~Chapter Ten~
The sun broke through the window seeping into the room like a silent invader as it came to touch the tip of Terry's toes. For some odd reason the sensual heat that it provided made her flutter her eyes open and moan as she stretched. Every bit of yesterday suddenly flooded in when her gaze met Garrett's. His face was that of stone as he looked back at her, his crystal grey eyes hiding every bit of emotion. But he seemed to almost glare or scorn at her as she saw it. Embarrassed and stupefied she slowly unwrapped her arms from him and pushed off the bed.
"I'm sorry, I should have left last night." She mumbled.
No reply.
Terry searched the floor for her black heels and quickly put them on as she reached for her coat on the ground as well. With her heart down into her stomach and an irritating heart burn coming up her throat she hurried towards the door. Her long thin fingers reached out to the brass door knob as she paused for only a moment. Nothing came from him as she finally pulled the door open and closed it behind her.
Was he angry? She hurried down the stairs and finally made her way out the front door as the only sound heard were her heels clattering on the pavement. Finally halting a taxi she jumped on fixed her hair and did her best to remove the smudged mascara from under her eyes.
"Could you tell me the time?" she asked her taxi driver.
"Sure doll, its five thirty a.m." he replied.
Good at least she wasn't late for work and Fin wouldn't have to chew her ass for arriving late. Tired and still loopy from sleep she rested her head back unto the fake leather interior of the taxi and sighed. Last night a side of Garrett she hadn't expected to see came out. She couldn't blame him, the liquor and drug had made him sort of open up to her. He had wanted Terry to hold him, that's all he requested.
Now that he was sane and not delusional like last night he seemed to crawl back into his shell and glare at her for lying next to him. Maybe she should have listened to her conscious telling her to get out of there last night. But seeing him so vulnerable had made her heart twist with pity to realize he was so lonely. She understood that part of him. To lie in bed and not feel the comfort of your certain significant other next to you took its toll.
Garrett was a man and therefore he had needs that only a woman could quench and she was certain that one woman was Kathy. But now that ungrateful girl was no were to be found. AWOL to be exact.
What if I could bring them back together? She thought.
The taxi came to a stop after a good fifteen minute drive and dropped Terry off in front of her apartment. A plan was hacking in her head as she hurried over to her door and pushed her way inside. All she needed to do was find Kathy, talk to her and make her realize that with Garrett her world would never be complete.
She paused for a moment in the center of her living room and searched her coat for her cellphone only to realize it wasn't there.
"Damn it!" she growled.
*******
The water beat down on her skin like lazy bullets and provided a sort of comfort as it rained down every inch of her body. With her hair covered in soap and her body to follow Terry made sure to get every inch of her clean. Today would be another long day at the office but with Fin bouncing around her all the time and cheering her on there was no other place she'd rather be. Or else in truth the only place she'd rather be, because in all honesty there was nowhere else to go. No one too meet for lunch nor plan a beautiful evening with as she saw it.
A protest rumbled at the center of her chest and she pushed the pity of her life aside as she finally turned the squeaky nobs off and slipped out. She rummaged through her closet for a suit and decided to go with a skin tight fake jean material dress passing a little down her knees with a nice pair of white open toes heels. Simple, sophisticated, and yet comforting as she saw it. She curled her hair let it cascade like a water fall down her shoulders and applied just a tad of mascara to her lashes.
With one last look in the mirror Terry was satisfied, grabbed her purse pulled into her coat and headed downstairs for her bus.
"Good morning to you." Mr. Boy greeted.
Terry smiled brightly at him and took her seat on the front row feeling suddenly snapped out of her sleep daze. This would be a great day, a wonderful afternoon in the office and a hard time but well worth it night sitting on 'Catwalks dark blue carpet floor looking over pictures that could work for the newest issue. She crossed her legs held her purse tightly to her and smiled, today would be a good day.
*****
The screeching of the bus's breaks came just a block away from the building and Terry thanked the old man said her goodbyes and made her way over to the large tinted black double doors of 'Catwalk'. As she neared closer her smile faded and there stood Garrett the same cold expression and one hand in his pocket while the other broken one pressed to his chest. Terry fought the urge to roll her eyes but decided to pretend nothing had happened last night. Maybe that would put her on ease about this whole situation that Garrett was obviously making a big deal of.
"Good Morning Garrett." She greeted.
"Here, you forgot this." Was his reply.
She looked down to his hand and snatched her cell phone from him quickly shoving it into her purse without looking at it. She walked past him towards the lobby, signed in, clipped her tag on her dress and headed for the elevators.
"What's on today's schedule?" He muttered. Inwardly she smiled and then turned to face him.
"I'm have my whole day planned out and today is not going to work, but I suggest you do something other than...sulk about." she replied."
No reply.
Fine he was going to play the silent treatment on her, muttering only a few lousy words here and there. Terry fisted her hands in anger but refused to let it show and turned her back on Garrett just in time to see the elevator doors ding open. For some reason she wanted to get away from him, it was as if he was purposely pushing her away.
"Terry..." he muttered.
She turned in time to see his broken expression and then the doors slowly shut on him. Why did that man have to have such a big effect on her? She crossed her arms and pushed the button for the fortieth floor and closed her eyes. This was all weird and stupid, why was Garrett suddenly acting so...so idiotic!
"I need to find Kathy." She sighed.
When the elevator stopped she walked out reaching for her cell phone and pressed down on her lock screen. She scrolled down to Kathy's number and pressed talk. The damn thing was nearly dead but all she needed was a few seconds to tell her that all she wanted was to talk.
"What do you want Terry?" Kathy answered.
