"If you want to be happy, do not dwell in the past, do not worry about the future, focus on living fully in the present."
Roy T. Bennett
Day Two
Today was like any normal day. Sniffles purring soundly on my bed, a cup of steaming coffee on my desk while I edit the manuscript given to me.
"Ahem", a voice coughs behind me. Shocked, I turn around so quickly I knocked my coffee all over my work.
Thanatos was sitting on my bed.
Cursing at the mess I made and my wasted time and hard work, I glare at the intruder.
"Do you mind? There's something called privacy"
Thanatos arched one of his eyebrows, "I don't understand, spirits watch you all the time, just because you can't see them doesn't mean they aren't there, I don't understand the word 'privacy' as you put it"
"I did not need to know that", I muttered trying to take care of the mess I made.
The death guy watches me moving around clumsily trying to get the stains off.
"What are you doing about Stephan?"
My hands trembled about what he meant.
"I'm working on it"
"You have one month"
"I believe you told me that before"
"That is thirty one days"
"I went to elementary school, I know what a month is equivalent to"
"So your plan is to leave him lazying around your house until he figures out he loves you?"
Feeling defensive I breathe,"'Lazying' is not a word"
"I didn't go to elementary school"
Then there was silence.
"What am I supposed to do?"
"Engage him" Thanatos replies trying to upset Sniffles.
"I don't know, get him to work for you. Talk to him. Communicate", Sniffles hisses at him."You belong to hell too fur ball", Thanatos replies.
"Do you understand what he said", I ask intrigued.
Thanatos stared at me eerily for some time. His green blue eyes shining brilliantly.
"What do you think?"
And with a blink he was gone.
The book I was working on was messed up but fortunately, I have been saving my progress on my laptop. I just had to go to the office and get another manuscript. Dressing into a green turtleneck and high waist jeans with my my jacket in hand, I dropped my laptop into my bag and got out. Stephan was not in the living room, so probably he was still sleeping in his room.
************************************
Monique was the first person I spoke to when I entered Brooke's Publishing company.
"Hey Monique", I greet the receptionist.
"Elizabeth, what's up. You're done with the manuscript already? That's really quick", Monique was my boss personal assistant and she was someone I could rely on when things go wrong with my work.
"Oh no that's quite the opposite,I'll actually need another manuscript. You see, I accidentally spilled coffee on the ones I had been editing"
Monique shakes her head in pity,"Did you manage to back it up?"
"With my clumsiness, of course I backed it up"
"Okay, I'll send a message to Morgan. Just wait here."
So I sit with Monique while we talk about random things as I wait for another copy of the manuscript.
"How is Clyde?", I ask Monique during our chit chat.
"He's cranky", she scrunch her freckled nose. Clyde was a very good boss and individual generally. He inherited his publishing company from his dad, who inherited from his dad, so basically books and every thing about it was his life. And he was very good at it.
"He is really struggling getting good authors to partner with. You can say he's looking for someone he can boast. Most of these books aren't doing anything for him anymore"
My ears perked up by what Monique said. If he was really looking for authors, this is my opportunity.
Fresh out of college with a college degree on Arts and Writing, I was hoping to sign a contract with a very good publishing company to start writing books. But Mr Clyde Brooke was a very strict man that lived by the hardy business rules. He wouldn't employ me as an author because of my lack of experience and decided to give me a job as a book editor and a proofreader. In the past year I have been working for him, I have proofread over three hundred manuscripts, ranging from poem shorts to encyclopedia long. So while working from home has it's perks. I still get stressed out by the amount of work I do. My paycheck is all worth it regardless.
"Miss Reese", I hear a rough voice call out immediately.
Turning I see my boss leaning by the door. He had grown out his beard hand his piercing blue eyes looked dim from obvious exhaustion.
"Oh, Mr Clyde, lovely weather we are having", I say stupidly.
"Let me guess, you washed them in the dishwasher"
"Sir I promise you it won't happen again", I say nervously.
"That is the hundredth time I have heard that statement from you. Follow me into my office, I want to have a serious chat with you"
My heart drops into my stomach while Monique looks at me pitifully. It's never good if Clyde calls us into his office.
I wait till he sits down before I take my sit.
"I fired over eight people this past week. I have also canceled fifteen contracts I have with some writers and groups. I am just getting back from a really difficult meeting and I have to admit to myself I don't like the way this company is going"
"My father really did a lot for us. I'm afraid I'm not living up to the standards", he takes a deep breath and pops open the bottle of water he has on his table. He had a framed picture of his twin daughters and his wife grinning ecstatically into the camera. They were having a beach party.
"Miss Reese, I'm afraid I have to ask you this", he took a long pause and looked at me while I stewed on my seat waiting for him to fire me.
"How would you like a promotion?"
I look and feel taken aback."A promotion?"
"When you started working for me last year, you wanted to be an author. Do you still have that interest?"
My heart bloomed into joy, "Yes of course, I do. I still have a lot of my work. Here I brought my laptop, they are all in here", I giddily brought out my computer from my bag, almost dropping it. My boss sat back and told me to stop.
"I'll send you a contract this evening, just e-mail it to me"
"Thank you so much Mr Clyde"
"Another thing, do you know any models. My wife needs new models to work with"
Stephan immediately popped in my mind.
