Chapter 30: He Comes!?
Sienna stepped into the elevator almost too quickly, as if she were trying to escape from something chasing behind her.
Or perhaps... not something, but someone.
Her fingers hovered over her phone screen, where Zach’s name still lingered in her recent calls. Her heart pounded harder than it should, her thoughts tangled in a mess she couldn’t sort out this early in the morning.
She didn’t answer his text.
Not yet.
Not when she still had no slightest clue what kind of disaster her drunk self had created last night.
The elevator doors slid shut with a soft sound, sealing her inside the small space.
However, the quiet only made her thoughts louder.
’What did I even say last night...’ she muttered under her breath, pressing her lips together.
She tried to remember.
Really tried.
Fragments came and went... his voice, her laughter, her continuous mumbling something about... him being handsome?
Her eyes widened slightly.
"No! No way!" she shouted in a whisper, shaking her head quickly as if she could shake the memory out.
The elevator continued its slow descent, each passing second stretching her anxiety even further.
By the time the doors finally opened on the ground floor, Sienna still had no clear answer.
Her mind was completely blank.
’Alright... I’ll call him back later. I will just pretend I have not yet read his text message,’ she decided, gripping her phone tightly as if that promise alone could hold her dignity together.
With that thought, she hurried out of the building, her steps quick and steady. But she didn’t get far when a sharp honk from the side of the road made her pause.
Sienna turned toward the sound, her brows knitting together slightly.
And then, she froze when she saw a familiar black car parked not far from the entrance.
Her heart skipped.
’No way...’ she thought, blinking once, then twice, as if her eyes might be playing tricks on her. ’Zach... he really came?’
Before she could convince herself otherwise, the car window slowly rolled down.
And there he was, Zachary, sitting behind the wheel, looking annoyingly handsome in his black shirt, his eyes fixed on her.
"Good morning, Sienna..." His voice sounds friendly. "Get in. I’ll drop you off at your office."
For a moment, she couldn’t move. Her brain seemed to pause, struggling to catch up with reality.
"Do you want me to open the door for you?" he added, a faint smile touching his lips.
That was enough to break her out of her trance.
Sienna quickly walked toward the car, though her steps weren’t as steady as she would have liked. She stopped beside the passenger door but didn’t open it immediately.
"Morning Zach... I’m surprised to see you here," she said, trying her best to sound normal, but inwardly she felt nervous and confused.
Zachary frowned slightly. "I thought you already read my text?" he asked.
"I did," she replied, finally opening the door and slipping into the seat. "I just thought you were joking about giving me a ride..."
"Well, Sienna... I never joke when offering something," he said calmly as he started the car. "Put on your seatbelt."
Sienna nodded quickly. "Thank you..."
"It’s okay," he replied casually. "I happened to be passing by this place, and I remembered you calling me last night, and—"
He paused.
Then, almost deliberately, he turned his head just enough to glance at her. It was subtle. But intentional.
Sienna’s heart dropped.
’Oh no... he’s going to say it!?’
Her fingers tightened around the seatbelt as she avoided his gaze, her face growing warmer by the second.
She knew this feeling. It meant trouble. The kind of trouble that involved her embarrassing herself beyond repair.
"I..." she started, then stopped, swallowing quietly. "What... Did I say last night?"
There it was. The question she had been avoiding.
Zachary didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he returned his attention to the road, his expression calm, almost unreadable. But the corner of his lips lifted slightly. As if he was enjoying the moment.
Sienna could feel it.
Which only made her more nervous.
"Zach..." her voice softer this time, almost cautious. "To be honest with you, I really don’t remember anything..."
Still, no answer from him, just silence. And that faint, knowing smile.
Her embarrassment grew.
"I didn’t say something weird, right?" she awkwardly asked, her voice dropping lower as she stared at her hands. "Or... maybe something rude? If I did, I’m really sorry..."
Sienna dared a quick glance at him and saw that he looked completely relaxed. Which somehow made things worse.
She decided to stop asking and focused on the street ahead.
After a long silence, finally, he let out a soft chuckle.
"No need to apologize," he said, his tone light. "You didn’t say anything terrible."
Sienna immediately turned to him, feeling relieved that she hadn’t said anything rude or embarrassing.
But then, he spoke again, breaking the silence, "In fact, your call was actually quite... entertaining."
Her relief froze mid-air.
"...What?" she asked slowly, her brows drawing together.
Zachary’s smile deepened slightly.
"You talked almost nonstop," he added calmly. "And laughed a lot. Really entertaining."
Sienna felt her soul leave her body.
"I..." she opened her mouth, then closed it again, completely speechless.
Entertaining? That didn’t quite sound safe or dignified; it resembled a disaster in polite disguise.
"I didn’t... say anything strange, right?" she tried again, her voice now filled with quiet dread.
Zachary glanced at her briefly, his eyes holding a hint of amusement.
"Oh, you insist. Fine. Maybe a little. But that depends on your definition of ’strange.’"
Sienna turned to him fully this time, her expression a mix of horror and disbelief.
"Oh, God! That doesn’t sound reassuring at all," she said hopelessly.
He chuckled again, clearly enjoying her reaction.
For him, it was amusing.
But for her, it was a full-blown crisis.
"I’ll tell you. But not now. Maybe another time," he said casually.
’What? Another time?’ Sienna screamed in her mind and stared at him, completely stunned.
"That’s even worse!" she protested, her voice rising slightly before she caught herself.
Zachary didn’t respond. He simply kept driving, his expression calm, as if he hadn’t just thrown her into a spiral of overthinking.
Meanwhile, Sienna sank back into her seat, feeling lost, as if half of her soul had abandoned her.