Chapter 18: Chapter 18

Raymond put the last document he just finished on Thyme's desk, found Thyme was sleeping on a pile of documents they were supposed to sign.

‘Thyme?’ Raymond tried to wake the Thyme by shaking their body a little. Failed. Again he tried to wake them up, and thankfully it worked. It could be troublesome if Thyme did not wake up either because that means sacrificing his time to wait for them to wake up.

‘Ah, sorry. I fell asleep,’ Thyme yawned as they said that.

‘It’s okay. But you better move to your room. It’ll become uncomfortable if you continue to sleep here.’

‘I know, you’re so nosy,’ replied Thyme, who was now stretching their stiff body from sleeping for a long time in an uncomfortable position. ‘I nearly forgot. My dad comes home today. Ask me to introduce you.’

‘It won’t be long, right?’ Raymond asked, checking the clock on his smartphone screen, which showed 9.30 PM.

‘No. Well, speak of the devil.’

Raymond turned around as the door to the room opened wide. The figure of a middle-aged man walking with dignity entered the room.

Great first impression, Raymond muttered to himself. That old man managed to intimidate him with his aura, ready to pounce on anyone who intended to fight him. The appearance of the middle-aged man still looked fit at the age that seemed to have entered fifty. Apart from the hair and eye colour, he did not see any resemblance to Thyme. The eyes of a middle-aged man named Renault Umberbridge—Thyme's father's name—was sharp and alert, matching his nose that looks like an eagle's beak and lips that are so thin they can barely be seen, indicating that this man has been through a lot of bitterness in his life. The old man's skin was pale, but that did not diminish the remaining good looks on the old man's face. The old man walked over to him with a smile that contrasted with his suspicious eyes.

‘Raymond Cooper?’ Renault asked him with a firm tone.

‘Yes,’ Raymond replied calmly, not wanting to be overpowered by Renault's intimidating aura. He stretched out his hand to the old man, who did not immediately welcome his gesture.

Renault let out a deep breath, then took Raymond's hand. ‘I've heard a lot about you, but well, how should I say this…’

‘What do you mean, Sir?’

Renault ignored the question. The old man took his hand away from Raymond, turned to look at Thyme who still looked sleepy while gripping Raymond's shoulder. ‘I don't mind if you had a crush on this man, Thyme. But are you sure you don't have a feeling for him? He is exactly your type. Strong, reliable, tall.’

Raymond smiled wryly, realizing the reason for that old man’s weird attitude. No wonder the old man had been observing him all this time. It turned out that the aim was to observe whether he was worthy of being Thyme’s lover or not. Really. His panic earlier was completely in vain.

‘Don't easily jump to the weird conclusion about the type of person I like, Old Man.’ Thyme pushed aside the pile of documents that had been used as their sleeping pillow with a wide yawn, getting out of his seat. ‘You don't really believe in your own children? I told you, he replaced Brother Nicholas. I’m only interested in his talent and the efficiency of the work. Nothing else.’

‘But it could be more than that, right? There always be a trait where the boss likes their assistant, both in reality and fiction stories. Open your eyes, Son. Don’t restrain yourself if you fell for him.’

‘How many times should I tell you!? I already have someone I like and Raymond is just my right hand, replacing Brother Nicholas!’

‘Okay, okay, I believe you. But when will you introduce that person to me?’

‘Later, when that person will become mine.’

‘If that person becomes yours? So it's still Raymond Cooper, right?’

‘Not! Urgh! How many times do I have to say!?’ Thyme ruffled their hair. It seemed that they were frustrated by the response of their father who still did not believe them.

‘You’re too slow, Thyme. Too much thinking, even though you are still young. Tsk, tsk. It’s not good, Thyme. Look at your dad here. Popular when I was your age. A lotta people were trying to be close to me. Learn from me a little—’

‘Enough! I can’t stand with you anymore, Dad!’

Renault whistled, looking satisfied after pranking his child. The old man turned to face him while handing over a black rectangular box decorated with a red ribbon that the old man had brought to him all the time.

‘For you. A small gift from me. Open it when you arrive at home.’

He was hesitant to accept Renault's gift but was reluctant to reject it. He was forced to accept the box which was quite heavy. The faint smell of red wine, the finest quality, reminded him of Arnold's taste when he was alive.

‘Thank you for your present. They said you have something you want to talk to me.’

Renault frowned, then waved his hand while laughing. ‘I just wanted to see what kind of man that Thyme was always praising on the phone when I went away. I thought you were Thyme's lover, but not yet, eh?’

‘No, not yet. But it's not, Sir. Exactly as Thyme’s said,’ ’Raymond corrected quickly. He did not have time to respond to the old man's misunderstanding. All he wanted was to come home quickly and cook dinner for Hazel. Hazel should have finished her shift by now. The cafe they work at was always closed at ten at night.

‘If nothing is discussed, I'll excuse myself first.’

‘Okay. Be careful on your way home.’

He nodded, then walked away from the two people. Took the coat that was offered by the butler to him, and ran as fast as he could. Hopefully, he would still have time to pick up Hazel. If he used a shortcut, maybe he could make it on time.

He hoped so.

***

Raymond was short of breath when he arrived in front of the cafe that was already closed. No one at the cafe beside Hazel was waiting for him with her frowned-eyebrows when she saw him.

‘Sorry, I’m late. I had to take care of something.’

‘Again? It’s not the first time you are late to pick me up. What kind of jobs do you take apart from being a waiter?’ Hazel puffed her cheeks, walking ahead of him without giving him a chance to rest a little. It was quite obvious that Hazel was really angry.

‘Er, that…’

Hazel turned around, narrowed her eyes, waiting for his answer. He bit his lower lip, reluctant to answer Hazel's question. He smiled faintly, following Hazel, holding her hand.

‘Personal assistant. Something like that.’

‘Oh.’

That was only Hazel's answer when she heard his ambiguous answer. This woman had no intention of asking any further questions. Hazel's eyes turned to the box he was carrying as if asking for an explanation.

‘This one?’ He brought the box closer to Hazel, then gave the box to Hazel. ‘From my boss. I think red wine.’

‘Man? Woman?’

‘Huh?’

‘I asked: your boss is a man or a woman?’

His laugh burst out at the instant he heard Hazel's question. ‘Not both of them. But well, their attitude is like an old man.’

‘I'm asking seriously!’

‘Okay, okay,’ Raymond was still laughing as he stroked the top of Hazel's head. ‘They are not man or woman. You know what I mean, right?’

Hazel did not say anything, walked back ahead of him with her head lowered, looking sluggish at the sight. What else? Did he do something wrong? Maybe Hazel was still angry because he was late for the pick-up?

‘Raymond?’

‘Hm?’

Hazel looked up for a moment, then looked back down. ‘Nevermind. Let's go home. I’m hungry.’

Was it real or just his feelings? He felt that this woman wanted to say something important? Even desperately to hide the confusion that was clearly visible in Raymond's eyes.

Raymond shook his head lightly, then ran after Hazel who had started to move away from him. Well, he would better wait until Hazel was ready to say it.

***