I slid my phone out of my desk and shot Ino a quick text.
"OH MY GOD. You'll never guess who the new owner of Gateway is. Talk about it during lunch." I stare at the message for a couple more seconds before pressing send. Lunch could not come fast enough.
I feel a sudden wave of nausea hit my body and I stand up and head to the restroom to take a quick breather. I push through the doorway and head straight for the sink. Thank goodness I didn't put much make up on today. I splashed a little water on my face and gently dabbed it dry. The coolness from the water made me feel a little better.
Why was he here? How did he know I worked here, let alone at reception?
My phone buzzed and it was a reply from Ino. "Ugh you know I hate waiting for news like this! See you in a couple of hours." I chuckled at her response. She never could learn to be patient, could she?
On the way back to my desk, I passed by Mr. Lowe.
"Mr. Lowe, I know the new owner is coming by for lunch today, but I have a personal matter that I need to tend to over my lunch break. I hope that won't be too much trouble." I inwardly pleaded that he would just let me go no questions asked, and he obliged.
"Of course, Sakura! Just try and at least say hello to the fellow, will you?" He replied.
"Oh of course. I will. Thank you!" I rushed back to my desk and got back to work.
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Lunch was in thirty minutes, and I was getting more anxious by the second. Sasuke said that he would be here a little earlier. Maybe I'd be able to leave early enough and miss him.
It got to be 11:45 before I decided to leave. No sign of Sasuke, thank God. My bag was sitting on the floor underneath my desk and I picked it up. I fumbled through it and grabbed my phone - texting Ino again.
"On my way! Meet you in the lobby" I sent. She immediately replied. I placed my phone back into my purse and headed towards the elevator. I pushed the bottom to go down, and the doors opened shortly after. I stepped in and leaned against the wall of the cart.
The elevator read L1 once I reached the lobby floor. I pushed off of the wall and moved closer to the doors. The doors started to open, and I began to step out, but stopped once I realized someone was trying to walk in.
"Well, long time no see, Sakura." A familiar voice hummed. My head shot up, I could feel the shock on my face. Jeez, Sakura pull yourself together!
Before me was a man I once shared every day with. Shared a bed with every night. I looked into his dark eyes and saw a completely different person. His eyes had a gleam to them. I wasn't used to seeing that. He used to always keep to himself, lost in his own self. Lost in his sadness. He pushed everyone, including me, away.
Sasuke was an attractive man. A VERY attractive man. He towered over me. His jet black hair fell gracefully around his face, just above his shoulders. His suit, professionally tailored, hugged his body in all the right places. Even with a three-piece suit on, you could tell he was built.
Sasuke raises an eyebrow at me, "Are you going to stay in there forever?" He wondered. I quickly stepped out, my eyes glued to the floor. He stared at me as I moved past him. Suddenly, I was pulled back. I looked down at my wrist to see Sasuke's hand around it. My eyebrows furrowed and I swiped my hand away.
"What is your problem? You can't just grab somebody like that." I scolded.
"I just want to talk to you. You seem to be avoiding me." He guessed. And he guessed right. I didn't want to see him, let alone have a chat with him.
"Well it's not everyday that my ex buys the building I work at and throws a luncheon for my whole company to welcome himself. So, yeah, I am avoiding you." I huffed, crossing my arms and taking a step back. I was annoyed at this point. What did he think he was doing?
"Okay, well, I'd still like to catch up with you. If you don't mind." He smiled a sweet smile and I almost lost my balance. I hadn't seen his smile in a very long time. It was almost as if I was dreaming. What came out of my mouth next, shocked me.
"Maybe we can have lunch some other time. Preferably not where I work. I'm going to have lunch with Ino today. You remember her don't you?" I asked.
"Of course I do. I spoke to her right after I called you on your office phone." He smirked.
Wait, what?
"Oh. Well, I'll see you around." I waved and sped off to find my blondie. I could feel his onyx eyes piercing my back as I huffed away.
Ino was waiting by the revolving doors in the lobby. She was smiling down at her phone, tucking her hair behind her ear.
"You knew?!" I exclaimed, throwing my hand up in the air towards her. She picked her head up and I walked right past her and into the revolving doors. The suns warmth felt good against my skin. I took a couple of deep breaths in and tried to calm down.
"Sakura, wait! I'm sorry I didn't think you'd be so angry. He said he was really excited to see you." Ino apologized.
"Ino, you know how things ended with us. Why would you think I'd be anything other than angry?" I yelled. I shot a look at her and instantly felt bad. Ugh.
"I'm sorry. I don't mean to yell at you. I'm just pushing my feelings onto you." I grabbed my ponytail and picked at my split ends. "I don't even feel like eating anymore, I've lost my appetite." I sighed.
"We don't have to go out for lunch, Sakura. It's okay! There's always another day." Ino grinned at me. She was always trying to make me happy. Her optimism really kept me going, even in my darkest days.
"Are you sure? I'm sorry, seeing him just made me feel so uneasy." I apologized.
"Of course, I understand! But, are you going to go back up to the office since he's up there for lunch?" She wondered.
"No. I could really use the fresh air. I'm going to take a walk instead." I smiled. Fresh air would do me good. I waved bye to my friend and we went in opposite directions.
The sound of heels against the concrete and the blaring horns of cars going by was white noise to me. New York wasn't just a city, no, it was a way of life. This city wasn't made for everybody, and I loved that.
I made my way to a nearby park and found a bench to spend my lunch break on. I scrolled through my phone and checked my social media. I had to get Sasuke out of my head, and right now, this was the only way I knew how. I clicked on "Trending Topics" and kept on with the scrolling.
"Oh. My. God." I gasped at the image I saw. I read the title maybe ten times. "Young Uchiha gets ENGAGED!" There was a picture at the top of the article, Sasuke walked along a sidewalk, hand in hand with a red-haired woman. She was smiling at him, and he did the same. I hesitated at first, but decided to skim over the article anyways.
"New York's young billionaire Sasuke Uchiha finally proposes to long time girlfriend Karin."
I read a couple more sentences of the article before turning my screen off. My eyes started to water. Why am I crying? Why does this hurt? I shouldn't care about him. He's not mine to care for anymore.
I couldn't help myself and opened the article back up. I scrolled through the other pictures of the young couple. There was another picture of them. They were both dressed up and all snuggled up with each other around a big table. It looked like a formal gathering, probably just business. Another picture was one of them looking into the camera. Her hand rested against his chest and her head against his shoulder. His hand was wrapped tightly around her waist and the other in his pocket. Both of them showed off big cheesy grins.
With each picture I saw I grew more and more upset. What was going on with me. I mean, surely I don't have feelings for him anymore. No. I know I don't.
Oh, gosh. This is not happening.