Chapter 8

After a long day of work and endless explanations about the topic that was driving her insane, Nora needed to escape — fast. She was buried deep in her thoughts of escape when the shrill ring of the office phone startled her.

“Miss Allen.”

That voice.

“I’m waiting for you in my office. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten your debt to me?”

“Oh, my God!” she blurted out, momentarily forgetting someone was on the other end of the line.

“Allen, are you all right?”

“Yes, yes! Don’t worry, I’ll be in your office soon.”

But then she remembered the gossip swirling around her — stepping out in front of everyone with her boss was probably the worst idea she could have.

“I’m doomed,” she muttered to herself.

“Allen… did you say something?”

She heard her boss’s confused voice.

“No… It’s just that I… I need to do something… it’ll only take a few minutes… We can meet at the gas station nearby… It’s just a block away…” She couldn’t stop stammering.

“Are you joking?” His voice threw her off balance.

“It’s important. Just a few minutes…”

“I’m not talking about giving you a few minutes, Allen. Why do we have to meet at the gas station?”

“Ah… It’s because I need to buy something urgent.”

“At the gas station?”

She was so doomed.

“Yes… There’s a little shop there!” she blurted out, as if suddenly remembering.

“Then I’ll drive you, and when you finish your shopping, we’ll go,” he resolved.

This couldn’t be happening to her. She needed a solid excuse, something believable, to escape the mess she was in.

“I’m sorry…”

'Desperate times call for desperate measures,' she thought.

“Mr. Anderson? I… —” She tapped her fingers against the phone, pretending there was interference. “Can you hear me?”

“Allen, can you hear me?” he answered, concerned.

“I can’t… hear you… If you… can hear me… I’ll wait at the gas station…” She slammed the phone shut and took a deep breath. “What kind of lunatic am I turning into?” she groaned.

Nora snuck out of her office, glancing nervously around as if she feared being caught. Then she darted behind a wall when she spotted her boss walking down the hallway.

“What are you doing?” a voice said suddenly.

“Ah!” She jumped out of her skin.

“Nora, are you okay?” Her friend looked at her with concern.

“Oh, it’s you, Lydia.” She smiled awkwardly, her face halfway to crazy.

“Who or what are you hiding from?” Lydia asked, raising an eyebrow in quiet judgment.

“No one…” Nora let out a fake little laugh, and Lydia shot her a suspicious look. “I have to go, Lydia.” She hurried off, almost running.

“Geez, Nora’s been acting so weird lately,” Lydia murmured to herself.

***

She arrived at the gas station, almost running, looking around, but she didn’t see her boss anywhere. Suddenly, a red Ford Fusion pulled up in front of her. Her heart pounded hard when the car window lowered, revealing her boss’s handsome face.

Was she really going to have dinner with him?

The car door opened, and she got in. She hadn’t expected him to be driving himself — or that she’d be sitting in the passenger seat. If anyone from the office saw her at that moment, it would be her end.

“Where is it?” Edward asked as he scanned the area for something, but she just looked at him, confused. “You said you came to buy something.”

“Oh…” She remembered her lie and looked at him, terrified. “I didn’t find what I was looking for,” she lied, avoiding his gaze.

“Worried about the rumors?” He smirked and started driving. Nora’s eyes widened as she realized she’d been caught, and she looked away, embarrassed, which made him smile again.

“Did you change cars?” she asked, trying to change the subject.

“The limousine was just temporary until they delivered my car,” he said, eyes still on the road. “By the way, that phone thing was very obvious.” He let out a soft chuckle, and she blushed with shame. Why did she have such bad luck, always so exposed in front of him? “Guide me,” he suddenly said, and she looked at him, puzzled. “You’re supposed to take me to the restaurant — you’ll be my guide.”

“Oh…” She gave a tense smile. She didn’t frequent fancy restaurants, so she had no idea.

“Take me to your favorite restaurant,” he requested, then turned his eyes on her, making her even more nervous than she already was.

“I don’t think you’d like my favorite restaurant.”

“I’ll be the one to judge whether I like it or not.”

“I don’t go to fancy places, Mr. Anderson.”

“Call me Edward. And I don’t care if it’s fancy or not, as long as the food’s decent,” he answered.

Nora rolled her eyes.

“Mr. Anderson…” she started, but he cleared his throat to interrupt her. “I couldn’t call you by your first name…” she refused.

