More demands, more pain

“There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved.” -George Sand

•X A V I E R•

The elevator wasn't working today as it was under repair and each employee on our floor was sweating hard when I walked past them in the morning. It was not easy to climb thirty sets of stairs and it wasn't certainly easy to do it on a warm day like this. At moments like today, I was grateful for the cardio and stamina-building exercises in the gym.

Once reaching the office, I saw a leaning figure of Evelyn, breathing heavily in her office. The scene from Saturday night made an appearance in my memory, the way she interacted with Alex and all the lovely things he was talking about her.

Alex not only inherited his aunt's eyes but also some of her habits. I felt a tug in my heart seeing him with Evelyn, after five years of hating her with every fiber of my body, that night I felt a spark as if someone gave life to the bond that we had.

But I cannot fall for her again. And before anything else strengthens my feelings, I have to do something.

Thinking hard, the scene of Friday night from the hotel played in front of my eyes and instantly I felt my blood boil and a devious plan formed in my mind.

Leaving my work, I walked towards her office. She sat straight when she noticed me and then eyed me with a questioning gaze.

"I asked Mr. Wesley from the finance department to drop a file near the reception. Can you please bring that file?" I said in a plain voice, and she looked like she was contemplating what to do.

"Err… the elevator. It's broken." Said Evelyn, looking at me with her big, brown eyes which looked greener today.

"And? That's a very shitty excuse, Miss Williams." I said in a dry tone, and she gulped.

"Sorry." She said, standing up to leave. I returned to my desk and watched her retreating figure walking out of our office towards the staircase. An evil smile appeared on my face as I waited for her to come back.

Almost half an hour later, she returned with empty hands, sweat covering her face and her hair sticking to her neck. "M-Mr. Knight…It…...It wasn't there." She said breathlessly, trying to catch her breath.

Fighting the urge to laugh at her, I said, "It's a very important file, Miss Williams. Chris and I need it for the meeting. Go and find it in the parking lot. It must be there." She eyed me as I explained rocket science to her. The frustration was clearly written on her face, but she didn't say anything and stomped out of my office.

Leaving my desk, I reached the window in my office and watched the parking lot through it. Almost ten minutes later, she reached there. Her strawberry blonde was now tied in a messy bun this time as she was frantically searching for the file.

When she didn't find any file for almost five minutes, she rubbed her face and sat down on a stool, letting out some deep exhales and inhales.

Searching for her number from my call log as she called me on Saturday, telling me the whereabouts of Alex, I called her. Evelyn answered after one ring and replied, "It's not here."

"Yes, I know. I found the file. You can come back now." I said before cutting the call. Through the window glass, I saw her hiding her face in between her palms.

Not wanting to waste my time on watching her miserable state, I sat down and resumed my work. After some time, she walked into the office, more like limping towards her adjoining office, her left leg felt lagging behind, and a pained expression painted on her face.

Damn, I totally forgot about her ankle sprain.

•E V E L Y N•

What was I seriously thinking when I told Kat that I could tolerate the pain? Sure enough, I was fine in the morning but right now, I felt my whole body ache at the uncontrollable pain forming in the pit of my stomach.

'You get the worst cramps on your first day. Will you be able to manage your work today?' Kat's words were now ringing in my ears.

On top of it, my ankle was throbbing with pain and my breaths were coming out in gasps. Climbing up and down almost thirty floors with a sprained ankle on the first day of your period was not an easy task to do, certainly not for someone like me who hasn't seen the face of the gym in five years and who gets the worst cramps on their first day.

But what hurt more than the ankle was the satisfaction in his voice. It hurt the deepest part of my heart to know that he despised me so much that my pain gave him pleasure.

I thought after everything we shared on Saturday night; he would be at least cordial to me. Why does it happen that whenever we took one step forward, the other day our relationship took two steps backward?

I hadn't realized that I had wetness on my cheeks, the unshed tears had somehow streamed down my cheeks. Rubbing them in a hard manner, I pulled out my to-do list and started working on the important files that I was supposed to submit to Xavier by tomorrow.

