Bedmates Soulmates

Two Kiras

Kira sneezed when she got in the taxi.

Austyn scrunched his nose, his germaphobia acting up.

But he still touched her forehead with one hand. 'You have a cold."

Then he added, 'Serves you right."

Kira shrugged and ignored him.

She was feeling a little dizzy, but she didn't think she was sick.

"Take the day off. Go home and rest.'

'I'm fine,' she said. 'I don't want to go home. I have work to do.'

Austyn scowled. "Work can wait."

Kira offered him an ingratiating smile. 'I'm fine, really. I took a couple of days off last week. I can't do that again. The manager's going to kill me." 'Paul?'

"Uh-huh."

Austyn took out his phone and typed a message. I told him you're not coming to work today.

Kira stared at him, open-mouthed. 'But you....you can't do this!'

Austyn ignored her.

The driver looked at the squabbling couple in the backseat and smiled. 'Where are you two lovebirds headed off to?'

Kira blushed..

She and Austyn were not lovebirds!

She opened her mouth to explain, but Austyn got there before her. 'office building of the M Group.'

Ooh, that's a big company. Like, the biggest in Stamford. Are you guys working there?"

The driver, who didn't spend much time on tabloid websites, did not realise he had the M Group's president in his car. Austyn didn't like how chatty the driver was.

He was about to tell the man to shut up and drive when Kira grabbed his hand.

'Don't be mean to the driver,' she said with her eyes.

Austyn held his tongue.

The driver started the engine.

"Where's your car?' Kira asked Austyn.

She was amused by the sight of the man hunched awkwardly in the cramped space of the taxi.

There wasn't enough room for his long legs.

The Hummer was a behemoth, in contrast.

Austyn huffed. 'I had to abandon it on the roadside when a certain someone refused to let go

of

my arm. I couldn't drive, so I had to get a ride from Damian."

Kira winced, embarrassed by the memory of last night.

She wasn't herself whenever there was a thunderstorm.

She must have been quite a mess.

The sight of Austyn had been such a relief.

All she remembered was clinging to him like glue to paper.

'You can stop here,' she said when the taxi was four blocks away from the office building.

Austyn followed her out of the car with a dark look on his face.

Her eyes darted around like she was a thief on the lookout for cops.

'You should go ahead. I'll wait for two minutes.'

'Are you

afraid to be seen with me?' Austyn asked, annoyed.

"We went over this the last time, Kira said, hiding herself behind a lamppost like an amateur

spy.

'I don't want to be drowned by gossip, and I don't want my picture on the front page of Stamford Daily. So, please, can you go first?' Austyn stared at her fixedly for a few seconds.

When it was apparent that she would not come out from behind the lamppost till he was gone, he spun on his heel and left.

Kira kept an eye out for familiar faces.

When she didn't see any, she started jogging.

Lexi was there in the office ahead of her. 'Kira! How are you feeling?"

'I'm, uh, fine, thank you."

'It's so nice to see you back on your feet,' Lexi said. 'Paul told us you were hospitalised. What

happened? We were so worried."

'Er...' Kira didn't know what to say.

She wondered what fake illness Paul invented for her.

'It was nothing, really. Just a misdiagnosis. I'm fine now.

Her nasal voice and her pale face convinced Lexi that she had really been out sick.

More colleagues arrived at the office and gathered around her, showing concern, gossiping.

Kira thanked them, feeling guilty.