Purple Romance

Paula sat in her office pouting her lips. She felt tired without doing anything. It was lunch time but she felt that it had been a year already. She didn't know working in such a high profiled hotel was going to be such a headache.

Her phone buzzed and she picked it from the table and looked at it. She smiled when she saw the name of the caller and quickly answered, ''is it too late to say I don't want the job, Andy?'' Paula said into the phone and heard his chuckle.

''It's that why you locked your door? Open it'' he said to her.

''Are you outside?'' Paula hurriedly went to open the door. she looked at both sides of the hallway before pulling him inside and locked the door fast.

''What was that?'' Andy asked her as he placed a bag on her table.

''This place is no job. I didn't know I was coming into the lion's den when I accepted the job''

''I heard what happened. I'm sorry, I was caught up with work'' Andy sat across her and removed the lunchbox from the bag, ''you didn't eat, right? I brought you something to eat'' he had been attending a lot of meetings in the morning and had to even postpone the last one so that he could come and see her. He had been informed by the person he had kept in the kitchen to look out for Paula, so he knew all that happened to her. He was worried about her.

Paula sniffed and coughed slightly before asking, ''aren't you busy? I could have gone to the kitchen for lunch''

''Are you alright?'' he touched her forehead and frowned, ''what happened to you? You seem to be coming down with a fever''

''I'm fine'' Paula said. She knew she was coming under the weather because it was getting to that time of the month. She always experienced fever and cold each time her great aunt was visiting.

''Eat'' Andy pushed the food to her side.

''What about you, have you eaten?''

''En, I ate a packed lunch which was delivered to the meeting room''

''I see'' Paula started eating the food.

''It's been just half a day and you seem to have lost a lot of weight. I'm worried how you will survive. Should I make you my assistant instead? That way, you would always be by my side''

''If you make me your assistant, I might not even last an hour. Someone said I slept my way into my job''

''Whoa. Didn't you tell them that if you had indeed slept with me, I would have made you a partner instead of a nutritionist?'' Andy said and Paula coughed. Her face turned red. ''Be careful'' he picked the bottle water and opened it for her.

''Who is the cause of it?'' Paula sipped the water and he took it back.

''I am telling you the truth'' Andy said and laughed, ''I was joking. Don't look at me like that''

''The food is good. Where did you get it from?''

''Chef Lu made it specially for you. He called me and asked me to deliver it to you''

''Mr. Lucius did?'' Paula asked and flushed.

''Yes, he was worried about you''

''But, he could have just called me. why did he call you? There are going to be a lot of rumours going around about me. I haven't even slept with you yet and they are saying I did…'' Paula said and pursed her lips.

''Does that mean you will sleep with me in the future?''

Paula gulped hard and lowered her reddened face and started eating the food. She didn't look at him but her heartbeat quickened and she felt a weird excitement in her stomach. Was this the butterflies in the stomach that people usually spoke about.

Andy looked at his wrist watch and said to her, ''I have to go now''

''Already? Why?'' Paula asked and blushed, 'I... I didn't mean anything. You can go now'' she beckoned with her hand.

'What kind of reaction was that? You made my heart flutter for nothing'' Andy said and chuckled, ''I will see you when you close, okay'' he leaned closer and kissed her cheek and walked to the door and stopped. He seemed to have remembered something and turned to her, ''right, when they ask you what kind of relationship we have, tell them that we've done all that a couple do, we shook hands on the first day we met, you threw yourself at me and hugged me that same night, then a few weeks later, we slept in the same room and we kissed, twice, but we still haven't gone further yet, so they should pick their own meaning from those scenes''

''You…'' Paula flushed and he chuckled before leaving the office. She placed the chopsticks down and touched her beating heart, ''wow, I can't believe my heart is beating because of the nonsense he spouted'' she furrowed her brows as she repeated after him, ''well, I did shake his hand the first time we met. That night, I did throw myself at him and hugged him. On the tour, we did sleep in the same room and I even mistakenly kissed him but he kissed me too two days ago. We've really done all that couples do except having sex… what is wrong with you, Paula?'' she shook her head, ''this is dangerous for me''

…..

Andy kept turning his pencil up and down as the meeting went on. He had a silly smile on his face and looked as if he was daydreaming.

Godiva turned and looked at him and frowned. She chuckled softly and shook her head. she moved her fingers to his side and knocked on the table and Andy turned to look at her.

''Why don't you just announce to the whole hotel that you are in love? You are so cheesy'' she said to him and he smiled and asked.

''Should I just do that? She was bullied on her first day. How do I deal with that?''

''Don't do anything. That girl doesn't look like the type to keep quiet for long. If you get into right now, you won't be helping her but rather making things worse''

''Really?''

''Yes. Don't worry, Magdalene will look out for her''

''Thank you''

''Now, stop thinking about her and concentrate on the meeting''

''Yes, Ma'am'' Andy smiled.

….

Paula entered inside the kitchen and noticed that everyone was busy so, she just did her work and made sure she didn't distract them. She was there to make sure that the ingredients used were fresh and healthy. Earlier on, after her meal, she had gone to ask Mr. Lucius what was needed to be done and he had told her what she needed to do and how to go about it so she wouldn't distract the chefs.

Paula went to the deep freezer and opened it to look at all the fishes that were to be used. They were preparing a lunch combo for high school students who were sponsored by the government.

Paula looked at the menu board on top and smiled when she saw potato rolls on the menu. Her father used to prepare vegetable fried rice, steamed cucumber and potato rolls for her when she was in elementary school.

''Do you like potato rolls?'' the assistant chef asked her when he noticed she was looking at it curiously.

''Huh? I'm sorry, am I distracting you?'' Paula stepped back and almost hit the shelf at the top and the man placed his head there instead.

''Be careful'' he said to her.

''Oh, are you alright?'' Paula took his hand and looked at it, luckily he didn't hurt himself in trying to protect her.

''I'm fine'' he said and chuckled.

''Oh, I will just leave so that I won't cause you anymore trouble''

''Do you like potato rolls?'' he asked her again.

''Oh, it has been a while since I ate those'' Paula replied.

''I will reserve some for you later on'' the man said and remove a big fish and walked away.

Paula looked at his retreating figure and smiled murmuring, ''he is kind'' she was about to go when she saw Amara looking at her, ''what is her problem?''

Paula ignored her and checked the inventory before going over to Amara's side of the kitchen to check the latter's ingredients. He was making the fried rice. Paula opened her cookbook and cross-checked the ingredients on the book with the ones on the cooking table. When she was done, she turned to go and her eyes saw something through the mirror at the side and she frowned.

Amara had placed her hand on the handle of the frying pan with oil and was pushing it subtly towards her.

Paula's gaze turned cold and sharp and she took a step back and smirked. She couldn't believe how dirty this woman played. She wanted to hurt her, so that she wouldn't be able to come back to work.