Raelyn’s smile shoots right through to my core. It brings me back to my dream, yet again. Why can I not just forget that damn dream? Her smile is adorable; I want to kiss her so bad.
“Okay, so yeah,” I say in a stilted tone, trying to cover up my awkwardness. “We will change things up and do it your way. Do you need me to speak to Gary and Leon or do you have it?”
“I have it.” She nods and rests her hands back on her hips. But now she looks really relaxed instead of tense. “I can talk to them about it. They do listen to me, unlike you. They will like the changes.”
“I listened to you right now, haven’t I? How much do you want from me?” I laugh. “Alright, alright. I hold my hands up. Now, do you think we can get this sorted?”
“Sure.” She nods vigorously. “We sure can. I will get on it right away.”
She walks off, glancing back at me only once, but as our eyes connect, I get a deep stirring, one that can only spell trouble. I gulp down, trying my hardest to swallow that feeling, but it doesn’t stop rolling intensely.
Get out of here, you idiot! I warn myself. Stop staring at her.
As I stalk off to my office, I can’t help but think of Gary’s words when Raelyn moved her company here. He sensed that something was going to happen, and I’m starting to think that he might have been right.
“Everything alright?” Gary asks cautiously as he sees me storming along to my office. “The fighting stopped.”
“Yes, it’s stopped. The fighting has ended. Don’t worry about it. I’m going to make sure it doesn’t happen again.” Gary looks at me disbelievingly. “I have agreed to do things a bit more like Raelyn does. I’m becoming flexible, okay? I know I never thought that I would, but it’s happening, okay?”
“Good. That’s great news. I think we should do things more like that anyway.”
“Trust me, I know your opinion. I heard it over and over again. I’m starting to listen.”
I leave Gary then to get some time alone. I lock myself in my office so I won’t be disturbed and I slump into my seat. My eyes fall closed and my head slumps onto my desk. I’m in hell, this really is a nightmare.
Raelyn’s soft lips, her sexy hips, her gorgeous body… oh God, everyone was right. I do like her. She’s the first person to really get to me since Anna. That scares me, it’s so freaking dangerous, yet it feels right too. In a weird way. I’m so conflicted, so confused, and I can’t even talk to anyone about it because there isn’t a damn person in my life who will be unbiased. They all want me to move on and that’s it. They will tell me to follow my feelings and to just go for it, whether it affects things at the office or not. That isn’t what I need to hear.
I need to get out of here, I tell myself. Just go for a walk. Calm down.
I rise quickly and grab my jacket, refusing to look at anyone as I go. I do make sure that I tell someone I’m popping out for something just in case anyone is looking for me, and I go. I resist the urge to head into the bar for a drink because I don’t think that will help at all, and I walk and walk…
I must have spent too much time outside thinking alone than I initially intended as the office is oddly quiet when I get back. I stare at the clock to see if that makes sense. Everyone else has finished off and gone home. Probably time for me to do the same thing once I have checked and replied to a few of my important emails.
Once done with my email stuff, I wander from room to room, flicking off the lights as I go, my brain drifting off as I go.
“Oh… hi…” There’s still one person here. The last person I need to see right now. “Raelyn.”
She rises her eyes from the paper in front of her and smiles at me. “Oh, hey. Sorry. I know that I’m late, I just wanted to get all of this plan written down before the morning. I didn’t realize you were still here.”
“Oh, well I wasn’t, but I am now. Well, I mean I’m just going in a second but…”
“Okay, I will finish up. Then you can lock up properly.”
“It’s okay. I can wait a moment. Let you finish what you’re doing.”
I step back and watch her for a second while she scribbles furiously. Her furrowed eyebrows show how hard she’s focusing and it makes her look even more beautiful. God, this is hard. I can’t get all my feelings out of the way, however hard I try. The more I see her, the harder it becomes.
I continue doing my rounds through the building, setting up the security, checking all the windows are closed, and turning the lights off. Soon, there is only the glow from the room Raelyn is in.
“I’m done now,” she calls out, her voice echoing through the very empty building. “I’m ready to leave.”
I move closer to her, closer than I intend actually, completely by mistake, and smile. “Yeah, okay, let’s go.”
But for some reason, neither of us move. We continue staring at one another, our eyes flickering all over each other’s faces as if we’re searching for something but we don’t know what. A heat surrounds us, wrapping us in a tight bubble. I don’t think I could move even if I wanted to, which right now I really don’t. I can almost feel her. If I reached out right now, I would be able to touch her, and that is intoxicating. There’
s a pulse of excitement, pounding with every heartbeat, throbbing desperately, needily, excitedly. I can almost feel the same happening inside of her too, as if she wants me just as badly as I want her.
There’s a beat, a tiny pause, and then everything shifts. We’re kissing furiously and I don’t even know how that happened. However, her hands are hooked around the back of my neck, mine are on her waist, and the rest of the world, simply melts away into nothingness. It’s just the both of us and the fireworks exploding in my stomach.