Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
N eil’s announcement took me by surprise. Not the trip to Singapore itself, but that he wanted me to go with him.
“I had a call from Daniel this afternoon,” Neil explained. He stood by the window which overlooked the harbour, his hands clasped behind him in a businesslike manner. “The shareholder meeting is later this month, and he wants me to present a financial update on Luxmore.”
“And you want me to come with you?” I asked, still processing the news, trying to get my facts straight.
“Yes.”
I thought of Daniel, his sallow skin, his beady little eyes. A creepy-crawly sensation took over my body, Neil’s warnings ringing in my head.
He has self-control issues around attractive young women… He’s dangerous…
“I thought you wanted me to stay away from Daniel and all this business going on in Singapore.”
Neil clenched his jaw. “Believe me, I do want you to stay away from him, but not taking you would look suspicious. Christine always joined me on business trips, and that has set a precedent. Daniel will expect you to come. If you don’t, he’ll think I’m shielding you from him, and that will only increase his interest in you.”
I struggled to wrap my head around the ensuing mind games, but I trusted Neil’s analysis of the situation.
He let go of his hands and faced me front on. “I also don’t like the thought of leaving you alone while I’m gone.”
My heart twinged. I tried to keep my cool. “I’m sure I could manage.”
“I’d prefer to keep an eye on you. Not because I don’t think you could manage. It’s other people I don’t trust.”
My crush-addled brain struggled to interpret his protectiveness as anything but affectionate. “Will anyone else from Luxmore come?” I asked.
“Not this time. Just you and me. Is your passport up to date?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Good.”
It was starting to sink in. A business trip to Singapore with Neil. Just us two. What would it be like? “I’ve never been to Singapore,” I said. “The only countries I’ve been to outside New Zealand are Australia and Fiji.”
“I’m afraid there won’t be much time for sightseeing.”
I huffed. “I know that.”
“Book the flights and accommodation on Monday. I want to get this locked in.”
I whipped my phone out to enter the task into my to-do list. “Got it.”
“That’s enough work chat for tonight. Shall we finish up here? Do you want to see the gym?”
“There’s a gym? In this building?”
“Of course. Don’t worry, I use a different gym, so we won’t run in to each other working out.”
Pity.
Just like that, my attention swung back to the apartment building and the prospect that soon, Neil and I would be living under the same roof.
At work on Monday, I had the plane tickets for Singapore up on my screen, all ready to be booked in, when I suddenly felt like I was forgetting something. It niggled at the back of my brain until I checked my diary, flicking to the pages of the week in question. There it was, spelled out in capital letters and underlined:
Nicole’s Wedding.
I winced. It had completely slipped my mind. I double-checked the dates, hoping I was mistaken, but no. The wedding was on the twenty-first of September, when I was supposed to be in Singapore. I slammed the diary closed with a huff of frustration.
My first thought was that I’d rather go on the business trip. My second thought was that it would be rude to pull out of the wedding at such late notice. I leaned back in my chair with my hands behind my head and groaned.
What should I do?
The wedding had been booked in for a long time. Bowing out now would seal the end of my friendship with Nicole once and for all. Did I really want that? Part of me still clung to a shred of hope that we could revive our friendship. Was that foolish? I thought of her party and how she had snubbed me and not cared or noticed when she left me behind. Did she even want me at her wedding? Maybe she’d breathe a sigh of relief if I told her I couldn’t come.
I knew what would happen if I brought it up with Neil. He’d tell me to go to the wedding. No question. But if I was honest with myself, I would prefer to go on the business trip. My work life was more important than Nicole. Neil was more important.
That settles it.
Before I could talk myself out of it, I grabbed my phone and composed a text message.
Hi, Nicole. I don’t think I’m going to be able to make it to your wedding anymore. An important business trip has come up, and I can’t really get out of it. Sorry for the late notice. Wishing you all the best for your big day.
I hesitated over the send button for a second, then, with a deep breath, I sent the message.
Just like that, the deed was done.
A weight lifted off my shoulders. Deep down, I must have been dreading the wedding the whole time. Now that I didn’t have to go, I felt a sense of relief. Nicole would be fine without me. I’d be fine without her. It was time to let go and move on.
With that sorted, I returned my attention to the plane ticket booking page. It had timed out, so I had to go through all the steps again. I used Neil’s credit card to pay the ludicrous fare for two business class seats departing on the twentieth of September and returning on the twenty-fourth.
Accommodation was the next thing I had to arrange. Neil had a membership with a particular hotel chain, which made things simple. I pulled up the reservation screen for the location closest to Zelthia headquarters and started to fill in the details. Partway through, the form froze. An error message appeared.
