168 He Knows Where I Live
**A few days later**
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Taking a few days break really did seem to help my state of mind. After spending time alone for two days, I had dinner with Justin just like we had agreed. Justin came as a friend, and it was like an unspoken agreement between us that we would not talk about work or any of my other life problems. The conversation we shared was light and full of laughter and cheer. Each time I laughed along with Justinâs jokes, it made me realize that there were so many simple joys in life that I had been missing out on. Not having to worry about my problems, my work, or my clients for a while truly felt great.
I wondered for a moment how Justin managed to tell my clients that I had suddenly decided to go on break and how they reacted; however, I decided not to ask while pushing that curious thought out of my mind. I admired Justin for how understanding and supportive he was of me. Justin simply told me to let him know when I wanted to start going back to work and left the decision up to me. After spending a few days away from work and the reality of my problems, I felt like I have had enough time to lick my own wounds.
âI think Iâll go back to work starting Monday. Does that work?â I asked.
âAre you sure that youâre ready to come back?â Justin asked as he stared at me from across the table.
âI guess so. I still have two more days during the weekend to rest before Monday comes along,â I replied while braving a smile.
âThereâs really no rush. I spoke to all your clients, and they are understanding,â Justin said reassuringly.
âIâll be fine. I think itâs about time that I get back to work before I get too lazy to do anything,â I replied with a small laugh.
âIf you say so. Iâll let your clients know. Theyâre going to be so happy to have you back,â Justin said with a laugh.
.....
âYou really think so?â I murmured, unconvinced.
âWhy? You think they wouldnât want you back?â Justin asked teasingly.
âWho knowsâŚâ I murmured before trailing off.
âElena, you clients need you more than you realize. Of course, theyâll want you back,â Justin said and suddenly he sounded so serious.
My eyes widened in surprise at the sudden change in his attitude. For a moment, I felt a little relieved because of his words. Perhaps without realizing it, I had been fearing that because of what happened, Adrian and Brandon wouldnât want me anymore.
âIf you say soâŚâ I replied softly without knowing what else to say.
âJust rest up and relax until then. Monday can be a soft start, you donât need to see any of your cute hubbies if you donât want to,â Justin told me with a smile before he winked at me.
âThanks. Iâll think about itâŚâ I murmured.
After parting ways with Justin, I headed back to my apartment. The sidewalk close to my place was crowded with people and I had no idea why so many people were out and about. There was a time when I used to like the bustling vibe of the city where there seemed to be so many things happening at the same time. However, now I thought that I could live well enough without it. Some more peace, quiet, and personal space might be good. Maybe Iâm just getting older and perhaps a little bit more disillusioned with life.
Various thoughts along the same line ran through my head until I reached the front door of my apartment building. I halted when I spotted a familiar figure seated on the steps right in front of the door. This wasnât the first time that Iâve seen him here and in that rough disguise of his but it still never failed to shock me to see him.
EROSâŚ
âWhere did you go? Do you have any idea how long Iâve been waiting for you?â he asked as he stood up.
I wasnât sure if he even wanted answers to his questions, because to me, it just felt like he just wanted to complain. How am I supposed to know that heâll be waiting for me here?
âWhy are you here?â I asked the first thing that came to mind.
âWhy wouldnât I be here? Do you know how many days itâs been since I canât contact you? Is your phone dead or something?â he spat as he came to stand right in front of me.
I looked up to see his golden eyes glowering down at me in a disapproving glare. EROS didnât seem to realize what was going on about the fact that I had been on break which didnât quite make sense because Justin should have already told him or his agency.
âI took a few days off from work. Iâm still on my holiday right now too by the wayâŚâ I replied.
âWhy did you take days off? Are you sick?â he asked while sounding more grumpy than worried about my welfare.
âDidnât your manager tell you about this already? Iâm not sick, I justâŚneeded a breakâŚâ I replied before letting out a sigh.
Now that I thought about it, the issue that I had with Adrian and Brandon ended up affecting EROS as well although he wasnât at all involved. I guessed from that angle; it was sort of my fault for causing him to worry like this. I looked up at his eyes before letting out another sigh.
âIâm sorry. Some things happened so I felt like I needed a break. Anyways, thereâs nothing for you to be concerned about. Iâll be back to work on Monday, and it wonât impact our deal about the charity concert. Iâll be thereâŚso that youâll be thereâŚâ I told him with a regretful grin.
âElenaâŚâ he called my name softly.
âYou should head back nowâŚâ I advised.
EROS took a small step toward me because that was all it took to close the distance between us. My body stiffened in place when I felt his arms around my body and pulling me even closer to him. I had no idea why he was hugging me so suddenly.
âTo be continuedâŚ