"As a matter of fact, I do sir. A male, and according to him, he has experience"
"Perfect, I'll want his phone number sent to me"
"I'll do that when I get home", I say smiling.
"I still want that work I sent you to be finished"
"Of course sir"
"Good. Now get out. I need some shut eye".
I excused my boss almost skipping out.
I told Monique and anyone who would listen to me that I just got promoted. Getting into my car, I went to the gadget store to buy an iPhone for Stephan and I stopped by Gabby's house to pick up my brother.
Gabriella wasn't home when I got in. Instead it was their butler, Steven, that ushered me in when I got there. I knocked on my little brothers room and got in.
I found him with his headphones in his ears while he playing what looked like Fortnight on his PlayStation.
He senses me and turn to my direction.
"Oh great, Patty12, I gotta go, my sister is here"
"Hey Addy", I smile at him.
"Yeah hi",Adrien totally ignores me while he packs his stuff and when I got too uncomfortable I went to sit on my car.
Adrien and I always got along. We had a lot of fun together, and he literally told me everything going on with him. But ever since the divorce started. He wouldn't talk to any of us. Not our parents, not me and not even his aunt Anne. He has this idea that it's all our fault. I don't blame the kid. It's not easy for a child to see their parents not in love. I still remember how badly I lashed out when my parents separated.
He joins me into the car. And we drive with uncomfortable silence. I try breaking it few times, trying to ask him about school, or if he was excited about being in the last grade of middle school. I even tried to bribe him with his favorite place to eat. All in vain.
When we got home, I felt really relieved it was all over.
"You can drop you stuff in the room. I'll make us some Mac and cheese for dinner. I have a friend in there. Just knock and go in", I tell Adrien as I go to the kitchen to get right on the food.
As I got out some and cheese from the fridge, I hear a short unfamiliar shriek and shuffling. Jasmine rushed out looking flushed.
"What are you doing here?" I ask, very confused.
"Oh uh, Stephan invited me over said he was lonely and needed someone to talk to"
Her dark long hair was disheveled and her lips looked swollen, her face and neck was flushed, wait a minute is that a hickey on her neck?
"I think you should leave", I say steadily. I was boiling bloody murder but there was nothing I could do about it. He wasn't mine. At least, not yet.
As Jasmine slammed the door, Stephan came into the kitchen, with thankfully, a shirt on.
"You had a guest", I say blandly.
"Did you get me my apple juice?" He completely ignores my statement.
"I forgot, but I got you something better"
I passed him his phone and the bill.
"Thanks", then he picked up the sheet of paper,"What do I need this for?"
"I can buy you clothes and stuffs like that, but you'll need to pay me back for the phone"
"This is my second day on Earth. I can't get a job just yet"
"You don't have to worry about that, I have already taken care of it", I turn back to what I was doing, I got out my pot to get the water boiling.
"What do you mean, you have taken care of it?", I heard suspicion in his voice.
"I got you a job as a model. You should be thanking me. Most people have to go through numerous auditions, you would still have to do that but it would be easier for you", I explain as I get out a pack of macaroni.
"I told you I could handle myself", he said in a deep angry voice.
I turn around,"What's the big deal, you said you had experience in these things since you spent your time as a guest invading people's privacy"
My words seem to do nothing but anger him further, "You don't have any right to talk to me that way"
Before I can respond my elbow hit the hot pot, that I forgot to put water in and it burned my arm. With a short yelp, I jerked my hand quickly rubbing the burn. Before I could blink, Stephan was beside me holding my arm.
"Don't rub it, you'll make it worse"
I watched him as he gently rinsed my arm, a bright mark started to form.
He began to gently blow my arm as he held to gently.
His curly dark hair fell a bit forward and I use the moment to admire him.
"I'm sorry I did that without telling you anything", I softly apologize. "I was wrong"
His eyes flew to my face and we looked at each other for some time.
A loud 'ahem' reminded us that we weren't alone.
"Your boyfriend was making out with another girl", Adrien reports.
I cough hard pulling my hand away from his grasp.
"He's not my boyfriend, he's a friend staying for some time", I say with my cheeks burning.
"Yeah, I can't be dating a total klutz like your sister", Stephan added pushing me out of the way.
"I'll make dinner, just get out of the way", he puts the macaroni in the pot, while I escape the kitchen before I embarrass myself even more.
Stephan ended up making a really delicious food and he fed Sniffles too.
Adrien seems comfortable with Stephan and both of them kept on chatting about games and soccer. Feeling left out I leave them chatting and called Gabby. We talk for a while, then I called video called Hailey and Noah. We were fifty minutes into the video call when Stephan walks in with black sweatpants and a grey T-shirt.
"What are you doing here?" I ask him
"I'm sleeping here, remember?", he hops into my bed poking his face into my call.
"What is he doing on your bed?", Noah screams. While Hails was singing, 'so this is love'
"Uh we'll talk later guys. Goodnight", I hang up.
"Are those your only friends?" He asks, beating the pillows.
"I have another friend, Cole", I breath out.
He stops puffing up the pillows and looks at me seriously. "I'm not going to rape you"
"I know", I was just awkward because I have never slept beside a guy before.
"Good. Goodnight", he says switching off the table lamp and turning to his side.
I don't think I'd be getting much sleep this night.