Frankie's point of view:
"That'll be forty-eight fifty, please." The cashier announces, carefully placing my purchases in the large paper bag. I fish her out cash and telling her to keep the change. "Have a good day, ma'am."
I pull my thick, wooly scarf higher around my neck to cover my mouth from the nippy air as I step back outside into the chaotic hussle of the weekend rush. Everyone was in preparation for Christmas, the lights were starting to get hung and shop windows were starting to get decorated. It made me warm inside. While everyone rushed past, I slowly dallied and earned a few inappropriate words from those who were squeezing past on the cramped sidewalk.
With two large bags on my arm, I scramble quickly for my ringing phone that was pushed into the depths of my handbag that was slung over my shoulder. I needed a smaller back, or just a lesson in how to clear things out once in a while. Beneath receipts and empty packets of gum, I retrieve my bag just before it rings off.
Hannah.
"Hi stranger."
Her friendly giggle echos back to me. "How I've missed your voice!" I can't restrain the grin. "I'm so sorry I haven't called! I've been so busy with finals, then Tommy and I went on a little break to Italy and - I'm just so sorry."
"Han, it's fine." I laugh breathlessly at her panic. "I've been pretty busy myself actually. Guess who got a promotion and not just any promotion, looks like the three years in college finally paid off."
"No-freaking-way!" She squeals, letting out a incoherent yelp. "You're a designer now? For who?"
I giggle as my cheeks redden with heat and not the bitter coldness. "At JD's."
"Wait, are you not the receptionist there? How on earth did you bagged a promotion like that!"
I itched to tell her the real reason. How I found myself in this predicament. How that aside from a receptionist job, I managed to stumble into my bosses love live and I'm now teaching him how to fall in love with the right women. But I promised Jason. We promised each other not to speak about our deal to anyone, to avoid any awkwardness if our plan took the wrong turn.
"It's a long story." I shortened. "But I got promoted, and now I'm currently transforming Jas- Mr Hayes office while he's on a business meeting."
She whistles mockingly as I weave through the traffic on bodies. "Look at you, Miss big shot!" I roll my eyes at her teasing tone. "I'm so happy for you tho, Frank. You deserve this, you worked hard enough."
"Tell me about it." I grumble. "Anyway, what's with the sudden call? Everything's okay, isn't it?"
"Oh!" She yelps excitedly, a sudden crack in her voice at the risen decibel. "Well, actually I wanted to let you know that Tommy and I are both coming home for Christmas this year!"
Living in California for the almost five gruelling years, and Tommy having residency in the City of Angels all his life, the two of them had resided there for the holiday seasons for the past lot of years. Hannah's parents were my own parents, best friends. They too, grew up together in the small neighbourhood that we both did. But after Hannah's father had a knee replacement, he wasn't confident enough to travel to LA at Christmas which resorted in the pair of them checking in to the Plaza over the Christmas period.
"You are?"
"Finally!" She giggled loudly. "Tommy decided it. He suggested that we had a change of scenery for the holidays this year, plus we haven't seen you in forever! I miss you."
My feet absentmindedly started routing back to JD Headquarters after a small shopping spree for last minute pieces for Jason's newly improved office. While I was gut-wrenchingly sick with nerves, the bubbles of excitement stirred within me. He and David were due back tomorrow mid-morning and there was no denying that I was partially excited for his arrival to not only see my hard work in the three days he's been gone, but just to have his presence back again.
We were like passing ships, when he sent me a message during the day in Hong Kong, it was the middle of the night here and by time I replied, he was already asleep. He checked in on me, asking how I was and if I was overworking myself. His constant concern made me smile and involuntary blush.
I craned my neck to all the passing shops as Hannah continued to speak about her stress of finals, peaking at the window displays and colour co-ordinations something that happened naturally when my steps halted. I earn a grumble and a bash on the shoulder at my abruptness and quickly scarper closer to the small little shop that would be so easily overlooked by all the big names that surrounded it. My eyes landed upon the item, and the gleam tickled my ribs. I was supposed to be shopping for work purposes, but this was a opportunity I couldn't miss.
"Hey Hannah?" I murmur, my numb fingers pressing against the frosty glass. "I'll call you back."
Before I could receive a response, I end the call and shove my phone back into the depths of my warmed pockets. My heart jiggled at the bell which rung above my head, the soft announcement that I had entered the leather smelling shop.
"Can I help you ma'am?" The elderly gentleman questions as I push inside, a cocoon of warmth curling around my numb fingers. I smile.
"Yes, yes you can."
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It was still dark outside, cold and a drizzly rain coating my foggy bedroom window. I knead the dull ache that soared through my neck after rising in panic at the blare of my phone. I roll from stomach to back, squinting sleepily at the caller that awoke me from my deep slumber and caused my eyes to sting from the screen brightness.
Jason.
I clear my throat from the tired croak, suddenly all my senses coming to life. It baffled me constantly why I was always so nervous, it wasn't our first conversation but it certainly felt like it.
"Hi."
I cursed myself for the grogginess that coats my words and immediately shoot upright, letting my crumpled blankets pool around my waist.
"Hi." He sighs lightly, although he wasn't hinting at any sort of tiredness, I could hear a faint waver of exhaustion. "Sorry, did I wake you?"
I hum slightly, rubbing the sleep from the corner of my eye. "A little, but it's fine. Are you okay?"
