Reece's Haven

55: Reece

Groaning, I grab a pillow, cover my face with it and drop back down onto the bed.

Trust Dave to rub salt into my wound.

***

It's nearly 5am, almost six hours since I started the revisions. Dave and I are sitting in the study room, going through the files. I take off my glasses, putting them on the desk, and rub my eyes. When I glance at the remaining stacks, annoyance hits me.

"The hell!" I snap, getting up from my chair. "I barely finished a quarter of the first stack!"

"That's what happens when you keep on stalling your work," Dave sings, sitting opposite to me. "I told you man, this is the kind of work Daniel can't do. You didn't listen to me, and now it's all piled up and clashing with your current schedule."

"At this rate, we won't finish on time..." I mumble to myself, rubbing my temples. "Dave."

"Yes, Reece?"

I sit back down on the chair and face him.

"Get everyone ready by 7am."

"7am?" he says, frowning. "But its past 5–"

"We're not sleeping until we finish this," I say.

Dave watches me as if he were a deer in the headlights.

"B-But I need my beauty sleep, Reece. Don't do this to me. You know I'm high maintenance–"

"We're not sleeping," I repeat, more firmly this time.

"Ah... Shit..." he says, rubbing his temples.

***

Cameras flash in every direction, blinding me, and everyone screams to catch my attention. Chris and his team surround me as I make my way towards a black jeep. Dave opens the door for me, ushering me in.

Once I enter the jeep, the door is slammed shut, reducing the intensity of the noise. The black tint on the window blocks the peering eyes and the invasive cameras. Leaning back against my seat, I close my eyes and sigh in exhaustion.

No matter how many times I go through this, I can never find myself getting better accustomed to it. But I tell myself that enduring this is a small price to pay for what I've accomplished.

Dave then slips inside the jeep, sitting at the front seat, and signals the driver to drive.

When we return to the Presidential Suite, Dave flops onto a couch while I make my way to the study room, removing my black mask and black beanie during the journey. Once I sit down at the desk, I start going through the third and final stack, optimistic that I may be able to finish everything before Sunday.

It has now been four days since I landed in Paris, and I miss Dorothy so much. Now that I have experienced what my life is like with her in it, I find it difficult to live without her. Nothing catches my attention, nothing interests me.

Although I have been very busy the last few days, I try to make time – even if it is just five minutes – to call her and see how she is doing. But as days go by, my yearning for her grows rapidly, and right now, it's at a point where I struggle to concentrate on my work. But knowing that I'd get to be with her again the moment I finish it keeps me going.

A few minutes later, Dave enters the room and shakes his head when he spots me working.

"Reece... You've gone too far with the workload. We gotta stop, man," he whines.

"No," I say, continuing to read.

"You haven't even explored Paris, man."

How can I explore the City of Love without the love of my life? But I do not tell him that. Instead, I shrug.