“Why not?” He smiled. Every time he did, it made her shiver. How could someone have such a beautiful smile? “We’re not at the office, so I’m not your boss here.” That was a direct blow to her stomach. How could a man she’d only known for a day make her feel all that?

“I couldn’t do it—not at work, and not outside of it.”

“Why, Nora?” He looked into her eyes mischievously. That was the final blow. Hearing her name on his lips was too much excitement for her body.

“Turn left,” she commanded, trying to hide how nervous he made her. “Mr. Anderson, we’re here!” she said triumphantly.

They got out of the car and entered the restaurant. Nora was dying of embarrassment, since it wasn’t fancy at all, but at least it was known for its delicious local food. Soon, they found a table with some privacy and sat across from each other. He hadn’t stopped smiling or looking at her, an action that left her flustered and cornered.

“Let’s order,” Edward suggested, focusing on the menu. “A wine, please,” he ordered after placing his food request.

When the drink arrived, Nora watched him savor it with such elegance and delight that it felt familiar, as if she had already lived that moment.

“I love wine, Nora!” he exclaimed, savoring the liquid slowly. She blushed because hearing her name on his lips again was driving her crazy. Nora downed her glass of wine in one gulp, earning a surprised look from her boss, who then smiled mischievously. It was obvious he noticed how nervous he made her feel.

“How long have you been at the company, Nora?” he asked, mentioning her name in every sentence because he liked how she blushed each time.

“About two years, I think,” she answered indifferently.

“You must be very competitive to have climbed the ranks so quickly.”

“Says the young CEO,” she shot back with a little grin.

“I’ve practically grown up in the company’s business. I started working there before I even entered university.” He paused and looked her in the eyes. “Well, being the owners’ son helps a little too.” They both smiled, and he was captivated by her smile. “At least you’re smiling now. You’re very tense, and the point is to have a pleasant time.”

“I’m sorry if I’m making you uncomfortable. Lately, I haven’t been myself.” She sighed.

“I understand.” He smiled. “I imagine it has something to do with me.” Her eyes widened. “Don’t get me wrong — I’m referring to the office gossip. Just because I haven’t mentioned anything doesn’t mean I haven’t heard what they’re saying.” Nora covered her face in frustration. She was exhausted by the senseless situation.

“I don’t understand where they get all that…”

“I think… our stares are very obvious,” he stated seriously, and his intense gaze pierced right through her.

“Oh…” She didn’t know what to say. Was he trying to tell her something? “Our stares?”

“Well… you can’t deny it’s strange, this feeling like we’ve met before. The question is — where? Don’t you feel the same?” he confronted her.

“It’s true. You do feel familiar…” Nora nodded slightly.

“You feel familiar to me, too. That really intrigues me, because I don’t remember ever getting drunk — actually, I’ve never even been to a bar,” he added thoughtfully.

“Neither have I.”

“What about at university? Did you go to any parties?”

“I couldn’t tell you,” she answered distantly, earning a confused look from the Asian man. “To be honest… I don’t remember anything from university. Actually, I haven’t told anyone this — I don’t remember my past at all. I only have vague flashes from a few months ago.”

“Seriously?” He studied her, perplexed. “Did you have some kind of accident?”

“I don’t think so…” She shook her head. “I just woke up one day knowing only what I have now, but with no memory of the day before — and that includes everything before that. Since then…” She trailed off.

“Since then?” he asked, intrigued. Strangely, he had started drawing her months ago, and even though he hadn’t lost his past, he sometimes felt as if everything he’d lived before was a blurred-out dream.

“Forget it, it’s silly,” she brushed it off — because she wasn’t about to tell him that she dreamed about him every night.

Edward nodded, a little disappointed. Time passed quickly as they sank into an easy, pleasant conversation about trivial things and funny moments at the company.

Later, he drove her back to her apartment. Once there, he got out, opened her door, and walked her to the entrance. He stood in front of her, eyes fixed, as if he didn’t want to leave her side. He couldn’t remember feeling this good or this happy before tonight.

“We should do this again,” he said nervously.

“I don’t think so…” She hesitated. “It wouldn’t be appropriate. If someone saw us…”

“Who cares if they see us? Is it a crime for us to be friends?”

“You know they wouldn’t see it as just friendship.”

“And who cares what they think! Besides, there’s always a chance our relationship could go beyond friendship.” His expression didn’t change, but he didn’t seem like he was joking. “We’re adults, Nora. We don’t need to dance around it.”

