Chapter Five

Malena POV

As I was having lunch with Justin I saw Caleb, talking to an employee and his eyes searching for someone, maybe Christian.

I tried to hide my face, I bend down pretending to pick something. When I raised my head and searched for Caleb, my eyes went to a muscular tall body in front of me.

I looked at him and he gave me a smile, a genuine smile. "Hey Malena. Gosh I can't believe you're here! You work here?" he asked hugging me, crashing all my bones.

"Caleb, I can't breath" I tried to say pushing him away but my strength was nothing in front of him.

"Sorry" he said giving me a boyish grin. "But wait... You work here?"

"Yeah" I said.

"Malena... So how are you doing? How come you work here? I never saw you working here before?" he asked me taking a seat and gestured me to sit too.

"I just joined the company" I explained him.

"Great. Now listen my family is holding a parrty and you're invited" he said out of blue which caught me off guard.

"No... No Caleb. I can't" I shook my head. "I really can't. Caleb it's your family that's holding the party. They won't like a stran-" before I completed my sentence, he got up and stopped me from saying anything else.

"Oh yes Ms you are coming and that's all. I'll send you the invitation" he said and left without even listening to my answer.

I can't go. It's his family and I don't even know them. Caleb and I didn't even talk that much not even in school.

Then how can I go? But he didn't even listen to me. What should I do?

"So you know Mr Walker?" Justin suddenly asked me, bringing me out of my daze.

"Yeah he and I went to the same high school" I told him while I just enjoyed his expressions.

"So that means you know Mr Perez too?" he whispered.

"No....I don't know him. I just know he went to the same high school as mine" I lied, because I don't want any gossips or any trouble from his so called dates.

After the lunch I went back to my office. I did some work until the phone rang.

"Hello, Perez Pvt Li-" I was cut off by Christian's voice.

"Malena come here right now" he ordered giving me no room to answer.

I knocked and entered.

"Yes sir?" I asked nervously.

"You are going to the party?" he asked, dropping his pen.

"I actually don't know sir but I think I'm going to refuse becau-" I was about to tell him the reason but he interrupted me.

"Fine then I'll pick you up" he told me.

"No sir I didn't say I'm going" I said.

"Yes you're" he said getting up from his chair.

"Sir I don't think I have anything to do there" I replied looking at his steps which were now directed towards me.

"But you're coming with me as my secretary" he said.

"I don't think sir there is any need of me. It's just your friend's par-"

"Okay listen Malena. Stop this. Okay?" he said standing in front of me. He was inches away from me, so I took a step back in case...

"Don't pretend not to know me. I know you remember me and so do I. So just stop it" he sounded angry now. What the hell with him and his mood swings.

"But si-" he stops me and continued.

"Christian. Call me Christian" and this was not a request.

"Christian...I'm not pretending. I'm just making things between us...professional, that's all" I said.

"Professional? By pretending not to know me. By not talking to me. By acting so distant?" he yelled.

"What you want? This is how an employee acts with their bosses" I said.

"Yeah... I know but... I don't want you to act like this. I want you to call my name and not to be so distant from me" he said closing the distance between us.

I again stepped back and he still came close until I hit the wall.

He put his arms each side of my head, caging me.

"Christian you know... why I can't be close to you" I finally said looking straight into his eyes.

"No I don't... Tell me why?" he said shamelessly. Now who is the one pretending?

"You serious? Christian if I didn't have any problems in my life, I wouldn't have accepted this job or should have not even get close to you. You humiliated me in front of everyone. You gave everyone a reason to laugh at my face, rejection was fine but the outcomes were not. And I can't forget that.

Because of you... " I stopped. I was holding back my tears. My hands were curled into a fist... I don't want to tell him about my parents.

"I know, I know but can't we just start over again? You, me, a new start?" he said. I frowned.

Do he think this is all a joke? All that suffering I went through. Everything...

"No Christian I cannot move on. Not now at least" I said.

"Okay fine but take it slow. We'll start everything over again. A new start, me not being a d!ck, we'll be friends" he requested. "Please"

I didn't know what to say. Everything he said, his eyes were showing me sincerity but being friends... Is this what he wants? Is this what I want? We being friends?

"Christi-"

"Please Malena. Please I beg you. I can't see you like this all the time around me and me, controlling myself. I can't either. So please just be friends and not bother each other by our past"

Controlling himself? What does this mean?

"So you want us to be friends. But why?" I asked.

I mean it's not that I am disappointed... Actually a little. But still why he wants us in a relationship?

"Because I hurt you, I know and I want to make it up to you"

"I don't want anyone's pity"

"No it's not pity. I am guilty. That time I was stupid okay. I didn't know tha-"

"It's okay. No need to talk about that now"

"So deal. We are good?"

I nodded hesitantly.

"So I'm picking you up for the party. Just get ready and I'll be at your service" he said jokingly.

I laughed dryly and said "so can I go now?"

"Yeah... Just leave and get ready for the party. I know women take a lot time to get ready and I don't want myself to wait for you for an hour"

"Fine, but I don't take that much time" I said defending myself.

Women take time? For how many women does he have waited?

But I brushed the thought away.