Eliana (Neymar)

Chapter 2: PR

My doorbell rang shortly as I was dressed after my bath. I felt peaceful again. "Come on in, Regina!" I yelled over the intercom.

I opened the door and waited for her in anticipation. A minute later, she ran out of the elevator, and we jumped into one other's arms.

"I've missed you so much!" she squealed.

"I've missed you too!" I squealed back at her.

We certainly looked like two crazy teenagers, but we had missed each other terribly. Although we hadn't seen one other that frequently over the years, it felt like we'd never been separated. That was one of my favorite aspects of our friendship.

I welcomed her into my new home and poured her a glass of that delicious red wine.

"Your apartment looks nice, girl," she commented as she walked around my living room.

"Thanks, I've been unpacking and arranging things since this morning. There is still plenty to be unpacked, "I told her.

"You've already done a great job. I will help you out this weekend," she proposed.

After a few glasses of wine and reminiscing about the good old days, we moved on to current topics.

"How is that guy you were casually dating? Ben, if I'm not wrong?" I asked her.

"It didn't work out, but there's someone new," she smirked, sipping her wine.

My eyes widened and I became intrigued. "Tell me!" I demanded.

"His name is Martin and he is a substitute professor at my university."

"Judging by that grin, you must like him a lot," I teased her.

Her cheeks were flushed. She had a dreamy expression on her face. "Well, he is sweet but it's too early to draw conclusions. We haven't had an official date yet. We talk a lot over lunch and other times."

"I hope he asks you out on that official date soon," I said, nudging her shoulder.

She giggled and took another sip of her wine. Then we fell into a comfortable silence.

"Did you talk to him after you moved?" Regina asked suddenly.

A large gulp of wine went down my throat. That was not a topic I wanted to talk about right now. But because she was my best friend, she had the right to ask. "No, I didn't," I answered.

"Oh, perhaps it's for the best."

Another silence followed.

"Anyhow, when will you start your new job?" she asked, changing the subject.

"You won't believe it, but I'm starting tomorrow," I said, feeling relieved that we were talking about something else now.

"Who would have guessed you'd end up working as a public relations consultant for Nike?" she joked.

She was right. Never in a million years had I imagined this happening.

"I got tired of Adidas," I said with a deep sigh.

"I can imagine," she said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Are you staying over?" I asked. Now I was the one eager to change the subject.

"I just might, because I'm already a little tipsy. That's one strong wine," she chuckled.

"There will be many more tipsy evenings like this in the future, my darling. Prepare yourself!" I yelled, raising my glass.

"Can't wait!" she laughed and clinked my glass.

Our night ended with us finishing the bottle of wine and sleeping peacefully. I think I had a little too much red wine last night.

Regina wasn't in my bed when I glanced to see whether she was still asleep. Oh yeah, she had to teach at 8 am, and it was nearly 9 am. My first day as a Nike PR would begin at 10 am, and I had exactly one hour to get dressed and get my ass over there. It was time for a quick shower.

"You must be Eliana Ramos, the new PR?" The lady behind the desk at Nike headquarters asked.

"Please call me Eliana, and yes, I am the new public relations consultant," I replied politely.

"Welcome to Nike Barcelona!" she said with a happy smile.

"Thank you!" I liked her already.

"Let me show you to your new office. Follow me." She led me to my office and gave me a quick tour of the building.

By 10.30 am I was settled in my new office. It was a spacious room with a large desk. On the desk was a brand-new laptop with a large Nike logo emblazoned on it. There was also a Nike goodie bag.

The manager of Nike Barcelona stepped in minutes later to welcome me to the team. He went through my assignment for the following week. With the launch of a new line of sporting equipment, it was going to be a hectic week.

I had to write press releases and send them to various press agencies, magazines, and so on. I also had to oversee the promotional shoot for the new equipment, as well as everything else related to the launch and media coverage. It was a lot of work, but I was looking forward to it. It would keep me occupied and give me a much-needed distraction.

I made myself a cup of tea and reviewed the schedule I had received from my manager. I had to write a short press release announcing the new launch before meeting with Nike ambassadors. I had to brief them about the upcoming promotional shoot as well as the new Nike campaign. After sipping my tea, I opened my laptop and began writing.

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