NICOLE
"Who the hell do you think you are?!" I yelled.
My heart was beating so fast that I lost track of how many beats I could hear. It wasn't because I had just slapped my boss or because he asked me to sleep with him in front of hundreds of his employees.
My stupid body was reacting to Aiden's presence. Him taking my hand and dragging me here was feeding my fantasies.
As we went through the elevator and into his office, my body had flashbacks of our encounter. This was very unfair. I needed to stay away from him.
Why was Aiden making this difficult for me?
He stood there, staring at me in shock. I immediately felt guilty and turned to leave.
This was not the first time I was slapping my boss. The first time, I didn't know who he was, but the second time happened because I couldn't control myself.
"Nicole, please wait," Aiden pulled me towards him and pressed my back to him. "Please, just hear me out," he says softly.
For a second, I wanted to stay in his arms. I loved the way my body fit perfectly in his arms; it sent warmth throughout my body and I wanted him to bring me closer. I painfully pushed him away and tried to regain my focus.
"I just got this job," I replied. "Are you trying to sabotage me? What if people go around saying I got this job by sleeping with you?"
"But you didn't sleep with me,"
"They don't know that,"
Aiden went silent after that and I hoped that was enough to convince him, but he took two steps closer.
"Did you listen to anything I said?" I asked, putting my hands in front of me.
What was wrong with this man? How desperate can a person really be? His behaviour was very inappropriate.
"I need you, Nicole. You can consider it part of your job here at Zen and we can be more discreet if it makes you feel better," he said.
I gasped in shock and a little disgust.
"You are such an asshole! Find someone else!"
I stormed out of his office as fast as I could. His assistant's eyes followed me as it did when he dragged me in here. I prayed she wasn't the type to gossip if not my days in this company were numbered.
I only had to show up here once or twice a week, but I'd prefer it if people didn't think I was fucking the CEO.
Just great Nicole!
As I walked inside the elevator, I remembered the way his eyes bored into mine. He looked tired, but I refused to be manipulated by that sexy son of a bitch. He would pass out and fall asleep any moment; it wasn't hard. He didn't need me.
I went back to my office and found Jessi seated at her desk. Luckily, she didn't ask questions about Aiden because I didn't have the answers to give her. I also stopped myself from asking about her relationship with Aiden because it was not my business if he was close with the only woman in my work department.
I sat down in my chair and took a deep breath. My computer pinged, letting me know that Harvey's assistant sent the emails regarding my testing duties for the day. I sighed and opened the email.
"I got you a sandwich," Jessi says from her chair, pointing to a part of my table.
I didn't notice it, but there was something wrapped in a paper bag next to a cup of boba tea.
"Jessi," I said, with tears in my eyes.
I got up and hugged her.
"Thank you so much,"
"That's enough sweetness, get on with work so we can have fun later," she said.
Even if everyone in this office judges me, Jessi was still on my side and that made me feel welcome. I focused on work, hoping to keep my promise to Jessi, but she left work before I did because she had a meeting outside the office. I wished I was doing important work like her, but I was struggling with work for interns.
This was a challenge I had to win. I had to find all the phones listed in Harvey's email to test the new software on. For some reason was missing from the company archive; which meant I had to find the prices and where to buy them, draft a budget, get the budget approved and then head out to buy them before I could get any work started.
I sat in Harvey's waiting room for two hours before he finally let me in to approve the budget I would take to accounting. The rest of the process took me the rest of the day. By the time I acquired all the phones, it was past 7 pm.
My body ached so much that I needed alcohol to relax, but I had work the next morning, so I decided to go home first and rest for the day.
As soon as I get off the elevator on my floor, my eyes are greeted with the pile of boxes I sent to my address. The doorman must have brought them up for me. I was too exhausted to see anything up today, so I carried them and piled them up in my living room.
I dropped the paper bag of phones I got on top of them and locked my door. The thoughts I had been holding back for hours instantly flooded my body.
Now that I was home, the reality of my day dawned on me. The argument I had with Aiden in his office, slapping him, meeting Jessi and Mr Harvey. It was a long day, and I was glad it was over.