"Shit - crap, I forgot the time difference." He mutters angrily beneath his breath. "I'm so sorry, Frankie. Shit."
Minus the curse words, his words made my tummy flutter and caused me to involuntarily tug on my pyjama top that was risen above my hips. He didn't bother to mask his concern in any way, and it made me shy at the fact he was so open. In work he was a very stern spoke, authority stricken, rash person while speaking to me - he was a entirely different character.
"No, don't worry." I quickly eject. "Is everything okay? Where are you, it sounds loud."
I could hear the faint rumble of what sounded like tyres, and confirming that was the honk of horns. "I'm fine, everything is fine. Well, except the fact I woke you. I just - shit, I thought I would ring you while I'm on my way to the airport. I haven't had the chance to ring you in the past few days but now I just sound really creepy and overly eager to hear your voice."
My throat was tickled with the breath that was caught, a fuzziness succumbing my chest as the tiny little thoughts in my mind were waving the red flags in hope to clear a pathway to let my scrambled word break free.
"But now I feel like a idiot for not realising the time difference and waking you up, what is it like, six-am?"
"Five." I grin when I hear him groan. "It's fine, I'll be getting up soon anyway might as well get up that bit earlier to get ready. I was going in earlier too, I still need to add the finishing touches to your office. Are you excited to see what I've done to the place?"
"As long as I don't have hot pink walls or lime green carpet, I'll be pretty pleased with whatever you've done." He jokes and I giggle.
I dramatically sigh. "Oh and there was me thinking that fushia pink was your colour."
He laughs mockingly. I could picture his eyes squinting and his lips lifting with a cheeky grin, his nose wrinkling and the tiny little creases forming at the corner of those dark brown pools of glory.
"I hope you haven't out done yourself."
"I try." I smile. "You're coming to the office today though, right?"
"As soon as I land." He confirms. "If I didn't know any better, Miss Fields, I would say that you've missed me."
Yes, I wanted to say.
"No, I miss David. He brings me cupcakes on Tuesdays and he's missed this weeks. I'm highly disappointed, I'll be wanting double next week." I tease him earning a low and throat chuckle that brings the hairs at the nape of my neck to a stand. "How was your trip anyway? Did the contract for planning get granted?"
"It did." I thought he would be delighted with yet another hotel of his being build in another beautiful part of the world, but there was nothing but a hint of tiredness and, boredom? "I would've much rather had you here with me."
Again, it felt like all air had been squeeze from my lungs like a pierced helium balloon and I found the inability to speak or even fathom what he had said. I had never felt so awake or so alive until this moment, all over such simple words. He said them with a passing breeze, they rolled from his tongue so simply without a shadowed thought whereas it left them spinning in my head like a broken record, repeating over and over.
"Frankie?"
I make a inaudible noise and clear my throat. "Sorry, yes?"
"We've just arrived at the airport." He says with a hidden smirk uplifting his tone, one I knew had formed due to my spacing out. "I'll text you when we've landed, yeah?"
"Of course, of course." I stumble, my cheeks flushing. "Yeah, uh, safe flight."
"I'll see you soon, Frankie."
His lingering voice haunted me for the rest of the morning, as much as I tossed and turned restlessly for the following hour I couldn't drift back off. My body on to much of a buzz after hearing Jason's voice after three long days. I kicked myself mentally many of time, reminding myself to stop reacting this way about my boss. My boss. He was the man who paid my wages and basically kept my apartment's roof over my head, and here I was having inappropriate thoughts that what I only a girlfriend, or partner, should have.
That morning was a rush, I was thankful for the early wake up call from Jason because it gave me a extra twenty minute staring blankly into my wardrobe and stressing over a suitable outfit. Any other morning wouldn't have mattered but the fact Jason was coming home, I felt like I suddenly needed to make a effort.
By time I had reached Headquarters, I was a shaking bundle of nervous with my trembling hands aching in the coldness. If drinking alcohol was appropriate at eight in the morning, I would be chugging a bottle of tequila raw right about now but instead I was making a beeline for the coffee machine that I sorely missed from the seven floors above.
"You would think the tightwads upstairs would fit you your very own coffee machine." Jenny's friendly voice talks from behind me. She has something rolled up in her hand and stashed under her armpit as she leans against the counter. "How you holding up, up there all on your own?"
"It's not as bad as what you think, I've been busying myself with Jason's new office." I tell her, grabbing two sugar sachets from the cupboard above my head. "They're back today."
"Just those two?"
I furrow my brows and pout in confusion. "Of course. They're the only two who went - wait, do you know something?"
She sighs, pulling the glossy gossip magazine from under her arm and straightening it out. There, on front page in zoomed in but still clear pixels, was Jason leaning across a candle lit table to speak to the dark haired woman that's hand rested upon his wrist and scrawled across the top of the page was the large words.
"REKINDLING OF LOVE."
It was Natasha.
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Before I can say anything, I just want to say .. 1.2K in views - what in the holy hell?! I'm so so gobsmacked, this is completely unbelievable!! Like, how the hell did this happen!! THANK EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU AMAZING LITTLE HONEYS! I'm so in shock it's unreal lol like I was on just over 250 in the last chapter, maybe 270ish and now this!! I cant believe it!
So, how did you like this chapter? Told you guys drama was on it's wayyyyyy!
And also (still reeling on the fact that I've reached over 1k in views), I want to know how you guys found this story?
please vote and comment xoxo