Chapter 15 The Trip

Author's Preface

[Cont.]
[Annie]

I slowly push the duvet aside and put my feet on the floor, my head still spinning from the hangover.

I look over and see Kai still asleep beside me, his breathing slow and steady.

I quietly gather my things from the table, pick up my heels, and make my way towards the door.

My hand is almost on the doorknob when I hear his voice.

"Are you okay?"

I stop and turn around.

Kai is sitting up, his voice rough with sleep as he smoothens his dark hair, looking disheveled in his grey t-shirt and sweatpants.

"Yes. I was just heading back to my place," I say quickly smoothing my hair.

He slips his feet into his slippers and stands up.

"Were you trying to leave without saying anything?"

"What?" I let out a nervous laugh. "Of course not. I just wanted to freshen up, and you were sleeping. My head hurts, so I thought I'd go back to my flat. I wasn't trying to flee."

He studies me for a moment before walking toward the doorway.

"Let me get you something for the hangover."

"It's fine. Really." I step aside as he reaches the door. "I've got medicine at my place. I can just—"

"Annie." He stops and looks directly at me. "Nothing happened between us last night. If that's what you're worried about."

I feel my face heating up instantly. "I never said I was worried about that."

"Your face did."

He turns and walks toward the kitchen, he grabs a medicine box from a high cabinet along with a chilled bottle of water.

When he returns, he holds out a tablet and the bottle.

"Sit down. Take this."

I hesitate before sitting onto the nearest bar stool, swallowing the pill while he watches.

Before either of us can say anything, the doorbell rings.

We both turn toward the door. It rings again.

"Who is it?" I ask.

"I don't know."

"Was someone supposed to come?"

"Not that I know of," Kai says, frowning as the bell rings once more.

He stands up and gestures for me to keep quiet. " Just stay here."

For a moment, I consider retreating to his bedroom, but I stop myself.

We haven't done anything wrong. Why should I hide?

I remain where I am, though the entrance is partially visible from my seat.

I listen as Kai opens the door.

"Good morning, sir," a familiar voice echoes from the hallway. "I hope I didn't disturb you."

"No, no. It's fine."

"The Director asked me to bring these files over to you, along with the final press reports from the Gala. Since he knew you'd be late today, he asked me to hand them over personally. He said they're urgent. "

I sit up straight.

It's Chris.

I hear them speak for another minute before Chris says goodbye.

Then, I wait for a few seconds before cautiously moving ahead and lean forward to get a peek.

To my horror, I find Chris doing the same, peeking around the corner and our eyes meet instantly.

For a moment, he looks surprised but then that familiar grin slowly spreads across his face.

My stomach drops as I immediately pull back, but it's too late by now.

I'm fucked.

I sit stiffly on the stool, trying to figure out how I'm going to deal with this when we get to the office.

"Are you okay?"

I look up to find Kai standing beside me.

I hadn't even noticed him return.

"He saw me," I mutter.

"Who?"

"Chris."

Kai glances towards the door and then back at me. "How? He couldn't have seen you from there."

"I thought he'd already left," I reply, frustration bleeding into my voice.

"I'll talk to him," kai offers.

"No," I shake my head. "Please don't. That'll only make things worse."

"Then what do you want me to do?"

"Nothing. He's my friend. I'll handle it."

Kai watches me for a moment before running a hand through his hair.

"Look, you were completely passed out last night. I tried waking you several times, but you wouldn't wake up. I had to carry you upstairs, and I couldn't find your house key, so I brought you here.

I was exhausted too. After putting you to bed, I slept on top of the duvet on the other side."

He pauses. "I wasn't in bed with you."

Our eyes meet.

"You could've put me on the sofa," I say softly.

"Or left you in the car?" He raises an eyebrow.

"You would've complained either way. I just thought you'd be more comfortable here, Annie" he adds.

I look away brushing past his soft tone. "Did you undo my zipper?"

He looks momentarily uncomfortable. "Yes."

My eyes widen slightly.

"But not for the reason you're thinking." He quickly adds, "You kept mumbling that you couldn't breathe properly, so I pulled it down a little."

I stare at him before he releases a sigh. "I didn't touch you inappropriately, Annie. I wouldn't do that."

He stops and looks away.

"Okay," I say, picking up my heels and clutch.

"Thank you for taking care of me."

He steps aside. "I'll see you later?"

"Of course."

I leave before the conversation becomes any more awkward.

