Chapter 11: Told you you'd regret it.

Serene dropped his phone beside him, feeling a bit weirded out. The conversation was not expected. But then again, that little meet-up in the bathroom wasn't expected either. The thought stayed with him for a while, his stomach aching and feeling fatigued. Not out of disgust, but because of his adrenaline that flowed inside of his system. It was out of nowhere. Nicolas approaching him with desire in his eyes. Seven felt tensed; startled, but at the same time, he wanted more. He wanted Nicolas to make another move. To move closer.

Seven yawed, staring at the ceiling of his bedroom. Now accepting the fact that his body was doing all sorts of jumps and flips from the embarrassment. His eyes had gotten heavy, closing gently, falling to sleep.

...

Time passed, waking up to his phone going off. Seven groaned, opening one of his eyes, seeing Anderson calling him. Both his eyes opened, looking at the time on the bright screen, seeing that it was only 9 o'clock. He sat up, grasping the phone that vibrated annoyingly, answering the call, "Hello?" he mumbled tiredly.

"Did I wake you?" the CEO answered.

"Mr. Anderson, what's the problem?" he rubbed his forehead that throbbed with pain, bringing his legs to his chest.

"I'm coming to your house tomorrow at 6."

Serene's eyes widened, his tiredness being replaced with worry, "What for?"

"I'm dropping off an accessory that my father wanted you to try on."

"That's ridiculous!" Serene scoffed.

"Agreed, but since you got WebBaze to come to the party, he wants you to have a tie, like a gift. I expect you to accept it and-"

"Yeah, no..." it went quiet for a few seconds as Serene was trying to gain consciousness, "Sorry, I meant to say yes. I'll accept it. No problem."

Nicolas cleared his throat," Sorry for calling this late. I assumed you would be awake. You seemed more of a night owl."

Serene lied back down, staring at the ceiling again, not seeing much since the only light in the room was from his phone screen, "It's understandable, Mr. Anderson. Thank you for giving me an early notice."

The assistant sighed, waiting for Nicolas to respond.

Nicolas' breathing was soft, low, Serene hearing it clear from the phone's speaker, reminding him of the time Nicolas' lips were touching his neck..

"Assistant Ochoa?"

"Yes, sir?"

"I apologize for the messages."

Serene's face flushed, as he casually moaned in annoyance, "Sir, I told you you'd regret it."

"I don't. It's more of the way I made you feel. It seems to me that I've made you feel uncomfortable from the little time I've been around you."

"N-no, sir! That's not the problem. I understand you were trying to get to know me, but I was rude about the things that I said. I don't expect to be your friend, sir. However, if you don't mind, then there's no issue with going out for a few drinks."

"I already have Marcel for that."

Serene's shoulders loosened, "Understood." Seven frowned, and he didn't know why. He didn't know what answer he was expecting, but what Nicolas said sounded like a full-on decline.

"I don't know how long you're willing to be my assistant, but you are a well-qualified person. You have all the traits that I've been looking for in an associate. I don't want to do anything to scatter you away."

"No, sir. It's really no issue. I just haven't got to the point where I see you as a friend."

"I understand," Nicolas yawned, "see you tomorrow then, Ochoa?"

"Yes, sir."

It went silent for a moment. His breathing was more obvious now, but it was disrupted by a hard gulp, "Goodnight then."

"Goodnight, sir."