Jessica
It was six o'clock when Kayleigh stopped by my office, she's giving me reports before she goes back home.
"You wouldn't believe the day I've had."
"Yeah? I thought you'd like it here." She smirked, nudging her head to the office beside me.
"Oh my god, Kayleigh...I missed you so much. When are you mine?"
"Oh, shit Jess, you just made me feel so giddy on the inside." She giggled while digging through her extra-large purse and pulled out my sandwich dinner.
"So, is he okay with you staying the night here?"
"I think he's too busy with his PA to noticed."
"Really? hmm...I didn't tag him as that kind of boss." She shrugged and showed me a few paperwork that needed my signature.
I relaxed back to my seat and start eating my sandwich while listening to Kayleigh telling me about her day assisting Larry from my old office.
"He's actually quite nice, how's your hand?"
"It's healing, so he's letting you go in the next two days?"
"That's what he said, he's mostly out of the office and rarely asks for my assistance. He's a field guy, unlike his brother." She winked at me, while I rolled my eyes at her.
"Kay, please..."
"Okay...okay, that's it I'm heading back. Are you sure you don't want to stay at mine? look, you'll get paid this month then you can rent a decent apartment. Or luckily your house will be sold, come on it's just for a month?"
"I really don't want to bother you and your mom." I smiled at her and she nodded, knowing her situation was not any better than mine.
I was finishing off on my work, it was well after seven, and everyone had gone home. Tyler knocked on my door telling me that he's heading back, I smiled and told him that I'll see him tomorrow.
I was really tired and wanted to go to sleep and the sofa looked very inviting. And that's what I did two hours later, I finally locked my door and lay down on the brown leather sofa, it's comfortable enough that I dozed off immediately.
Though I didn't know how that night I woke up from my night terrors in Tyler's arms.
"You should've gone back home and slept in your bed. We have a driver and company car assigned to you, why won't you use it?"
He looked upset while I was still shaking from the image of dead my brother, I was hugging my body when suddenly I feel so cold.
"Jessica hey, are you sure you're alright?" He took off his jacket and put it over my body.
"How did you get in?"
"What?"
"Get your hands away from me, I asked how did you get in?!" I throw away his jacket, panicking, looking at the quiet surrounding, and realizing that he was the only one in sight.
"I have a spare key, I was on my way back to get a file from my office then I heard you screaming from here." He got up and keep his distance from me.
"I'm sorry, I must've fallen asleep."
"Bullshit, tell me why won't you sleep in your own home? and why you act all jumpy just now?"
His stern voice made me shudder, and I can't help myself but cry as the memories were flashing before my eyes.
"I can't go back there, please don't make me go back."
He was about to hug me when I backed away from him, he was big and tall and it scared the hell out of me. I could almost feel his hand against my cheek or his fist to my gut.
"Leave me alone, please..."
But he pulled me in regardless and I almost suffocate from the panic attack until his words soothed and calmed me down.
"What happened to you..." he whispered while I was still trying to breathe easily.
But both of us stayed quiet until moments later I told him why I need a place to spend the night.
"I'm trying to sell the house, too many bad memories. I have night terrors, I usually sleep soundly in my old office."
He didn't ask more as he got up and hold out his hand for me.
"I'm taking you to a hotel, we will arrange your nearby accommodation by tomorrow. Your assistant will have the details and arrange your move."
I didn't say anything more and try to get up but was too shaken up to move.
"Why are you doing this to yourself, you have to let people around you help." He picked me up easily and grabbed my purse on his way out.
We reached the nearby hotel and have me check in on a one-bedroom suite.
"You don't have to come in tomorrow, you can work from here, get some sleep. We will talk more, but for now, you need to rest."
I nodded but instinctively flinched when he tried to hug me.
"Who hurt you, Jessica?" he rubbed my shoulder but didn't wait for my answer when he backed away and leave me to rest in my hotel room.
The next day I was awakened by the buzzing of my phone, I woke up in a panic state as I saw that my alarm was turned off.
Tyler, he turned it off.
I didn't get to analyze it further when I pick up my phone.
"Kayleigh,"
"Don't tell me you just woken up? where are you? his assistant told me to help you move your belonging to one of the company's accommodations?"
I gave her the hotel address and room number, and she was there in less than an hour with my coffee and breakfast.
"Did you say anything to him?"
"Just said that I have bad memories," I shrugged and drink my first coffee of the day.
"So, he's nice."
"Kay, please...he just didn't want people sleeping in his office."
"Well, at least you don't have to pay for it. What's the update with the house sale?"
"My agent said that it's too big, saying it might be easier to rent it out. I'm calling her today and inform her to go ahead with the rental arrangement since I don't need the large fund anymore."
I drink the bottled water and start signing the documents.
"Oh Jess, I'm so sorry about everything. You're the sweetest person I know, you don't deserve this."
"Kayleigh, don't get all sappy on me. Just go easy on the move, only my essentials. I'm going to move out once my agent managed to find someone who'd like to rent it."
We talked for another half an hour before Larry calls her and asks her whereabouts then she leaves me alone in my hotel room.
It was lunchtime when Tyler called.
"How are you feeling?"
"You turned off my alarm," I told him feeling annoyed.
"You need to rest."
"Look, what I need is to work. How's HR doing with calling my people back to work?"
"Jessica, your people will be our people soon enough. I will take care of it."
I didn't like his bossy attitude, and I hated that I was liking his soft tone on me. It's been a while since I heard someone will take care of something for me. I've been spending too much time worrying about others, making decisions, and following up with everything work-related.
"Jessica?"
"Yeah, sorry... I'm taking the day off, but I will be available to take a call and will work from here."
I already told Kayleigh that I'm going to visit Dr. Sheridan, but I was keeping my doctor's visit from him. I feel like I didn't want him to know more about me, the less he knows the better.