My chest suddenly tightened, wishing I had someone to share my crazy day with, but Mia was probably working right now. Just in time, my phone vibrates in my hand.
I looked at the notification to see that Tyler posted a new photo. This time I was able to stop myself from checking to see the post. It was probably another photo of his girlfriend.
Why was I so pathetic?
We were never getting back together because he never loved me, but I still can't let go. In the four years I was with him, I considered him my family and now I was back to being alone.
My body slipped on the walls of my living room till I swatted on the floor. I couldn't control the sobs that broke out of my chest.
It hurt so much. Everything hurts.
I have a job now. Why am I still so sad? When would this feeling stop biting away at my chest? How much longer do I need to endure?
I lay on the floor and cried till I fell asleep.
There were people who didn't like falling asleep because they felt it was a waste of time. When you live in a city like New York, it is easy to deprive your body of sleep to chase the bag but not me. I love to sleep.
It was the solution to almost anything. Sleep relieved me when my mom would yell at me or lock me in my room for days for disobeying her. It saved me when I was suffering from the pain of my newly done braids. It helped me regain strength to code and there was no reason to fear it.
Until tonight.
"Are you sure she said nothing?" a familiar voice asks.
"She really doesn't remember Mrs Banks," another woman answers.
"How long would she be this way? She has to be able to tell the cops something,"
"There's nothing we can do now ma'am,"
"What about her father?! How can I not know what happened to my husband?" the woman cried.
They were talking about me even though they pretended like I wasn't in the room. That continued for the rest of my life.
My mom cared for my dad, who remained in paralysis for as long as I could remember. She lived her life ignoring my existence and locked me away at the slightest inconvenience.
I couldn't remember what happened, but they said it was my fault. I never got back the memories my mother expected, so she decided I was useless. What did they expect me to remember, and why did everything suddenly become so cold and dark?
"Are you awake?" A strange voice whispers.
My body lay still in fear.
When did my apartment get so dark?
No. This wasn't my apartment. The smell was different, harsh, and painful. There was something in the air that made my eyes water. My heart began to race as I tried to find my phone.
"Hey, stop moving or he'll hear you," the voice scolded.
It was a boy. I couldn't tell his age nor see where he was because of how dark it was.
Where was this place and how did I get here?
"It's cold. Come to me so we can fall asleep before he comes back. You know how he gets," the boy said.
Did he know me? How long had we been here? I tried to move in his direction, but I couldn't find him. In a few seconds, the boy's hands reached out and touched my thighs, letting me know where he was. They were not as small as I expected them to be, and they were warm.
"Come here," he says, pulling me towards him.
I didn't fight it as the boy held me close. I couldn't remember the last time someone held me this close. It was like he didn't want to lose me.
"Don't think about anything, just fall asleep. They'll come for us tomorrow, I'm sure of it," he says.
I didn't understand what he was saying, but I believed him. I said nothing as he held me.
The warmth did not last long because the sound of rattling chains woke us up.
"Oh no, he's back. He's not supposed to be back," the boy panicked.
"There you are," a deep voice says close to me.
"Stay away from her," the boy screamed, holding on to me. "Our parents are coming tomorrow."
"You think I care about Daddy's money?" the man mocked.
He reached out and ran his cold hands across my thighs. The feeling sent chills down my spine; the bad kind. I wanted to throw up. Why was he touching me?
Why was it so dark? I'd like to see this fucker's face and give him a beating, but I couldn't move.
"Get away from her, you creep!" the boy screamed, but the man only laughed as he effortlessly pried me from the boy.
As my body was going back and forth, my cheeks felt cold from the tears rolling down. Was I crying? What would crying do?
Stop being a weak bitch, Nicole. FIGHT!
"AHHHHHHHHHH," I screamed.
My eyes opened, but I was back in my apartment. I hugged my knees out of breath and I was crying.
What was that? A nightmare?
I haven't had a nightmare in years. This didn't feel like a dream, and it felt real. I could remember the disgust rolling in my stomach when the unknown man touched me and the boy. Who was that boy? What was happening to me?
After a few minutes, I regained myself and realised I'd fallen asleep on the floor of my sitting room. It was the same as the place in my dream; I was lying on the floor.
