„Don’t tell me you’re still working!“ Sandra complained.
„She’s not exactly working,“ JC replied.
Sandra’s heart dropped to the floor, as she heard his voice.
„What that supposed to mean?“ she stammered.
„Um… she just fell asleep at my sofa.“
Sandra’s shock reached its peak.
„Yo-ur so-fa?“
„Um, I meant the sofa in my office. We just had some dinner and then she passed out.“
„Oh. Okay. Good luck with that…“
JC frowned.
„What does that mean?“
„Waking her up is nearly impossible. I suggest you just let her sleep till next morning.“
„What? No, I can’t do that.“
„Well, you can try to bring her back, but your chances are pretty low.“
„Um… anyway, I’ll give it a try, before I leave her like this.“
Sandra sighed.
„You ruined my night. You know that, right?“ she complained half seriously.
„I swear, I didn’t ask her to stay,“ JC justified himself.
„But you didn’t ask her to leave, either.“
„Um… not… directly…“
„Don’t worry. I know she insisted helping you. It’s her good nature.“
„Ya… but… I shouldn’t presume it.“
There was a short pause.
„Well, um… I need to go… so… it was nice chatting with you, JC Chasez from *NSYNC. Please tell your friend Justin I said hi.“
JC scoffed.
„Have a good night.“
After finishing the call, JC looked at Eve again. Then he went back to the sofa and sat down next to her.
„Eve?“
Carefully he touched her upper arm to wake her up. But she didn’t react.
„Hey, Eve. Come on, you can’t sleep like this.“
She continued sleeping. JC never saw her face that close. He wondered how her skin felt like.
„Don’t!“ He talked to himself in his mind, feeling the urge touching her face.
Slowly he raised his hand and hesitated for a second, before he cupped her cheek gently.
„Eve?“
Still there was no reaction. JC smiled. He was able falling into a deep sleep in unusual places, as well. In the next moment he stood up and made her lie at the sofa carefully. Then he put her glasses off and put them at the coffee table. Finally he grabbed his leather jacket from the coat rack and covered her upper body with it.
It was 8 AM in the next morning. Eve opened her eyes slowly.
„Where am I?“ She was thinking.
Hastily she raised her upper body. She calmed down, as she realized that she was still in JC’s office.
„Jesus… you slept here the whole night…“
She looked around, wondering where JC was.
„Did he leave you here all alone?“
She noticed his jacket and put it aside. Then she went to his desk and grabbed her phone. As the battery was low the prior night, it was no surprise for her, that it was switched off. Without wearing shoes she left the office and went into the bathroom.
„You look like shit,“ she talked to herself, seeing her face in the mirror above the sink.
Somehow she managed removing her blurred make up and tried fixing her messy hair. When she finished, she went into the kitchen, made some coffee and returned into JC’s office. Then she sat down at his desk and continued working on the investment plan.
„You can’t be serious.“
Eve terribly frightened, hearing JC’s voice from behind. She turned into his direction with her heart beating out of control.
„Jesus! You scared me!“ she complained.
JC was standing in the doorstep with coffee and a bag with breakfast from Starbucks. He felt sorry for frightening her, but didn’t apologize.
„What are you doing?“ he asked instead.
„Reworking the timeline,“ she replied, being annoyed about his unnecessary question.
JC came inside, put everything on his desk and closed her laptop. For the first time he noticed her freckles, as she wasn’t wearing any make-up.
„She’s so beautiful.“
Eve gave him another annoyed look.
„Let me finish my work,“ she demanded.
„Your work is finished. The timeline is good.“
„It’s not,“ she contradicted.
„Stop arguing,“ he warned her.
Eve leaned back into her chair and crossed her arms.
„Fine. If you wanna show up with that half-assed presentation to your bank appointment, it’s your problem not mine.“
„It’s not half-assed.“
„It is.“
He gave her a stern look.
„Eve.“
She looked back the same way.
„JC.“
„Such a stubborn little brat,“ he thought, trying hard not to smile.
He grabbed one coffee cup and placed it in front of her. Then he put a sandwich out of the bag and handed it over, as well.
Eve calmed down, thinking it was nice, that he brought breakfast.
„Thank you,“ she said, while unwrapping the sandwich.
JC sat down at his chair.
„I thank you,“ he replied.
„Not a big deal.“
He gave her a deep look.
„You saved my ass, Eve.“
She smiled, chewing her sandwich.
„Let’s wait and see. I mean, that timeline looks horrible…“
„Eve, for god’s sake,“ he interrupted her. „It’s not horrible. You made a great job.“
„I see, you have pretty low standards, hm?“ she teased.
Finally he smiled. Immediately her heart started beating fast.
„Holy shit, that smile…“
JC leaned into her direction, before he replied.
„I can assure you, I’m not having low standards.“
She smiled back.
„Hey, um… did you sleep here, as well?“ she wanted to know next.
„I was here, but I didn’t sleep,“ he answered.
She raised her eyebrows.
„Did you work the whole night?“
„Yes.“
„Then why you didn’t fix that shitty timeline?“
JC shook his head.
„You’re pain in the ass.“
„No. I saved your ass. That’s what you said.“
He nodded, smiling again.
„Well, both statements are accurate.“
„Damn, woman! Why you call back that late? I was worried!“ Sandra complained.
„Relax, my phone died,“ Eve replied.
She arrived home few minutes ago, after finishing her breakfast with JC in his office.
„Did you sleep at his sofa the whole night?“
Eve frowned.
„How do you know?“
I called yesterday and he answered your phone.
„Excuse me?!“
„I must say, he wasn’t that grumpy as you always claim…“
„I can’t believe he picked up and talked to you!“
„You’ve been asleep.“
„Still, he had no right doing that!“
„You’re overreacting again.“
Eve took a deep breath and calmed down somehow.
„Did he leave you alone?“ Sandra asked next.
„No, he worked the whole night. When I woke up he brought breakfast and gave me a ride home afterwards.“
„Oh, that’s sweet, isn’t it?“
„I wouldn’t go that far saying that.“
„He sounded really nice on the phone.“
Eve rolled her eyes.
„Stop fangirling.“
„I’m not fangirling. All I’m saying is, that he’s not that bad as you told me.“
Eve took another deep breath.
„I admit that things between us work much better as at the beginning. He can be nice, if he wants.“
Sandra scoffed.
„Nice and hot. That’s a dangerous combination.“
„Ya, I’m aware of that fact.“
