Seven minutes remaining before thirty minutes are over!
"Are you even listening? You've been on your laptop ever since we sat here," he complains.
"Of course, I'm listening. I'm putting down everything. I don't want to miss anything," I reply. The truth is, I haven't been paying attention at all. But I've recorded everything they've said with my phone. Thank G*d for my brilliant brain. I'm also almost done with that so-called CEO's work.
"You said you had suggestions. Was it just that one?" he asks, and that's when I realize I had mentioned having more ideas. But I'm not going to burden myself this time.
"Mm-hmm, yeah. But many more are yet to come! Did you like the one about the cake?"
"Oh, come on! I knew you weren't listening. I told you to put it down because I love it!"
"Send! Ha!" I sigh in relief after pressing the send key. I don't care if there are mistakes. As long as I sent it before thirty-one minutes, I'm good.
But there's another issue to deal with now.
"Look, I have everything you've said, so don't worry. Why are you so hot-tempered? It doesn't suit your pretty face at all. Just smile and relax—you'll capture his heart even more if you do that," I say, winking. The morning guy chuckles, while the angry one blushes.
Damn. Am I not just a genius?
"Okay, seriously," I say, now giving them my full attention. "I'm so sorry for my silly mistakes. Let's start over. I'm Julian. Julian Wilson. I'll be your wedding planner, and I want you to know that I'm so into this. I'm not doing it just as a duty, but out of genuine interest and passion because it's for you guys. I'll do my best to make your wedding the most memorable and inspire more people from this adorable community to come out and celebrate their love too. I hope we work well together."
"You talk too much, Julian. I'm Carl O'Brien," the one from morning says. I envy his personality—so mature and calm. Maybe it's because he's older? He looks about thirty-three, or maybe thirty.
"And I'm Ryan Harvoth."
"Cool. You guys look adorable. I can't help but want to know your story. I mean, we're friends, aren't we?"
"No, we're not. And you're so nosy. Stick to your work," Carl says, but he doesn't seem too serious.
"Come on, Carl. Don't be a meanie," I say, smiling sheepishly. I just need to hear something fun to relax after almost losing my mind a few minutes ago.
"We met in high school. That's all we're telling you," Ryan says.
"Shut up! High school?!" They've got to be kidding me.
"Yes," Ryan responds. The way he looks while saying it, I can tell it's really itching him. He clearly wants to scream out their story, to tell it all.
Carl looks at him adoringly, like he's seeing him for the first time, like he's having a first-sight crush on him, like it's love at first sight happening right now. My, oh my...
"All those years?!" I ask, completely surprised. How can people be together for so long? It's just impossible—or at least, it seems that way to me.
Honestly, I've never been in a relationship. I have no desire to be in one. I just want to enjoy life, go wherever I want, and be with whoever I want, without anyone questioning me.
"We'll see you when you see us. Update us on the progress, let us know if all we want is possible, and learn to manage your time—and your nosiness," Carl says, holding Ryan's hand as they stand to leave.
I laugh at his words. It's funny to me. "Really now? Anyway, yes, sir. I'll do that," I say, smiling at them.
Wow. I never thought love existed until now. Sure, I see it with my parents, my sister and her boyfriend, and my brother with his wife, but they've never made me feel like love is real. These two, though—they've done it.
My phone vibrates, pulling me from my thoughts. When I see who's calling, my mood instantly sours. I turn it off.
Lately, I haven't been on my phone much. I have so many missed calls and unanswered messages. I haven't uploaded anything to social media since I started being Wilson. Damn, I'm going to lose friends. I need to make new ones at work since I don't have time to hang out with the old ones.
I miss partying with friends, just f*cking around and being me. I haven't been myself ever since I started working.
I order pizza and eat it all with a glass of passion juice. As I bite the last piece, I realize something—I eat so much, yet my weight never changes. Why?
Once I'm done, I head back to work. That hellhole.
○○○
"Hi, Paige."
She ignores me completely, pretending she neither sees nor hears me. She's mad at me for failing her, but I'm not going to dwell on it.
I didn't do it on purpose, and I've decided not to let anything bother me. If she doesn't want to talk to me, that's fine. I won't bother with her either.
I put my laptop on the desk and head to see the person who had been calling me earlier. I didn't want him to ruin my mood, so I turned off my phone.
My mind is still all over the place as I open the door without even knocking.
My eyes meet his angry face.
"Calm down. Breathe in... out. Good. My phone's battery died, but as soon as I finished my meeting, I ran as fast as I could to come see what you wanted," I lie confidently, closing the door behind me. I walk closer, slowly, watching his reaction.
He looks at me blankly, as if trying to figure out what kind of human I am.
"By the way, today I witnessed something so beautiful. Do you want to hear about it?" His face is now completely unreadable. "I'm going to say it anyway. I'm working on a gay wedding. You wouldn't believe how adorable those two are. They've been together for over ten years, but when they look at each other, it's like they're falling in love for the first time. Can you believe it?"
"And how exactly does that concern me?" he asks, not as angry as before. I decide to push my luck because I feel like I'm making progress.
"I was wondering if we could... you know, try it out," I say, smirking. He's going to kill me for sure. "You know, you and I. Who knows? Something beautiful could come out of it—just like them_"