Two weeks passed by and Chance and I did not go to our friendly date. It's my fault because I kept postponing non-stop. Every time he said anything related to it, I would just come up with an excuse, a lame one at that.

The truth is, even though he kept on visiting me at lunch and bringing me coffee in the mornings, I was still not comfortable with the idea of being friends. I had a feeling that he had ulterior motives. Trust is one thing I struggle to entrust into somebody else. I strongly go with 'don't put your eggs into one basket'.

The question of 'why did he choose me' kept on reverberating in my mind like a horrible melody. Why me? What did he actually want from me?

Maybe it's because I didn't know how to be someone else's friend. The idea just frightens me now. I don't know how to act or communicate with him. At first, I was ecstatic. Joy was my drug that made me high. Maybe it's because I was too excited to think about how that would affect me in the future. How I would have to stop being alone or how I had to share my feelings and thoughts.

Yes, I liked his company. But then, he's visiting me frequently that I miss my alone time. I would say he's too much, but that would be hypocritical of me.

At that function I went with Melissa to, I had fun. It was Melissa's best friend's engagement party. The couple were beautifully made for each other because the way they looked at each other could tell it all. The way they talked to each other was making everyone wish that they had a special somebody. Well, except me. I didn't wish that because I was a burden myself. I was a package that no one wanted to have. My mental state was on a whole new level. That's one of the things that kept me from fully trusting people. I think of myself as too much to handle. I think of myself as a burden to people close to me.

Who would seriously want to have someone who was damaged and had emotional breakdowns when he didn't feel that he was good enough? Well, I sure as hell wouldn't.

My phone ringing brought me out of my train of thoughts. I picked it up and answered. "Hello?"

"Hey, Jason! It's me, Chance. Would you come up to my office? Now?"

I frowned as if he could see me. I wanted to ask why, but then I remembered that he's the CEO of this place. The captain of this ship.

So I cleared my throat and replied, "Okay. I'll be there in a few."

He hung up and I breathed out the air that I didn't know I was holding. Why was I nervous? What did he want? Dread overcame me when I remembered that I had to pass through his PA before I could see him. Damn!

I picked up my phone and stood up from my table. I stretched my arms. I had been sitting on my chair since the morning, hence cramps were attacking my body. Checking my watch, I saw that it was ten to twelve. Lunch was rolling by and Chance calls me up?

I left my office, smiling at Melissa when I passed her desk. She smiled back and asked if she should get me lunch. I told her that today I was going to eat out. That was the truth because I had planned on going into the diner across the street.

I got into the elevator and punched number 30. I closed my eyes and leaned against the elevator wall just to pass up time. I counted to hundred in my head, then started all over again. When I counted up to ninety, the elevator came to a stop. It opened to reveal a wide corridor.

I could literally see myself on the tiled floor. The walls were decorated with high-length portraits of men in their middle ages. I was looking at them intensely when I passed by.

The last portrait was of Mr. Hughs, Chance's father. It seemed to be made recently. I'm guessing that Chance's will be made when he retired.

All the doors on my left were closed, but I could hear people talking or crumbling of sheets and papers. On the far end of the corridor, was a huge glass door that was tinted.

What had my insides tightening was the huge mahogany table at the side of the glass door. It was tidy, unlike my table. The flowers that sat on the far side of the table made the space look lively and peaceful. He was sat behind his table, deeply immersed in typing on his laptop.

My hands suddenly became clammy. I wiped them on my pants and breathed in and out. Should I say hi to him or just go into the office? No. That would be rude of me. What if he says bad things to me?

Making up my mind, I decided to just mutter a small 'hey' and proceed into the office. I did just that, but I failed to open the door fast enough.

"Hey! Where do you think you are going?" he yelled at me like I was a thief.

I froze, his tone sending chills down my spine.

"Did you make an appointment?" he asked me, not waiting for me to reply to his first question.

I turned to look at him. If looks could kill, I'd be six feet under by now.

"No. Chance... I meant Mr. Hughs called me up here," I rectified my mistake, but the bitter look on his youthful and innocent face told me otherwise.

His eyes hardened and he said, "Wow! Already on first name basis? Let me tell you, Jason. You are the new sandwich, fresh out of the market. The new book on the shelf and the fresh man. When he's done with you, he'll toss you away like a used gum."

By the time he finished talking, he was panting, his face relaxed, like he wanted to say all that to me for the longest time.

Confusion was clouding me. I didn't understand what he meant.

"What are you on about?" I asked him.

His glare was wiped away from his face and a soft one took over. This one suit him better than the awful looks he's been giving me.

He sighed in exasperation at my cluelessness and rubbed his temples with his thumbs.

"I know that you might be thinking that a friend is all you are to him. Trust me when I say that that's just a blatant lie, a lie to lure you to become comfortable around him. He's like a predator and you're the prey. He'll fool you with sweet nothings and le-"

"What's going on here?" A voice interrupted the PA.

Chance nearly gave me a heart attack by sneaking up on us like that. He was leaning against the doorway, the glass door partially opened. He had on a smile that would blind the blinded. I squinted my eyes to look at him fully.

The PA coughed and said, "Nothing is going on, Sir. I was just introducing myself to Mr. Jones and apologizing for my unruly behavior a while ago. As I was saying, Mr. Jones, I'm really sorry."

"Yeah yeah. Apology accepted," I said, a small smile coming out. By the tone of his voice, I could tell that he was indirectly apologizing to me. And it was so honest.

"Really? Oh well, come in Jason. We've got a lot to discuss," Chance said, the tone of his voice suggesting that he did not believe a word his PA just said.

He went back into the office and when I turned back to look at the PA, he smiled at me.

"The name is James Dames. Nice to meet you, Jason. Don't forget about what I said. The friendship bullshit he's feeding you is just a façade to hide what he's thinking about you. Don't let him fool you like he's fooled me," he said, then looked down at his laptop.

I entered the office.