Tainted Desires | 18+

06 - We Meet Pt. 2

All the excuses I'd made up for my lateness on the way here flew out of my head the moment I locked eyes with him.

It can't be.

I could not even pay attention to George, who stood behind him, trying to get my attention by waving. All my attention was directed at him. It felt like I was subconsciously submitting to him. My heart began beating tremendously fast as memories of our past flooded my mind. I felt a sudden mix of excitement and apprehension while looking at him. My body began to feel all giddy, anxious at what would happen next.

The way he looked at me was too intense, making me feel small in front of him. My breath had gotten caught in my throat when his eyes began to study me intently, forcing me to study him too. He had changed a lot, in comparison to me. His hair was no longer the medium length I'd grown up to know. It was now a buzz cut that brought out the structure of his face.

He had grown taller and bigger; he was muscular. The shirt and blazer he wore clung to his body like they were tailored to his size. The tie around his neck reminded me of how little knowledge he had when it came to knotting ties. He never learnt. The buttoned shirt did a little job of covering the tattoo on his neck, but I could still see some of the ink peeking out. Why did it look familiar?

By the time I'd looked back up, his eyes were now on my lips. Had he seen me checking him out? His eyes still didn't stop there. They went lower as if trying to connect the image of the old me and the person standing before him. Usually, I'd have stood taller and confidently at whoever was checking me out but now, I felt out of place beneath his gaze, unsure of what was running through his mind as he looked at me.

The tension in the air was very eminent and obvious to the people around us. Not wanting to make things any more awkward for others, I tried to think of what to say that could ease the tension. What was I even going to say? Was he going to listen to me?

My lips parted wider, but nothing seemed to come out, so I closed it back immediately to not look like a fish gasping for water. I watched as his face contorted to show the anger he was probably feeling, sealing all doubts I'd had all these years. He hated me.

"This is- "

"Close the door," his voice was so cold and harsh. I didn't even know when I flinched, but that didn't seem to matter to him. Despite the differences we had in our physical appearances, it was clear that time had taken its toll on us, leaving its mark.

I pressed my lips into a thin line as I watched him disappear behind the doors, his eyes never leaving mine like he was battling with himself on whether to stop the doors from closing or to wait for me to stop them. Neither of them happened as the doors finally closed, signalling that it was going up. I finally released the breath I didn't know I was holding.

The hollow feeling in my chest as soon as he was out of my sight reminded me of nine years ago. What was he doing here? I immediately looked up as I felt my eyes begin to burn, blinking away the tears. But then I realized that the elevator was going up to the twentieth floor, the CEO's floor.

What was he going there for? Did he come to work the same way I did yesterday? Seeing as George was with him, it was clear that he came to work. But the way he commanded the other staff in the elevator to close the doors didn't seem like something an employee would do. No.

I looked around to see if there was anyone around that I could talk to. Seeing a middle-aged woman by the front desk, I walked to her and forced a smile on my face. "Good morning. How may I help you?" She sounded too sweet.

"Hi, may I ask the name of the owner of this company?" She looked at me like I'd gone senile. "The CEO?"

"Mr Toussaint?" She asked, almost unsure of herself because she must have thought that I knew who the boss was.