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 yet to learn not to respond to Jonathan's actions. However, unlike before her heart didn't skip a beat and her mind didn't fumble on being caught. It wasn't the shyness that triggered the blush but the embarrassment of being caught doing something which she shouldn't have done. She had been unable to understand her to resolve to avoid Jonathan instead of facing him. Hadn't she sworn that she would never change or let her life revolve around Jonathan or any man again? Then why was she trying so hard to avoid him?Jonathan could see Liza pacing in her office. She had a frown on her face and he badly wanted to remove that frown. However, he stayed put. He had thought that once he got her to shift in the office next to him, it wouldn't be so difficult to talk to her, but he couldn't have been more wrong. Somehow Liza had always managed to avoid him. Most of the paperwork was now sent to his office via Liza's assistant Francine. Francine was Liza's second assistant and unfortunately was very different from Rachel, Liza's personal secretary. While Rachel was professional, Francine had behaved anything but professionally with him. He was here to show Liza that he had changed and Francine was making it difficult by constantly trying to flirt with him. He was afraid that Liza might get the wrong idea and he never wanted to do that. He remembered the last four years he had spent without Liza and shuddered at the memory. He thought back to the day he had met Liza at Krista's wedding and how his world had instantly brightened up.Liza always had that effect on him. Even when they were in college and Alice had introduced her. He had been drawn in by her aura. He remembered how broken he had felt when he had finally realized that Liza was never going to come back. He had cried for hours, he had neglected his company, his family, his everything. It wasn't until his parents had returned from the trip that he had broken out from his shell. The initial reaction of Grace, his mother, was to slap him. He knew that his parents adored Liza and he knew that they would be disappointed in him. Somehow Alice had gotten in contact with their parents and had informed them about the split. Grace and George had flown down from Mexico to New York in an instant. After the slap Grace had realized the position Jonathan was in and had hugged him. Grace was aware that Jonathan loved Liza but she also knew that what Jonathan had done was wrong.Slowly Grace had brought her son back from his shell. Since that time Jonathan had thrown himself in his work. Barely thinking about anything else and barely feeling anything else. The only time he smiled or cried was when he read the letters written by Liza. He hated himself every single day. He was aware that Alice was still in contact with Liza but he restrained himself from asking anything about her. He knew that he had to let her go, that he had caused her enough pain so he sat quietly and endured the torture of not knowing anything about her. He had taken Liza for granted and it was only now when he had lost her did he realize what a luxury having her love had been.Jonathan snapped out from his reminiscence and looked at the clock. It was 9 pm already and almost everyone had left. He peered into Liza's office and was disappointed to find her gone. It was Friday and he wondered if she had any plans tonight, maybe a date with a guy who didn't cheat on her. He shook his head. He couldn't afford to think that way, especially not if he hoped to win her love back.Liza knocked on the dark wooden door of Carson's apartment and waited for him or Melissa to open the door. She knocked on the door again, this time a little louder. She was getting impatient and was about to knock again when the door was opened by a panting Melissa. "I am sorry" she panted "I was in the middle of something". Liza took in her disheveled state. Her hair was open and messy, her top was a bit askew, she could see the sweat on her forehead. Liza rolled her eyes and entered the apartment."Has he been acting up again?" she asked. "Yeah" Melissa replied "He is getting worse by each day" Liza was about to say something when someone jumped and hugged her waist. She looked down to see Keith hugging her.
"Hello Aunt Liza" he spoke in his small childish voice. Liza bent down and ruffled his blonde hair. "Hey, Keith". Melissa and Carson had adopted Keith two years back. He had straight blond hair and the greenest eyes. He was the most adorable kid Liza had ever seen. ''Were you harassing mommy again, Keith?" Liza asked in a mock stern voice. "No auntie, I promise," Keith said with an adorable frown and Liza fought hard to contain her smile that was threatening to spill."Are you sure about it Keith?" She asked again, picking up Keith and placing him on her hip. "Yes auntie, it was mommy who was harassing me" Keith replied innocently. Liza finally let go of her laughter, while Melissa shook her head. "Come on now, eat up Keith" Melissa urged Keith. Keith got down from Liza's hold and ran to Melissa, hoping to please his mommy.
"Where is Carson?" Liza asked Melissa as she fed a spoonful of oatmeal to Keith. "Oh, he is still sleeping.
Liza rolled her eyes and went to wake him up, grumbling about him being man child. "Hey, you oaf" Liza said shaking Carson. Carson opened his eyes and sat up. "Oye, I am a perfectly well-formed human" he protested."No you are half gorilla" Liza stuck out her tongue. Carson suddenly tackled Liza and began tickling her. "How is that for a half gorilla, huh?" he teased while tickling. While Liza started screaming and laughing at the top of her lungs "No... No... Please stop. I will take it back, I will take it back" she panted in between her laughs. At this Carson stopped tickling and caught his breath. They looked up to see Melissa and Keith standing in the doorway enjoying the show. Melissa was smiling at the siblings while Keith was cheering for Liza.
Liza smiled at the sight and realized that this was how she wanted to live. Jonathan's return had caused her to once again focus on him even though it was not in the way it had been back then. Maybe it was because she was afraid that he will try to win her back and she would give in. So she decided, to stop avoiding him and face him head-on. To prove that she really had no place in her heart and her life for him. To prove that she had grown stronger and had finally become the person she wanted to be.'