We are currently experiencing a problem with our booking system. Please call us to make a reservation.
Grumbling, I picked up the landline phone and punched in the number. As I listened to the dial tone, my mobile phone started ringing at the same time. Nicole’s name flashed up on the screen. A surge of panic coursed through me. I hadn’t expected her to call me back. Flustered, I hung up the landline and answered Nicole’s call. “Hello?”
“I got your message,” Nicole said.
Her subdued tone struck me as out of character, and I felt a wave of guilt. “I’m sorry, Nicole. It’s just this work thing… It’s very important for me to go. You know, for my career.”
Nicole didn’t say anything. I wondered if she was upset with me and started to regret pulling out of her wedding. I should have sucked it up and just accepted that I had to go for the sake of what little remained of our friendship.
“Nicole?”
When she spoke up again, her voice was even more sombre. “Actually, the thing is, we have postponed the wedding.”
Postponed?
I wondered what could have happened. “Is everything okay?” I asked.
“Totally,” she said with sudden cheeriness that sounded forced. “It’s just, you know, family stuff. I was planning to send an update to everyone soon.”
“So, when’s the new date?”
“We haven’t decided yet.”
“Oh. Okay. Well, let me know, and I might be able to attend the new date.”
“Sure. I’ll let you know. Well, that’s all I had to tell you.”
“Okay.”
“Bye.”
She hung up before I could say bye back to her.
That was odd. I had never heard Nicole sound so down in the dumps before. I wondered what was going on with her. Well, whatever it was, I couldn’t let it bother me too much. I had other things to focus on.
Neil and I worked closer together than ever in the lead-up to the Singapore trip. Literally. Our shoulders almost touched as I leaned in to focus on his computer screen, my chair pulled up beside him in his office. “I wonder if we should move this slide back. What do you think?” I asked.
“To the previous section? Hmmm. That could work,” Neil said.
We had dedicated ourselves to working on the presentation for the past two weeks. The finance department had provided us with all the data. Neil’s job was to compile the information into a coherent story, and my job was to help organise his speaking notes and to make it look visually appealing. The stakes were high. We had to make a good impression at the meeting or a merger with Flerotech could go back on the table. The pressure was palpable, though Neil remained stoic.
On top of all that, I had my upcoming move to Neil’s apartment building playing on the back of my mind. My moving date was set for the Saturday after my return from Singapore. I was more than ready to leave my tiny studio behind.
Neil clicked through to the next slide. A spelling error jumped out at me straight away. “Oh, I see a typo.”
“Where?”
Both of us reached for the mouse, our hands colliding. My heart skipped a beat at the skin contact. I froze. After what felt like a protracted state of connection, Neil withdrew his hand, clearing his throat at the same time. A trace of his touch lingered on my skin, warm and sensitive.
“Go ahead,” Neil said, reminding me of the task at hand.
“Right.”
Where was I? Oh! The typo.
My hair fell into my eyes as I leaned in to fix the mistake. I tucked the stray strands behind my ears. My hair was getting long. I’d need to book a haircut soon if I wanted to maintain the bobbed style I preferred.
After correcting the error, I searched my pockets for a spare hair tie while Neil ran through his notes again, rehearsing his spiel. I found one and swept my hair into a ponytail. Neil’s voice trailed off, his eyes drifting from the screen to my exposed neck. He seemed captivated by something there. Wondering what it was, I touched the spot he was fixated on, but felt nothing but smooth skin. He continued to stare. My cheeks burned as self-consciousness set in. “Neil?”
“Hmm?” He lifted his gaze from my neck to my eyes, breaking free of whatever spell he was under. “Sorry. I lost my train of thought.” He glanced at the clock on the wall and frowned. “It’s late.”
I checked the time too and saw what he meant. It was almost half-past six in the evening. I had worked a full hour and a half overtime without realising it.
“You should go home,” Neil said. “You’ve done enough.”
“Are you sure?”
He nodded. “I can finish it this weekend.”
I would have gladly stayed up all night helping him, but telling him that would sound overeager. “Okay, thanks.” I stood up, getting ready to leave.
“Are you all sorted for Monday? Have you packed yet?”
“Not yet. Maybe I’ll do it tonight.”
“It will be hot and wet in Singapore. Keep that in mind.”
Hot and wet?
It took me a second to register his meaning. “I-I will.”
“Get a good sleep on Sunday night and don’t come in to work on Monday morning. Winston will pick you up from your building.”
“Got it.”
“Good night, Milly.”
The sound of my name from his lips reverberated through me. I still felt a little thrill of pleasure whenever he said it.
“Good night. See you on Monday.”