to resume work the next day. Sincerely, I don't want to set my eyes on Mr. Philip anymore, my hatred for him has grown beyond control. I wondered why a person would delight in oppressing others. I resolved to turn in my resignation letter tomorrow.

💭💭💭

I pushed the door to Mr. Ross' office open and surprisingly he wasn't seated at his desk. His swivel chair looked like it had been abandoned hastily. I sat at my desk and while waiting for him, I typed my resignation letter with my laptop. When I was done, I glanced around the office hoping to find something interesting to observe. Finding nothing interesting, I moved with a flashdrive containing the completed resignation letter to the printer located on the fifth floor.

I walked into Toby who was rushing to somewhere with a laptop in his hand.

"Hey Florence, it's been awhile since you spent lunchtime with us, we were worried about you."

He supported the laptop with his other hand and briefly gazed at someone behind me.

"Things came up, I'm so sorry, hopefully, I'll spend lunchtime today with you guys," I assured him with a smile and he smiled back.

"Alright then, check on Alice before you go back to your office." He suggested and hurried away from me.

After printing out the letter, I headed to Alice's cubicle. I met her typing furiously into her computer, she occasionally glanced sideward at an open book.

"Alice." I called and she turned around to me with a smile.

"Girl, where have you been? I was so worried, I thought Philip had killed you and dumped you off somewhere," She rose from her chair and gave me a brief hug.

"Come on, you know he wouldn't do that,"

"I'm just kidding." She sank back into her chair and turned it around to face me.

"Tell me, why did you suddenly disappear with my brother?" I cringed at her choice of words, but I ended up explaining how Mr Ross dragged me off to Hawaii and blah blah blah.

"That's good."

"What's that?" She referred to the paper in my hand.

"Uh, it's nothing...I have to get back to my office now, I'll see you at lunch." She nodded.

I walked out of her cubicle and back to Mr. Ross' office.

He was seated at his desk, his head bent in thought. As soon as I approached my desk, he raised his head. I ignored his eyes on me and sank into my chair. I carefully folded my resignation letter and placed it on the table.

I idly flipped through the pages of a newspaper I picked up at the entrance to my office earlier.

Mr. Ross remained silent till it was time for lunch. He merely busied himself with his laptop. I could tell something was wrong with him, but I refused to allow it bother me. No matter how civil he acts towards me, I still turn in my resignation.

I strolled to Alice's cubicle and found her engaged in a discussion with Justin, they stopped talking when they acknowledged my presence.

"Hey." I waved shyly at Justin who nodded and got off the chair he was seated on. The reddish tinge on his cheeks did not escape my eyes.

"I'll talk to you later Alice, see ya." He fled leaving me wondering what was up. I stared at his retreating back for awhile till Alice hit something accidentally.

"Hope I wasn't interrupting anything." I looked at Alice who had a similar colour on her cheeks. She looked away from me and grabbed her purse.

"No you weren't, come on, let's go for lunch." She said, trying to grab my hand but I hid it behind my back.

"You're not getting out of this conversation like that. " I folded my hands on my chest and blocked the entrance to her cubicle.

She rolled her eyes. "Fine, you weren't interrupting anything, it's just..."

"You like Justin." I completed her sentence and she blushed again.

"So, you like Justin, tell me about it." I demanded as we walked towards the elevator that'll take us to the first floor.

"I just have a crush on him and he doesn't know it." She replied in frustration, her head was lowered.

"Have you told him?"

"No, why should I?"

Oh, I forgot the 'the guy should make the first move' crap.

I rolled my eyes and scoffed.

"Because you like him?"

"Yeah right, and then he'll say 'I like you too, can we date?" Alice said sarcastically, forcing a chuckle from my lips. She whacked the back of my head with her purse but despite the pain, I continued laughing at her till we stepped out of the elevator and headed to the cafeteria.

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