Chapter 139 - Getting closer (2)

When waiter arranged their food on the table in front of them, Sophia was confused. "I don't think they got my order right." Sophia is sure that she ordered a steak.

Felix moved his chair close to her, extended his arms toward the plate which was in front of her, and with elegant movements cut off a small piece of duck. Piece of meat on a fork hovered in front of her lips. "You should try this, it's very tender." His deep voice rang in her ears.

Sophia's lips parted, and piece of meat landed inside her mouth. Flavors of thyme mixed with sweetness of garlic invaded her taste buds, while slow cooked meat almost melted on her tongue. Sophia closed her eyes while experience of new flavors consumed her.

Felix watched Sophia enjoy the food with her eyes closed and thought how beautiful she is. Right now, in front of him, so close. He wanted to reach out and touch her, caress her cheeks, her lips… maybe even kiss her. He leaned closer to Sophia. 'She smells so good…'

She swallowed delicious bite when his breath brushed her earlobe, as she heard his whisper, "Good, yes?"

Sophia opened her eyes and saw that he leaned in, close to her. Very close... Sophia's body stiffened, and she held her breath while observing his long eyelashes, straight nose, defined jawline, and lips... lips which looked very soft and inviting. Every part of his handsome face looked exquisite. She breathed in, and his masculine scent overwhelmed her senses. She found herself conflicted, should she move away or not? Or maybe, just maybe, she should move closer… A moment later Sophia realized that she is not able to move at all, even if she wants to. Her body refuses to listen.

Felix moved his body away from her, slowly straightening up while his gaze never left her. He noticed that she is flustered and smiled confidently. His deep voice laced with French accent sounded again, "Sometimes you need to try new things... it might be a better experience than what you expect."

Felix looked at her for few seconds silently before continuing, "But if you prefer the steak you usually have, you can always get that..." He lifted his arm to call the waiter.

"No!", Sophia grabbed his forearm. "This is fine. I will have this..." Even through the jacket, she could feel hard and defined muscles under her fingers. She could not stop herself from wrapping her fingers around his forearm, to feel him better. Sophia let go of his arm slowly and could not help but wonder: 'Are we talking about the food? I have a feeling that this might have a second meaning as well...'

Sophia was not sure how to continue the conversation, she cleared her throat few times, and then helped herself with another bite before speaking. "What do you think about HQ building?"

When Sarah was in the hospital, two of them went to HQ while Sarah rested, and Sophia didn't get a chance to talk about that with Felix.

"It's big and empty.", he responded.

Sophia thought for some time. "Oh, it was Saturday. Except for security and maintenance, we usually don't have people coming on Saturdays to office. On weekdays, it's filled up with people. Here in New York, now is busier because I'm on a tight schedule to get things on the right track, and I guess that others just come to work on Saturday because of me... But once things are back in order, people will stop coming to work during weekends."

His face became serious, "I see... What is the progress with the tasks you planned to accomplish here?"

Sophia smiled. She was glad to talk about her progress. "It's going better than I anticipated. I planned for three months, and we are already more than halfway there, after only one month. If we make progress at this rate, it will be done by end of February, and I will go back to HQ."

"One more month...", his face dropped. Thinking about her tasks, when she is done, she will go back to Seattle. He likes that here are less employees, it seems more intimate. He saw HQ, it's much larger. Felix fears that in Seattle Sophia will be much more difficult to approach even if he manages to move and work from there.

Sophia understood that he is thinking about her leaving soon. "Did you decide if you will stay here, or would you like to relocate? Based on this, company will arrange for you to get you a permanent office and accommodation." She realized that it will make sense for him to move to their office in Canada. He is from there, after all. However, part of Sophia hoped that he will follow after her and relocate to West Coast. But what right does she have to ask him to go there? Suddenly, Sophia found herself feeling uneasy, not sure if she wants to hear his reply.

He looked at her with a complex expression and responded. "At this point I will stay here. But it will not be permanent." His heart was beating fast, and his palms sweated. Felix was anxious to open up and speak his mind, but he feels that unless he makes his intentions clear, Sophia will escape out of his grasp. "When you move back to HQ, I want to go with you." He can tell that she is not rejecting him, but at the same time there is some distance that he still needs to cross. And that is fine... as long as she does not push him away, he can take his time and gradually increase space he owns in her heart.

Sophia sighed in relief, she likes when he is bold and does not hide his thoughts. "Alright", she smiled.

Felix heard her reply and saw her smile. 'She is happy that I want to accompany her!' He felt that his heart became lighter. It was still beating fast, but the anxiousness that weighed on him disappeared.