Something had happened to Raina and she felt it from the moment she woke up. She knew that she was falling in love with Christopher, and all day, he was never far from her mind. She had even been so imprudent as to embrace him at work—something she would never have dared before.
She didn’t know if love was making her stupidly giddy, or if she had just decided to throw caution to the wind, knowing that at any moment Roger would probably fire her. Who gave a damn anymore in that case about rules like getting caught kissing in the hallway?
After the staff meeting, she and Kelly had lingered in the conference room to catch up.
“Something’s up with you, Raina, I haven’t seen you this happy in ages. Spit it out!” Kelly said, perching herself on the edge of the table. Raina bubbled with the excitement of wanting to share her news with somebody.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, knowing that her happiness was making her glow with joy.
“It’s Christopher,” she finally said, reveling in speaking out his name as if in doing so it made what they had more real.
“What about him? Something’s happened between the two of you? I knew it!” Kelly gushed. “Go on, tell all.”
“Well, I don’t know what to say—I can’t even put a name to what we have.” Raina said and proceeded to tell Kelly all that had transpired since she invited him to sleep in the basement.
“You did what?” Kelly was astonished. Never had she known Raina to be so reckless.
“I felt sorry for him, he had nowhere to live.” Raina said her tone defensive.
“Look, I’m happy for you Raina but inviting him to live in your basement is a huge risk.”
“He’s a good person, I feel it in my bones,” Raina said.
“OK, just be careful alright?”
Raina saw the concern in her friend’s eyes and nodded. They left the conference room together and headed to Raina’s office, lau
ghing as Raina shared in hushed tones all that had transpired between her and Christopher.
But upon entering her office Raina’s face fell when she saw Roger seated on her chair, looking at her with a lascivious sneer. The elation she had felt moments ago drained from her body.
That traitor, Kelly fled, leaving her alone to face Pervy Rog. She held on to the image of Christopher as Roger went on about wanting to take her for his own.
The very thought made her want to throw up.
After he left, she leaned on her desk, dry heaving, unwilling to sit on the chair that Roger had occupied seconds earlier. He was a sick man; of that much she was sure.
She wrapped her arms around herself, shivering, feeling dirty even from just the way his eyes had undressed her.
Christopher had gone back to her house earlier in the day, his shift ending before hers had. She couldn’t wait to hurry home to him, and when she arrived back at her house she parked her car and jumped out, her body and mind aching to seeing him.
She couldn’t believe that a day apart fill her with so much longing, but that’s how Raina felt as she pushed the door open.
Christopher was in the dining room and the greetings on her lips froze when she saw what he was reading, bent over the table.
Damn it!
Her bills.
She had left the open folder of past due notices on the dining table that morning in her rush to leave that morning. He must have seen them sitting out.
“Hi,” she said softly.
“Hey you,” Christopher said.
He stood up, walked to her and drew her into his arms. His expression was somber, and she did not blame him. Would he want to get away from her as fast as possible? He had financial problems himself, but after seeing hers he certainly wouldn’t want to add to his own struggles by getting involved with someone as deeply in debt as she was.
“Cup of coffee?” he asked, surprising Raina.