The CEO and The Doctor

9. "Don't be pathetic, Aysel. It's not the end of the world."

(1065 words)

"I'm really sorry you're not coming to the conference, Aysel." Andrew said as we walked side by side, the next day.

I took a deep breath. "It's okay." My voice was quiet.

We stopped in front of the elevator. "I have to go up to the private wards." I told him.

"Okay. My duty is on this floor." He replied.

I nodded. "I'll see you later then."

The elevator doors opened and I stepped in, pressing the floor I was supposed to go on. The elevator stopped and the doors opened on the next floor. My eyes widened as the person stepped in.

His cold gaze took me in, making me press myself against the wall as the elevator doors closed. His gaze abandoned me, aimlessly staring at his side as the elevator started going up again.

Suddenly, the elevator shook a little, before coming to an abrupt halt. My mouth hung open in shock as I processed what happened. My head snapped towards Mr. Knight, being met with his agitated expression.

"W-what's happening?" I uttered.

He sighed annoyedly. "What do you think? The elevator is malfunctioning."

My eyes widened further. I could not be stuck in a small space with that man and no escape. "No, no, no." I said, panicking, anxiously pressing all the buttons to get the elevator to start working again somehow.

"Aysel!" He chastised as I continued pressing the buttons like a mad woman. He grabbed my wrist roughly, yanking me away from the buttons. I collided with his chest. "Stop it!" He said in my face.

My chest rose and fell as I struggled to breathe. "I... I can't be stuck in here. I need to get out." My voice was panicked and shaky.

His eyes pierced through mine. "Whatever the issue is, it will be fixed soon. Stay calm."

I took a few more uneven breaths, shaking my head. "N-no. I want to get out now. Do something. I can't breathe."

"You can breathe," he rolled his eyes. "Stop being overdramatic."

I shook my head vigorously. "Do something!" I urged, my voice getting louder, laced with more desperation.

He glared at me, still holding on to me. "I'm not an electrician."

I felt like crying. "Please call someone. I don't have my phone." I pleaded, my lower lip quivering.

He sighed, pulling his phone out of his pocket before turning it towards me, showing that there were no signals. I pressed my hand to my mouth, holding back my cries. I didn't like being stuck in small, closed spaces. I wasn't exactly claustrophobic, but still, the longer I stayed, the more breathless and anxious I felt.

I could feel him studying my face, but didn't meet his gaze.

Several minutes passed, but nothing happened.

I let out a frustrated breath, looking up at him. He looked back impassively. "No one is fixing it." I stated the obvious.

"I'm not very delighted about this whole situation either, but will you just calm down? Things like this take time." He said, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

A tear rolled out of my eye.

"Are you crying?" His eyes seemed to zoom in on my face. He palmed his face. "Don't be pathetic, Aysel. It's not the end of the world."

"I can't breathe!" I exclaimed, slamming one of my fists on his rigid chest.

He caught my wrist, glaring at me, before pulling my body to his. I squirmed, but he held me tighter. "Let go!" I resisted.

"Shhh." He said softly yet firmly, one of his arms snaking around my waist, his head resting on top of mine.

I froze, going completely still from the shock of it. From the shock of his calm behaviour, to that of his firm yet gentle hold on me. And the way he put his head over mine? I felt like I could finally breathe again.

What the hell am I thinking?

Before I could pull away as it dawned on me that I was in an intimate position with him, the elevator started moving again.

I sighed in relief, and before I could move away from Mr. Knight, he pushed me away himself. A little too roughly in contrast to the gentleness he was just portraying seconds ago.

I stared up at him in shock, but he didn't even look my way. Then the elevator stopped on his floor, and he got off immediately without a word.

———

I pushed the door to my house open and stumbled inside. The agonising week had finally come to an end, and I was able to return home once my last night shift of the week ended.

I dragged my tired body upstairs to my bedroom where I collapsed on my bed and fell asleep in minutes.

I woke up late the next morning, thankful that I had the weekend off. As I lazily made breakfast, my heart ached as I thought of all my colleagues attending the surgical conference that day. It must be so fun. They were out there having an amazing experience like that, while I was alone in my small apartment, left out of something I fully deserved.

After finishing breakfast, I plopped on my couch and turned the TV on. I watched a crime documentary as I sipped on a cup of coffee. Only an hour had passed when my doorbell rang.

I sighed heavily, taking a minute to lift myself off the couch. The doorbell rang again as I lazily headed toward the main door. I pulled the door open and was surprised to see no one. Looking around in confusion, I could not spot a soul.

Then my gaze travelled to the ground, where a small bouquet of flowers lay. I picked it up, utterly confused, before walking back inside and locking the door. Noticing a note amongst the flowers, I took it out.

Dear Aysel,
I'm back, and I can't wait to see you very soon.

A chill crawled down my spine as I read the note. It didn't have a name on it. Who could it be from? What did it mean?

A breeze made the curtains flow, and I jumped at the scare, realising my windows were open. Panicking, I dropped the bouquet and rushed to lock them.

I had a very bad feeling, like something awful was just around the corner.

____________________________________________________________________

A day early and short because I'll be very busy over the weekend.

What do you guys think of Aiden in this chapter?

And who is the person behind the note?

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