Angel Love - 5. Chapter 5

“Could you please explain the statistics again?” Terence turned to Sophie.

He missed the exasperated sigh that escaped her mouth when he asked the question. He was too busy poring over the fat bundles of sheets in his hands.

But when their eyes met, her expression softened a bit. His turmoil over trying to understand everything at once was a bit touching.

“Look Terence, I gave you those files so that you could get a vague picture of the company’s operations over the past five years. That would make you understand why certain things are done in a particular way. If you see, the numbers change every year in every similar transaction made. We have subsidiaries, ancillaries, factory outlets which total into a lot of different industries. It’s practically impossible for you to understand everything that happens here in one day.

“I have been working here since more than four years. Daniel appointed me when he took over after Mr. Tranter passed away. It was more than overwhelming being exposed to this massive enterprise. But Daniel was patient with us. He was himself so young back then, but he never complained when we stumbled upon something. The senior members were not too happy with his mass appointment of younger people in the organization. But he was staunch in his opinions and wanted to make major changes in the work culture which used to be lot different than it is now.”

She looked at Terence pointedly, and continued “I’m not sure if I can be as patient as Daniel.” She laughed to lighten the statement. “But I can tell you when things are really important to know and when they are not. Statistics change every year, every day. It’s not your job to know these things by heart. You’ll automatically understand better when you start working. You’ll be a part of this as much as we are.

“I have touched on almost everything that was important for today as far as offices are concerned. Tomorrow, we’ll get to the factories and the logistics part.”

Terence was not convinced with his abilities to understand and he was intimidated by all that they had discussed. He saw Sophie staring at him for a response and so he nodded and managed a weak smile. He mumbled a soft ‘okay’ when he saw her still staring. He liked the self-confident woman who was standing in front of him. He wished he were half as self assured as she was. She had a pretty face, but she gave out a very intelligent vibe, something that said she wasn’t gullible at all.

Terence wondered if he wanted her as his friend. Knowing her for less than a couple of hours, he was sure she would be a very loyal but frank person. He didn’t know how much he’d succeed in making friends, but he was sure he didn’t want her on his bad side.

He cursed himself for being so easily intimidated in the city life which led to zero conversational skills. “Umm, what should I do now?” he asked looking around. He wasn’t sure if she took his lack of confidence as disinterest and so he somehow willed himself to look into her eyes.

She smiled at him and he relaxed a bit. “Your real job is assisting Daniel. So that’s what you’ll do. You have a cabin adjoining Daniel’s. You can go there and arrange your stuff if you brought anything along. If you need help, just call out for a worker. The bills will be on the company. You also need to personally get acquainted with Daniel’s office. So right now, you can head there.”

Terence recalled the encounter from yesterday. The high he was feeling at the time and his actions in the spur of the moment embarrassed him. He had acted on a whim and had been proud of what he was going to do. But today, his stomach felt queasy to face the man who had definitely found the whole thing amusing and juvenile. Terence was sure Daniel laughed every time he remembered Terence’s words. ‘How stupid of me’ he thought. He shuddered involuntary at the thought of facing the man again.

Sophie watched him and her eyes widened with disbelief. “You aren’t scared of him, are you?”

“No…no I’m not. It’s just…” he didn’t know what it was and he didn’t want to disclose any more than was needed.

“His name is what puts him in a superior position. Of course he is our boss. But he’s just one of us or that’s what he believes. And you’d not find another boss who feels likewise.” She winked. “So let’s not make him believe otherwise and enjoy the time here. He’s totally harmless.” She spoke animatedly. It was clear from the look on her face that she adored the guy she was talking about.

Although he didn’t believe her completely, he decided to not tell her that. So he put his most convincing smile forward. “I believe you.” He said.

“Good, now get going.”

He laughed with her and turned to leave. She called him again before he was out of the door. “Relax, and good luck.”

He nodded at her and braced himself while he walked to the dreaded place which was the office of his ‘dear boss’.

Today’s meeting has to be postponed to a future date. All this because I have to meet up with The Mother. What kind of a son needs an appointment to meet up with his own mother? My kind I guess.

She’ll be here by 11. She’s never early and never late and she expects the same from everyone. I am her son and I love her because she is my mother. But from a basic point of view I would describe her as a woman with an undisputed attitude over things, a bitch of the highest order and a person with a nasty general perspective to boot.

As much as I want to blame her for the way she is, I know the reasons that made her this way. My father never paid much attention to her and the wealth and the image in society are the only grounds that give her a sense of self-worth.

That doesn’t at all mean that if the circumstances were any different, she would accept certain anomalies in our ‘perfect’ life. Our father always being away or rather ‘distant’, my siblings and I were raised by our mother. I, being the eldest son was always trained to be perfect irrespective of whether I really was.

It was a rule that I make friends only in families having a good name such as ours. That left me with very little options to really make any. The invisible chains which bound me to my roots and never let me open up to be my real self, have led me to develop a deep resentment towards my mother.

But she wouldn’t know that. I don’t hate my mother, I just resent her.

If I tell her about my newfound feelings for a man, I shudder to think the steps she would take to wipe off his name from my mind. I don’t have a reason to fear for myself, but I know that she would go to any limits to maintain the untaintedness of the name.

