RED

26. Peony

Love is like a beautiful flower which I may not touch, but whose fragrance makes the garden a place of delight just the same.
by Helen Keller

Kiana made her way out of the restroom and each step she took towards Enrico's office felt a little slow, but at the same time filled with excitement. She couldn't wait to get this confession off her chest. She couldn't wait to see the smile on his face once again. Finally, she stood in front of the door to his office and Kiana found herself stalling a little bit. Her heart was racing fast. Her palms felt sweaty and she could barely hear any other sound apart from the loud beating of her heart. She shut her eyes for a minute and took in a deep breath, to try and calm herself down. Her nerves couldn't afford to fail her at the moment. She had made a decision to come clean and that was exactly what she was going to do. She was going to tell Enrico just how much she loved him.

She stretched her hand towards the door about to place a knock, but suddenly, it was pulled to open. Enrico stood in front of her. Their eyes instantly met and they stared at each other. The jitters were back. The heart she had tried hard to calm down was well on its way at racing faster than ever before. Her lips felt strangely shut. Her tongue, too weak to move. Her legs, a bit like jellies. Her nerves threatened to fail her.

He loves you.

She told herself the very words that could boost her morale. The words that made her feel like she was on cloud nine. The words that now seemed to matter more than any other thing in the world. Somehow, it worked and she took in a slow and deep breath, then readied herself to speak up. As she slightly opened her mouth with the intention of speaking out, suddenly, he looked away and walked right past her.

Disappointment washed over her and she had to force herself to snap out of her trance by blinking a few times. It worked, as she immediately realised he was walking away. Her chance was slipping away from her. Quickly, she made a turn and hastened her pace after him.

"I need to speak with you." She stated, as she went after him. Gratefully, he came to a halt, causing her to do the same. He took a slight look at her.

"I have somewhere important to be at. We can discuss after I'm back." He stated.

"No, this can't wait." She quickly added, before he could take a step away.

Enrico couldn't understand why she wasn't making any of this easier for him. It was quite obvious that he was trying his best to avoid her; to see less of her as much as possible, to make this professional atmosphere between them work, but it seems she had something else in mind. He took in a deep silent breath, a little laced with frustration.

"What is it?" He asked, regarding her request to speak with him. Kiana couldn't help lurking her eyes left and right, aware of her surroundings. She knew this wasn't a good place to confess her feelings. The employees were around, so it was a little public.

"I can only speak to you about it in private." She told him and hoped he would understand.

He took a complete turn to her, so she was standing right in front of him.

"It's about work, right? Then, I don't see why we need to speak in private. You're simply my assistant, Kiana, and I hope you always remember that." He told her with a little harshness in the tone of his voice. His eyes barely stayed on her. He waited for a reply, but heard none, so he turned away and attempted to leave.

"It's really important."

"If it's important, you would have said it by now." He added, rather quickly before taking a few steps away.