Decision (3)

William entered the elevator with Mia still in his arms. He did not talk with other people but he was still standing tall and composed even with all the gazes the people had. He made himself clear, the people would find out about what he said. He did not care what other people will think of him.

A tyrant?

So what?

He worked hard with sweat, blood and tears to be the CEO he was today. He even sacrificed his love for the company's growth and well-being. Now that he was in power, it was unacceptable for him that people treat Mia that way. What was the use of all his hard work if he can't even protect the girl he loves.

They were alone in the elevator, Mia was still breathing soundly in his arms.

She was not speaking, he did not know if Mia was still asleep or she just did not want to talk. William looked down at Mia's face, he looked at her kindly, gentle and full of love. He knows it was his fault and Mia was subjected to the cruel rumors that were circulating in the office.

It felt long.

It felt like the minutes that were passed in the elevator lasted forever. The elevator door would open once in a while but once the people saw the situation inside, they would back up without any hesitation.

William went out the door and went straight to the parking garage. He was not able to use his elevator that he usually used that was directly connected to his parking space as he was in a hurry. It took a couple of minutes of walking to reach his car.

He used the key to unlock the door, he gently placed Mia on one of his knees so he can open the door. After which, William gently lays Mia on the car seat. He looked at Mia's face. She was facing down, which meant she was already awake. He did not know when she woke up, was it in the elevator? He asked himself.

"Mia, you need to put on your seatbelt," William said gently.

Mia did not respond.

"I'll put it on you okay?" William then reached for the seatbelt, tug on it a bit and reached for the connector. With a click, it closed and was now secured. If people were around, they would think that they were doing something because of their closeness to one another.

William gently closed the door and went to the driver seat.

He then asked with a smile, "Where do you want to go?"

Mia did not respond, he did not know what her thoughts might be, so he decided to start the car.

The car went away, some people saw the CEO's car but it seemed like they did not want to say anything. They just watched as the car became smaller and smaller from the distance.

William did not know what else he could say so he decided to drive around till he finds a place that Mia would be interested in. They passed by the city and entered an area full of trees, the road became zigzag for a bit, as they continued the trees lessened and they reached an area connected to the beach. They were just in time when the sun was about to set. The view from outside the car window was magnificent to behold, as the orange hue combined with blue and black of the night sky was captivating to the eyes.

William who was keeping quiet suddenly heard a sound.

It was a small rumbling noise.

He smiled and remembered something during his childhood.

"Let's go and grab a bite. There aren't any restaurants around this area but we can look for a convenience store." He said with a kind smile.

Mia who was now awake and embarrassed still did not answer. She just looked at the surroundings and appreciated the view.

Driving a bit more they found a gasoline station with a convenience store. William parked the car and got out of his seat with a stretch. Mia did not go out of the car so he leaned inside the car door and faced Mia's face full of sincerity and asked her, "What do you want to eat?"

Mia still did not answer but looked at the convenience store instead.

"Do you want to come with me and pick something yourself?" William asked.

Mia nodded as a sign of agreement and started to stand up from her car seat too.

William immediately went out of the car and assisted Mia on going out.

He opened the door for her and held his hand out while smiling at Mia.

Mia hesitated for a bit but decided to take the hand that was now right in front of her.

A strong and sturdy hand of a man that was different from her. She had always held hands with William when they were kids but it was now very different from before. Once she was out of the car, she quickly took back her hands as she realized the difference from before. Her heart was beating as she could not hide her surprise like a startled bunny.

William just laughed and did not mind, he walked ahead a bit from Mia as he saw Mia's embarrassment. Mia followed timidly behind William while touching the hand that William held.

"William is a really warm person." She thought to herself as she looks at the back of this man.

She was awake when William shouted in anger. She fainted for a moment, it might be from crying or fatigue, she did not know, but all she knows was that this man was gentle, kind and caring towards her.

He was there when she thought she was alone.

He defended her when no one else did.

He protected her from the harsh words of people.

He found her when she was lost in her emotions.

This man did.

Her thoughts continued as she followed behind him.

He was no longer a boy, but a grown man.