Good night, guys! :) I finally updated the story. This chapter is only an introduction for the next chapter, that's why it's so short. But I anticipate chapter 5 is going to be juicier, so just be patient and prepare for a little bit of Paily love. :D I'm already working on that chapter, but you'll have to wait because I'm not going to be able to write for a few days due to a personal matter. I love your reviews and they're always encouraging me to keep writing this story. I hope that you are enjoying it too. By the way, I'm open to all kinds of suggestions regarding the storyline, so don't be shy about that. As you already know, English is not my mother tongue, so I apologize for my mistakes in advance. Let me know your opinions about this last update. ;)
Sheirome: If you were waiting for this chapter, then you'll love it, but I think the next one will be even better. xD Thank you so much for your nice words! :)
julietdiamondsx: Thanks! That's really nice of you. ;)
Rudy Maro: Thank you! This is just the beginning, that's why these first chapters won't be as interesting as what is to come. :D
MJ: Wow! I'm glad I contributed at least a little bit to your shitty day. Paige is being an asshole, but I'm sure you'll come to love her in a few chapters. :D I just love cliffhangers, I can't help it. I'm sorry about that. Hahaha. Besides, cliffhangers are the best way to get every reader to become addicted to my story. xD And I know deep down you all love cliffhangers. :D Spoiler alert… there may be a cliffhanger this time too. :D
alexzmc: Thank you! Improving my previous story will be a complicated task, but I'll make every effort to get there. :) Honestly, I didn't expect 'Meant to be' to be the story it turned out to be, and I'm feeling the same sensation with this one, so I hope the story repeats itself and we all enjoy the outcome. Enjoy this chapter! ;)
IT'S NEVER TOO LATE
: Chapter 4 – Tough Decision:
I thought waking up this morning would be harder, but I took courage and followed Spencer's advice. 'Today is going to be a great day.' I've been saying those eight words to myself since I left the apartment and headed to the office. The cold air outside helps me to liven up. Now I just need a black coffee to completely wake up. I get to work and I say hello to the receptionist. She has a contagious smile. I love the kind of people that make your life nicer and more bearable with only a simple gesture. I walk along the corridor and open the office door. Paige is already sitting at her desk and looking at the computer, a thoughtful expression on her face.
"Hi," she says. That came out of nowhere. I didn't think she would say anything at all after everything that happened yesterday. Well, better said, after how she treated me yesterday although I wanted to get along with her.
"Hi," I respond, without energy in my voice and avoiding her gaze. I will ignore her, that's the best defense I can think of. I sit down and turn the computer on.
"So… you met my dad yesterday," she says out of nowhere. I knew she only said hi to me with ulterior motives. I can't help but look at her. I hate that I find her so sexy although she's treating me like shit. I'm not a teenager anymore, but these feelings won't go away and it's hurtful.
"Yes, I did." I can't guess what she's thinking by looking at her and that gets me more nervous.
"And I guess you didn't know who he was. Am I right?" She doesn't smile, but I'm pretty sure she's having a good time by mocking at me. That was embarrassing and she knows it. I would love to tell her to shut the fuck up, but that's what she wants, so I decide to ignore her instead. I start analyzing the blueprint I worked on yesterday. However, I'm pretty sure the anger that's building inside me will eventually explode and I don't want that to happen. "You were right, I was wrong. We should work together." My concentration focuses on her now. 'Is she trying to apologize?' "I mean, I guess you came here to learn from the best and I want your internship to be satisfying." She doesn't look away, she keeps her gaze fixated on me, like she's defying me, trying to test my patience.
I take a deep breath, it doesn't work though. She clearly wants to fuck with my head. I feel rage coming out of every pore of my body.
"You know what?" I ask, looking her in the eye. She keeps staring at me. "Fuck you." Her jaw almost drops, she didn't see this coming. I don't care if I get fired because of this, I'm not going to put up with this torture. I'm sick of her. I stand up and leave the office really pissed off. I lock myself in the restroom. I sigh and try to breath sitting on the toilet with my head between my thighs. I hear the noise of the door impacting against the frame, meaning someone entered the restroom. I decide to stay in silence and wait until that person leaves so I can have a quiet moment.
"Emily?" It's Paige. I don't say a word. She's the last person I want to see right now. "I know you're there." Is it so difficult to understand that I don't want to see her?
"Fuck off!" The anger that was already fading away comes back.
"I'm sorry. I really am. I'm an asshole. Come out, please."
"Why? So you can keep on tormenting me? I'm done." I hear her sighing. I open the door and get out, not because she said so. I just need to tell her a few things that have been going on my mind since I left the office.
"I'm so sorry," she says once I'm standing in front of her, a stern look on my face. She's looking down, she seems truly repentant, but I can't keep doing this.
