Chak ruffled my hair with his hand.
"Go home," he said. "I'll be there soon."
"I'm not going," I replied, smiling at him.
"And why not?" He raised an eyebrow and looked at me.
"I'll wait until you're done, then we'll go home together."
"What if we go home together and I continue working there?" he asked me.
"Okay," I nodded.
Taeng approached us. "I'm going back to the company, see you," he said, winking at me.
Kit added, "I'm coming with you. Actually, I need to drop off some documents at LF Lab."
When they left, Chak said to me, "Kit never misses a chance to spend time with Taeng."
I just smiled at him.
"Come on, let's go home. I'll just grab some documents from my office. Wait for me at the car," Chak said.
"Alright," I said and headed towards his car.
When Chak arrived, we drove home together. On the way, he stopped in front of a large shopping center.
"Come with me," he said.
When we entered, there was no one around.
"Chak...?" I cautiously asked. "Why is there no one here?"
He looked at me with that mysterious smile. "Tarn closed the entire mall for two hours just for me."
"Why would he close it?" I asked, curious.
"Every month, he closes it for a short time just for me. So I can shop in peace, without people and without journalists. Because if someone saw us together now, we'd end up on the front page."
I blushed, but silently smiled at him. Then he took my hand and pulled me forward.
First, we went to the grocery store. I pushed the cart while he placed things in it – fruit, juices, rice, milk, meat, vegetables, eggs, pasta...
When we finished, we walked to the art supplies store.
My eyes lit up when I stepped inside. In an instant, I was in my own world. I walked through the aisles, admiring all the canvases, pencils, acrylic paints, brushes of various sizes...
Chak watched me, then whispered quietly in my ear:
"Pick whatever you want."
While I was choosing a sketchbook, I asked him, "Which one would you take?"
I showed him two.
"The one on the left," he said. Then he handed me a box of high-quality pencils. "And take these too."
He also picked out a set of acrylic paints and brushes for me.
When we finished shopping and stepped out of the store, I gently kissed his cheek.
"Thank you," I said quietly. "For everything you do for me."
When we got home, I opened the door and placed the bags in the kitchen.
Chak started to unpack them.
I walked up to him and hugged him from behind. He didn't say anything, just turned around and gently hugged me back.
"I love seeing your smile," he whispered. "Especially when you're in the art supplies store. You shine."
I smiled and snuggled closer to him.
"It was perfect. Thank you for taking me there. It really means a lot to me."
"And you deserve even more, Niran," he said, touching my hair. "Now will you start drawing, or will you come to my office while I work?"
He asked, gently brushing a lock of hair from my face with his fingers.
"I'll draw in your office," I said softly. "I'd rather be near you."
He smiled at me and offered me his hand. Together, we walked down the hall toward his home office.
I sat on a small black sofa at the side, unpacked the new sketchbook, pencils, and paints. Chak sat at the desk, took the documents, opened his laptop, and started working.
Out of the corner of my eye, he looked at me several times. And every time our eyes met, I smiled softly.
"What are you drawing?" he asked me quietly after a few minutes.
"Someone who means more to me than I dare admit," I replied without hesitation.
He paused and looked at me, slightly thoughtful.
"I'd like to see it when it's finished," he said quietly.
"Maybe... I'll show it to you if you're good," I teased.
He rolled his eyes and smiled. "Just having you here... is enough."
When I finished drawing, I got up and carefully approached Chak's desk. He was still typing, but when he saw me, he immediately stopped.
"Are you done?" he asked, looking at me with interest.
"Yes," I nodded and handed him the sketchbook. He opened it slowly, as if the scene he was about to see was something sacred. When he saw the drawing – of him, leaning back in a chair, slightly thoughtful, with that warm gaze I had caught earlier – he fell silent.
"This is... you, when you're not playing any role," I said quietly. "When you're not the cold, strict boss, but someone who means more to me than anything."
Chak stared at me for a few moments. Then he got up, placed the sketchbook on the desk, and stepped closer.
His arms wrapped around me, and he gently hugged me.
"Niran..." he whispered. "Sometimes I'm afraid you'll just disappear. Like you're too beautiful to be real."
"I won't disappear," I whispered back. "As long as you don't push me away, I'll stay."
In that embrace, the silence spoke for us, and it said everything we both felt.
"Are you hungry?" he asked me.
"A little," I replied.
"Cook whatever you want for dinner. I'll come over when I'm done," Chak said.
"Alright," I answered.
I grabbed my things and set them down on the table in the art room, then headed to the kitchen. I decided to make vegetable soup. Just before it was done cooking, Chak walked into the kitchen. He leaned against the counter and said, "I can't believe you haven't burned down the kitchen yet."
I gave him an annoyed look and smiled.
"I can't believe it either," I said.
"And I don't even know how to cook."
"I don't care if you don't know how to cook," Chak said back. "I knew it from the first day you stepped into this kitchen." He gave me a small smile.
He came over and grabbed the plates from the counter, then gave me a kiss on the cheek. I blushed.
Then he set the table. While we were eating, I quietly asked, "Can I ask you something?"
Chak looked up and said,
"Of course. What is it?"