"Sophie, are you listening to me?" Christopher's irritated voice reaches me. I shake my head, leaving my world of illusory fantasies, where Alexander leads me by the arm to the restaurant, tacitly declaring us a couple.
"Yes, Mr. Harrison, I understood everything, I need to check with the district committee about the number of floors permitted in the building," I repeat the last words that I remember from the meeting.
My boss wearily rubs his face with his palms and looks at me like he's about to kill me. He is clearly angry.
"Sophie, we discussed this twenty minutes ago. Get your head out of the clouds, or I'll remove you as my assistant and put you back designing barracks."
"Sorry," I mumble under my breath in embarrassment, and start sorting through the papers in front of me. I notice with horror that on some of them I wrote the letter "A" in different fonts.
For the rest of the meeting, I carefully concentrate on Christopher's words and take important notes in a notebook. I urgently need to come to my senses, otherwise I will not get a permanent position. I have already received two verbal warnings this week. As a rule, the third becomes the last.
All day long I walk around like I'm sleepwalking, forcing myself to stick to my daily schedule. Wake up, cup of coffee, work, lunch, work, subway, bed. Sometimes I even set an alarm so as not to forget to eat and again not fall into hungry pangs, as happened a couple of days ago. The whole office was concerned about me.
Sitting in the subway, I read the messages that Christine had sent me earlier today. After Alexander's words, I began to talk more actively with her again, not being afraid to send her little stories that happened to me during the day. I would really like to have a heart-to-heart talk with her, but I understand that I can't do it without mentioning Alexander's words about her attitude towards me.
Today, while having lunch with her father, Christine saw the man of her dreams again. She made a video while there, which "accidentally" captured her chosen one in the background.
I pause the video when Alexander appears on the screen. He is enthusiastically discussing something with a business partner, holding a cup of coffee that looks too small in his powerful palms.
I remember how those hands stroked my thighs soothingly during our last conversation. My body immediately responds, covered with goosebumps, and my heart begins to beat quickly.
I want to be with Alexander, but I'm scared. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before. Everything is cutting edge with him: sex, where only he dominates; relationship on its own terms; his presence with me in the same room, whenlungs burn from the excessively electrified air, and my lower abdomen pulsates with pleasant warmth.
It's also scary to destroy my friendship with Christine, whom I gave a second chance.
She started calling me, wanting to spend time together again. I constantly refuse, blaming my work load at the office. But the truth is that starting to meet with her again, for some reason, seems to me to be the moment when I will have to make the important decision about my relationship with Alexander.
Approaching my house, I immediately notice a familiar car. It is impossible not to notice it, it stands out as a bright turquoise spot within the mass of gray.
"Surprise!" Christine jumps out from the driver's door and throws herself at me with a big hug. She waves a paper bag with the logo of our favorite restaurant. "Will you let me in? I've got your favorite salad here," she makes pleading eyes, just like a cat from a famous cartoon.
I smile widely, not bothering to hide my joy from seeing Christine. All prejudices evaporate immediately when I see the outgoing initiative from my estranged friend. It's so obvious that she has missed our conversations.
"Of course," I nod to her in the direction of the entrance. "Let's go, since you have such a large bribe."
Christine chirps merrily about her meeting the man of her dreams as she places boxes of food from a bag onto the dining table. I finally find out that his name is Jeff, and he works as a producer on one of Alexander's television shows.
"Today he pulled out a chair for me and recommended his favorite dish," Christine says dreamily, chewing on a piece of bread.
"First chew, I can't understand you," I grin at her emotionality. "What did he do to you?"
My friend rolls her eyes and chews vigorously before uttering a phrase that makes me blush to the tips of my ears.
"You're just like my dad," she laments. "Same grumble."
I leave this remark without comment, pretending that I am too engrossed in eating my dinner.
"By the way, my apartment will be ready soon," says Christine. "I want to have a housewarming party. Can you help me with the organization?"
"Of course," I immediately agree, pleased that she needs me again and is asking me for help, and not her famous interiordesigner.
Our spontaneous evening gives me strength and confidence in returning trust between us. Now all the doubts about Christine that have been tormenting me lately seem to be sheer stupidity. She has her own cockroaches in her head, but, as before, I can ignore them, and just enjoy talking with my friend.
Having finished an endless conversation about the latest gossip from the lives of our classmates, Christine is hurriedly going home. She still has to go to the dry cleaner's to get her dress, and we, as usual, chatted until late.
"Soph, I almost forgot," she straightens up from putting on her sneakers. "My dad invited us to a party. Let's celebrate the launch of his new TV show. There will be only our own people, a lot of stars and everyone who works on the show. Well, you know, all the cinema bohemia."
I do not hear her enthusiastic words about who will be at the party and the list of big names who will be there. They are drowned out by the ringing in my ears and the information that I have been invited.
"Us? Me and you?" I am clarifying to see if I misheard.
"Well, yeah. He seems to like you," she winks, and my cheeks instantly turn crimson. "He brainwashed me that starting a new stage in life, I should not give up on the people who were with me in the past at the most difficult moments. I don't know why he thinks that I was giving up someone, but he clearly was hinting about you, saying that he noticed that I began to talk less with my old friends."
Something inside me turns over after these words. I bite my lip nervously, so hard I can taste the metallic taste of blood on my tongue.
"So, are you going to come?" Christine clarifies, pulling her car keys out of her bag.
I nod mechanically and walk her to the elevator, automatically asking her to text me when she gets home.
I lock the door behind me and mindlessly watch my cat lick his front paw, settling in the chair where Christine was sitting a few minutes ago. Warmth spreads throughout my body when it dawns on me that Alexander is not indifferent to my relationship with my friend.
YOU ARE READING
Forbidden Secret
Romance"You won't tell her anything, understand?" He mutters through clenched teeth, squeezing my wrist so hard that my fingertips start to numb. "I have no intention to tell her," I look at him defiantly because I can't stand being taken for a fool. "This...
