Risk Taker [Englot]

Chapter 2

The talk with Apo about me going for 5 days in New York went as well as I had imagined... As soon as he heard the words "New York" he jumped to conclusions thinking that I was going there on a fun trip and asked why we never did something like that together. Then he started complaining about having to take care of the boys all by himself... I tried to explain that my sister was going to help him and Dolly too if needed but he kept on rambling about how I was putting my career before Sun and Champ...

And it got to me... I was clearly aware that I was spending a lot of time at work, especially those last few weeks with the new exhibition coming soon... I was already feeling guilty about having to ask the babysitter to come more than ever before... And to be really honest I was so tired that I started to enjoy family time less and less... I felt like I had no time for myself... And the more I thought about it the more guilt piled up on my shoulders...

The days went by and I was still so busy, adding the English night lessons that I had to go through to be able to do the presentation with Charlotte... We still hadn't worked on the content... I had no idea where to put that in our schedules. The more I was waiting the more stressful Charlotte was going to be about it and as her manager it was my duty to help her to be at ease and perform well in New York. As I got into a taxi after leaving a meeting at Bangkok Art & Culture Centre, I thought to myself that I should stop postponing it and grabbed my phone to call her.

"Hello Charlotte!" I said, trying to sound positive.

"Hello Engfa. Are you driving?"

"No, I'm in a taxi. Thanks for worrying." Charlotte was so precious... "We're leaving for New York in 2 weeks but we didn't take any time to work on our presentation..." I started.

"I know, I'm sorry. I'm trying to finish all the different programs before the opening..." her voice was telling me that she was indeed stressed out, I needed to reassure her.

"Don't worry, don't worry. My schedule is full too. I was thinking... would you like to go out to dinner with me so we can prepare our presentation after work? I know it's after hours and that you have a family to get back to, but I couldn't find any free slot in my agenda before we leave..."

Was I rambling just now??? And did I really just ask her to dinner with me? Was it inappropriate?

"Engfa, are you asking me out?" she said, her voice sounding so flirtatious.

What the hell? Was she really flirting? Are those butterflies doing loops in my stomach? Fuck... Charlotte was discreet most of the time, almost shy... I often felt the pull to protect her, I didn't know why... but she always found a way to surprise me, getting fun and cheeky when I least expected it. Even during meetings.

"Engfa? You're still there?"

"Y... Yes! Sorry I got distracted."

"I'm ok to work after hours. I really need your help on this presentation, to be honest this is quite a challenge for me..."

She said yes! Dang... why was I feeling so happy right now? I should get back on track.

"I'll send you the nights when I'm free by email. I promised that we're going to do great! See ya!" I said, hanging up as fast as I could.

As the taxi was speeding up towards my neighborhood I closed my eyes, trying to calm down. I knew I had a thing for Charlotte... I was stunned by her beauty when I first took the job at MOCA, three something years ago. But as team manager I pushed those thoughts away before they became anything more. I dived deep into work, convinced that I had everything to prove since I was kinda new to the whole world of museums. It was only my second job in this field... But even after I came back from maternity leave a few months ago I couldn't stop feeling overwhelmed by Charlotte from time to time. She gave me gay panic...

I went out with a girl back in college. It was really fun but she broke my heart when she dumped me for a fuck boy... After that I swore that I wouldn't date women anymore. I tried to build a wall around me, protecting me from the temptation and the possible pain. I dated a lot of men, good and bad... mostly bad... And then I met Apo a few years ago. He was kinda crazy but really fun to be around. He proposed to me a year after and even though I was afraid of settling I said yes. As the years passed I started to feel trapped. Life gave me a wake up call when Sun was born. Seeing so much life, joy and potential in him it struck me to see how unhappy I was, especially at work. I decided to take a major risk, leave my job and go back to school to study art history.

This was one of the best decisions of my life. It was hard to be a new mom and a student at the same time but I managed. Even if everybody was way younger than me I still got accepted by the students in my class and even made some friends. If I hadn't taken that risk I wouldn't have met Nudee. I wondered where she was this month... I should text her tonight...

Ten days later I was finally starting to feel lighter. The opening of the exhibition was a success and Nawat was already telling the different managers about next year's plans. I was preparing to leave my office when my phone buzzed.

N🌼 : Good luck for tonight!
N🌼 : Don't get your panties all twisted!

Ah... Nudee... Always a good supporter... I smiled, shaking my head.