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
Jonathan was trying to read through the report but was failing miserably. He read through the words but his mind failed to register them, all he could think of was about Liza and the guy she went out with. It was frustrating and disappointing at the same time. It had already been a month and he had failed to hold a civilized conversation with Liza, how was he supposed to make her fall in love with him if he couldn't even get her to talk to him. He peered into the adjacent empty office. Liza had forgotten to close the blinds in her hurry, so instead of the usual pale pink and beige blinds, the glass wall was transparent providing Jonathan with a view of her office. Liza's laptop was closed, some manuscripts that Liza had read were scattered around it, Liza's coat hung on the back of the chair and a coffee cup from valentine's sat on the table. Jonathan felt like a creep for spying into Liza's office but he couldn't help himself it was the only way he could get some clue about Liza. H
Jonathan stood in front of Liza's office. He was tapping his foot nervously against the hardwood floor. The other employees looked curiously at him as they passed by him. It was unusual for them to see Jonathan out of his office. In the past few days Liza and Jonathan had shared more than a smile, they had made small talks, shared some laughs and he had even made her blush once or twice though he was pretty sure it was out of embarrassment rather than shyness. Their relationship was going steady and dare he say that they were almost friends. So here he was standing in front of her office, trying to gather the courage to ask her to go to the celebratory ball with him.He knocked on her door once. "Come in," she said distractedly. Jonathan stepped into her office. Her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration as she read through the script in her hands. She irritably pushed a strand of hair behind her ear as it fell in front of her eyes. "Um Liza, do you have a minute," he said.
Liza stood in front of the mirror, her hair was piled up on her head, leaving a few curls to frame her face, her midnight blue chiffon dress hugged her curves perfectly and her feet were encased in silver stilettos. She felt beautiful. There was an impatient knock on the door, quickly giving her reflection a once over she rushed to open the door. There in front of her stood a handsome Alex dressed in a gray tux, his hair slicked back. "You ready?" Alex asked taking Liza in and releasing a slow whistle. A warm blush crept into her cheeks and Alex chuckled. "Yeah sure, just let me get my wrap and clutch," Liza said as she quickly grabbed her clutch and silver silk wrap. "Come on let's go," she said. "You are looking really beautiful Liz" Alex complimented her. "Thanks, Alex, You are looking dashing too" she replied as they made their way out of the building.After a few moments of silence had passed Alex cleared his throat. "How are you holding up Liz?" he asked, his eyes full
Alex stared at the girl in front of him, she was wearing a rose gold-colored gown, her auburn hair fell perfectly on her one shoulder, leaving the creamy skin of her other shoulder exposed. He couldn't believe that he was finally meeting the girl he had dreamt about since he had met her in Paris. It was fate, he knew it. Their eyes met and he was at a loss of words. He was speechless and that had never happened to him, not since he had gotten over his crush on Liza. He saw as she smiled shyly at him, her blush making her glow even more. He was about to say something when her smile dropped from her face and her eyes held a look akin to pain. He was confused. Why would Alice be pained to see him? He thought that she had enjoyed his company at the restaurant. No, it had to be something else."Hello, it's nice to meet you," Alex said extending his hand. "Hi" Alice spoke giving him a nod and ignoring his hand. "I can't believe that we are meeting here. I mean what are the odds tha
Jonathan and Liza had spent the last forty minutes sitting on a chair, Jonathan glanced at Liza as for the fifth time in the last twenty minutes she refused to dance with someone. Jonathan was happy that no one else was going to be holding his Liza tonight but he was also worried about her. Liza loved to dance and although she had two left feet, she could waltz-like nobody's business. He could see the wall of defense she had built around her and he knew that he was the reason behind that wall. He knew that even when she was talking to him, she had her guard up. It felt as if there was a glass wall between them. It was painful to watch her fake her smiles whenever she was with him, she rarely laughed anymore, and even if she did it was merely a remnant of her laugh.Liza had been enduring Jonathan's burning stare for the last five minutes and she was getting increasingly irritated by every second. Her body acted as if it could feel his eyes on her and goosebumps rose on her fl
Liza was once again sitting beside Jonathan, she could see that Alex was talking up a storm while Alice was just nodding at whatever he was saying. Liza's eyebrows furrowed with concern. Was something wrong with Alice? She was not her usual self. The Alice she knew was chatty and had an opinion about everything but seeing from afar it looked like Alice was holding herself back. Liza turned to Jonathan who was busy with his phone. After Steve had left, things had been awkward between them, not that they had been friendly before but at least they had sat in comfortable silence but now the silence had become painfully suffocating. Liza had half expected Jonathan to at least rave about how she couldn't go on the date with Steve but instead, he had kept his mouth shut and had altogether ignored her. Frustrated by his ignorance, Liza punched Jonathan on his arm "Ow!! What was that for?" Jonathan shrieked, rubbing the now sore spot on his arm. "What do you think is going on between Alex an
Jonathan spun around on the heels, trying to catch if someone was watching him. He knew that if someone saw him, it would be the end of the cold ruthless businessman image he had created but at this point, it was all worth it. He turned back when Liza tugged his sleeve, willing him to move ahead. Liza was wearing a brown cap with her hair covering her face, her forehead was scrunched with concentration as she spied on Alice and Alex. Jonathan laughed at her antics. The way Liza was acting was probably all crazy and stupid but Jonathan loved it. He hadn't seen this side of her in a long time. He loved the way her eyebrows were scrunched together as she tried to hear what Alice and Alex were talking about and the way her eyes lit up with excitement when Alex made Alice blush but most of all he loved that they were now spending time together out of the office and Liza was somehow going back to the woman he once knew.Liza was having the time of her life spying on Alice and Alex.