Liza stood there speechless as Jonathan said the words. Her heart was racing at the speed of a mile per second and the loud thudding of her heart made it impossible for her to hear anything. Jonathan’s lips stopped moving and she assumed that he had stopped speaking and was now waiting for her to say something but she stood there silent, words had left her the moment Jonathan had arrived. Jonathan’s nervous gaze met her undecipherable eyes and both of them stood still, despite the music playing in the background and the people laughing and talking, all they could hear was pin-drop silence. It could have been a few seconds or it could have been a few minutes, Jonathan and Liza were unaware of how much time had passed as they stood frozen in the middle of the dance floor, till a couple bumped into them.
It was then they realized that they had been standing there on the dance floor unaware of the clock ticking way and people dancing around them. They apologized and quickly hurried off the dance floor. Liza leading the way. She had no idea how to react, so she just kept walking towards the beach without turning back to look if Jonathan was following her. What do you say to the man you had left without telling anything and who also happened to be the only man you had ever loved?
Jonathan followed Liza quietly. He had given in to his urges of keeping Steve away from Liza without thinking of what Liza’s reaction would be. She had written in the letter that she had forgiven him but would never acknowledge their relationship again. He had no idea how she would react now. Would she greet him civilly or would she shout at him or she would blatantly ignore him. He got his answer when Liza came to a stop. They were on the beach at a little distance from the wedding. She turned to look at him and asked “What the hell were you thinking Jonathan, appearing in front of me from thin air?” Now that he looked closer he could see that Liza looked different, she had an air of confidence around her, her hair was now longer, he could see the hazel highlights in her hair from up close. “You look different,” he said instead of answering her question. ‘Of course, I look different. It’s been four years Jonathan.” Liza replied exasperated as Jonathan examined her.
She was no longer the insecure , shy woman who had let him trample her, She wasn’t intimidated by the fact that Jonathan stood there examining her with his piercing green eyes in fact she took the opportunity to check out Jonathan. He looked the same to her. His brown hair was still styled messily, his clean-cut suit suited him well if anything he had gotten even more fit in the past four years and his strong jaw looked as smooth as ever. The only difference she noticed was in his eyes. They held a maturity that they did not hold when she had left him. He looked wiser but along with wisdom he also looked colder. The Jonathan she had left was warmer than this Jonathan, he had now turned into a ruthless businessman.
She had heard the success story of his company. How it had risen in four years from a small company to now a multinational company. The media followed Jonathan and his every move. They had named him one of the most eligible bachelors: rich and handsome. Liza was thankful that whatever had transpired between them had been kept a secret. Four years ago, ‘West industries’ had been a small company among many others who were trying to survive in the city of New York, at that time no one was interested in knowing what was happening in Jonathan’s life and therefore their divorce had gone unnoticed. Everybody knew that Jonathan had a wife once but nobody knew who she was or what had actually gone down between the two of them and Liza was thankful for that. Liza was brought out of her speculations when she heard Jonathan grumble something under his breath. ‘I am sorry, what did you say?” Liza asked. “It has been Four years 3 months and 23 days since you left” Jonathan replied.
Liza was shocked to hear his answer. 'Was Jonathan still hung up on their past ?' she thought. Seeing Jonathan standing before her was giving her a weird feeling. It was as if, her past and present were intermingling at the horizon in form of Jonathan. She had tried to forget her past but she couldn't because she had realized that good or bad every memory was worth keeping. She had thought that if she ever saw Jonathan again either she wouldn't even acknowledge or she would say a few choices of words which would even put sailors to the shame but now she stood before him at the beach, her heels digging in the soft sand, waves crashing into each other, without any words.
The sun had now set, only a light pinkish-orange glow remained in the sky to remind them of its presence They stared at the blue sea in front of them as froth-like waves crashed into one another. There was another stretch of awkward silence, both of them stared straight ahead, sneaking glances at each other. “I have been Planning on signing a deal with Leslie, so when she invited me to her daughter’s wedding I had to come,” Jonathon said breaking the silence. “Oh,” Liza replied falling back into silence as each of them stood facing the sea. “I need to go back to the wedding, Krista would be wondering where I am,” Liza said breaking another stretch of awkward silence. “You should probably head back then” Jonathan replied his voice low. “Yeah, I should,” Liza said willing her feet to move as her body resisted.
She wanted to say so many things to him, things that she couldn't say four years ago. She wanted to shout at him for ruining the beautiful fairy tale they had been living, for not trusting her enough, for not coming to her when he needed support but she couldn't speak. She wanted to slap him and punch him but at the same time, she wanted to hug him. It was as if all the feelings she had buried down had slowly risen, it was all very confusing, her thoughts were scattered and she knew that it was better to leave before she did or say something that would jeopardize the present she had created for herself. “It was nice seeing you Jonathan,” she said and she walked away from him, towards the wedding.