E🥭 : Thank you, na!

She knew that I was not used to going out with my team members. I always tried to put some distance between us and not cross the "friend" line. I was still the one reviewing their work each year and I didn't want feelings to get into that and make me lose sight of what mattered. But Nudee, being an artist, was always telling me that I should loosen up a bit. She was a photographer and also a model, so most of the people she worked with were quickly becoming more than that... She had such a bright personality. It was easy to become her friend.

N🌼 : Don't be mad at yourself if you feel the need to flirt!

Never letting me breathe... That girl...

E🥭 : Stop pressuring me!!
N🌼 : <3

I closed the door behind me and started to head up towards Charlotte's office. As I got closer, I started to hear people yelling. I recognized Charlotte and Heidi's voices. They were playing... probably blowing steam off after those last weeks of pressure. I decided to keep a straight face and act like I was surprised to see them kidding around when I opened the door... even though I would have been happy to feel free to play like that... Play with Charlotte... Mmmm... Stop that, brain!

"What are you guys doing? Charlotte, are you ready to leave?" I asked, trying to look like the manager I was supposed to be.

They calmed down in a split of a second. Charlotte was even blushing, being caught red handed. I liked that...

"I just need to turn off my computer and take my bag." she said, shaking a little bit.

I felt a little something making its way inside me... So I decided to turn back and go wait outside before starting to blush too... I didn't want them to see me like this, especially Heidi who was quick to catch on little details.

"I'll wait for you outside. Goodbye Heidi, have a nice weekend."

Once I was out I leaned on a tree to breathe. Meditation was never my thing... As I was trying to act like I was cool and zen, I saw Charlotte come out of the building. We chatted on the way to the restaurant, she really was easy to talk with. The menu was divine, it was only my second time at this place but I knew for sure I would come back. The mood was light even though we had to focus on work. And if we hadn't our laptops out it would almost feel like a date... For real... Even though we were working on the presentation, I could feel my body relax and for the first time in at least a few months... I felt like this was kind of a nice break in my everyday life.

I was really happy when Charlotte complimented me on my english, saying that I improved a lot. As I saw her working on the design of our presentation I couldn't help but compliment her back even though I knew this could make her uncomfortable. I should ask Nawat to finance a graphic designer position in our team... As per usual, Charlotte got red and looked at her lap when the compliment hit her. But I couldn't let her hide like this... I didn't know what got into me but my fingers reached for her chin, gently lifting her face up to look back at me.

"Charlotte Austin, you are talented and a real asset to our team. Try and own up to it." I heard myself say quite firmly.

To my surprise, it seemed like Charlotte went through a second of emotion and then... looked at... my lips? Did she? No... Did she? She turned her face away from me, blushing.

"I'll try." she answered, not looking at me, quite possibly faking a cough.

Could she be attracted to me too? How could I know? Could I try and see where this could go? It seemed that I was talking without even realizing that I was... when I said :

"Do you want another drink?"

"It's getting late, I should come back home soon." she answered politely.

Arf... rejected. Maybe she wasn't into me... Maybe I shouldn't read too much into things... I should keep myself in check to be able to handle being with her for a few days in New York... We got up from our chairs and I insisted on paying for dinner. I walked with her outside and waited for her taxi to pull up, since it was my idea to go out tonight. As soon as she turned to wave at me through the window, I couldn't help but smile wide, my heart pounding a little bit faster.

As I got back home, I was lost in a train of thoughts about what could happen in New York if I tried to flirt with Charlotte... I was trying to shut my brain off, reminding myself that I was her manager and that I was here to support her and not risk my career by seducing her when she probably was just intimidated by me... My phone buzzed in my pocket when I was about to enter my apartment.

N🌼 : So... did you bring her back home? ;)

Of course... How could I think I was going to get away without her checking on my date... Not a date! Engfa! Nudee was really messing with my brain... I went inside, checked on the kids and went to the bathroom to get ready to bed.

E🥭 : Yes Nudee, I did... and we had passionate sex until she passed out a few minutes ago... Thanks for checking on me. Love you!

My phone buzzed again right away.

N🌼 : You wish!
N🌼 : Sweet dreams, kiss the boys for me!

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Hi guys! Sorry for the delay, I went to Paris for work and then spent a few days leasuring there... I didn't forget about you though! And now that I am back home, I'm going to work more on "Risk Taker". Hope you liked this chapter! <3