But she wouldn’t know. I’m not jeopardizing the peace for a relationship I can’t anyway have. We’ll have our usual brunch together, and then she’ll leave me alone for a week at least. I hope.

It was another hot and humid day and the stress and strain were getting to Terry. Stress of managing a living with very little means and emotional strain caused by his partner, Richie.

As much as he tried to stay awake and wait for Richard, he hadn’t been able to do it the other day when Richie didn’t come home till midnight. His energy gave in and he needed his aching muscles to give some rest. Yet another night he succumbed to sleep and lost his opportunity to talk to Richie. The next morning, he woke up to an empty bed. This was becoming a routine against his wishes.

A cold shower in the morning was a good idea since it allowed some of his gushing emotions to numb and also because there wasn’t a geyser installed in the bathroom.

His new job was also not entirely something he looked forward to anymore. Rummaging through his broken closet, his hands finally found a fresher pair of black trousers and a cream shirt that matched them. He quickly put them on, combed his hair, sprayed some cologne and was out to board the bus.

The first couple of hours after he arrived were spent with Sophie, to whom he took an instant liking and he wanted to prolong the obvious for as long as possible. But he wasn’t going to be so lucky. He found himself standing outside the one door he wanted to avoid most.

Fighting the inner demons that were trying to scare him, he touched the door knob. However, the moment he tried to push it, the door was opened from the inside. Terry took a step backward to let the other person get out. He gasped when his eyes landed on the person standing in front of him. Daniel was straightening the cuffs of his suit while he stepped out directly in front of Terry.

Terry had never seen Daniel in a standing position before this and what he saw now, took his breath away. Time stood still for him when he took in the sight of the man he believed he wasn’t fond of.

Daniel felt the presence of someone and straightened to look when he found deep blue eyes studying him. He didn’t need the distraction of those eyes right now. Not ever, but especially not when he was about to meet up with his mother. He took a step forward to indicate that his way was being blocked, but Terry was too lost in the view. When Daniel moved, Terry didn’t move back and they were pushed closer. The smell of Daniel’s perfume numbed all of Terry’s senses and he inhaled sharply to store the sweet and musky smell.

The Su Misura Armani suit clung gracefully on Daniel’s broad shoulders and Terry fought an urge to touch the rich fabric that stretched across the strong chest muscles. He had completely forgotten where he was and who it was standing so close to him. He could only get his mind around one thing that this person was having a very strong effect on him, the proximity sending shivers through his body. His eyes slowly took in the tender and exposed skin near the man’s neck and he desperately wanted to know how it would taste. He involuntarily licked his lips and exhaled softly. The soft, luscious lips looked so inviting, Terry rubbed his thumb on them in his mind.

Daniel was aware of the slight tension being created by their closeness and he was scared of losing his mind too soon and acting on his impulses. Having Terry this close was a dream he had suppressed since the first time he met him. To put his arms around the younger boy and hug him to himself had become his biggest desire. But he was also aware of the realities of the situation and he wasn’t going to risk disturbing them.

When nothing was being said and done for a while, Terry started coming back to his senses. His eyes slowly traveled from one part to other of Daniel’s body as if he to extend his time in his trance -like state. His eyes took in the polished shoes, the crisp and expensive clothes, then the stylishly cropped hair and lastly the starkly handsome face of his boss.

His boss? His eyes snapped to Daniel’s in panic at the realization of what he was doing. He expected to see anger, disgust or frustration in those eyes. What he saw was something he had never seen in anyone’s eyes before. Pensive and soft eyes were staring back at him. There was something else too, an emotion he couldn’t place but it was there and the intensity of the emotion made the hair on the back of his neck stand to attention.

They stared at each other for some time before Daniel brushed a hand through his soft hair and closed his eyes tightly. The movement startled Terry and he was once again brought back out of his trance. He quickly stepped aside and hung his head in embarrassment. He was positive Daniel knew what he was thinking. The thoughts ashamed him. He didn’t know if he should apologize. What would he apologize about?

Before he could act on his thoughts, Daniel brushed past him and walked quickly away and disappeared across the elevators. Terry saw the man sprint away from him and felt a pang of hurt and loss in his chest.

He slowly opened the door and walked in to the desk. He placed his hands on the desk to steady himself. He could feel a cold sweat that had formed on his forehead. His hands were shivering and his breath was erratic.

He could still feel the lingering smell of Daniel’s perfume in the air and he felt himself reacting sexually to it. The thoughts scared him and reminded him of their talk in the same room.

“I can’t.” was what he had said when Daniel had asked him about the possibility of an attraction. Does the man have that kind of an effect on everyone? He had never felt an attraction so instant and so strong for anyone before.

Not even for Richie. A surge of guilt passed through him at that thought. He had promised to himself he would be loyal to his partner. He hadn’t done anything to violate that trust yet, but thinking along those lines was reason enough to feel guilty. He knew in his heart that the feelings he had just had were not restricted to finding another guy attractive, they were much stronger than that. He wanted to touch the man, kiss him even.

He tried to pull himself out of the visions but in vain.

‘When I am going to stop having these awkward encounters with Daniel?’ he thought before being enveloped into a haze of thoughts filled with guilt, shame and the undeniable attraction.