CHAPTER 7 - Gracie’s pov

If happiness was a person, it’d have been me this morning.

Actually, scratch that.

If happiness was a person, it would probably leave wet towels on the bed and forget to zip up.

I’m happiness. Well, just for this moment.

I was still deep inside my head when I left the house, I forgot to put out the towels and didn’t even zip up until a Good Samaritan helped with it.

On a normal day, I’d have been wondering how many people saw my inner wear or if anyone did, I’d be dying of embarrassment and won’t want to walk that path anymore. But today, unlike every other day, I was too excited to care.

The drive to work was unusually shorter or did I drive faster?

The traffic seemed longer but it didn’t annoy me.

The radio didn’t irritate me either, I even vibed to a song.

An old lady scratched my car with her shopping cart outside the parking lot but it couldn’t ruin my mood.

Life was good. Or at least, life felt good. For once.

I stepped into the building feeling lighter than I had in years, humming Dido’s “Life for Rent.”

Then I remembered I was late.

Very, very late.

A whole eighty minutes late.

My smile disappeared immediately, I’ve never been this late, not even thirty minutes late. Never!

“Interesting,” I muttered.

Some men, come into a woman’s life and ruin her schedule. Unknowingly though. I smiled at the thought.

I hurried towards the elevators and the doors opened.

There he was, Nick.

He was looking annoyingly handsome, same guy i used to hate so much.

Uhm, hate? Not exactly.

He wore a carton color shirt with sleeves rolled halfway up his arms.

His hair was slightly messy, eyes focused on a document, his stupid face looked attractive.

This man right here, is a walking inconvenience.

Need I tell you what I felt when he looked at me? My heart did that embarrassing thing of beating too fast, I could almost hear it in my ear.

“Hey,” I said.

“Morning.”

That was it. Morning? Like…just Morning? That was it?

I blinked. He wasn’t smiling or teasing, didn’t even give a peck.

Fine, I get that workplace romance is prohibited but what in the name of Damon Salvotore’s sarcastic and uninterested method of greeting was that?

The elevator doors shut.

Fine, maybe he’s just nervous. I think I get that.

People get nervous after major “life changing” events.

Marriage, Job interviews, moving to a new country, meeting your celebrity crush or sleeping with your childhood best friend after years of roasting each other at work.

I stood beside him, waiting to hear him say something.

Nick isn’t the type to go a day without teasing me.

But the silence just stretched and stretched until eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore.

“So…?”

“So?”

“So.”

“That’s usually how conversations work.”

I stared at him, he stared back.

But before I could say any other thing, the elevator dinged, doors opened.

“Meeting room in ten minutes, Clums.”

Thrn he walked away. Just like that.

What a total jerk!

But is that how guys do it? Guysss, I’m asking y’all? This how it’s done?

Pretending like nothing happened?

Or did nothing really happen? Maybe I should check the security cameras.

Because there absolutely no way the same man who spent hours kissing me less than twenty-four hours ago had just hit me with an ordinary “Morning,” and “Meeting room in ten minutes, Clums.”

I got to the meeting room ten minutes later, pissed and confused.

“You were late today, Gracie, want to tell us why?” Mr Gray asked.

“Sorry sir, won’t ever happen again.”

“You should apologize to Nikolas too, he got pissed waiting for you.”

Me? Apologize? This dude is the reason I’m late.

Silence.

“Gracie?” Gray called.

“You really want an apology, mister Nick?”

“There a reason I shouldn’t get one?”

Okay, that took me out.

“Sorry?”

“You owe me an apology too.”

This piece of shit.

“I’m sorry Nikolas Wealth for not coming on time because a certain guy delayed me and is pretending…”

He cut me short, “we don’t want to hear your life stories, Clums. Apology accepted.”

Can you guys really believe this? Like, can-you-really?

It then hit me that I was the only one who thought last night was a big deal, I’m the only one who hoped something good would’ve come out of it.

And I’m probably the only one who fell in love with my enemy after a ‘one night stand.’

“Are you ready for your presentation, Miss Clums?”

“Are you going to help Mr. Gray write me a sack letter if I’m not?”

Silence.

He probably didn’t expect that.

But this is what it is once again. Nick and I, will probably only ever be workplace rivals. Maybe this company is our only link to each other.

The next twenty minutes was just us discussing business and making presentations.

After the meeting, I walked out even before Nick could start up from his chair.

“Clums, are you in haste?”

“Do we have an unfinished conversation?”

Silence.

“If no, please don’t bother me.

He tilted his head a bit and I saw an expression I couldn’t name.

Maybe regret?

Well, he has until the end of today to explain the reason for the sudden pretense and ignorant attitude.

I walked to my seat, scribbled on my notes angrily as I tried to hold my tears back.

Was he just playing with me? Was I too vulnerable? Am I just an object for fun? Why would anyone do that to anyone?

Minutes went by, hours, and soon the day was over.

Yet, no sign of Nick apologizing.

No sign of Nick trying to make amends.

No sign of Nick saying he was just pulling stunts to get my attention.

I picked my bag, packed my desk and went home heartbroken and embarrassed at myself for expecting anything from a guy who has always been mean to me just because he stood up for me once, I let go of the many times he didn’t.

And maybe, it’s me, I should never have let him in.

The drive back home was nothing like the morning. The radio was the most annoying thing and I switched it off almost immediately.

I yelled at the delivery guy that almost broke my mirror, my blouse got hooked to the door as I closed it.

And just like that, the whole universe decided my fairytale was over.