The Assistant (Stefanielle)

Chapter 39

"I need to get back to work," 

Danielle had been counting. It had been nineteen days without sex. Nineteen. That was almost three weeks which just made it seem like a month. 

Stefania hadn't been counting. She could easily list ten different deadlines for the next month, but she couldn't realise for herself that her fiancée was becoming tired of how absent she now appeared. And that was becoming an issue. 

"Can I take you out on a date?" Stefania glanced up at Danielle momentarily and then back down at her phone. 

"A date?"

"Yes, a date," Danielle stared at Stefania, a frown forming on her face. "I feel like I barely see you anymore,"

"We live together. What do you mean?"

"I mean that we barely even talk besides from the odd conversation about what you want for dinner or a random question about the wedding that never even gets followed up on," Danielle replied, fighting the urge to kick Stefania's phone out of her hand. 

"Well, you know I am quite strapped for time," Stefania spoke quietly. 

"Fine. A date at home. When are you not going to be tired?" Stefania looked over at Danielle and was almost about to tell her to let her focus for a moment, but she figured that would start a whole other thing. 

"I... I am unsure," The CEO sighed as she set her phone down and stretched her arms above her head. "Do you want tea? I think I need one,"

"I'm okay, thanks," Danielle watched Stefania stroll over to the kitchen. She hated that she seemed to be careless at the moment, constantly failing to consider how Danielle felt with her being so work-focused. It wasn't even the lack of sex that was the main issue for Danielle, though still important, it just made her feel like she was easy to forget about. "I might go to sleep," She announced as she stood up and walked towards the stairs. 

"Really? You are usually awake until at least midnight," 

"Maybe I'll just have a bath," Danielle stared at Stefania, waiting for her to offer to join. But she didn't. She just nodded her head and went back to making her tea. Danielle could understand the stress that Stefania was under, but she couldn't understand why she was getting the brunt of it. 

In such a short amount of time, Stefania had gone from constantly touching her and pleasing her and doing everything to make Danielle smile, to barely offering her a second glance. Work, work, work. That's all she cared about. 

Danielle was trying her hardest to empathise, which is why she continuously pushed aside how she felt and attempted to find some sort of middle ground with Stefania. It was just tiring because Stefania wasn't putting in the same amount of effort. Or any effort at all. 

Yet Danielle still found it in her heart to make this date happen. It was two days later, officially three weeks without sex, and Danielle was carefully placing fruit and neatly cut sandwiches and heart-shaped chocolates in a picnic basket that she had ordered the day before. A picnic at home would be cute. She had a pack of tealights ready to be lit and she had wine in the fridge and a very nice dress laid out on the bed. 

Stefania said she was due to finish work at five, although there was a chance that could be pushed to six. So you could only imagine Danielle's irritance when Stefania messaged her informing her that she might not get out until eight. 

"Eight o' fucking clock," Danielle muttured, rolling her eyes. But she wasn't going to give up. Maybe Stefania just needed a reminder of how good they are and what they have is. It wouldn't take long to dress up and drive down. It wouldn't take long to light the tealights in her office and simply sit down and drink a glass of wine with her fiancée. Danielle was slowly losing her patience, so it was now or never.