The Office Rival: An Enemies-to-Lovers Romance

My voice cracks, and with a nervous stutter, I ask, “H-Haden, what are you trying to say?”

His eyes move slowly up my body causing every part of me to ache in his presence. When his eyes eventually meet mine, his stare is so deep that I’m terrified he has climbed into my soul and buried himself even further. He looks dejected, tired, and worn out. There’s no life in his eyes anymore, even when he stares back at me.

And why would there be?

He doesn’t love me.

“You see, all along I was waiting for a sign. Just like in the movies. You know,

when the priest asks if anyone objects, and the girl of your dreams runs into the church professing her undying love and then the couple run down the aisle and into a fancy car.”

“It was a guy stopping the wedding, and I believe you mean bus,” I chastise with a weak smile.

“In my fantasy, it’s an Aston Martin.”

“That’s some fantasy you’ve got.”

His eyes dance playfully. Behind the dark circles, the corners of his eyes wrinkle as a smile escapes him. “So, I’m sitting at the head table as everyone toasts the newlywed couple, and I think, wait. I’m the Jerk here. How could I expect that fantasy to come true when the woman I love avoids drama at all costs? She’d never do anything like that. And if I had opened my eyes, I’d have seen that she gave me an opportunity. An opportunity that I selfishly ignored and placed my own insecurities in front of.”

Another announcement interrupts, but I ignore it, eager for him to finish his story.

“Then, it’s time to dance with my wife, and like a giant wrecking ball that knocks the life out of me, I realize I’ve made the biggest mistake of my life. I married the wrong person because I didn’t think I was good enough for the woman who has consumed me.

“All along, my woman said she wanted more. She wanted my heart to beat for only her. She wanted to be the only one I ever thought about. And she is. My heart beat for her the moment I first met her and purposely spilled that tea all over her desk. It beat so fucking hard that I had no idea what to do. I ran away to London and clutched onto anything I could to forget you. I have never experienced anything in my life like this. I just refused to believe you could ever feel the same way about me. So, I married the wrong person hoping that the Band-Aid would fix the giant hole in my heart.”

“Haden…” I whisper, tears falling down my cheeks.

“It’s always been you, Presley Malone. Even before you even noticed I existed. I just couldn’t handle how intense my feelings were for you. I was g-going insane.” His voice cracks with pain.

I drop to my knees until we are face to face. Caressing his cheek, I don’t wait for any more signs. I lean in and kiss his beautiful lips. The second our lips meet, a warm electric current electrifies every inch of my body, and I know at this moment that I can never let him go again. I want to fight for him, for us, for our family.

I pull back momentarily, still close to him. “You said the woman you love…”

“I love you.” He runs his fingers along the side of my cheek, moving them toward my hair. His grin takes my breath away, and with a gentle whisper, he says, “I love you so much I don’t know how to exist without you. I’m sorry I put you through all that to get to this point. I should have ended things with Eloise months ago.”

“I love you, Haden Cooper. I’m sorry I didn’t have the guts to admit that earlier. I was terrified. I’ve never felt so in love with someone as I am with you.”

There, in front of the entire crowd, he pulls me in and kisses me deeply as if no one is watching. His tongue desperately searches for mine, and the moment we connect, both of us moan. I don’t care who’s watching us. I never want to stop. This belongs in my catalog of memories. A moment I want to hold onto forever because this time, I’m not going to let go of him, and I trust he will never hurt me that way again.

The crowd around us breaks into a cheer and applauds as we pull away from each other, shocked that everyone is watching us. A few are even filming us with their phones.

“I want more. But I’m not sure if I’m ready to be a YouTube sensation,” I whisper in his ear, laughing.

“I don’t care if the whole world sees this moment.” He lifts me into his arms easily like I’m a feather and screams, “I fucking love you, Malone!”

The whistles and cheers don’t stop, and I’m waiting for airport security to break up the chaos. Instead, they are standing on the sidelines with amused looks on their faces.

Suddenly, it dawns on me that we still have a major problem. “There’s just one thing,” I remind him. “You’re still technically married.”

Haden moves his lips onto mine, not answering. He pulls back, and the corners of his lips rise slowly in a half-smile, partly showing his teeth. There’s a gleam in his eyes, and I know he is holding something back. A secret that I’m not in on, yet. Slowly, he moves his hands inside his jacket and like a magician, pulls out two tickets.

“First-class tickets to the Dominican Republic. Flight leaves in two hours.”

The Dominican Republic? How will that solve this problem?

My silly, lovesick brain needs a couple of moments to catch up as he waits ever so patiently for the ball to drop.

“Oh!” I exclaim. “But my bags and Masen’s stuff are going to L.A. The car is picking us up and—”