Chapter 384 - Hidden feelings (1/2)

He stayed quiet for a beat, unsure of how to respond. An affirmation would mean he had been thinking about her a lot, enough to want to plan a date.

But denial would mean a whole range of unsavory things and in his experience with certain women, he would not be able to hear the last of it. So instead, he opted for the truth as well as he could muster.

”I… er, I realized the tickets were in my drawer and I know I have been driving you really hard for the last few weeks, so I believed it would be a great idea to treat you to a break,” he answered as honestly as he could.

”Besides, I needed one myself, and being up here alone might have been a lot less enjoyable. In fact, I might have come off as a little lonely, don't you think?” He did not wait for her to respond but went on.

”Just think of it as you doing me a favor, really. And if that's not okay, I'll do you one even better. You can think of it as an extended office assignment.”

Amy tried to stifle her smile but failed. It spread all across her lips like wildfire. ”What about all these extra steps, then?” She asked before she could stop herself.

”Do you always go to concerts from the balcony?” The music had taken a more mellow tone and so they were able to converse slightly more audibly.

”Red, a man of influence such as I am, can make things happen without even so much as lifting a finger. Surely, even you can realize that.” Edward replied, turning away from her.

His words stung a bit, but Amy recognized them to be the words of a man masking his growing vulnerability. Or at least, she hoped that was the case because anything else was no more than a slap in her face.

Their voices were like the drone of some mechanical monster. Presently, an over-energized fan tried to make it onto the stage to cop a feel of their idol, but the attempt was foiled by the hefty guards stationed in front of the elevated podium.

'Poor guy,' Amy thought. The world suddenly turned bleak. There was too much restriction everywhere.

The spaces where the unprivileged could access were trimmed smaller and smaller every day while the rich could go wherever they pleased and do whatever they wanted while being praised for it. She shook her head.

'When did you turn into a philosopher?' her inner voice spoke up with a mocking tone. She felt like running away and hiding from everyone and everything including herself.

Maybe herself especially. She moved back slowly, then picked her legs up over the edge, then she stood up and started towards the elevator. Edward caught the movement from the corner of his eye and immediately raced for her.

”Where are you going?” he demanded, grasping her by the arm. She flinched from the pressure and he released his grip slightly. ”Well then, speak up woman!”