The lion!

With every step Peter took as he walked back to Stella's door, his confidence was diminishing. He was becoming really nervous and his breathing became noisy.

Yet, he was determined to bare his mind to her that moment and kept approaching the door.

He finally got to the door, but his hands were all sweaty and shaky as he placed his right hand on the doorknob.

Shakily, he opened the door and immediately he stepped a foot inside, he closed his eyes, and then opened his mouth.

"Stella."

That was the first time he'd be addressing her by her first name, and of course he didn't have the nerves to do so, with his eyes opened.

He was there with his eyes closed for some seconds, expecting a response, so he could spill out the speech he'd been rehearsing, to no avail.

After some seconds of standing in the middle of the room, with the eyes shut, and mouth widely ajar, like somebody who had lost it, Peter decided to steal a peek at the boss lady he wanted to addressed, and he met the shocker of his life.

Stella hadn't been in the room all along. Just when he opened his eyes to notice her absence, she walked elegantly out of her office bathroom and his heart skipped a beat.

It was as if he was caught st£aling or doing something really bad.

"Hey, Peter! Did you forget something?" Stella stated, with surprise. Then she looked at where he'd sat earlier and saw the package she had instructed him to take out, lying around.

"Oh, you come back for that? You could have left it till you get back from where you're going to." She maintained and went back to her seat.

Peter was too embarrassed to say anything. He didn't even know what to reply her, with. He was just staring at her with his lips parted, widely.

Stella settled down in her seat and looked up at him again, surprisingly.

"What's going on?" She inquired, then her phone rang.

She had squealed with excitement before she quickly comported herself, when she saw the caller ID.

It was Sam.

She accepted the call and placed the phone by her ear.

"Hey, sweet man! What in the world, happened to you?" She exclaimed loudly.

That pet name seemed to bring Peter out of his trance. He scratched the back of his head, disconcertedly.

"I was so worried. You could have at least let your line be reachable, then my mind would be at rest. You had really bothered and worried." Stella continued talking to her caller, forgetting about the presence of Peter in her room.

Peter felt small and insignificant. He felt low and disconcerted. He needed not be told that his presence was no longer noticed in the room, and he packed the remaining dignity left in him inside his pocket, dropped her car key on her table and walked out of the room, dejectedly.

It was as if he was drenched in the rain. He looked like he was cold and was almost shivering, as he walked out of the room, with uncoordinated steps.

"Car troubles and work stress. My car gave me a whole lots of troubles and I haven't been able to go to anywhere except the mechanic shop since Monday. I have been really disorganized that I didn't even know my phone was on airplane mood for two days." Sam explained to Stella over the phone.

"Oh, that's serious. So, it's just car troubles that got me all worried and made me lost my cool? And you getting all stressed out that you couldn't use your phone for two days? We definitely need to settle that case of car troubles once and for all Let's get you a new car, babe." Stella announced.

Sam was dumbfounded.

"What kind of car is that troublesome car? Or rather, what kind of car would you love to use now? Please, don't say no to my offer. I really can't bear you suffering over a mere car like that. You can't be going through that much troubles just because of a car. Let me get you a new one, immediately, please." She persuaded him.

Sam heaved a deep sigh.

"Hun, I really don't want you to spending so much on me, when it should actually be the other way round. But if you insist, then I have no choice but to accept it." He stated, calmly.

Stella was surprised but pleased that he didn't protest like he used to do whenever she wanted to spend on him or do things for him.

"That gladdens my heart. And just so you know, there's nothing bad if I spend on you. It's not only men that are supposed to spend on or take care of their women. It takes two to tango. You're my lover and I want you to be comfortable in every aspect." She maintained, firmly.

"Hmmm... If you insist!" He repeated curtly.

Stella smiled to herself. She found him really adorable for behaving like that.

"Aren't you one cute, adorable man!" She exclaimed, with pure happiness written all over her.

Sam chuckled from the other end.

Then, they both stayed mute for some seconds before Sam broke the silence.

"So, I am going to come to your place tomorrow, then we'd go and get it, right?" He stated.

"Yeah, let's do it like that. I miss you, though. I wish you'd come see this evening, or should I come to your place? Would you just send me the address of your place so I can come over?" She suggested.

"I'd love that, but I'm actually not going to be at home until tomorrow. Since I missed work for two days because of my car, my boss won't let me off today. He instructed me to finish working on all the files piled up on my table before I'd even think of going home." He explained to her.

Stella whined unhappily, but since it was about his job, she knew there was nothing much she could do.

"Hun, I don't like such bosses! Well, tomorrow will soon be here and I can just allow your voice to caress me to sleep, tonight. Be prepared for my long phone call this night, don't say I do not warn you." She informed him, all smiles.

Sam laughed. They bade themselves good bye and ended the conversation.

While Stella was busy smiling at his number on her contact list and thinking about how she wanted to just show him love and pamper him with all she had, Sam was getting hailed by his friends at their home.

"Lion! Sam, the lion!!! I give it to you! Boss, where's the car that is giving you trouble? That's be the tricycle you borrowed from that guy down street, right? Because I can't see anything that has four tyres here." Paul, one of Peter's friend taunted him and they all roared with laughter.

"And the office where he'd be busy working, is on that bed he has been laying on, since morning. Oh, you're lucky, my man. What!" Lekan, the other friend exclaimed, excitedly.

Sam was all smiles.

"Indeed, he is. Imagine having someone that'd be begging you to accept a car. Ehhh! My man has really hammered this time around. Well, it's not easy packing all those muscles not to talk of the too handsome face." Paul added. They shook hands with each other and laughed, happily.

"And he's a brilliant actor too. Where did he even get all his lines from? Office, files, boss and the likes, how did this genius got everything right? He wasn't even stammering while talking. The confidence and audacity!" Lekan exclaimed again, with utter surprise and joy.

"He has been planning everything since they started talking. I can't wait to see how he deals with that woman!" Paul said.

"I'm just getting started. This is going to be so interesting!" Sam announced mischievously and smirked.