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Today was the day I'd tell Miss Bourgeois that I was taking the position. I was nervous but overall excited and ready for this change in my life. With my parents out of the picture I barely had anyone left, and with my sister getting married soon she'd be too focused on Devon to stick around with me.
I walk into work with my head held high as I sit down at what would soon be someone else's desk. The desk that I had grown accustomed to for the past four years would belong to someone else in less than twenty-four hours.
Like every other morning, Miss Bourgeois walks around our department before walking over to me. She looks at me expectantly and I smile at her, "I've had some time to think it over and I'm going to take the position"
"Good! Your desk is already prepared for you. You start there first thing tomorrow. You'll be on the floor below me", she nods her head and walks away. I take a sip of my coffee as a ghost of a smile appears on my face. Things were looking up from here. Suddenly, my phone rings. Jessica.
"Jess, I'm at work right now, I can't talk", I tell her as I try to be as quiet as possible. I hear her sniffling on the other line as my heart drops, "Jess? What's wrong?"
"It's Devon, he was in a car accident and he's in really bad shape. I don't know what to do", she cries. I start packing up my things as I keep my phone close to my ear. "Which hospital is he at? I'm on my way"
"No! You can't do that, Dani. You'll lose your job"
"He's family, Jess. Which hospital is he at?", I tell her as I walk up to Miss Bourgeois' office to tell her what's happening. "They brought him to Bellevue Hospital Center"
"I'm on my way. Hang in there, okay? I'll be there soon", I try to comfort her. Miss Bourgeois quickly excuses me, understanding that these things happen, as I rush to my car. I drive all the way to the hospital that Devon is staying in as I lock my car doors. I rush into the hospital frantically asking a nurse where Devon was.
I see Jessica down the hall as I disregard the nurse, running straight towards my little sister. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face was evidently tear stained. I said nothing as I pulled her into my arms, catching sight of Devon through the clear window that adorned the wall of his room. I couldn't help but tear up myself as I continued to hug my sister and watch my soon to be brother in-law laying on a hospital bed, battered and bruised.
I never got to see Devon often, but the times that I did see him he was nothing but nice to me. He's always so welcoming and kind and I'm happy that my sister has him. I walk into the hospital room holding my sisters hand as her grip intensifies the closer we get to Devon's bedside. "How did it happen?"
"There was a police chase on the highway and the getaway car crashed into Devon's car when he was heading towards the exit. The cops caught the guy who did this but he died a few minutes after I called you", she sniffles. "And what did the doctors say about Devon?", I ask her worriedly.
"They said he'll pull through and make a full recovery but it'll take a while for him to get back to his usual self, which means we have to postpone the wedding", she tells me as she grabs her fiancés hand. "Thank you for coming, Dani", she sobs. "Anything for my baby sister"
"Mom and dad didn't come yet so you have an hour or so to stay before they show up"
"Oh", was all I said as I looked at my shoes. "I don't blame you for what you did, you know? I know I can't complain because it was obvious that mom and dad treated me better than they did you, but if I was in your shoes, I would've done the same. Devon thinks so too"
"Really?", I ask her as I sit down on one of the plastic hospital chairs. She nods her head before grabbing my hand in hers, "You're my sister, always. I'm on your side"
"I love you, Jess"
"I love you too, Dani"
"Do you want anything to drink?", I ask her as I stand up. "A coffee would be nice", I nod my head as I head out of the hospital room and down the hall. I follow the directions towards the cafeteria and order Jessica a coffee and a bagel because I knew she wouldn't eat. As I'm waiting for my order to be made I scan the magazines on the rack. I inch closer as one of the magazines' headlines catches my attention.
"Sebastian Stan and girlfriend Kara Huffman Engaged?! Read to find out more"
I scan the magazine and my eyes widen as I realize who the man on the front page was. This was the same guy who I had met at the bar and the same guy who held up a line at the restaurant. His name was Sebastian. Sebastian.
As weird as it sounds, his name suits him. I would've never pegged him for a Sebastian but now that I finally know his name, it seems fitting. His girlfriend, on the other hand, still bothered me. She was extremely whiny and it was annoying to say the least. Within those few minutes that I heard her speak at the bar it was enough to make me dislike her.
I pick up the magazine and make sure no one is looking as I hand it to the cashier. She scans it before handing it to me with the rest of my order. I was never one to buy magazines, especially those that pertained to celebrities. I was out of the loop when it came to A-listers, which is why I didn't know who Sebastian was, but something told me to buy that magazine.
I walk back to Devon's room and hand my sister her coffee and bagel as I sit down on the plastic chair and open up the magazine to the page where Sebastian and his now presumed fiancé were displayed. An uneasy feeling settled into my stomach as I read on about their engagement. The ring was beautiful, to say the least, but in my honest opinion, it was too big. Too extravagant and not simple enough.
"Dani? What are you reading?", I hear Jess say quietly. I shrug my shoulders, "Some magazine"
"A what? I never thought I'd see the day where my big sister would read an actual magazine with celebrities in it", she gasps dramatically. I roll my eyes as I continue reading the article about the two of them, the feeling in my stomach growing with each paragraph that I read. "Dani? What's wrong?"
"What? Nothings wrong!", I tell her as I close the magazine. My face was red as I look away from her. "Is that Sebastian Stan and his girlfriend on the cover?", she says as she snatches the magazine from me. "They're engaged?!", she gasps as she reads the pages that I had just read. I huff as I grab my phone, scrolling through old photos. "Okay, what's wrong with you?", my sister sighs as she closes the magazine.
"Nothing", I say as I continue to play on my phone. "You're such a horrible liar"
"Nothings wrong! I promise", I tell her frustrated. "Then why is your face red?"
"My face is not red!", I exclaim as I pat my face. She cocks her eyebrows up as she crosses her arms, "Why are you getting so defensive?", she laughs as she walks closer to me. "Can you just drop it, please"
"You're hiding something from me and I intend on finding out what it is", she tells me as she smirks. I huff and shrug my shoulders as I close my eyes. No way in hell would I ever tell my sister that I had an encounter with Sebastian Stan-who I did not know was Sebastian Stan, because I have no idea who Sebastian Stan is.
***
"And is everything okay with your family now, Miss Valentine", Miss Bourgeois asks me as she passes by my new desk. I nod my head as I neatly organize my files, "Yes, thank you for allowing me to leave"
"Family is important, is it not?"
"Yes, Miss Bourgeois", I smile at her. She nods her head and walks away as I continue doing my work. My new position was slightly more challenging than my old one but I didn't mind. It was a learning experience for me and it was a challenge I was willing to face.
Throughout the day my mind kept wandering off to Sebastian. I had no idea why, but the actor wouldn't leave my mind as I look at my bag on the floor. The magazine with his face on it slightly peaked out from my bag as I shove it down with a grumble. I need to stop thinking about him.
"Dani? Are you okay?", one of my new coworkers asks me. I put on a smile and nod, reassuring her, "Yeah, I'm good!". Was I really though?