It was morning, and the sun was already out in the city of New York. I didn't have time to think about my dream. I had work to do today.
I picked up my phone and bag and went to my room. After plugging in my phone to charge, I cleaned up and changed into comfortable clothing. I learned my lesson, so the first thing I did was check all my emails, even the ones in the spam folders.
Going on with my work for the day was challenging. I kept having flashbacks to my dream. It was weird because I normally forgot my dreams, but this one stuck out like a sore thumb.
I put on my headset and put on one of my favourite playlists to keep me focused on working.
While testing software for Mr Harvey, I thought about calling my mom. I picked up my phone and stared at the number saved on my phone. It had been four years since she took my dad to London and she never called.
While I was in college, I knew she had someone spy on me, but I haven't felt the presence in over a year. I pressed the space back on her name and locked my screen.
The only place I could channel his energy was at work, so I focused on the task at hand. Harvey left a lot of unnecessary work for me, but I knew I had to prove myself to him if he was going to give me a chance.
I thoroughly did my work, noting the slightest inconvenience. When I was done with a portion of them, I started writing performance reports for each phone. The reports were long and there was no way I would finish writing reports for all the phones I tested today.
My stomach growled, reminding me I'd had nothing to eat all day. I clutched my stomach, wondering what I could order, but I suddenly noticed that there was no more sunlight.
I checked the time on my phone and confirmed that I had been working nonstop for seven hours.
The longest amount of time I spent doing anything without a break was 10 hours, thanks to Halo's coding battles. I guess I had a lot of training, but I knew that if this continued, I would get burnt out easily.
I emailed my progress to Harvey and got up to check my kitchen for some food since the last thing I ate was Jessi's sandwich. There was nothing. I completely forgot to go shopping on Monday because I was getting drunk and kissing my boss at Mia's bar.
"You stupid bitch," I groaned.
Even if I ordered food, the cycle would repeat itself tomorrow, so I decided to buy groceries. There was already a list on my phone containing all I needed, so I went to my room and grabbed my wallet and jacket.
I didn't bother changing my outfit, which was an oversized t-shirt and loose pants. I slid my foot into the nearest pair of Crocs and walked to the nearest convenience store.
As I walked by, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the glass windows of some stores. I looked like a total in glasses, no makeup and my braids up in an Ariana Grande Ponytail. It didn't matter. I just wanted food.
The first thing I did was pick out a protein bar at the counter and paid for it. I needed the energy to buy and carry everything I needed. I'd given up on grocery shopping when I was jobless, but I had some money from my last probation. They paid me for the hours I worked so I wouldn't sue.
After picking a cart while eating the protein bar and scrolling through Instagram. I had been so focused on work the entire day and it was time to pull myself out of it. I saw information on some Esports matches and registered for the live stream.
It has been a while since I went to one but I heard the best Esports teams were in Asia. As a teenager, I asked my mom if I could travel to any Esports event and her answer was no. Even though I was one of the top five players on my server, I didn't want to compete because I didn't think I was that good, but I still wanted to see it live.
I finally got to the pasta section of the store and logged out of Instagram. I focused on shopping while checking the list on my phone to be sure I didn't forget anything.
It didn't take long to find everything because I already knew where they were. I got enough food to last me for a week if I didn't feel like going out. I knew I would end up eating out because my lazy ass won't cook.
As I pushed my cart to the counter, I noticed two familiar figures talking and moving around in the drinks segment of the store.
I don't know why, but my brain told me it was Aiden.
I ignored the intuition and continued moving until the girl's laughter rang out through the mall, drawing the attention of the people around me. I knew that laughter.
It was definitely Jessi.
I didn't want to, but I turned around and took a peek to see if it was really her, but my eyes met his intense stare first.
He was wearing a similar dark suit to the one he'd worn yesterday. Just looking at him standing feet away from me made me even more hungry.
"Hey, what are you looking at?" Jessi taunts as we stare at each other.
He stayed silent, and I thought he was going to ignore her like before.
"Nicole," He replied.
Jessi's eyes lit up, and she ran to hug me, but my eyes stayed on him. What was this man and why was I so drawn to him?
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Song Recommendation: Slow down Forrest., Forrest Frank