"Julian, I got you a new phone. Open the door and take it," Marcus says outside my door.
"I said I'll buy one for myself. You didn't have to. It's not like if I call him now, he'll even pick up. He's probably blocked me already!"
Cara chimes in, "And that's what love is—block, unblock. Don't worry; if he's blocked you, he'll unblock you soon enough."
"You don't know him, so just stop talking!"
If they're trying to make me feel better, they should stop because there's nothing anyone can say or do to fix my spirit right now.
○○○
The night drags painfully slowly. I tried calling him last night, but as expected, I'm blocked.
My idiotic brother lent me his phone, but I didn't want to call because he'd hang up the moment he realized it was me. Instead, I sent a short message:
"Adam, I'm really sorry. I know I should've said something, but I was confused and scared, not knowing what to say. I realize now that I should've at least told you I arrived home safely—my bad. And about not mentioning you, you misunderstood. Please let me explain everything tomorrow. I never slept with that girl you were talking about. Yes, I was with her that day, but nothing happened between us."
It was delivered. But no reply. The entire night.
°°°
"Take your breakfast befo—"
"I'm fine, Nanny," I cut her off as I head for the door. I put on black sunglasses to hide my terrible eyes. They're swollen with dark circles under them. I'll have to ask Paige to help me cover them up with makeup later.
"At least let one of us drop you at work," Cara says. "You look terrible. You can't skate in this condition, Julian."
"Thanks, but I'll manage."
They give up and let me go.
I know Adam always arrives at the office early, so I'll have a chance to talk to him before my shift starts. I regret turning down his offer to be his secretary. If I'd taken it, he wouldn't be able to avoid me now.
When the elevator doors open, I see Trina stepping out of his office.
"Just go back," she says flatly. "He doesn't want to see anyone."
"It's important," I reply, heading toward his office.
"I told you, he doesn't want to see anyone. If you have something urgent, tell me, or I'll have to call security. Don't make me do that!" she warns.
I turn around and leave, swallowing the lump in my throat. I know that "anyone" is code for "me."
I sit at my desk, ignoring everyone.
"So early today, Julian? What's the occasion?" Mrs. Henderson teases as she passes by.
I act like I didn't hear her. I don't have the energy to explain.
"Did you wet your bed today, dude?" Bill, one of my colleagues, smirks.
I put on a black mask and headphones, signaling that I'm not in the mood to talk.
"What's going on?" Paige says, plucking the headphones off my head and plopping onto my desk.
"Nothing much," I mutter.
"What's with the new look?" She tries to pull off my glasses and mask, but I stop her.
"What happened?"
"Nothing."
"Don't tell me you got into a fight again. Is your face bruised?"
"Wrong."
"Then what's the problem?"
I take off my mask and sunglasses. Her face twists in shock.
"OMG! You look awful! You need to see a doctor!" she exclaims, loud enough for everyone to turn and stare.
I quickly put the mask and glasses back on. "It's not a doctor kind of problem."
"Then what happened?" she presses.
"Love problems," I mutter bitterly.
She bursts out laughing. "Come on, Julian. Since when do you care about love? I mean, even if you were in love, you wouldn't let it get to you like this."
"You wouldn't understand. Just drop it. Do you have your makeup kit here? I need help hiding these dark circles."
"Always," she says, leading me to the bathroom to fix me up.
°°°
The rest of the day, Paige keeps pestering me about what's bothering me. Finally, I lie.
"I'm broke, and my parents won't give me money. You know me—I can't function without cash."
She ends up transferring money to my account and paying for meals all day. I barely eat, but I force myself to smile and act cheerful around her.
☆▪☆▪▪
A month passes without a word from Adam. I told myself I was done with him, but I'm not. I'll never be.
"Ugh, some girls have all the luck," Paige sighs dramatically, sitting down.
"What are you on about?" I ask, barely interested.
"You haven't heard?"
"If I'm asking, it means I don't know."
"Last time I checked, you didn't care for gossip. What's changed?"
I roll my eyes, too tired to banter. "Never mind."
"Fine, I'll tell you. There's some lucky woman out there who's about to spend the rest of her life with my dream man!"
"Paige, seriously, if you're not—"
"Mr. Smith is getting married soon. They've already hired a wedding planner. Maybe you and I can crash the wedding. It might help me get over him."
Her words hit me like a train. I barely hear the rest.
"He's marrying," I whisper, the phrase looping in my mind, hammering at my chest.
Before I realize it, I'm standing, leaving my desk, heading for his office.
A bodyguard blocks my path.
"If you need something, go through the secretary," he says sternly.
"I need to talk to him about something important," I snap.
"I've already told you—"
I push past him toward the door.
"Don't touch me!" I shout when he grabs me.
"Let him go," Adam's voice rings out from the doorway. The guard hesitates but releases me.
Adam turns and walks back into his office without another word, leaving the door open.
I enter without hesitation and close the door behind me.
Standing in front of him, I can't speak. The words I've rehearsed are gone. He stares at a file, his hand trembling slightly.
"Did you come in here just to stand and stare?" he asks without looking up, his tone cold.
Finally, I find my voice. "Congratulations! I heard you're getting married. I was actually wondering if I could be your wedding planner? After all, you are our CEO and for that reason you deserve the best, most unforgettable wedding, and since am the best planner , you should make me your planner , what do you think?" I say bitterly, my sarcasm cutting through the thick silence.