I've seen enough looks from people who know about my real life that I'm keeping my private life as is.
No drama is needed, I just need to move on with my life.
Tyler"Just take your time. I'll call Kayleigh if I need anything, the next couple of days will be about the transition. I will need your best game when we start with the re-launch.""Re-launch?""Yeah, branding, I will have people from marketing, we will meet them and discuss more."She sounded nervous when I call to check up on her. She was taking the day off and I was thankful that I didn't have to push her to take it. From our last meet, I learned that she's a far more complicated person than she appeared to be.I ended the call when Elsie entered my office, last night we had our usual encounter. We would meet once a week sometimes more, she has been conveniently available for me. Though lately she's been getting too clingy and I know Larry would mock me once I need to transfer her to another department, just to end things between us."Is that her agai
Jessica"Jessica, I missed you so much! how are you?"I was meeting Amanda for a Sunday lunch, we would meet up a couple of times a month. I know Amanda felt bad about what happened to me and she was making sure that I was getting better.She recommended me to my psychiatrist, Dr. Sheridan, she even accompanied me to my first visit. Amanda takes care of me to the point that I wanted the room to breathe.And as for our lunch dates, I was satisfied with the intervals and she can be very good company."I'm good, how are you? how's little Mable?""Mable is lovely as always, I'm great! and I'm pregnant.""Oh my god, Amanda! congratulations! I wasn't sure...you know, I thought...""Nooo... you think I'm fat? I should kick your ass, but I'm too hungry to do it." She laughed and told me to start choosing our lunch while telling me
Tyler"What happened to your hand?""I cut myself, I'm very clumsy.""You should rest your hand, tell Kayleigh to assist you today."Jessica looked pissed at me, but that bandage looked big for a wound caused by clumsiness. Looking at her, I seemed to want her to be placed inside a bubble just to make sure that she'd be safe.These protective feel made me uneasy with myself, I just saw her yesterday, we kissed. The kiss itself was too awkward as if it was her first, and the knowledge kept me up last night. But when morning comes, all I want to was to see her and I wanted nothing more but to kiss her again."Sir, your ten o'clock is here.""Thank you. Oh, Elsie, I will need you to contact Kayleigh, Ms. Robinson's PA to work here for the next couple of days, and set her working space."Jessica looked annoyed, and I smirked k
Jessica"So, he kissed you? wow, no wonder things have been awkward between you guys."Kayleigh finally digs the truth out of me because of the not-so-subtle business lunch that she bumped into hours before."...and his PA kept on looking at you as if you just snatched her campus jock.""Kay!" I reminded her as I closed my office door.It was almost the end of office hours where we usually chat about our days."It was an awkward kiss, I never..."She almost falls as she takes her seat, but then Kayleigh looked at me in amazement."I thought you and Aaron...""No, Aaron and I are not like that, we're friends. He's Amanda's brother he knows what happened,""Jess,""I can see it in his eyes, it's there. And I know Tyler would know about me eventually, and I can't."
TylerJessica left my car in a hurry and I was going to catch up to her, but then my phone buzzed with Elsie on the other line.Damn it! I owe it to her to answer the phone, also because I know Jessica was not going anywhere. I will go to her in a few moments, I just need to answer Elsie's phone call first."It's her, isn't it? you're ditching me because of her?" she was sobbing from the other line and I cursed myself for dragging our office hookups for far too long."Elsie, you know from the start what we are? it's just sex, I'm sorry if I was leading you on. But you need to understand that we are done.""I'll be clearing my things, I'll...""I'm not firing you, you're a good PA we can still work together. But if you prefer otherwise, I'll arrange something with HR.""Okay,"She hangs up on me,
JessicaI can't believe that he was here, that he kissed me and that I was wanting more.Sleep Jess, forget about him...My mind takes me back to our last phone conversation. I can't believe that he called, though I did wait for the call. But I thought he was just being nice when he said he'd call.It felt like we talked for the longest, work has been the main conversation. But we also talked about dating, how he'd take me out on one and he did ask me but I was making vague excuses easily since we were talking on the phone.Resisting him was easy especially when it's done via phone, but I wouldn't know how to resist him when I saw him tomorrow at the office.My eyes were heavy when I decided to put my Kindle down and rest my head deeper onto the fluffy pillows."Jess,"He was suddenly there, his kisses were sweet and I was
TylerI didn't like the way Brodie MacMillan put his hand on her shoulder, and I don't understand why she let him do that to her. But Brodie was not the only thing that irritated me the most that morning.She was feverish, hadn't had breakfast, and obviously hadn't taken her pain medication. Jessica was being her usual, I don't need any help, I can do everything in my own way situation, that was why I took her back to her apartment.I texted Larry to cover for me at the office, and before he texted back and asks why, I told him to talk to Kayleigh."So, eat...I'll make you some tea.""Okay,"She looked worried but sits on the dining chair and digs through her large purse for her brunch.A freaking sandwich!I thought we were past that, I shook my head and started to order lunch and chocolate cake for dessert. Food
JessicaHe was spot on, he whispered and asked the exact question. It was as if he knows that the dream was a fail, that I spent the whole morning hangover from the abrupt feeling of I don't even know what.I know sex is supposed to end with a climax, but I have never actually felt what it's like. And I've been avoiding to date simply because of the fear itself. Troy had left his mark, I don't even know how I was supposed to recover from his doing.The therapy was supposed to work, I kept telling Amanda that I was getting better. But honestly, I was too afraid to try, always telling her that I was too busy to work to date men."Jessica, good you're home. You have to come with me to a gala tonight, I lost a bet and I need to attend Dale's mom's thing tonight."Amanda called me just after five and asked my whereabouts. I have just woken up from my nap, thanking myself that I