Just as Nick had written in his email, I managed to secure another meeting with T&M. The second time around, he wasn't there. I had made it to the boardroom fourteen minutes before the actual meeting and stood outside after the PA wouldn't let me help her arrange water bottles and documents along the long glass table. If my memory served me right, and as much as I hate to admit it, with Nico it always did, he was supposed to arrive at least 10 minute early. He has always been like that; annoyingly making me appear like a punctuality hooligan.
He didn't show up. When I asked, I was informed that he had made a sudden business trip to Canada with the CEO.
I've stopped basically stalking him by reading every available piece of literature on him. It doesn't feel right that a month ago I wasn't even sure he was still alive and suddenly I know who his college classmates were.
The urge to know more about him lingers. I believe anyone in my position would feel the same way. In fact I'd be shocked if he weren't acting the way I acted the night of our first meeting.
After those two emails, I never heard from him again.
My best friends, Ama Osei and Sophia Marshall have decided to pay me a visit today. They sit on the two chairs opposite mine and Kimi sits cross legged on the table. I've grow tired of trying to fan and shoo her off.
I've known Ama since I moved here with Kimi eight years ago. She's a Biology teacher who. Sophie and I met in community college. Ama's pregnant now and on maternity leave
We have the basket of chocolate and vanilla muffins Ama brought in the middle of the table and we chat quietly as we eat. It's lunch time and most of the staff goes out to eat at the restaurant on the ground floor so there's mostly no one to eavesdrop but still. I take a bite of my chocolate muffin and chew slowly as I savour the sweet taste and try to think of an answer to Ama's question.
"Are you happy to be working with Nick Garrido?"
Of course I should be happy. People would kill to just be allowed a minute with any member of the corporate holy trinity. I actually managed to sign them as clients; a miracle I still can't wrap my mind around.
If only the third member of said trinity wasn't my childhood friend and first love.
"Olivia?" Sophie presses.
"Well, of course she must be. He's one of the sexiest men alive. I would kill to work with him. Such a pity I didn't take my business degree seriously." Sophie pouts and
I finally swallow, knowing what I'm going to say. This office is currently occupied by the only three people I trust in this world. I can always be honest with them.
"Not fully?"
"Why?" Ama questions.
Kimi, who knows why, and has been silently stuffing her face with muffins, chuckles. Ama and Sophie look at her before exchanging confused glances.
"What's going on, Kimi?" Sophie asks.
Another moment of silence as I mull over their seemingly innocent question which carries great weight over my mind.
"But I mean," Ama waves her white napkin in the air, "of course she be must be ecstatic."
"Right?" Sophie turns to her with a wide grin. "Who wouldn't be happy working with a man like him?'
"You know him?" What surprises me is that she knew what he looked like and I didn't.
"Well, of course not, but once you called and said you got the deal, we had to look up the company."
"And all she got from it was that search was that their vice president is good looking." Ama laughs.
"You have such a terrible way with words, Ama," Sophie rolls her eyes with a smile, "those words do nothing to define just how hot that man is. Isn't he hot, Olivia?"
All three people turn to look at me and my eyes slightly widen.
Of course he's hot. I don't think there's a version of Nico that exists out there that isn't absolutely beautiful.
"Answer the question, Olivia." Kimi taunts and I lift my hand as if I'm about to slap her arm. She throws her head back and laughs.
"I feel like we're missing something here." Ama sits back on her chair. "One of you better start talking or I'm taking my muffins and leaving."
"What?" There's a look of horror on Kimi's face as she holds the muffin in her hand closer to her chest, bits and crumbs falling onto her plain, black t-shirt. "Olivia!"
I almost laugh at the desperation dripping from her voice as she says my name. Kimi is fond of a lot of things in life but her top ones are- animated movies, the quarterly picnics she has with her friends, our weekly ice cream dates and anything that comes out of Ama's oven.
"Okay," I chuckle as I look at my friends, "there's something I have to tell you guys."
"What is it?" My eyes move to Sophie.
"I know Nico, I mean Nick. I know Nick Garrido."
"I would assume so since you had a meeting with him."
"Yes, Sophie, but I knew him even before that meeting." Confusion masks their faces and I add more. "On a personal level."
"Really?" Ama's brows furrow. "How come you never spoke about him before or introduced him to us? Also why were you so stressed out about the T&M deal if you knew the boss?"
"I didn't know he worked there." I see the confusion only deepen in their eyes. Kimi silently reaches for another muffin from the basket.
"So where do you know him from?"
I hesitate before replying. Half a minute goes by and the silence only continues to stretch.
"They used to date." Kimi finally cuts the stretching thread of quietness and confusion.
The gasps that follow, accompanied by the wooden legs of Sophie's chair's screeching against the tiled floor, cause me to almost jump out of my own chair. Kimi doesn't even flinch, just giggles as she looks between the three of us.
More silence follows after the slight overreaction and I stare at my friends with widened eyes.
"Kimi's joking, right?" Ama leans into to the table.
"No, no, she might be on to something." Sophie says. "I mean back in high school I went out with Dev Patel."
"Not this again." Ama chuckles and shakes her head.
"She's not kidding." I divert their attention back to me. "Nick Garrido and I used to date, when we were in high school."
"You're kidding. You and him?"
"Are you saying he's out of my league." I pretend to be offended. Of course he's out of my league.
"I mean I guess it makes sense, if you two dated in high school. If you said three years ago or something I would question it."
"Definitely," Ama adds, "Your dating history doesn't align with anything related to Nick Garrido."
"So does it feel awkward working with him?" Sophie speaks before I can comment on Ama's statement.
"I mean, I've only seen him once. It was awkward then but I think I'll be fine. I can't afford to mess this up."
I miss my good coffee and driving everywhere.
"Yes, you do need the money." Ama comments with a sad smile. "It would be so sad for your business to suffer, you worked so hard for it."
Ama was with me when I first built Mi Ads. She slept over at my apartment the night I tried to come up with a name for it and ended up choosing something related to Kimi. She helped me register it and write business proposals. I imagine, while it's not the same, it hurts her to see how this place is slowly turning out. That's why I can't let anything, not even Nico, distract me from making the most out of this deal. I promised to take T&M to new heights and I intend to do just that.
"If it does fail though," Kimi begins, "You still have other options."
"What options?" I glare at her.
"You can always just find some sucker and con them out of their money." She giggles and I throw a crumpled up sticky note at her.
"Don't you have class?" I ask, my face forming a frown from irritation.
Her face falls but she quickly recovers, plastering on a smile.
"I actually do," she starts climbing off the table. "I'll be on my way, then."