Chapter 2

"Michael, would you put these on my desk as you walk by? I have to go talk to Mr. Campbell before I head out." I handed my co-worker a small stack of files careful not to let them fall out of my hands and flutter to the floor as they did last time.

He smiled as he took them and I walked off to our boss' office. Knocking softly, I opened the door. "You wanted to see me Mr. Campbell?"

"Yes, yes! Ms. Thomas! Come in, come in!" He rose from his desk chair and I walked forward to shake his hand. He motioned for me to sit and I did, waiting to hear the reason for the meeting. My hands shook lightly, from nerves or fear, I wasn't sure.

My boss took a slight pause and then continued with the reason for this impromptu meeting. "I'm sure you're up-to-date on the latest… er… problems downtown. There have been a few unexplained deaths. I would like for you to take over covering these stories from Christopher."

I waited for him to change his mind. Surely he wasn't giving me the top story; the top story for me to research, to write about. "Th…Thank you sir," I managed to stutter.

"Now don't worry about doing anything tonight. Enjoy your night and come in tomorrow morning ready to go." He smiled as he stood and reached out to shake my hand. "You've been showing me what you can do for two years now, let's see if you can keep it up."

I shook his hand and held my excited giggle until I got out the door. Once it shut behind me and I was safe at my desk, I shrieked. Immature yes, but this was the biggest story of my career so far. It could even be the biggest story of my entire career. I grabbed my purse and made a quick decision to have a drink at the pub tonight, not to commiserate as usual but to celebrate.

"I hear you got Chris' story," Michael said, walking up to my desk.

I grinned up at him. "I did. This is the greatest thing to happen in such a long time. I feel bad about Chris though. He's having a rough time this year."

He reached out and pulled me in for a friendly hug. "Don't worry about Chris. You deserve it Krista. You've worked hard these past two years. It's about time someone other than your co-workers recognized your hard work."

I laughed and pretended to wipe a tear from my eye. "Thanks Michael. I'm glad you feel that way."

We separated and he took my hand. "If you need any help with research or just need someone to bounce ideas off, let me know. I'll be more than happy to help you out."

My smile was smaller this time as I sized him up. What was this about? He'd never shown the slightest bit of interest in me, work or otherwise. "Thanks Michael. I'll be sure to keep you in mind. Now if you excuse me, I have to get home and call my mother. It's my night to call and she gets antsy if I don't call before five." I fiddled with my keys and slowly made my move for the door. "I'll see you tomorrow Michael," I called as I quickly exited.

"Bye Krista," I heard him call, but I was halfway down the stairs. I shouldn't punish him; he didn't know anything about Ian and my problems this year. He just knew what I told the office, my boyfriend and I split on mutual terms. Ha, that was a laugh.

I took the long way home, thinking about my good fortune that day. The biggest story in the city right now and I got to cover it! What a promotion! I could finally show the office what I could do. I'd been covering the small stories for two years: Cat Caught in a Tree, Child Trapped in Well, Iguana Runs for Public Office. Yes, the last one was a real story. Someone trained their iguana to walk on two legs and open its mouth on cue to make it look like the animal was talking. It shows what people will do for attention.

Pulling into the parking space in front of my flat, I turned off the ignition and sat there, my mind running a mile-a-minute. I'd shower, then go to the pub and have a drink to celebrate my good fortune. Maybe that handsome stranger would be there and we could have a conversation that consisted of more than me stuttering and acting like a giddy schoolgirl.

I managed to get myself out of my car and into the flat without so much as tripping or stubbing my toe, which in itself was a miracle. After retrieving my mail from the box, I shut and locked my front door. I dropped the keys into my key bin and placed the mail on the table. There wasn't anything important, just a few bills and a letter from some company saying I won some money… sure I did.

The house was a bit chilly, but that was getting to be normal for the end of October. I turned up the heat a smidge and ran up the stairs to the bathroom for a hot shower. Letting the water cascade over my head, I let my mind wander. I got the biggest promotion of my career! I couldn't think of how my day could get any better.

As the hot water fizzled to lukewarm, I turned off the taps and wrapped myself in two towels; one around my hair and one around my body. I walked to my closet and carefully chose my outfit carefully. After studying my choices, I finally selected my dark denim skirt and casual green blouse. I didn't want to appear too eager to see him… although, that outfit may be a bit too dressy for a pub. The skirt changed to a pair of faded jeans, but I kept the blouse. That selection was more casual and looked like I just left work.

After glancing at the clock, I ran back down the stairs to grab my purse. I was almost out the door when the phone rang.

"Bloody hell mum," I exclaimed as I dropped my purse back on the counter.

I rushed over to grab the phone before the caller hung up. "Hello?"

"Hi Krista," said the calm, sweet voice on the other end of the phone. I cringed. Ian.

My tone turned sour quick. "How did you get this number? What do you want?"

"Your mum said you moved and gave me your number. Can't I just call to talk?" He sounded so sweet; I nearly melted at the sound of his voice. It brought back so many memories.

Shaking my head, I reminded myself how much he hurt me. "No. You lost that privilege. What do you want Ian?" I made sure to clip his name to let him know I was irritated.

He sighed. "It's Rebecca."

Now it was my turn to sigh. "Look Ian, I really don't care to hear about your relationship. Whatever problems you two may be having, leave me out of it! I could care less."

"Please Issa," he said, trying to get my interest by using his nickname for me. "I really need to talk to you!"

"You can't do this to me! I refuse to be drawn back into your life! Do you have any idea how much pain you put me through? You and Rebecca ruined me. You ruined my happiness. I can't do that again. It's been four months; I'm finally getting myself happy again. Leave me alone." I nearly shouted the last sentence. "Good-bye Ian." I gently placed the receiver into the cradle, hanging up on him.

I tried to calm my breathing, and slowly slid down the counter to sit on the floor. How could he do this? Did he think he could just call me out of the blue and I'd listen? Did he think I'd offer advice on his relationship? How could I put everything he did behind me?

"Damn you Ian," I shouted the tears starting to stream down my face. "Damn you, damn you, damn you!"

I gave up my plans to go to the pub. I knew I wouldn't be able to calm myself enough to wash my face and celebrate. The bastard ruined my good day. He always knew how to ruin a good thing, even if he didn't know it.

AN: Okay, so I know I said I wouldn't update until I finished one of my other stories, but all I did yesterday was write this story... so I'm a couple chapters a head. 5 reviews is okay I guess. But compared to the people who actually read it? Hmm.. But thanks to:
AliciaFB
HpC0ldplay
thewerewolfgal (who is just awesome and reviews EVERYTHING :-D)
alwayslaughingonafastcamel
AllenPitt

If you want your name added to the list, well I suggest you review! Thanks for reading!