Chapter 392 The confusion
Chapter 392 The confusion
She plopped into the dinning chair, all of the annoyance seeping out of her. It was futile to try and fight this man.
He was so arrogant in how he assumed control of everything about her and she knew she could never beat him at this cat and mouse game even if she tried, so she just gave up and let him do exactly as he pleased.
"Well, since it appears you already signed up to be my personal chef and errand person today, how about you give me a hand in putting all these things away?"
It was more of an order than a request in the way she let the words come out.
"Oh, wow! Is that all the thanks I get?" he asked playfully, standing up and spreading his hands out in mock surprise.
"I don't remember asking you to buy me the entire mall," she retorted, standing up and going over to the heap of groceries.
She picked up two bags and started towards the kitchen. He followed her lead, carrying at least four bags in both hands but with the ease of someone to whom strength was a loyal ally.
She was getting bolder by the second, or so it seemed. He liked it, yet he was wary of it. The joint feeling it produced in him was an intoxicating curiosity.
He would follow this rabbit hole just see what was at the end of it. They stacked the goods in the appropriate places, with Amy mostly directing him on what to put where.
She was extremely pleased to have him do the most work, using his height as a huge advantage.
Usually, when she stocked up, she would have to climb onto a stool before she could reach the topmost rack but he only had to stretch a little and his hands would get the jars and boxes where they needed to go.
Minutes into the activity, she wondered again what had prompted him to spend so much money on her, getting her brands that she would have never gone near while shopping for herself due to the high price tags.
"You really should not have bothered, sir," she said when he eventually finished putting away everything.
"But thank you. This is very well appreciated," she added, giving him a shy smile.
In that moment, she looked so beautiful and so pure, Edward almost shivered as he remembered his nightmare.
He knew in that instant that he would not want to lose her. The feelings were so real and so present that he wanted to pull her into a fierce hug and squeeze her so tightly to himself it would feel like his sole aim was to crush her.
But he did not. They just stood there gawking at each other until Amy found her voice.
"Well, did you not say you had another recipe of Mei Mei Chung's to dazzle me with?" she had her arms folded across her breasts.
Edward laughed. It was so easy to do that when he was around her now. He found himself looking forward to it.
"You can't afford my expertise, Red. So do not get ahead of yourself. Those dumplings are the best you have had in your life, I'm sure," he bragged.
Amy wanted to argue but they had been really delicious and a part of her wanted to experience what his other cooking would taste like, so she just stood there, smiling happily. He caught her smile and returned it in full measure.
"I have to go now,' he said, almost regretfully, "But I guess I'll see you back at the office in a day?"
She nodded. It was almost painful to watch him go. She wished he would never leave. She felt a sudden desire to want to share her day with him, including the mundane and seemingly unimportant bits.
But he was already out the door, and she found herself alone again with nothing but her thoughts and the lingering smell of his manly musk mixed with what Amy was sure to be one of the most expensive body mists in the province.
*****************
Nearly a week had passed since Amy returned to the office. On the very next day following her return, she had attended to her boss expertly.
The affairs of the other day had not come to play at all in her handling of her duties. She went through the motions like a robot, taking his messages, serving his coffee but by the end of the day, she felt a lot more tired than she was used to feeling.
Yet she brushed it off as nothing more than the stress of work. She even gave herself a mental high-five to commend herself for doing so well.
But at the end of the first three days, she was starting to really wonder if she was not doing herself harm by pretending that all was well.
Because at the end of the day she had to tell herself the honest truth that she was in fact merely carrying on a fa?ade of being okay when on the inside, all of her was going to pieces wondering if she had imagined the intimate moments they had shared at her house not many days prior.
Or perhaps she had read too much meaning into a harmless visit, she wondered. But then again, she was certain bosses did not just show up at their employee's homes and offer to cook them breakfast out of nowhere.
Or maybe she had not gotten the memo when workplace culture drastically changed.
She knew she was just in denial, trying to ease the stress of acting like there was nothing between her and Edward but she also realized that she did not have much of a choice to begin with.
He was acting just as cool and detached and she had to follow his lead. It felt a little bit unfair that he seemed to be at the reins both at work and otherwise.
She felt like a puppet on a string dancing to his every whim and caprice. And very slowly she started to notice that there was a budding resentment in her heart for Edward but she acted tough even though all the walls seemed to be collapsing around her.
Unable to keep the tough act going, she did the one thing she was sure would help her understand and wade through her confusion and hurt.