"Hi, how are you doing?" she replied.
"Fine, great, why are you calling me."
"I just wanted to see you that's all...I miss you Kathy." Terry bribed.
No response.
"Listen, can we meet, somewhere, anywhere you want, I don't have to know where you are I just want to chat." She persisted.
"...Fine, okay I guess, meet me at Jeff's Café."
"Where is that exactly?"
"Outside the state line not far, but that's as far as I'm going to tell you. Find it and I'll see you there around your lunch break." Kathy muttered.
The line went dead and so did her phone. Terry smiled tossed the dead hunk of electronic in her purse and hurried over to her office.
"Love bird!" Fin called from the other side of the room. Terry blushed but none the less she smiled brightly. She was going to have to get use to him calling her all sorts of sweet names.
"Step into my office!" Terry shouted back. Fin stepped out wearing a nice Italian suit and rushed over to her door embracing Terry in a tight hug.
"So tell me, where on earth did you go last night?" he whispered.
She chuckled pushed past her door and shut it as Fin took a seat across from her desk.
"I didn't go out, I spent most of the night here and...went home." She lied.
"I see, because a little bird told me that they saw you and that Barbie Ken together last night." He replied.
"You got me Fin, but truth is we didn't do anything, he happened to stop by after Trevor's party and...he was drunk."
"What's he to you?"
"Just a friend. Do you remember Kathy?"
"Sure, pretty girl with red locks."
"That was her fiancée, she sort of walked out on him before the big day and now he sulks around my office finding some sort of distraction from the pain." She confessed.
"If you ask me he should be out dating you as a distraction. I mean look at all this A material here." He grinned. Fin stood went over to her and spun her around as he complimented her dress. Terry blushed and smiled as he pulled her out from behind the desk and twirled her around.
"Flirt." She teased.
"Terry, I am thirty five year old man, with no wife or kids for that matter, of course I'm going to flirt all I can." He replied.
She stopped for a moment and stared at Fin a sudden memory popping into her head. Garrett had asked why Fin found so much favor in her and implied she had done something to get the position she now had. That grouch had insulted her last night in his drunken episode and then asked her to snuggle in next to him.
"Is something a matter?" Fin asked, when he noticed her silence.
"Why did you hire me?" she asked.
"Well because you are very bright, smart, easy with people even under pressure and I love having people with a sense of humor surround me. The icing on the cake would have to be because you know what you are doing and truth be told you pull the people around you, it's like they feed off of your faith and positive aura." He replied.
He didn't say because she was beautiful, or because she had a great body and Terry couldn't help but smile and hug Fin tightly. She was glad he had taken her question seriously.
"Why the question?" he asked.
"Some people imply that you hired me because I had done something to achieve this position, if you know what I mean," she muttered.
"Sweetness, they can all go to hell, I respect you far more than anyone I've ever known, and you're my other half here in 'Catwalk'. My partner." He chuckled.
Fin shook his head and sighed as he pressed a firm kiss on Terry's cheek taking her into another embrace.
"Am I interrupting something?" Garrett asked.
Fin arched his eyebrow and shook his head then quickly discussed something's over with Terry and walked out.
"I thought I told you I had things to do." Terry said.
"I know...I just don't have anywhere else to go."
"So that makes me what? You last resort?" she asked.
"No." he growled. He stepped in slammed the door and paced the office his injured hand limply hanging by his side.
"Garrett, I can't work with you when you are like this. I suggest you seek a shrink and if ever you get over the anger that's eating away at you, then you can freely come find me. But as I see it you have so much issues and that doesn't bring out the best in you. You insult me and then ask...you're just weird okay and that's not good."
"How did this happen?" he asked lifting his hand.
"You punched the elevator wall last night, when you showed up in my office drunk." She replied.
"I don't know what happened last night, did we...?"
"No...no we did not. So you can relax okay, you were just so messed up."
"Terry I'm deeply sorry, I didn't mean to insult you nor scare you. I'm just past the pain and now all I can feel is anger towards her."
"But don't take it out on me, it's not me whom you are angry with Garrett. "
"I know...let me make it up to you, will you allow me as much?" he asked.
"All is forgiven and you don't need to make anything up for me, I'm fine. I have a long day ahead of me and all I want is to get started and crawl back under my covers." She sighed.
"Lunch. I'll be here waiting in the lobby." It wasn't a request but a command as she stared at his expressionless face. She tensed and nibbled her bottom lip for a moment. Damn it! How was she going to meet Kathy with Garrett insisting they have lunch as an apology offer?
"No. There is no need for you to do anything, your apology is enough, I have to meet someone for lunch I simply can't do it." she honestly replied.
"Who?"
"Who?" she repeated a bit surprised. Now he was interested in her personal business?
"A client that wants to sign with 'Catwalk'." She lied.
"Okay. Then tell me what to do and I'll help you out for the day." He suggested.
"Garrett, stop. I want to help you but..."-how could she put it so that he didn't feel neglected nor hurt by her refusal for the day?- "I'm just really busy today, I will defenatly take you up on the offer for tomorrow but I simply can't do it today."
"I understand, thank you for patching me up." He whispered. He stood there a moment longer maybe hoping she would change her mind then he opened the door and walked out. Terry relaxed and let out a puff slouching into her seat. That was close! She thought.
Now with Garrett out of the way she could freely go to lunch with Kathy and change her mind about coming back. Maybe he thought she wasn't helping out today but her main task was just that.
In little or no time once Garrett saw Kathy he would get over the anger he felt and take her back just like that. Terry smiled deviously and set her mind to work for the next four hours before she tracked Kathy down and had a nice little chat.