It was almost twelve in the afternoon when I heard soft knocks on the door. I asked the person to come in and when I found Xavier standing in between the doorframe, I immediately straightened up.

His eyes slowly trailed to my feet peeking through the gap in the desk and his eyes softened. Stepping towards me, he stopped right in front of my desk, his eyes looking around my office instead of meeting my gaze.

"Do you need anything?" I asked when he didn't say anything for a minute. His presence was unnerving me with his dominant aura and his masculine scent.

Hearing that, he looked into my eyes, and once again, I couldn't move, it was like he had somehow pinned me to my position with his hard yet soft eyes glazing. "How's your ankle?" Asked Xavier, more like whispering.

This was not what I had imagined. I thought he was here to throw another tantrum or ask me to fetch some other non-existing file from the first floor again. So, when instead of all this, he sincerely asked me about my ankle, I could not speak for a moment.

"It's fine," I answered as soon as I realized that I'd been staring for too long.

He was about to say something when my phone started ringing. And my attention diverted to the picture of Mason and mine popped on my phone screen. Picking up my phone, I cut the call and once again turned my attention to Xavier.

But instead of softness, I met with a clenched jaw and hard piercing eyes. "If your ankle is all better, I'll advise you to focus on your work, instead of gossiping around with your acquaintances."

I had no idea, why was he fuming about such a petty issue.

Before I could say anything else, he added, "And Miss Williams, I hope you know that I don't like to be kept waiting. Bring me a black coffee within a minute and remember, I like it strong with just a spoonful of sugar." The familiar condescending tone echoed around.

I couldn't figure out what happened to him suddenly. Just moments ago, he was asking me about my injury and now, he was storming out of my office with balled fists.

Strolling out of the office towards the canteen in a robotic mood, I heard people greeting me. But I was in no mood to reciprocate their greetings, so I just gave them a nod.

I sighed, leaning on the wall as I waited for the coffee machine to finish its job. After the annoying ring, I tasted the coffee, making sure that it was fit for him.

Something bad was going to happen, I could feel it in my gut.

Gingerly placing the coffee cup on the tray, I started pacing toward the office. I could feel my body going numb, my fingers shivering mercilessly making it difficult to hold the tray and the ankle was a whole other story.

Oh, dear Lord, please just don't make me lose my balance.

Managing to hold the tray with one hand, I leaned against the wall to regain my balance. This was not good. Not at all! Not only was I feeling giddy, but I was also having the weird gag reflex. My menses were not making things good for me.

"I've been waiting for the damn coffee for fifteen minutes! It's just a bloody coffee I've asked you to bring and you're even incapable of doing that?" That familiar voice clamored in my head, worsening my condition.

Why couldn't he just shut up for a while?

Placing a hand on my forehead, I tried to control the nauseating feeling, but it didn't help.

"What the fuck are you thinking Evelyn? Just give me the damn coffee!" Snatching the coffee from my hand, the mug slipped from my hands. Onto his Armani shirt.

There was a pause when I looked into his darkened eyes, and then this was the day I visited hell once again, "You spoiled my freaking Armani shirt! Do you even have an idea how much this damn cloth costs?"

I never thought Xavier Knight could shout a lot. I just stood there, listening to his tantrums, desperately trying to control my spinning head. The last thing I wanted to do was pass out on him.

"Are you internally mocking me?" He pressed his arms against my shoulder.

"What do you think of yourself, Evelyn? Huh? Just because…."

That was when the most awaited moment happened. My whole body froze, and I couldn't open my eyes anymore. I felt my mind losing consciousness but not before listening to his realization.

"What the fuck? Damn! Evelyn? I know you're trying to get my attention. Just wake up!"

Silence.

"Wait? Did you seriously blackout? … Evelyn? Evelyn..."

I felt his rough hands gently gliding against my cheekbones. My whole body felt as if it was floating in thin air, and I felt secure in his arms.

Surely, I wasn't falling for him?

Or was I?