[ *** ]

By the time I reach the office, I've decided to pretend none of it happened.

I keep my eyes glued on my laptop, furiously typing an email I've already rewritten three times.

Across the office, Chris leans back in his chair, tossing a stress ball into the air.

Every now and then, he looks over at me, then at Amanda, who's been passing me notes ever since I sat down.

I've already explained to her that whatever Chris saw wasn't what she thinks it was.

But Chris' version of events hasn't helped.

It's coffee break, and most of the staff have already left.

I'm staying at my desk, avoiding unnecessary confrontations.

Amanda eventually pulls her chair beside mine. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I keep typing.

"If that monkey doesn't stop talking, I'm going to get arrested for assault today."

Amanda looks towards Chris and gestures for him to stop.

"Let's get some coffee," she says.

"I have lots of pending work," I say, not moving my eyes away from the computer.

A moment later, Chris appears beside a nearby desk.

"I thought your workload would've gone down by now."

I can clearly hear the amusement in his voice. "Someone was working overtime."

I already know where this is going.

"Especially after the Gala."

I slowly look up and that grin is still on his face.

Before I can say anything or pull his hair out, a colleague approaches me.

"You've been summoned by the Manager."

Chris gives me a knowing look while Amanda tries to hide her smile.

I glare at him before getting up.

His loud cheer follows me all the way down the hall as I walk away ignoring the tease.

I knock before entering Kai's office.

"Ms. Hayes."

He looks up from the files on his desk. "Take a seat."

I sit across from him and he's reviewing several documents, signing them one after another.

I try to focus on what he's doing.

Instead, my mind jumps back to last night and this morning.

"We need to go for a site inspection," he says, finally closing the file.

"We?" I frown.

"What about the inspection team?"

"They're already assigned elsewhere. We're short-staffed at the moment."

He pauses, "It's a direct order from the Director."

Of course it is. I can't exactly argue with that.

"Where?"

"Camelia Farms."

I stare at him.

Camelia Farms is almost four hours away, right on the edge of the city.

I'd heard about a team being sent there a few months ago.

They'd complained about how remote the place was and how poor the phone connection was.

"But that's really far. How many people are going?"

"Just us."

I blink. "Just us?"

"Yes, Ms. Hayes."

This is the last thing I need.

I've spent the entire morning trying to avoid giving anyone a reason to start rumours about us.

And now I'm supposed to spend hours alone in a car with him?

"What do you mean, just us? It's four hours away."

"We're short-staffed. The Director requested two senior members to handle the inspection. It's for a new project."

I sigh. "How long will we be there?"

"Not long."

He finally caps his pen, glancing at his watch. "We'll be back before you know it."

I'm not convinced, but there's not much I can do. "When do we leave?"

"In ten minutes," he answers .

[ *** ]

The entire ride is nerve-racking.

Kai takes one of the company SUVs, and for the first few hours, neither of us says much.

The radio plays quietly in the background.

I spend most of the journey trying to sleep off my leftover hangover from the morning.

It's also much easier than making small talk.

But every now and then, I open my eyes and catch him stealing glances at me.

We stop at a couple of gas stations for breaks along the way.

Those are the only times I'm properly awake and we exchange a few words, before we're back on the road.

[ *** ]

Hours later, I wake up to the city finally disappearing behind us.

The tall buildings give way to trees, overgrown patches of greenery, empty industrial plots, and thick stretches of woodland.

The sky has turned a dull purple by the time the first drops of rain hit the windshield.

Within minutes, the heavy drizzle turns into a full blown downpour.

The wipers beat frantically against the windshield as kai turns onto a dirt road, but the sheets of rain make the path ahead almost impossible to see.

"Are you avoiding me, Annie?"

Kai's voice cuts through the hum of the heater, his hands glued to the wheel while his eyes are locked on the dirt road ahead.

"I'm not avoiding you." I mutter, pressing my forehead against the cool glass.

"You've barely spoken to me since we left."

"Let's keep things professional, Mr. Sterlings."

He whips his head at my words, his jaw slightly tightening.

"I've worked hard to get where I am. I don't want my career to be dragged into cheap office gossip."

Before Kai can respond, the rain becomes even heavier, making the road ahead disappear behind the curtain of water.

"We need to pull over," he says.

He slows the SUV and turns toward a cleared area near a small concrete site hut.

For a moment, I think we're going to make it but then, one of the tires hits a soft patch of mud.

The SUV suddenly jerks to the side and I grab the edge of my seat.