Somebody to hold t.h.

Chapter Six

Sitting at her desk Evie tried her hardest to fill out her forms but it was incredibly hard when her mind was wandering off to a certain someone constantly. That night she slept surrounded by the feeling she had being held by him and it felt amazing. His scent seemed to be all up in her nose not leaving her mind and creating a permanent smile on the brunette's lips. He was being so careful with her. Of course she is immensely embarrassed for throwing herself into her boss's arms like a kid but the positive feelings of that special hug overpowered those shameful ones. Maybe he'll led it slide as an act out of fear and overwhelming thankfulness?

Just when she flipped the page Tom entered the conference room she was currently in. He was absolutely stressed to the max. Everything regarding the group project was going wrong and on top of that he wasn't able to sleep last night at all. Instead his mind was constantly on Evie worrying if she was safe while at the same time scolding himself for caring too much. He had trouble getting the feeling of having her in his arms and pressed against his body out of his mind.
Samantha, the employee, who just confessed to him she messed up big time was following with a string of useless pleads and apologies. Tom slammed his files on the table unnecessarily harsh and turned to the middle aged  woman.
"Look Samantha your "sorry" will not fix it this time. Do you realize that by messing up on your part you are ruining this group project for everybody? If this doesn't work out because of this you owe everybody on this floor more than just your empty apologies. Now go find a way to fix this mess immediately I don't want to speak to you before this is done.",Tom was being harsh but everything was getting too much right now and he didn't regret his words at all. He hates incompetent workers.

Evie watched him in complete awe. This man was nothing like the gentle caring boy from yesterday night. She remembered how he insisted on taking a cab home with her watching her until she was closing the door asking her a million times if she was going to be okay and whether she was hurt. He treated her like a delicate flower. Evie should be disgusted by the way he spoke to Samantha and for how merciless he was punishing her but she just couldn't. Instead she was more and more intrigued by him. Him yelling and clenching his jaw line was absolutely attractive to her which is not normal for a girl, who has so much anxiety regarding her job and failing to do it. She should be terrified because she just witnessed her boss being angry right in front of her but she just couldn't.

Instead she admired him for being so strong and ruthless. He was everything she couldn't be. Yet he had this kind side to him that was always present in his eyes. But not right now, she could even see from this distance that his eyes were dark and dull. In fact he looked worn out and exhausted. Evie couldn't help but worry slightly about him.

Samantha left the room leaving Tom and Evie alone. It was nearly lunch, which is why most of the other employees have already left.

"I'm really sorry you had to hear that.", he suddenly said in a complete different tone, his voice now still strained but gentle. Evie looked up at him again and she was met with the familiar scent of his expensive cologne. There was a prominent vein on his neck, the only sign of his anger, everything else on his face went back to being soft and kind. She stared a little too long for her sanity at his plump rosey lips.

"It's alright Tom. You have so much responsibility on you shoulders, it's okay to loose it sometimes.", Evie said surprisingly calm. Tom let out a heavy sigh and sat himself down next to Evie. Being so close to him, Evie could really see how tired he was. His eyes were puffy and his hair was not as perfectly pushed upwards as always, making him look even more attractive in Evie's eyes. Tom rested his head in his hand, letting it all go for a second. Not the most professional behavior in front his new employee but he couldn't care less. He feels so comfortable around her. Unconsciously Evie stretched out her hand and slowly started to caress his back with her fingertips, leaving goosebumps on the boy's skin. Luckily he wore a button down, so she wouldn't see.

"You look so tired. Are you okay?", Evie asked not stopping her soothing movements. Not caring how inappropriate this was. She didn't even know whether Tom was in a relationship or not. If he was she was sure his girlfriend wouldn't appreciate seeing her touching him. "Yes, just didn't sleep a lot. I am looking forward to this group project being over." That was only half a lie, because he actually was happy this project would be over soon but that wasn't the reason he was up all night. It was the girl sitting beside him.

"Tom do you have a girlfriend?", Evie spilled. The question was out before she could think about it. Realizing what she just asked she stopped her moving hand and stared at him wide eyed. "No, I never really had the time. And there was no one I liked so far.", Tom answered not bothered by Evie overstepping a boundary. "Don't stop it feels really good.", he admitted talking about her caressing his back. Evie picked up where she left off remembering that it was lunchtime and they should be eating something.

"Did you bring any lunch?", she asked. "No I have a meeting in half an hour and we are having lunch while talking. Sorry am I keeping you from eating?", concern evident in his voice.

"No no it's alright. I'll just go and eat in the cafeteria with Liz." She tried to hide her disappointment because she was always looking forward to their lunch dates.

"You're really great Evie.", Tom admitted quietly taking her hand off of his back and squeezing it slightly. Evie couldn't help but blush furiously looking at his pink lips because she couldn't meet his eyes. Tom grinned at her flushed cheeks and puller her into him a little bit by the hand he was still holding, making her rest her head on his chest and holding her for a bit. She was consumed by his scent and his warmth being reminded of being hugged by him the day before. Secretly she wished he would never let go.