Jonathan stood there as he watched her walk away again. He knew that he had to make a choice between letting her go like she had asked him to do in her letter or to go after the one woman he knew he would love forever. He didn't know whether seeing her again had relieved him of some pain and longing or had made his longing for her more intense. He remembered the scene he had seen barely half an hour ago. It had felt so wrong to watch Liza slow dance with someone else, it should have been him and it would have been him, had he not messed up the most beautiful thing that had ever happened to him.Jonathan didn't even know if Liza had found somebody new to replace him and as much as he wanted to, he couldn't just waltz back in her life. But he also couldn't let her go. He had promised himself that if they ever crossed paths again he wouldn't let them go separate ways. His thoughts were confusing him to no end. On one hand, there was a chance that Liza already loved someone else,
Liza woke up in a heavily curtained room with sun rays peeking through the deep forest green curtains. Her head pounded and her heart raced as she took in the unfamiliar surroundings. This was definitely not her room, she vaguely remembered drinking too much and prayed that she hadn't done something stupid enough to get herself fired from her coveted position. She couldn't believe that she had let herself get carried away at her boss's daughter's wedding.She had always been proud of her ability to control her feelings but one chance encounter with Jonathan and all the control over her emotions flew out of the window. Frustrated with the suspense over the drama she may have caused last night, Liza decided to walk out of the room. She got up from the bed and hissed as her feet touched the cold marble floor. She silently opened the door and walked out of the room. Liza could hear someone in the living room and she made her way towards the noise in hopes of finding out where she
Liza entered her apartment, taking in the pictures adorning the wall, the black rug that Carson had brought for her when he had gone to Russia, the warm beige couches, and instantly felt relaxed. She had moved out from Carson's and Melanie's apartment after a year of getting a job. They had never made her feel unwelcomed but she knew that like every other couple they needed their own privacy and their own space. So she had moved out and had bought this apartment. It seemed to be perfect for her. It was a cozy two-bedroom apartment. Liza had spent the last three years making the apartment. Her apartment was now a symbol that she was independent, that she didn't need to depend on anyone. She was proud of all of her achievements and making a home for herself in California was one of them.She took in a deep breath and let her shoulders relax. Her mind unwinding from the events of the previous day. She had expected a chaotic wedding, it was Krista's wedding after all but she hadn
Liza walked into the beige and gray-colored high-end office expecting it to be calm and silent as usual. She loved to come early to the office, not only because it gave her a head start but also because she enjoyed the calmness that the silence brought her. It allowed her to think and to enjoy being by herself. It was a sign of her independence and she loved it. It was not just a job for her but it was something that had enabled her to stand up for herself without depending on anybody and that's why it was so special to her. Her cabin was her sanctuary where she could immerse herself in doing the work she loved. When she stepped into the usually silent office she was surprised to find it teeming with people. Everybody was rushing here and there.Some were cleaning the desks, some were arranging the files, she was about to ask what was happening when Nick, one of the helpers, came up to her and said –"Miss Nestor. I have fixed the broken coffee machine and I have also cleaned t
Why now? Was the only question running through Liza's mind. She had successfully avoided Jonathan throughout the day but just when the day was about to end and she was finally going to be out of reach, she ended being trapped in an elevator with Jonathan. How cliche, Liza thought to herself, the ex-wife being trapped in an elevator with the man who broke her heart and is also her boss now. It was a scene that she had read in countless manuscripts and an event she wanted to avoid at all costs. She wasn't running away from him, she just didn't have the energy to deal with him right now. The elevator ride that only took few minutes seemed to be taking hours. None of them broke the silence. "Liza..." Jonathan started but Liza stopped him before he could continue. "Don't talk to me unless it is related to office, don't even look at me unless you need me to do something related to work" she said in a calm and cool voice. Jonathan couldn't help but flinch back as the coldness of Liza's voi
There were hustle and bustle around the office. The normally sluggish morning hours were teeming with life again. There was a lot of excitement in the people to see their new boss. Yesterday they had merely gotten a glimpse of Mr. West but from today he was to start working officially. Every person had their files completed, checked, and arranged, ready to be presented at any moment they were required to. The women in the office had seen Jonathan West on magazine covers, he was one of the most successful businessmen in America, and they gushed on about how handsome and brilliant he was and how great it would be to work with him.Liza smoothed down her black pencil skirt and rubbed her temples, wishing that all of them would stop talking for at least a moment. She had barely gotten sleep the previous night and all the caffeine she had taken hadn't kicked in her system yet. She sighed as she took in her reflection in the little ornate mirror that she had kept in one of the draw
Liza paced back and forth in her office. She could see Jonathan working on some files and was sure that if she left now, she won't have to face Jonathan. Initially, her office had been at the opposite end, however, on the insistence of Leslie she had to shift her office in the room next to Jonathan. Their office was now divided only by a glass wall and some flimsy blinds.Liza had tried to avoid Jonathan every day but somehow she always ended up talking to him at least once, whether it was due to some client or due to some other editorial work. She was getting tired of this game of cat and mouse. She had been worrying over Jonathan ever since he came to the office and had barely spent any time with Carson and Melissa. Hell, she had even forgotten that Alex would be returning tomorrow from Paris.She cursed herself silently as she saw Jonathan catching her in the act of watching him. Her cheeks blushed red as he smiled at her and got back to his work. Her body had
Liza woke up feeling fresh for the first time in the last few days. Maybe it was her resolve not to avoid Jonathan anymore or it was meeting her family after a long time, but whatever it was, it had relaxed her enough to allow her to get some sleep. She stretched lazily and got up from the bed. After brewing some coffee, she started getting ready for the office. She was actually looking forward to going to the office and was surprised as she found herself humming a tune. She picked out a dark blue blouse with a grey pencil skirt and blazer and went to shower. After showering, she put on her clothes and was ready to head to the office.She was the first one to come to the office, as usual, so she walked into the empty office and unlocked her cabin. Sitting down, she sorted out her work for the day and took a sip of the coffee that she had carried from her house in a tumbler. She loved the taste of dark roasted coffee. She began reading the most recent manuscript while drinking