She-Devil

8. Late Night Conversations

FAITH

"And the net budget of the project was 5 million. Half the revenue produced went to—" 

I was standing in front of the ceiling-high glass window of my office, staring at the beautiful moon while dictating some important points to Carter. The sky was clear today, hundreds of stars filling it like white paint on black canvas.

"Where was I?" I asked him when I found myself distracted.

When no reply came, I turned around and found his eyes closed. His hand was limply resting on the notebook and his head was bent forwards, unsupported.

Walking towards his chair, I seated myself on the desk in front of him. Crossing my arms in front of my chest, I kicked his shin and he jumped up in his seat. He looked around flabbergasted and it took him a moment to realize where he was. 

"Good morning, sweetheart, would you like some tea?" I said sarcastically.

"Um..." He blinked twice. "Coffee would be better."

His sentence earned him another kick on the shin that made him let out a small wince. 

"I am sorry, but honestly, I really need a cup of coffee. My mind has stopped working," he said.

I assessed the dark circles under his eyes. He looked like he didn't sleep well last night and we had a lot of work to do tonight as well. A small part of me felt pity on him, which was a rare occurrence for me.

"Fine. Go bring some coffee for both of us." I said.

A smile broke on his lips and he rose up to standing position immediately. "Should I order some Chinese as well?" At this, I lifted my head to glare at him and he shook his head. "Forget I said anything."

Once he was out of my office, a small smile appeared on my lips. I had to admit, he kept me entertained with his bold mouth and immature actions. The guy really had guts. Otherwise, most people just pretended to be lifeless statues in my presence.

Putting these thoughts aside, I picked up the file in front of me and gave it a quick look. An important meeting was coming up and we would have to work overnight a few times. It was about 11 at night and our work was nowhere near done.

Busy in the reading, I didn't realize when Carter returned to the office and put a plate of two cheeseburgers in the centre of the table. He then gave one cup of coffee to me and kept the other one for himself.

"What's that for?" I asked.

"A street vendor was selling it by the coffee shop. They were really cheap." He smiled proudly.

"Oh. So that's why it looks so greasy. No thanks, I want to live a long life." I said.

"Why live a life that doesn't have cheeseburgers in it?" he said and picked up one cheeseburger. Opening his mouth wide, he took a huge bite and then gulped it down within a few seconds. "So good," he said with his mouth full and I scrunched up my nose.

"Don't touch any file with your greasy fingers," I instructed him and took a sip of the coffee.

"Okay," he said and took another bite. "You sure you don't want to eat it?" He pointed towards mine.

"No." I said although my mouth was starting to fill up with the delicious aroma.

"You sure? Can I eat this one as well?" he asked with a puppy dog look on his face.

"Suit yourself." I said and silently sipped my coffee. "Just don't come running to me when you have heart diseases."

"It's okay to have a cheat meal once in a while," he said and picked up my cheeseburger as well. I wanted it back but I couldn't eat it now that I had taunted him about it enough.