NatalieThe wait seems endless. Noah is being operated on, and I'm staring down at the floor. I haven't even touched the cola Frank bought me from the vending machine. Neither have I eaten anything.I pull my legs to my body, hugging them while other people receive good news about their loved ones.What if I won't receive good news about Noah?Fear and panic are crashing over me like a tidal wave, again and again, until it gets heavier to breathe. My heart is throbbing, but I can only sit deathly still as the tears fall."Why did I ask Noah to go to the pharmacy for me..." I whisper. Guilt is gnawing at me. "This is all my fault...""It's not your fault, sweetheart," Frank sighs. "It's no one's fault. Accidents happen all the time.""What if Noah won't make it?" I ask."I'm sure Noah will be fine," Frank says, but even he doesn't sound convinced of his own words. "Your dad and Cynthia are taking a flight back to the city tonight."I swallow plenty of tears. My brain can't focus on my

NatalieIt's been three weeks since I moved in with Frank and his wife, Carmen. They are a lovely couple and have ensured that I will be given the apartment next to theirs tomorrow. They spoke to the landlord and recommended me, which paid off in my favor. I'm incredibly grateful. I had to drop out of school recently, and now I have a part-time job at the mini-marker until the baby comes. Oh, and I'm pregnant. Twenty years old and soon a mother of one.It's scary, and I'm still freaked out about how life can take a turn, but I'm trying my hardest to stay brave.Frank walks into the living room. He has just come home from work; he works at the mini-market with me. "So... I have both good and bad news." Frank drawls.I'm drinking tea with Carmen, and I lift my eyes to face Frank. He is wearing a hard-to-read expression. Their living room is cramped, and he slouches down in one old armchair. "What's up?" I ask."Yeah, Frank, you can't just come in and say something like that; tell us

NoahNatalie stood me up. She never returned to the park the day after I met her, and neither did she pop up the day after that. Am I insane for feeling disappointed?I'm probably crazy, but... I kept walking back to the park bench where I had met Natalie. Day after day, but she would never be there. Instead, I caught Natalie walking together with a man on the street. They were laughing at something. And while I know I had no right to be angry, I was beyond pissed off seeing them. It doesn't make sense. Natalie is a mere stranger, yet something snapped within me seeing her with that other man. He was good-looking too, not as tall as me, but he had stubble—so now I haven't shaved.Fuck.I'm losing my goddamn mind over this woman."Mr. Parker?"I peer up from my desk, not surprised to find Bianca, my assistant, standing in the doorframe. We recently bought this office, and I have yet to install a locked door."Yes?" I ask her. "The people who applied for my role during the summer a

NoahThe smart thing in my situation would probably be to listen to Elias, my mother's husband. He admitted to having a daughter but told me Natalie is filled with lies. I asked Elias what kind of lies, to which he never replied. My mother walked inside the room and took over the conversation. She claimed Natalie was a thief and told me to stay away.Yet here I am, waiting for Natalie to step inside my new office. I realize I could get a more luxurious place or work from home, but I wanted something in town to be connected to society.Now I'm sitting on top of Natalie's future desk, trying but failing not to smile when I see Natalie. She is holding our coffee while wearing shades and a jeans jacket. Her brown hair cascades down her back, and her delicious curves are framed by her tight leggings.My cock approves of her attire, but I repress the urge to fuck Natalie against the wall. Today I shouldn't be thinking with my second brain, even if Natalie is the type of woman I like; curv

NoahI don't understand. Natalie seemed to like what she saw yesterday when she walked into my office. I stood naked before her—I flirted with her. Yet the little vixen has now downloaded Tinder.What did I do wrong?!Did I not please her after all? Is that why she ran home so quickly? Do I look weird down there or something?Or was I too harsh in the way I behaved?I DON'T UNDERSTAND, AND IT'S KILLING ME!I slurp on my latte in my misery, lifting the cup higher to give a little cheer to Natalie when she catches me spying on her from my office window. She narrows her fierce eyes, and I grimace—great, I've officially reached stalker-level creepiness.Natalie goes back to swiping on her phone. She is on break, and suddenly I wish I had Tinder. I want to see her reaction to my picture. Would she swipe left or right?Probably left...I drink more of the glorious caffeine-filled latte. After Natalie made me discover the wonder of a vanilla latte, I had to buy an expensive machine that know