Rachel's Accident (26 page)

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. But you have to admit you are the only one who would come up with such an idea.” He said in between fits of laughter. Gradually, he was calming down again, but it still kept bursting out of him now and then. People in the station were already eyeing us curiously.

“Anyway,” he waved it all off. “I think you’ll like the job. It’s always lively and there’s always something to do, but you can take breaks, of course, if you need to.” He pointedly looked at my bulging belly. “I know you won’t always be at your best, but we can work around that.”

With that the topic was finished for him. It was decided that I would go work for him as his personal assistant. Just like that. Not even a real job interview was needed. What have I been doing all those for, anyway? The number of jobs I actually got was zero in the last few months. Just because of this stupid pregnancy. I didn’t want to be tied down to someone like that because I didn’t have money to support two babies additionally to myself. That was the original reason why I had wanted to get at least a part-time job for now.

And now this happened on top of it all. How much worse could life get? No, no. I couldn’t think like that. With my luck it would actually get much, much worse. I have to stay positive, no matter what. Yeah, well, that was easier said than done when you just saw the love of your life cheating on you with your best friend.

“He did what
?!?”

Startled, I jumped almost out of my skin as Zach shouted in my ear. With wide eyes I looked at him, a little intimidated. I must have thought out loud again. Did I never learn? Ashamed I looked to the ground again. People were now staring at us openly, the deranged couple.

“Talk to me, Rachel,” he tried again in a softer tone.

I could feel a lump form in my throat again. Just as I was about to burst into tears again our train arrived and we got
pushed
on
to it
with hundreds of other people
it seemed
. We could barely all squeeze together in there. I felt like a sardine in a can. Fortunately for me, Zach and I were separated, so he wouldn’t be able to press me further about the matter. Unfortunately, I didn’t know where to get off and I need Zach to show me the way to his apartment.

Suddenly a hand caught mine in a strong grip. I squealed in surprise. Was someone trying to feel me up…to kidnap me? I tried to shake it off, but the other person wouldn’t let go. Before I could completely start to panic out of the sea of faces I saw Zach struggling to get to me. He pulled himself toward me, using my arm as leverage.

“Are you okay? You look a little flushed,” he asked.

I was moved by his
concern. “I’m fine. You just startled me.”

“Do you want to sit down? We’ll ride another four stations before we get off.”

“How would that even be possible? Look at all the people. We won’t be able to get to a seat.” I looked around again. Everything was packed with people.

“Ah, let’s work some magic then,” he said ominously and wiggled his eyebrows. I just looked at him questioningly. “Excuse me, could you let this pregnant woman here get to a seat, please?” he shouted over peoples’ conversations and other noise as he waved his arm in the air.

Well, okay, yes, of course, this way we would get their attention. I hadn’t planned on doing something this…
annoying. Ugh, now everyone was staring at me.

Miraculously, the sea of people parted slightly, so I could squeeze through. As I went I thanked various people and finally ended up at a bank of seats that were all occupied. I cleared my throat to prepare myself to say something when Zach’s voice rang out right behind me.

“Excuse me, could this lady here have a seat, please?” He smiled at the teenager sitting right in front of me. He was so nice and friendly, not just with his employees, but with strangers, too. How could twin brothers be such complete opposites?

The teenager was completely enamored by the handsome man talking to her. She left the seat to me without a single word of complaint. And then she stood next to him staring at him the whole time with a look of wonder and worship on her features until she had to get off at the next stop. If the declaration hadn’t been so loud as to startle her out of her trance she would have probably missed it.

Wow, I was really surprised at her reaction to Zach. Was he really that handsome? I inspected him a little closer as he leaned over me to make space for other people. He was quite handsome I had to admit, but maybe I was somehow desensitized
from being around his even more handsome twin so much. Or maybe it was just my preferences? The missing beard possibly. I really liked Ethan’s beard. It made him look like a…I don’t know. It just called to me somehow and turned me on, incredibly.

Just thinking about how I used to tease it with my lips and fingers made me blush to my ears. Sitting there with a bright red face I looked down at my hands and fidgeted uncomfortably. When did we finally get off?

“Just one more stop,” Zach said.

Ugh, how much of that did I just say out loud again?

With a few more barbs exchanged between us we arrived at our station without further incidents. The car we were in had cleared out a bit during the last few stops. Now I had the feeling like I could finally breathe again without needing an oxygen mask like an old woman. I needed to do more exercise. It was way too easy for me to get out of breath.

As we got off the train Zach reached for my hand again, so we wouldn't get separated…again. Despite the decrease of people squeezing out my lungs' last breath of fresh air there were still hordes of humans who got on and off the train at any given station. It must be rush hour or what's-it-called.

Since I had always worked long into the night and never taken the subway to or from work, but the bus, I had never experienced something like this before. It felt invigorating to be in the midst of it all. I had a lot of fun, even though I was feeling like a sardine.

Zach guided me through a throng of people toward the exit. We emerged from the underground station onto the busy street a few minutes later. People were buzzing around. They were so hectic and stressed that it made me a little nervous, too. They were rubbing off on me. This was nothing compared to the calm of the late night hour when I usually had gone home. I took a deep breath to calm down and was just about to walk forward when I was pulled in a completely different direction by Zach. Maybe I shouldn't decide where to go.
Hehe
.

Several times I was bumped into by people hurrying by from one side or another. Zach made sure to make them apologize every single time. I was a pregnant woman, he said. Couldn't they see that? After that they were pretty quick to say sorry and hurry off again. Ah, downtown sure was busy.