“Mr. Anderson, I think you’re misunderstanding.”

“No, you’re the one misunderstanding, Nora.” He smiled. “I never said I was interested — yet. I’d like to be your friend without shutting the door on the possibility of… more.”

She lowered her head, embarrassed. He stepped closer, and their eyes met.

“Good night, Mr. Anderson.” Nora broke the gaze abruptly.

“Good night, Nora. Think about what I said. It’d be nice to share time with someone now and then.” She nodded in response, and they both went their separate ways.

***

“You don’t have to apologize, Marcos.” She gave him a gentle tap on the shoulder as he made a sad little pout. “I overreacted… it just wasn’t a good day.”

“I shouldn’t have thrown fuel on the fire, Nora,” he lamented. “Let me make it up to you — lunch’s on me.” He smiled mischievously.

“All right, let’s go.”

They left the office and headed to the restaurant Nora usually frequented with Lidia. After lunch, they began talking about some reports Marcos was working on.

“At first, I thought the lights in the sky at night were fireworks, but… why would someone set off fireworks every single night?”

“I’ve wondered the same thing.” Nora thought for a moment. “How long have those lights been appearing at night?”

“About three months, give or take…”

“Don’t you think strange things have been happening in this city since then?”

Marcos nodded his head in agreement.

“Yeah. These days, we’ve had a lot of good reports, which actually isn’t good for society. Everything happens at night. People are becoming more violent, more unbalanced, especially when those lights show up in the sky. There’s more chaos and crime, not to mention accidents, and all of it has increased over the last three months.”

“Do you think the lights have something to do with it?”

“Call me crazy, but I’m sure they do.” She looked at him, entertained. At this point, nothing could surprise her, and calling someone crazy would be ironic given the situation she was in.

“I couldn’t call you crazy for that. In fact, I’m very interested in the topic. Any information you get, please let me know,” she requested, and he nodded. Marcos gently took her hands, touched by her interest in the things that mattered to him. She carefully slipped her hands free so as not to offend him. She understood the affection he showed — but unfortunately, she didn’t feel the same way.

***

Another morning when she woke up with that strange sensation. She couldn’t remember the dream from the night before, but the feeling of emptiness and sadness gripped her chest once again.

Getting out of bed to go to work was an incredibly hard task. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and the helplessness and despair left her breathless. To everyone else, she was a successful person, but the truth was, she couldn’t stand that job or the lonely, empty life she was trying so hard to hide.

For some strange reason, she felt like she didn’t belong inside the four walls and limitations of an office. She had so much suppressed energy that it made her anxious. Deep down, she felt she was something more than just an editing manager. Sometimes she wanted to escape, to fly through the skies — it sounded crazy, but that’s how she felt.

She arrived at the company and noticed everyone was looking at her strangely. As she walked down the hallways, she heard the murmurs, and she also noticed how her coworkers fell silent whenever they realized she was nearby. Ignoring the uncomfortable situation, Nora went into the kitchen to enjoy her caffeinated drink before starting work. To her surprise, her boss was standing there, holding a cup of coffee.

“Good morning, Miss Allen!” he greeted, very expressive — too much, she’d say — which struck her as a bit sarcastic and put her on alert. At least he wasn’t calling her by her first name.

“Good morning, Mr. Anderson!” she replied as she sweetened her coffee.

“Forgive me for my behavior the other day; I… didn’t know about your relationship with Méndez.” He tried to keep his voice steady.

“My relationship with Méndez?” she asked, confused.

“Don’t worry, Allen. No need to pretend ignorance. I’m not against office romances, as long as they don’t affect your work.”

“I’m not pretending anything,” she replied, puzzled. “I don’t know where you’re getting this information, but I can assure you it’s not true.”

“A picture’s worth a thousand words,” Edward answered with a displeased expression, quickly showing her the company’s group chat, where there was a photo of her and Marcos holding hands at the restaurant where they’d had lunch.

Of course — and to her own misfortune — the photo had been edited to make it look like there was more intimacy and closeness than there had actually been. On top of that, there was a message that read: “Caught these two lovebirds at the restaurant today; I already suspected something between them, but this romantic scene confirms it. Sorry, I couldn’t snap the kissing photo in time, but yes, they kissed and everything.”

“Ah!” Nora shrieked, scandalized. “That’s not true!” She looked at the message again and was shocked to see the username of the person who had sent it. “Lidia! You’re dead!” She stormed out of there, sparks practically flying from her anger.