I stayed in my room, thinking about Charlotte. She had enjoyed the surprise I had Jacque prepare for her, which filled me with contentment. As I lay on my bed, I could not help but anxiously wonder where our date tomorrow would be. As much as I had looked forward to having a swim with her, this other option was much better. We had not heard a serious conversation since her arrival, and I felt both scared and hopeful that we would get a chance tomorrow. I made a mental note to ask my assistant to find the best restaurants to take her, as I rarely ever put much thought into dates. When I moved to New York, my heart was still broken by the distance between Charlotte and I. When girls tried to flirt with me on campus, I would bawl them away disinterested. When Mark and I became close, he often tried showing me the tricks of dating, assuming that I was just scared to confront girls. The truth of the matter was that I was not interested in anyone else but my Lotte. As late as I was in pr

I woke up a few minutes before my alarm rang, and popped into the shower, feeling energetic for the day. I played some old nineties, pumping myself with some Nirvana and 2Pac, as I readied myself for the day. My office calendar displayed only two appointments and one meeting with the board, which was a pretty good thing for me as I had fewer people to worry about. I had asked my assistant to reschedule everything else that came past one o’clock in the afternoon, as I planned to close my business day by noon. I picked up my black jeans, while polo t-shirt, and a black leather jacket, and paired them with white Nikes. The casual look was set to make Charlotte more comfortable during our lunch date, as suits had a tendency of bringing unnecessary attention my way. I walked out of the room, singing along to Lionel Richie’s Stuck on You, as I set my Ray-Ban sunglasses on my t-shirt neckline. I passed by Charlotte’s room and heard no movement. There was no light seeping out either. Instin

The meeting with the board proceeded swiftly, and my eleven o’clock appointment was quick and precise. My moods stayed on high, almost making me dance along the hallways. I sat in my office with my assistant, quickly concluding on the presentation details for the Chinese investors’ final proposal. I had to bag that investment as it would double the company’s profits and expand our reach globally. My assistant had been in this job position for only a year after I fired the previous one for sexual assault. She had learned the job quickly and had become one of the two favorite people in my work life. The other was Mark, who was missing from the earlier meeting, with no apology. I made a mental note to call him after work. “By the way, Luce, what hotel would you recommend for a nice lunch?” “Sir?” she asked me, turning back around to look at me. It was the first time that Luce and I spoke of matters not concerning the company, and I bet she was amused by my question. “I have a friend v

“Midget?” Lucas asked, snapping me from my reminiscence and back to the car where we sat quietly. The leather finish in the car bore a scent that blended perfectly with the musky note from the air freshener, calming me down from my high spirits. Lucas had his hand on mine, rubbing it gently as he stared at me with concern in his eyes. I was hesitant to continue with this conversation as it would spoil the afternoon for us. Our friendship break-up was not an incident worth recollecting. “Let’s just forget it, for now, Lucas,” I withdrew my hand from him and straightened my dress. “Okay then, whatever you say,” he agreed, breathing the engine to life and powering out of the hotel’s basement. The ride to the location which was unknown to me was still. None of us said a word, and only heard the frequent hissing sounds of the air conditioner. My head was turned away from him, staring outside to look at the buzz of the city. New York was much more interesting than any city I had ever vis

I stared at my phone, unsure of whether I was emotionally ready to talk to anyone. The confrontation between Lucas and I left my lips dry and my soul frail. I took deep breaths as I rubbed my arms, hoping to calm myself. I opened the bottle of apple juice that was half empty and took gulps from it, quenching the thirst and moistening my throat. Lucas had disappeared from sight, leaving me alone with my unanswered questions as if they were rhetoric. The phone kept ringing, forcing me to pick it up, just to silence the air once more. “Hey love,” Terrence spoke on the other line, sounding ecstatic. “Hi Terrence,” I responded, my voice slowly coming back to normal. “Terrence? Babe, are you okay? Since when am I just Terrence to you? Is something the matter?” I could hear the concern in his voice, but at this point, it sounded like a clingy need. “Sorry, yeah, I am fine, just exhausted,” I said in a flat tone. I really regretted picking up my phone, not because I did not love him, but