Episode 8

It's Wednesday. It's three in the afternoon and I'm outside the meeting room. I have a spicy pineapple lollipop in my mouth and yet, even with that flavor, my stomach is growling because I'm hungry.

I rest my head against the back of the armchair. The ceiling of this place is lit by white lamps. Lunar Isles is the band I can't stop listening to. It was a good thing I brought my headphones!

I start a game of Candy Crush and that's how I continued to kill my wait. At four in the afternoon, the door opens and I see all the executives come out. I get up from the armchair, take off my headphones and he comes out of there. He was wearing a navy blue suit, red tie, white shirt and brown shoes. He looked great!

"Ready! We can go now," he says.

I am happy to hear his words. I'm hungry!

"Did everything go well?" I dare to ask.

"It did."

We get into the elevator. The doors closed. Just him and me.

"What are you doing after work?"

"I'm going to a friend's house."

"An office friend?"

"No. A friend of many years."

He seemed pleased with my answer.

"Do I have any pending tasks for the rest of the day?"

"You have to evaluate the reports from the statistics team."

"Cancel it. Put it off until tomorrow morning."

"Sure."

"Are you hungry?"

"Yes. Starving!"

"Are you craving anything?"

The elevator stopped, we reached the ground floor.

"I heard there would be pizza in the office cafeteria."

"Do you want pizza?"

"Yes."

Christian's car was parked right in front of the main entrance to the building. His hand stopped at the door handle and opened.

"Go ahead."

I get in. He closed the door. I look around the back of the car. He opened the left door and got in.

"Are we going to the office?" asked Gilberto, the driver.

"No. Take us to Paolo's Kitchen."

He nodded.

"Aren't we going to eat in the office cafeteria?" I worried.

"No. I'm taking you to a restaurant where the pizza is delicious."

"That's not necessary. As long as it's pizza, I'm fine."

I notice that Gilberto was looking at us through the rearview mirror.

"Anything to let you try good things."

His way of treating me, how should I interpret it? Too much kindness? Why treat an employee like that?

...🍬🍬🍬...

The taste of all the ingredients was quite delicious. I uncork the bottle of habanero sauce and apply it generously over the slice of pizza that is on my plate. I love spicy! I enjoy it! These pizzas were really delicious.

"Isn't it spicy for you?" His eyes seemed to have a curiosity about me.

I licked my lips.

"No. It's super tasty! You don't eat spicy food?"

"No. Very little."

I smiled. I drank some lemonade. My tongue was burning intensely!

"Well, I do. My dad used to eat spicier than me and I guess I inherited his taste."

"I think so."

He took a bite of his pizza slice. Christian was very generous! He ordered one of each specialty pizza just so I could try them all.

"Which one is your favorite?" On his face radiated the spontaneous happiness of this moment.

What was he thinking about me? So much kindness for an intern like me?

"The mango and serrano ham one."

He smiled broadly. He drank some wine. The skin on his hands caught my attention. Tiny hairs on the edges. Prominent veins. Shades of white and yellow made the perfect blend for that golden color. Incredible!

"I really like the shrimp one."

I nodded.

"This one is tasty too."

I finish devouring the last bite of my slice. The spicy sauce combined well with the salty and sweet ingredients.

"Thank you for the food! I really liked it," I said.

"You're welcome. I like to watch you eat."

He likes to watch me eat? That's cool!

"Do you go to the gym?" I wanted to find out.

We made eye contact, he drank from his glass.

"Yes."

"Your hands seem to be very strong. I just noticed a while ago when you grabbed your glass. It catches my attention how your veins stand out!"

And he spread his hands out on the table.

"Did my veins capture you?"

I nodded.

"My dad's veins used to stand out too, and when I was a kid, I liked to play with his hands."

Sometimes I wasn't afraid to be natural with Christian.

"Do you want to try with mine?" he proposed.

I felt so happy. Like a spoiled child!

"No, that's not..."

"We're comfortable. Don't worry!" he insisted.

"Well. Just because we're comfortable," I smiled as I finished speaking.

When my fingers touched his skin, I felt a lot of excitement. I traced the paths formed in his hands by the veins, pressed on some of them and that feeling brought back many memories from the past. It felt so good! To be able to feel that nothing had changed in my life, even though everything was remotely the opposite. I felt sensitive all of a sudden! I missed my parents.

Suddenly, his fingers imprisoned my fingers and his movements surprised me.

"You don't have big hands," now he was the one examining my hands.

We matched our palms to measure the size. Christian's hands were huge!

"You are a monster. Your hands are enormous!"

His gaze radiated peace.

"You're very tiny compared to me."

"Maybe."

The heat from our hands began to awaken things inside me. Quickly, I pulled my hands away from his and involuntarily turned my gaze to the next table. A couple was kissing each other lovingly and I felt a warmth in the bottom of my heart. I love romance!

"Have you ever been in a relationship?" he asks me.

"No. Not so far."

He seems stunned by my answer.

"Not even when you were in school?"

"No. I always focused on my studies."

He seemed doubtful.

"Well, if that's what you say, I'm happy for you. Love is not always what it's cracked up to be!"

His words disappointed me.

"I don't think so. For example, they seem to love each other so much."

He chuckled slightly at me.

"They're just eager to sleep together. They're teenagers. They don't understand the meaning of love!"

"I think you're wrong."