Don't Forget To Breathe

Chapter 2

"What do you mean Ms. Hansen was here?" I ask Alessia who was pacing quickly beside me as we made our way to my office.

I don't know why we're walking so fast, there is really no point for us to be but it's a habit of the people of New York. I get so annoyed when the person in front of me is walking slowly. I find it rude, I obviously have somewhere to be why are you slowing me down?

"I mean she was here, yesterday" she says as we open the door. As always I immediately make my way to the window wall in my office as I take a look down at the crowd of people on the streets. I don't know when or if I'll actually ever get to lay eyes on this Hansen woman but I think it's best I don't. It'd be hard not to give her a piece of my mind after all the unnecessary trouble she's put us through, so it's probably best that my bosses are the ones who deal with her face to face.

"I heard that she took a look at everyone's designs in person, just to let us know that we still don't have what she wants."

I scoff "Of course we don't"

I turn around to see Alessia seated in front of my desk with her feet propped up on it.

"Did she at least tell us what she was building?"

One of Alessia's curls fall into her eyes as she shakes her head. I sigh and take a seat behind my desk quickly unlocking my computer.

I was going to open it up for a reason, I think. But my mind suddenly wanders to the brown eyed girl I saw at Embers yesterday.

Something about her has me feeling like I'm going crazy. Most of the homeless people on the street would kill for a free meal, so why didn't she take me up on my offer? She allowed that Dinah woman to do it, so why not me? It's not like I had negative intentions, all I wanted was to help her. And as much as I want to concentrate on work right now, all I see every time I close my eyes is the single tear that rolled down her cheek when Austin was being an asshole to her. Just the memory of what happened made my blood boil all over again.

"Earth to Lauren" I hear.

I see a small hand with tiny calluses on the fingertips waving in front of my face trying to catch my attention.

"Where the hell did you just go Lauren?" Alessia asks with a slight chuckle.

"Why are your hands callused?" I ask avoiding her question.

She looks down at her fingertips almost fondly and lets out a breath

"I used to be a musician" she mused "Once upon a time"

"Really?" I asked "How come I didn't know that?"

Her eyes focus on me suspiciously as she crosses her arms over her chest "You're changing the subject" she notices. I used to be able to do this to her without her noticing when we first met but she eventually picked up on my tricks.

"If you don't want to tell me about your trip to Narnia all you gotta do is tell me" she shrugs "I wont be offended, for all I know you could have been remembering sexy time with your girlfriend"

Immediately I feel heat build up in my cheeks as I try to laugh it off "Alessia!"

She doesn't seemed bothered by my reaction in the slightest as she shrugs "Okay maybe not cause" I forget you get red as a tomato when you think about that"

Almost instinctively I press my hands to my cheeks to cover up the blushing "You suck" I mumble

Her laugh fills the room as I try my best to glare at her while she's making her way towards the door