Shopping Spree

The ride was silent except for the fidgeting Ella in the back seat. She was chewing out her nails with anticipation of how to meet Nick, without raising suspicion. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she failed to notice, they had reached their destination. Roy was watching her torment since the beginning of the ride; that he couldn't help but keep on looking at her which she failed to acknowledge or was busy with her thoughts to acknowledge it.

"We're here."

"Thank you for the ride. You can leave now."

"I'm staying. If you haven't noticed, I didn't come here to just deposit you."

"I know my way in the streets. Surely it hasn't been too long since I was gone." She argued back with the same intensity as him.

"Perhaps. But I'm still coming. After all, more than one opinion helps." As he said that both of them were reminded of the moment when she had uttered those words; 'I don't know much of the ladies fashion Elle. Everything suits you in your own way.' Ella had gone to the shopping for her birthday-business party, dragging Roy with her. 'How do you know that? I haven't tried everything!', she replied while looking around the dresses in the shop. 'We can prove that theory later sometime but we have to head back soon. Your father has asked my presence.' 'What does he want now? Is everything going fine?' 'Yes it is, as much I'm aware. Why do you need my assistance here, tell me again?' 'Don't you know, more than one opinion never hurts.' Ella was aware he didn't like such tirade of shopping, he would rather prefer measurement-based clothing, than waste his time here in going through trying and removing only to try out another one until satisfied.

"More than one opinion never hurts", Ella repeated.

"So you do remember."

"You were the one who didn't like shopping or going through it. Have you forgotten?"

"No, it's still the same. But its been a long time since I have accompanied you. Won't you let me now?" Ella looked into his eyes which scared her. There was a reason why she portrayed her father and Roy alike; it wasn't just that they loved her in their own way but it was also that they knew how to change themselves favorably to the situations. Just like now. She turned away from his eyes, knowing what is calculating behind them and said indifferently, "Does it matter? You are your own person." Saying that Ella got out of the car and entered the mall.

Roy's eyes didn't leave her till she turned over to another side of the mall. He had already poised his men to follow her; and he himself was looking over the street. The moment he got out of the car, it wasn't difficult for people to recognize him and his brooding presence. The people would have been awed by his presence, but may not have recognized him if he hadn't appeared in that show on TV which clearly showed his face as the CEO. Though he regretted every moment of that dratted show; he had to do that as a distraction.

Before he was going to join Ella, he found her retreating from the mall with no bags and nothing in her hands. "I didn't like anything here. Let's go to another one." He didn't question anything about it and followed her inside the car. The next one was a boutique which Ella frequently visited earlier when she used to stay here. Roy entered the place with her this time and she managed to select few dresses without taking much time. In fact, he noticed she wasn't heeding much to how the dress looked on her, she just took some of her size and finalized it, unlike the older times when she would change up and spend the entire day scooped up in the dressing. Not that he complained, he just hoped she was the same woman who would find happiness in unimaginable situations. That was the one he had fallen for.

"I need a few more things to collect at the Broadgate."

"Are you planning to buy the whole London?"

"I'm merely preparing myself for any surprising events."

"And here I thought you were finally staying for good."

"I won't be staying long. Get the deal negotiated and I shall go away for good." She mimicked the last two words like his.

"And if I don't Miss Kingsly, what then?"

"I know you enough that you want this power passed upon you the soonest. I see no reason for you to be backing away from such an opportunity."

"Maybe there is. One that you are not acknowledging or you are afraid to acknowledge." Both of them stood poised beside the car now with him leaning on the car door and her facing him. He then pulled away himself and opened the car door for her to enter, joining her next.

"What is there in Broadgate you didn't find here?" Roy asked while they were seated and he had instructed the driver to the destination.

"I have a personal dressmaker there."

"Since when?"

"Since a long time. Don't act like you know everything about me." He didn't reply anything which she was thankful for. She didn't know how long she'll be able to save herself from uttering anything that would bind her to him forever. She knew it as she had lived through it herself; when he had made her as his responsibility. It was when she was sixteen years of old who had been learning the economics and business decision topics with case studies. Her father had ensured her to learn all those tricks from Roy who was the right-hand man for him. Mark, after himself would only follow up Roy's words; so he had ensured Roy and Ella grew up together to be familiar with each other, to be familiar with each other's thinking, to know what the other one would do and think in case of one's absence. Business being the term makes the people greedy for profit, power or money for which they can go around betraying another. To eradicate that possibility, her father had ensured that both the children learnt about one another well enough to anticipate the other's actions and prevent themselves from possible betrayal. That way one will have to keep the other's secret in order to protect his own.

The theory was marvelous; which was one among many that Ella had learnt from the both men. It was during one time when she found Roy to be stalking her through his eyes like she was some kind of study. She wondered whether her father had given some such test like that for him to follow. It had happened a lot of times but she acknowledged it when she was of sixteen years. One day she asked him once and for all, 'What is it? You keep on looking at me continuously. Is something on my face?' She had asked while touching her face to check anything untoward. 'Now you see that!' He stated at her obliviousness. 'What? Is this one more of the tests? I don't get you.' She asked confused. He stepped closer to her not unintentionally but intentionally; Ella thought he wanted something from the table behind her so she shifted to her right, when he followed her movement and blocked her from moving anymore. She blinked up to him, still thinking how this position is supposed to be a lesson for her. He spoke, 'Don't you feel something?' With his close proximity she didn't understand what he was asking about. 'What Roy?' 'What do you feel now?' 'Um, stuffed?' She answered queasily hoping she had answered correctly. This surely was a test for her as she was feeling very difficult to pass it. 'Tom Cruise is your favorite I heard?' She nodded at that. 'Why?', came his next question. Yes, it was definitely a test now. Such strange questions can only be asked by him, her father was worse to throw her various case study situations to answer, but Roy would find the strangest ones which she didn't ever spoke to anyone about! 'He is good-looking and he is a great actor.' Though Tom Cruise was her favorite actor that didn't mean she stalked him up like the other fans, so she was wondering what to speak next. 'Am I good looking?', his next question made Ella feel more and more aware of him, it wasn't helping with him standing so close to her. What if someone entered here? It would look like they were... they were engaged in something! 'Roy is this another test?' 'Consider it, yes.' What was that supposed to mean? 'Yes you are good looking.' 'Then why am I not your favorite.' She laughed softly at that, 'Of course you are my favorite teacher. And Tom Cruise is my favorite actor.' 'So will you listen to your favorite teacher.' She nodded her head and said, 'Yes.' 'I want to kiss you now. Will you let me?' If possible Ella's eyes widened like they reached the ceiling of the study room. Her mouth was left hanging listening to him. She said then, 'You are my te-eacher. A teacher a-and a student can't do what you are sa-aying to do.' Nervously she moistened her lips and looked away from his eyes. She hoped for the test to be over now, she didn't understand why was she feeling something very strange suddenly. And it wasn't the first time she was feeling a tingling sensation in her stomach, but it was the first time she was feeling it too deeply that her heart was beating erratically. 'So you mean if I won't be your teacher, you will kiss me.' That made the face of the young Ella flushed and her cheeks bright red. She gulped then and wasn't able to talk anymore, especially with the intense stare of Roy's eyes into hers and her every move. 'Tell me Elle. Is that what you want?' The situation shifted from one's desire to another with a matter of innocent words.

The sudden jerk in the car interrupted Ella's thoughts and she looked over to reach her destination. She had deliberately skipped through the places to finally come over here, without raising suspicion. Hopefully, she thought as she remembered how the story that day ended with him demanding her to kiss him in the end.