I wished to disappear. Nothing like when you walk to your office with little to no drama.
And it was just my first day.
I could feel the eyes on me before I even sat down at my desk. Office gossip spreads fast, but this? This was a whole new level. I sighed, adjusting the papers in front of me. It hadn't even been a full day since the meeting, and people were already running their mouths about Jason Cole and me.
"I heard he smiled. At her, of all people."
"I heard when he smiles. It's to fire you. But people said it seems he was enjoying her talk."
"Yeah, and she didn't even flinch. How does someone not flinch around him? It's like she knew him."
I gritted my teeth. Of course, they were whispering. They'd seen the Devil in human form hours ago, and it was somehow my fault. Because heaven forbid Jason show up and not scream the building down.
Jo appeared at my desk, dropping a file on top of my untouched stack. "Kiara. You okay?"
I looked up at him and forced a smile. "Why wouldn't I be?"
He sat down heavily, crossing his arms. "Because everyone's talking about you and Jason." His eyes widened. "Sorry, Mr. Cole," he corrected himself, like that was going to stop the tension brewing.
"Let them talk," I said, shrugging. "It's all speculation anyway."
Jo frowned, clearly not buying it. "Look, I'm not saying they're right, but...he was different in that meeting. Calm, even. That's never happened before. He was calm to you."
I raised an eyebrow. "Maybe he was having a good day?"
"Or maybe he's got a thing for you." Jo smirked, leaning back in his chair, pleased with himself for the comment.
I rolled my eyes. "Oh, please. He barely knows I exist."
"Does he?" Jo tilted his head. "Because I saw the way he looked at you. Like he's definitely seen you before."
I opened my mouth to argue, but Jessica's high-pitched voice cut through the air, making me inwardly cringe.
"Kiara! Darling, you look radiant this morning," Jessica cooed, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. She made her way over, heels clicking, eyes gleaming with barely contained curiosity.
I didn't bother looking up from the file I was pretending to read. "It's afternoon, Jessica."
"Oh, I didn't even noticed," she ignored Jo and came closer, leaned against the side of my desk, one could see her cleavage in her rather tight top, one thing about Jessica was the fact that she wants everyone to know she has a big bust.
"How does it feel to be a celebrity?"
"I don't know what you are talking about."
"Oh come on. Everyone is going on about a little...interaction between you and Mr. Cole. Care to share?"
My fingers tightened around the pen I was holding. "There's nothing to share."
She tsked, feigning innocence. "Oh, come on, Kiara. We're all friends here. It was just—how should I put this?—unexpected."
I glanced up at her, my face blank. "And yet here we are."
Jo was watching the exchange like it was the office's best reality TV show. Jessica, not one to back down, took out her phone and fiddled with it, all while keeping her eyes glued to me.
"Well, you know how people are," she said, her tone light but her words pointed. "They just...talk."
"Yeah," I muttered. "They do."
"What's gotten into you? Is this because I didn't check up on you? I was busy, you know how work is."
Yeah busy fucking Gabriel. "Busy for 6 months?"
She nodded, smiling as if I told a joke. Girl, can you be anymore delusional.
"Anyways, let's make peace."
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jessica rummage through her bag. She pulled out a ridiculously large coffee cup and, in one smooth motion, reached over to hand it to me. Except the cup tipped. And time slowed.
Steam rose from the lid as the scalding liquid teetered on the edge of spilling all over me.
But reflexes kicked in, and I caught the cup mid-air, just inches from a disaster.
Jessica's eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly plastered on her fake smile. "Oh my gosh, Kiara! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to—"
"Sure," I said, holding the cup with a smile of my own. "No worries. Accidents happen."
Jessica blinked, thrown off by my calm response. She hadn't expected me to catch it, let alone not blow up at her. She opened her mouth, probably to offer more fake apologies, but I cut her off.
"Next time, maybe hold onto your cup a little tighter," I added, my voice light but laced with sarcasm. "Wouldn't want anyone to think it was intentional."
Jessica's eyes narrowed slightly, but she recovered quickly, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Of course not! I'm just a little clumsy today."
"Sure." I gave her a smile that didn't reach my eyes. "Happens to the best of us."
She lingered for a second longer, her smile faltering just enough to reveal how annoyed she was. Then, with a huff, she turned on her heel and strutted away.
Jo burst into laughter the second she was out of earshot. "Did you see her face? Priceless."
I looked at him, "You don't seem to like her."
"I don't. She is known as the office princess but to me she is nothing but a bimbo. A dumb, rather sexy, red haired."
"You have just become my new favorite person Jo."
"I am everyone's favorite person." He grinned, shaking his head. "I still can't get over how calm you were with her. Most people would've lost it."
"Well," I said, pushing my chair back and grabbing my bag, "I've had practice."
---
The drive to the cemetery was quiet, the soft hum of the radio the only sound breaking the silence. I needed peace, time away from the office drama, away from everything.
I needed to see him, know how he was doing after in my past, I had hurt him so much.
When I reached the cemetery gates, I had to show the ID card I haven't used in years. So I could see him.
I parked the car and made my way through the winding paths until I found myself standing in front of my grandfather's grave.
I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding, kneeling down to brush some leaves off the headstone. "Hey, Grandpa. It's been a while."
The wind rustled the nearby trees, the only response in the otherwise quiet cemetery.
"I've...been dealing with some things. Work's a mess, as usual. There's this guy, Jason, and..." I trailed off, shaking my head. "It's complicated. As if I haven't already had enough drama for a lifetime."
I paused, running my fingers over the engraved letters of his name. Being here always grounded me, made things feel clearer somehow.
I tried to make the tears stop, but it was already flowing. "I wish…I wished I listened to you. I wish I didn't leave, I wish I wasn't so stupid and blinded by love. I died grandpa. I died and came back again and I…sometimes I feel so…lost—"
"Kiara?"
The voice made me freeze. My heart leaped into my throat, and I stood up slowly, turning toward the source.
Standing just a few feet away was a man I hadn't seen in years. His eyes widened, shock evident on his face.
"You...what are you doing here?"