~Leo~
I smiled at the jovial and rich environment. Neil's birthday brought everyone close under one roof, and I kept thinking about Felicia. As though my wishes were answered, i caught sight of Felicia standing alone, looking all pretty in her yellow dress. Her stance was suggesting she didn't want to be there. When someone came by to talk, she answered them in small phrases or just a nod. It didnt matter and i was just glad i could see her again.
Even after she moved cities to work online, she came by to engage socially. I didn't think she'd come, but there she was, always doing the right thing and putting others' happiness before her own.
"Leo! Boss!" Maya's voice brought me back to reality. I was stuck in my trance with Felicia. Her gaze followed where I was looking then Maya looked back at me with a polite smile.
"Could you wheel me to the water section, please? I've been calling you."
"S-Sorry. I was distracted." I said and went over to help Maya. She was to be in a wheelchair for approximately a month. I briefly caught Felicia looking my way as I sipped on water. I so desperately wanted to talk to her, but Maya's needs came first. We could talk later.
"What's on your mind, boss? Where are you looking?" Maya suddenly asked. I shook my head and said, "Nowhere. Where do you wanna go next?"
Honestly, it is kinda exhausting to keep wheeling a patient around in your party. But these are part of my duties as their boss. I wanna be able to help them as they are obliged to do the same for me. It kinda sucks.
We were now at the dinner table when I pushed Maya closer to the table and sat down. I was cutting steak for her as she said she felt too weak and tired.
Suddenly, Maya leaned on my shoulder and whispered, "I don't know what I'd do without your help, boss. Thank you for being the best."
"You told me you wanted to enjoy the party. I'm just being a good person." I said and fed a bite sized piece to her. Out of nowhere, the birthday boy stood behind me and suggested,
"Why don't you feed Felicia too? She's been avoiding interaction for a long time. Give her some company, dude. She would appreciate your company." I raised an eyebrow. Suddenly, I felt indifferent and the pain from last night washed over me.
"She'll be fine over there. She was never into social interactions." I said briefly.
"Are you sure, mate? He looks so uncomfortable." Neil argued. I put the knife and fork down and stared up at him.
"If you're that concerned, why don't you go give her company? It's your party she came to. Besides, she's fine with whatever she's doing. She also knows I'm here for Maya because she's injured. It's not a big deal like she's posing it to be." I seethed and turned away.
"I sense animosity from your girlfriend. I swear I'm not trying to get between you two, Leo." Maya got the wrong idea as I was quick to defeat her worries and concerns.
"Felicia is fine. She understands that you need my help." I assured and glanced at Felicia, who now looked irritated. She quickly looked away when she realized I was staring at her.
"I can't stress enough how good of a boss you are, Leo." I pursed my lips into a thin line and pushed the plate to Maya. I shrugged the praise off, I had doubts infiltrating my mind.
The catering reeled us in to sit around the big table as I was pulled to sit beside my PA, Maya. My eyes were searching for Felicia and she was sitting in a dimly lit corner with unknown folks.
My gaze locked with Felicia and her eyes were screaming that she was uncomfortable. But when she noticed me, her look turned into one of annoyance and she huffed before looking away. That made my heart bump with a pang. Why was I feeling guilty for nothing I did?
I was quick to brush it off. It wasn't my fault anyway. But I couldn't help but think about her odd behavior. She was never this incongruous with me. So angry and so hurt, it was as if she wanted to make me feel something for her.
Suddenly, I caught her getting up and excusing herself. Where is she going?
"Maya I'll be right back." Saying, I made my escape and caught Felicia right on time.
"Where are you going? We need to talk." I held her arm and stated assertively. She shook my hand off, her eyes scaring me.
"No, we don't. I'm going back home."
"Your home is with me, Felicia. We built that together."
"That's just a house with walls now, Leo. I— what's the point in explaining?" She shook me off again and tried walking away.
"Hey guys! Is everything alright?" Neil came up behind me and assessed the tension in the air.
"Happy birthday and Goodnight, Neil." Saying, Felicia took her leave and I couldn't do anything about it. Something was holding me back.
"She doesn't look okay to me, Leo. Did you do something?"
"Except for helping my employee, I didn't do anything against her wish. She'll be fine. Let's go back." Urging us back in, I pulled my phone out and texted Felicia,
-Let's talk after. But lemme know when you reached home. I'm concerned-
When I hit the button to send, I scowled to see the single grey tick. Her profile picture wasn't visible to me either. My mood was ruined when I realized she'd blocked my number.
