-1-

"For fuck's sake!" I exclaimed loudly, I did not mean to. I expected some looks but got none. It was 6:30 on a Friday, nobody has got time to look back. Everybody was rushing to the exit as if staying a minute longer will result them in being stuck in this building for the weekend they were so lustily craving for.

I wish I could rush like that, but that's not how it works for me. I am paid by the hour. In order to feed my growling stomach, it is essential that I put in some extra hours of work and get a slightly fatter paycheck. Who knows I may get a permanent job too if they see me working hard, somebody has to right?

Like maybe Aiden who was coming towards me with an impish smile on his face. In theory, someone like him should have nothing to do with me. He is a shareholder in Peters Inc., cousin of our esteemed CEO, and does not grace us with his presence very often. I am a regular, temporary clerk who has never directly interacted with the CEO and is often found buried with papers and doing overtime. The binaries are pretty clear.

Yet here we are, he standing in front of me and waiting for a glance so he could say whatever he wanted to.

I don't want to look at him and give him a chance to waste my time. I really don't want to but I am only human and he is very good looking. He has a magnetic personality and it always makes me look up and ask, "What can I do for you?"

"I see you are working late again." Same comment, same mischievous tone, like always. His presence is both aggravating and relieving. I have always had conflicting feelings about him.

From the moment we bonded over the absurdly healthy menu of the cafeteria to the time he once caught me crying in the office over my own absurd life, we have created a special bond, which is best described as – absurd.

Something about this whole line is really absurd, but I must confess, it is not as absurd as the absurdity of life.

"A girl's gotta feed herself and her cats." I looked over at the cat-shaped pen holder I got last year from the HR as my year-end present.

"But you don't like cats." He smiled knowingly.

"Well just me then." I shrugged.

"You probably work 10 hours more in a week than an average employee in this company, do you know that?" He had a rather amused look on his face. Very typical for any person who doesn't have to work hard for the cash they already have inherited from their family.

"Well, I guess I do." I shrugged again, my replies were so obvious, where is my creativity?

"That's quite sad, Mrs. Troubles. You should go out and have some fun." He gave me a signature smirk.

A signature smirk is important for all male characters in all the novels. Sorry but I don't make the rules.

"Don't call me that." I demanded though I doubt he is going to care.

"That hurts, you know." He feigned hurt, putting a hand on his heart, his eyes full of mirth "it is so hurtful that you don't accept my nickname for you. You do deserve it, you know, after you tripped on an eraser last month. Don't be modest, Mrs. Troubles, you are a deserving candidate of the name."

Deserving maybe but I hate that name with a passion. Anybody can trip on an eraser, a decent person would help but not Aiden, he would first laugh at you for 5 minutes and then still won't help you because he is busy deciding a nickname for you.

"Gosh...why are you bothering me so much today? Is no woman interested in your company tonight?" I asked as innocently as I could.

Aiden is a serial dater, not necessarily a playboy but I have never really seen him with any woman for more than one and half a week.

He feigned hurt again and let the theatrics begin, "It is so sad and hurts me so deeply to think that you have such an opinion of me. I am bothering you because I don't have any company tonight? No, how can you think that? I always have a company when I want it. I am bothering you because she is not here yet." He finished with a nod and wide eyes.

I sighed deeply, "Well, I don't care if you feel hurt. You—"

"You are so cold, you make me shiver." Who made this guy a businessman? He belongs to a theatre with this kind of enunciation and drama.

"I wish I could help you, but you see, my hands are tied to my laptop." He chuckled and started walking away from me.

I suddenly felt relieved yet a bit sad. I thought Aiden was leaving for the door when he dragged a chair near my desk and plopped down on it. So he didn't leave. He took his phone out and started doing whatever. I am not into prying business.

She is. She loves prying into other people's business. The only reason she isn't prying now is because I decided that. Why? Well. You will see.

I glanced over at him and he was smiling over something. May I take the liberty to say, what a delicious human being. He is certainly on the higher end of the spectrum whereas I am trying to make a comfortable place for myself at the lower one. I better get back to work.

Silence can be awkward but it works when you have an understanding with the other person. Aiden is not exactly my friend because let's be real here, but I do have an understanding with him. It makes such silences bearable and almost comfortable.

His sudden, loud "Yes!" pierced through the silence and suddenly the understanding was gone.

"What happened?" I asked annoyed, broken flow is the worst that can happen to a writer or an editor. "You know people are trying to work here."

"Oh come on, it is no big deal. You will work alright." He said and continued typing away on his phone.

I wish I had an office I could kick him out of but all I had was this open space which I was thankful for. Cubicles are really restricting; the privacy they provide is not worth feeling stuffed all the time.

He started chuckling and although I don't have any issues with it normally but right now, I was stuck at a paragraph and every little thing has started to irritate me.

"Look, I'm trying to work here and your chuckling is not helping." I coolly informed him.

"So should I move away? You are going to regret sending me away like that." He winked and I just scrunched my nose up. He is handsome, I give him that but I don't play when I work.

"Oh god...just go away, please. Why are you even here? Are you trying to work or something?" I asked exasperatedly.

"Well yeah. I am actually waiting for Cristine to finish her work, which quite a task in itself." He smiled cunningly.

Cristine is our C.E.O's secretary. Her shift ends at 7. I was impressed but still not sure how someone as intelligent as her ended up with someone like Aiden. I guess it will be a total mystery to me.

"I am really impressed with your choice this time, Aiden. But I think you should really wait somewhere else now." The last part probably came out harsher than I intended but this paragraph was not going to edit itself.

"Mrs. Trouble, I sense some anger issues there. I just wanted to let you know that if you want any help I would always be available." He said with a click of his tongue, "in the night time." He finished. The nerve of this man!

I smiled sarcastically at him when suddenly he got a call, he did not pick it up though. He looked straight at me, "Well, Mrs. Trouble your wish is granted. This slave of yours must depart. Beauty calls." He winked again I wanted to laugh but I just rolled my eyes and waved him bye while he started to walk away.

I wonder if Mr. Peters is like him. He seems quite serious, unlike Aiden who has a very easygoing demeanor. But why am I comparing those two, I face-palmed myself.

Because you want to be attracted to one of them, just cannot decide which one.

I diverted my attention back to my work, those men aren't going to make my life better, the next month's paycheck will.