Zach's actions all through the evening had made me appreciate him all the more. Not just for letting me stay with him, but for offering me a job and always being king and friendly. Why couldn't I have met him before Ethan? He would have been so much better for me and my heart. But who knew if I would even had fallen for him the way I did for Ethan.

Ugh, theses thoughts were making me depressed again. At least for now, I needed to stay positive. I could always fall apart when I was alone in bed later. Life sure was a huge bitch.
But I was staying positive. Yes, yes. This bitch wasn’t going to drag me down. I would stay strong.

“And this is my apartment,” Zach said loudly.

His words brought me out of my thoughts and made me realize that I had just been sort of daydreaming the whole way from the station to the front door of his apartment. God only knew what I had been muttering to myself again in my mindless manner of thinking out loud.

Zach unlocked the door and held the door open for me to enter first.
Such a gentleman.
He was probably the dream man of many a woman around the world. I stepped into the dark apartment. As he entered behind me he turned on the lights and a beautiful, huge apartment was revealed before me.

“Wow!” I exclaimed as I went in further, excited
. “This is wonderful.”

“Thank you, I try very hard to keep it clean and-“

“You know,” I interrupted him,
blankly
. “Bragging really doesn’t suit you, Mr. CEO.”

“Ugh…sorry about that,” he said while looking discretely in the other direction.

“Who do think I am anyway?”

“Ah, sorry.
It was just kind of habit I guess, when bringing a beautiful woman here.”

I looked at him suspiciously. “Just how many women do bring here?”

“Ah…”

No explanation followed as he again looked everywhere, but at me.
Pah
, gentleman and dream man, my ass. He was just another one of those annoying playboys.

“Unbelievable,” I muttered to myself. Then I cleared my throat and spoke louder, “Well, as long as you keep your hands to yourself with me we should be right as rain. Don’t you think?”

Without further ado Zach led me through the apartment to another corridor with lots of doors.
Systematically, he explained which door led to which room one after another. There was the living room, the kitchen (which was huge), a library and various other rooms. At the far end, he explained, was his room and he assigned me the room right across from it. Just in case anything should happen and I needed help, he said.

The atmosphere between us had grown a bit awkward and it was hard to talk openly. So, I just went ahead and got accustomed to my new surroundings. My room was huge, about triple the size of the one in my old apartment, but still smaller than the one I had shared with Ethan. One door on the right led to a luxurious bathroom with a big shower stall and toilet. The door on the left led to a walk in closet that was filled with women’s clothes…all in my size.

Okay, this wasn’t creepy
. Not creepy at all. Maybe they were from some other woman, who had left them here…and was pregnant, too. I didn’t want to believe that Zach had had them here all along just ‘in case’ I would come by. Before I could come up with any more strange theories I decided to just break the silence between us and simply go and ask him.

I also needed to ask him whether I could change into those clothes after taking a shower. At this point it wouldn’t really matter whose clothes they are. I didn’t bring any spare with me,
or
did I? I vaguely remembered packing a bag before leaving Ethan’s mansion. Where did it end up? I put it in the passenger seat of my car, right? Ah, my car! I completely forgot about driving to Zach’s office building. I just left it there when I got pulled along by him toward the subway station. Why did I forget about that?

Frustrated I let my head fall into my hands and sighed deeply. Well, I could only hope it wasn’t towed away. Another matter on the list I needed to discuss with Zach. Off we go then. A little angry at myself I stomped out of the room and bumped right into the person in question.

“Ah, sorry.”

“Sorry.”

We said at the same time. The awkward tension from before was immediately blown away as we grinned at each other.

“Oh, right. I need to talk to you about something,” I told him and watched as he instantly changed his facial expression to one of concern.

Why did I always worry so much?
Even though we hadn’t known each other for a long time we had become natural friends, like with Logan and Brian, the cute and funny gay couple in the hospital. Yes,
Zach was my friend, but I wanted to know regardless.

“Is something wrong?” he asked with that concerned furrow between his brows.

I smiled and playfully tried to smooth it with my fingers. “You’ll get wrinkles.” After a slight pause I continued, “No, it’s nothing to worry over. The clothes in my closet…”

“Oh, yeah.
I told my secretary earlier to get some delivered for you. Did she get the right size? She’s usually very good at guessing such things.”

“So fast?”

“Yeah, she’s amazing, isn’t she?”

His secretary, huh?
All my worries were for nothing. But that was really one amazing secretary. I already had had some respect for her after hearing that she was technically doing two jobs. Now, that respect had almost shot through the roof.

But when had he actually asked her that? I must have been so beside myself that I hadn’t realized half of the things going on around me. Well, what did you expect after the discovery I had made just a few hours ago? It wasn’t so easy to get over it in this short amount of time.

“Are you paying her enough?” I asked with a fake, snobbishly arrogant tone, sticking my nose into the air.

He just laughed
and nodded. “Don’t worry. She’s never complained once.”

“Okay, then. So I can use those clothes?” I wanted to know for sure.

With a gentle smile he answered, “You can use everything you find in this apartment. You are my precious guest, so make yourself at home.”

“Thanks. That’s really more than generous…oh, and the other thing was. I drove to your office with my car and I’m worried about it. Is it possible to quickly get it now or what should I do? Do you think it will get towed away?”

“I don’t think so, no. Just leave it and we’ll pick it up tomorrow after work. Or did you need it now?”

“No, no, that’s fine. So, I start tomorrow, huh?” I asked with a mixture of excitement and nervousness coiling in the pit of my stomach. Or maybe I just had to pee.

“Yep,” he answered.

Now, that I thought about it I hadn’t been to the toilet in a rather long time and this pregnancy made me need to pee three to four times as much as I used to. Yep, my bladder was calling.