Reserved Attraction – RA 3

Sufen was Samuel's new colleague. She had jumped at the chance to apply for the post of marketing executive when she saw the company's advertisement in the paper. Sufen had actually been hoping to join the company since her attachment as she had enjoyed her stint there.

Samuel, though surprised to see Sufen again, was glad to have her as her subordinate. He had been impressed by her positive learning attitude during their short encounter and had even hoped that his co-workers had had the same mentality towards their work. Now, it seemed that it was a dream coming true for both of them to be working under the same roof.

Sufen had been given a table within Samuel's section which had four other occupants. Though they had seen Sufen around before, it would be the first time that they were working together. They introduced themselves and made her feel welcome. Sufen was glad for the warm reception and was soon a part of the team.

As time passed, Sufen realised that her colleagues liked to gossip about Samuel and wouldn't hesitate to make fun of his weird behaviour. Sufen, however, wasn't really amused by what they said. Her impression of Samuel was quite different. She liked the way he kept his table neat and tidy and the way he presented himself – well-groomed. But most of all, she admired him for his dedication to his work and his determination to see his job through. In fact, one of the main reasons why she had chosen to work for the company over the other companies was her desire to learn from her mentor.

Whenever possible, she would approach Samuel with the problems she faced rather than seek the assistance of the others. She was curious to find out more about him – not just as her immediate supervisor but as a friend too. She wanted to pry into his social life and hopefully to become part of his personal life. While the others would avoid being too close to Samuel, Sufen would invite herself to sit at the table where he would have his break and had causal chat with him. Though Samuel wasn't used to having such company, he was pleased to have one for a change. However, he treated Sufen's interest in him with scepticism. He took it that she was just being polite and was doing it out of respect for his authority. He expected her to eventually join the rest in giving him the cold shoulder.

However, this time Samuel was proven wrong. Not only had Sufen's interest in him not dampen with time, she had continued to shower him with her concern for his well-being. She would remind him to take breaks from his work and made him his favourite beverage – Milo. She would even write him cute little notes of encouragement to brighten up his day. Samuel who was flattered by her actions treated her differently from the others too. Soon, the office's grapevine was churning out rumours about the unusual relationship that was blooming between them.

Sufen wasn't really bothered by the commotion she had caused as she felt that there wasn't anything wrong in caring for her superior. But the same couldn't be said of how Samuel felt about the whole affair. He didn't like being accused of leading her on nor was it fair to do that to her. He wouldn't deny that he had grown fond of her but it wasn't the kind of fondness that they were referring to. He just didn't feel right. You see, she was only 19 whereas he was already 34.