FALLING AROUND YOU ➵ DANIEL SEAVEY ➵ SEQUEL

19 ➵ One Last Chance

"I know, Sienna, I know."

"You do?" I felt myself becoming a little concerned, a little embarrassed. 

"I told you I would wait for you, and I did," he admitted. "It's just all that waiting made me realize that I couldn't put my heart in someone when theirs belongs to another man. It's not fair for myself to longing for you, and I think I realized that.

"It's not that I don't love you anymore, Sienna, because believe me, I do. I just think I'm slowly trying to love you in a different way. I think I finally had the realization that I could still be happy even if we're not together, and that's okay." he let out a dry chuckle.

I couldn't ignore my watery eyes looking at the angel before me. I almost forgot we were still in a tight embrace until I rubbed my fingers along his cheek. He looked so innocent, so pure. I kissed his cheek thinking that it would solve the broken heart we gave each other. Although what he said was sweet, the reason he gave up was bitter. 

He lost hope in the possibility of there ever being an us. 

"I love you, Charlie. Truly, I do." my words were muffled into his chest. 

"I know," his words were simple. 

—

The meeting with Mr. Gray was brief and to the point. I told him that he was not allowed to parent me with public affairs. He told me if I get into another "public scandal" then my time with the company would be over. We both obliged. 

It was quite awkward seeing him again. He was in his late forties, but I could tell stress was speeding up the process of age. Charlie was in the room along with a few familiar faces that represented the Gray company. They all agreed with Mr. Gray's opinions, but Charlie and I held up a good fight in making sure my needs were met. 

I knew that this would be one of the last times I would see Mr. Gray, being as I was going back to London next week. "Next meeting we'll discuss the sequel's initial release date along with the editorial aspects of the first five chapters," he didn't look at me packing his things in his book bag. 

"Mr. Gray?" 

"Ms. Martin," he mimicked me. 

I waited for him to catch my eyes. "I thought you knew that this would be my last week in the city. I'm going back to the London corporation to work on the sequel with your sister. I just wanted to make sure that the Los Angeles corporation was an open option for me whenever I come back to the states." 

I could tell he wasn't aware of this information. I never seen Nathaniel Gray speechless in the few encounters we'd had over the last few months. He has always been the stern business man that once crushed my dreams, and it has always been quite odd to think that this was the brother of Natasha Gray. In London, she was a very quiet, yet effective leader of the corporation. She never raised her voice or shown an ounce of worry. It was much odder to think that Nathaniel Gray was also Charlie's father. How was Mr. Gray such an outcast in his family? 

"Oh." It was the only word he could make out in that moment. "I was not told this information, but I will tell my sister the ideas the team had for the sequel. I, um. Safest travels, Ms. Martin. I will see you soon, I know." And with that, the older man scurried out of the room and out of the awkward conversation. 

"I think he'll miss you," Charlie stood by me and snickered. 

"How is that?"

"I don't know. I've never seen him at a loss for words," he chuckled once more. "It's quite entertaining."