Unfinished - NKOTB Fanfiction

Chapter 5

"Development permit drawings usually take at least two weeks but I know you are in a bit of a time crunch. I'll talk to the manager of the production department and perhaps he can pull a few draftspeople off some other projects to give more attention to this one." Athena made some notes in the margin of her day planner and flipped it closed. They were just wrapping up a two hour meeting and her nerves were beyond frayed. She had spent the entire afternoon being nothing but absolutely professional and sticking to only discussing the work at hand.

Jonathan set his pen down on the conference room table and leaned back in his chair. It was almost painful to watch her avoid eye contact with him. Athena stood from her chair and gathered the papers around her, efficiently rolling large blueprints into tubes and wrapping them with elastic bands. She stopped when she realized he was watching her. 

"Is there anything else you wanted to discuss?" She asked, holding a drawing tube in mid air.

Jonathan quirked an eyebrow as his mouth curved into a sexy smile. "I'm curious to see how long you will keep pretending that you don't know me, Ms. Charlemagne - or is it Mrs. now"

"Athena is fine." She said in a clipped tone and continued gathering her meeting materials.

Jonathan shrugged and redirected. "All right then, Athena." He replied. 

Well, that had been a mistake. She had forgotten how her name rolled so smoothly off his tongue and how he had always made a slight inflection on the 'th'. 

"Have dinner with me tonight." He stated bluntly - a little less than a demand but not exactly a question. 

She faltered slightly but he did notice it. He smiled inwardly. He could still affect her. "I can't." she replied tersely and then pursed her lips before she said too much. "I have -". Jonathan raised an eyebrow in interest. "I have commitments." She finished without looking at him.

Of course she had commitments, Jonathan sighed to himself. Did he think they could just pick up where they left off? What an idiot he was! "I'd like to catch up." He said.

Athena stopped what she was doing and looked at him quizzically. "Why?" 

"For old time's sake." He replied. 

Athena stopped herself before she openly scoffed at him. She shook her head just enough that it was noticeable. "I have -", she started again.

And before she finished the sentence, Jonathan was already inwardly cringing should she say 'husband' or 'boyfriend' or 'twelve kids and a mortgage', but the hint of hostility in her response surprised him.

"I have no interest in catching up with you, Jonathan Knight. I am no longer a groupie and you are no longer a pop star." She levelled at him.

"Ouch." Jon deadpanned.

"Truth hurts." She said without a hint of apology. 

Jonathan was silent for a beat and then replied barely above a whisper. "You were much  more than a groupie, Athena."

Athena's breath hitched and she quickly swept her things off the table and opened the door.

"I'll email you if I have any questions about the DP drawings set." She said, then slipped out of the room and closed the door behind her.

What was wrong with him? Jonathan gathered his things and stuffed them into his black leather portfolio. He was never the type to come on strong yet that is exactly what he had done as soon as he had a meeting alone with Athena. Exactly as he promised himself he would not do. He didn't want to admit it but she still had an affect on him as well. After all these years, seeing her again put him right back in love with her.

Later, in the underground parkade, Jonathan sat at the steering wheel of his porsche and stared out the windshield. His company had rented him a furnished executive sweet in the downtown core of the city for him to stay in throughout the duration of this project. It was comfortable and actually very nice but going home to an empty apartment didn't seem all too attractive to Jonathan at that moment. Perhaps he should go to the pub at the end of the street and brood by himself over a pint of Guinness. Maybe he should find a good dance club and get lost in some vodka and a random woman - Athena may not be a groupie anymore, but there definitely were still some out there. It wouldn't have been difficult as he was still easily recognizable. 

As he was considering his options, a movement in the corner of the parkade caught his attention. Athena came into his view, holding the hand a  little boy who was chattering excessively. A tall, broad shouldered man accompanied them. Jonathan watched closely as the man took Athena's bag from her shoulder and placed it in the back seat of a silver SUV while she buckled the child into his carseat. Jonathan gripped his steering wheel so tight that his knuckles turned white as Athena laughed at something the man said. Thee two of them then got into the front of the vehicle and drove away.

The slithering, hot fingers of jealousy took a hold of Jonathan's heart and squeezed till it was physically painful. Jonathan Knight was former pop star who had more money and fame that he knew what to do with. He had carved out a successful real estate career for himself and had handled some very elite projects, yet as he sat in his car in the dark parking lot, Jonathan Knight was jealous of everything that the tall man he'd just seen had. And namely, the one thing he was jealous of most of all was that that man had Athena.

~*~

Hi!

It's been 17 years since 2003 when I originally began this story. It's been 4 years since I posted it here on Wattpad. I'm just asking...Is anyone still here reading it?

-PC