"Actually, you know what?" I raise my voice and I get her attention, she is looking me in the eye. I suddenly see her sad eyes and I feel butterflies in my stomach. Her sweet perfume and her sole existence make me feel this way and I can't do anything to avoid it. I feel like shit. "I'm going to quit right now. I'm going to your dad's office and say that I don't want to keep working here. I won't tell him why I'm leaving, though. I just want to let you out of sight. This is what you wanted since you saw me, right?" She stares at me in silence, she obviously can't defend herself. "I have a good résumé and I can find a job where I'm treated like a human being," I add, and I suddenly feel better. I didn't change my life so I would end up feeling like shit again. I already suffered enough, I'm done with that. "Happy?" I end saying, finishing my speech. When I'm about to turn around and head the door to leave, I feel her hand reaching mine.
"No, I want you to stay, please." Her big brown eyes and pretty face were enough to make me nervous, but feeling her touch is too much. I flush and I feel weak. My muscles don't respond. She doesn't let her hand go, and I admit it feels really good. "I'm really sorry. I know I have no excuse, but I'm a jerk and I can't help it. It's not personal, I'm just a wreck. Just give me another chance, please." She's my kryptonite, I've been wounded, and it sucks that I'm so vulnerable no matter how she behaves.
"This is your last chance!" I warn her. She lets my hand go and I don't like that feeling. Her skin is really soft. I make my way to the office and I hear her steps following me. I sit down on my chair and I see that she brings her closer to mine.
"What are you doing?" I ask, but she's already sitting next to me.
She looks surprised. "Isn't teamwork supposed to be like this?" I don't know if my heart will bear so many emotions. I had a meltdown and now she's sitting a few inches from me and I can smell her and feel her breathing. This is going to kill me. "May I?" she asks, pointing at my sketches. I nod at her. It's like I'm talking to a different person. This is weird.
"This is good," she adds, still concentrated on my designs. I, on the other hand, can't help staring at her beauty.
"Can I ask you something?" She nods, but doesn't look at me. It looks like she's stuck on the project and she didn't hear my question. "What were you doing in Istanbul?" She suddenly turns her head and frowns at me.
"I don't know what you're talking about." I can't believe she's trying to hide our little accident at the airport.
"I saw you at the airport, two days ago. I bumped into you at the duty-free store."
"It wasn't me. Maybe it was someone who looked like me." I shake my head, of course it was her.
"I know it was you. It's impossible to forget about your face." The moment that last sentence comes out of my mouth, I realize I made a mistake, a rookie mistake. It's true, her face has been stuck on my mind since I met her. However, saying that was not very intelligent. My cheeks get a little bit pink. I couldn't be more obvious.
"That's impossible. Forget about that. Besides, that's my personal life, so stay out of it. I'm not here to make friends." She got defensive more quickly than I anticipated. I don't know what it's going on with her, her bipolarity is going to make me go crazy.
"I already have good friends. Even if I didn't, I would prefer to be alone than with you as a friend," I add harshly. She looks a little bit disappointed, it's like my comment hurt her. All of a sudden, she stands up and leaves without giving any explanation. I'm not going to feel bad because of what I said. She was the first one being mean to me, so I didn't do anything bad. I continue working until lunch time. I can't help but think about her, I must be the stupidest person on the planet. She doesn't deserve that kind of attention. I look at my watch and decide to go visit Hanna and leave the office for ten minutes so I can get the sandwich myself. I need to get some air, even if it's only going to be five minutes. Seeing Hanna's smile makes me forget about Paige for a few seconds.
"How is your day going?" she asks, even if I know she really wants to know about Paige.
"Better than yesterday." I'm not lying, but it's not the truth either. I mean, things aren't good between the two of us, but I don't want to give her more information because I really need to continue working if I want to finish something I've been working on all day. I want to do the weekly shopping, go for a run, have a shower and relax watching TV. Besides, Spencer is working until late, so I have the day to myself. "Thanks, Han." I hand her a ten dollar bill and smile at her. "Keep the change." She winks at me, says thank you and I leave the diner.
I enter the office and sit in front of the computer. I start checking on the e-mails some of the clients sent and leave the sandwich next to some papers. Something placed behind those papers catches my attention. There's a small cardboard box and a piece of paper placed next to it. I stretch out my arm and take the box with my right hand. The note says 'I'm sorry' and there's also an address written on it. Paige did this, and although this was nice, I'm sick of her apologies. I can't accept them if she continues doing stupid things afterwards. She's deadly wrong if she thinks I'm so naive. However, when I open the box and see what's inside, I feel shivers down my spine. There are two pieces of baklava, those Turkish sweets that I so much enjoyed in the city I met her. She remembered what the boxes I was carrying when I bumped her contained, and I guess this is a way of admitting that she remembers about me, even if she denied it only a few hours ago. I hate her, but this is kind of cute. I feel like she's playing with my feelings, and I don't like that. However, I have to admit it's exciting at the same time. I eat the sandwich and then the baklavas while I search the address she wrote on the Internet. It's a pub named Heaven and it's close to Spencer's apartment. However, I don't know when I'm supposed to go there. I flip the note and I see more hints: 9 PM. I spend the rest of the hours before I leave the office thinking about what I'm going to do. I hate to admit it's really tempting, but I don't think meeting her outside the office will improve our working relationship. And considering everything that has been going on, I think I should focus on work and forget about the woman who is responsible of making my life a living hell these last two days. I can make an exception, though. Right?
To be continued…