He took her plate, and his, then headed over to the sink. He rinsed out the plates and proceeded to load them into the dishwasher. “What if we get married?” he asked. “Are you still going to hide the fact that we’re together?” “Aaron, that’s different.”“How? How exactly is it different?”“That’s permanent, or at least more permanent… you know what I mean.”“I moved, Helen, to find you. To work at building a life with you. How much more serious does it get?”“But that’s between the both of us…”Leaning against the counter, he folded his arms across his chest and watched her. “I don’t want to pretend to not know you personally at the office. We don’t have to fuck in front of everyone, but I would like to stop by your cubicle to see how your day is going when I'm on your floor for meetings. I would also love for you to head over to my office whenever you want, without having to creep around like we’re having a secret affair.”“Aaron…” She sighed. “What if we—?” She stopped herself in t
Alvin followed her to the sink, asking more questions as she rinsed her mug. “Your man seems to have dealt the VP a serious blow,” he said.“No comment,” Helen replied.“Were you aware of this beforehand?” He asked.She gave him a frown. “Of course not.”“I believe you,” he said.“But what makes you so sure that the CEO ordered this and not the VP himself?” she asked.He smiled. “Because I don’t think that this was just to give the employees a chance. It was perhaps also to test the VP, especially after what he did yesterday. If he had said no to the CEO’s request for this, then he would have made it clear that his alliance was not to the company or employees, but to his pride. That, Helen, would have been the start of his decline towards unemployment."Helen smacked his arm as she left the room, and returned to her desk. Picking up her phone, she texted Aaron, ‘Are you free? Any plans for lunch?’Her hands trembled as she placed the phone down. However, he did not respond. She waited
Helen was on top of the world when she returned to her floor after lunch and was even more ecstatic over her plan for the rest of the day. She didn't even mind the stares and whispers anymore. Since her scope of duties had now been significantly reduced, she accessed the employee’s portal and found the announcement for the competition.The rest of the afternoon was spent preparing and polishing up her proposal, and by the end of the day, she sent it in, anonymously as the requirements requested. Regardless of what happened from then on, her heart was now settled and grateful for the chance.When she was done, most people had already left for the day, so she picked up her purse and went home to Aaron. At the end of the following week, Aaron sat anxiously in his office, waiting on the result of the vita500 presentation. He already had so much hope in Helen's proposal and he believed she was gonna make it to at least the top 3 finalists. He looked lost in thought."Are you even listeni
It seemed as though everyone was congratulating Helen the next Monday morning she went to work. Even those who had outrightly ignored her and distanced themselves from her when the rumor got out. She didn't have time to be bitter or hold grudges. She was very excited and happy. She marveled at the small office space she was given. It was a small corner office in the north wing of the building, and for a moment, her legs felt just a bit shaky. She needed Aaron here, but he was already on his flight back to Florida. A knock sounded at the door. She turned to see a bouquet through the glass wall and she knew who it was. “Come in,” she called, and to her amusement, he hid his face behind the bouquet.“Thanks, Alvin,” she said, as she began to unpack her items from her box. The first was the framed picture of her and Aaron. The one we had taken at the park, with our faces imprinted with the paint covering the other's palm, and other splotches of lavender and red.“They’re not from me,”
Two weeks later, Helen took a sick day off so she could get a long weekend and she was on her way to Florida. Guilt pricked her as she drove home that Thursday evening, especially given her promotion and all the new responsibilities that came with it. But she needed a very long weekend, and Friday night was just too late a start with Aaron. A long weekend to know her fate with Aaron. A long weekend that will determine if her heart will be shattered or if she will live happily ever after. She drove straight to the airport from the office and boarded the 7 p.m. flight headed to Florida. She was so close to turning back but she had come this far. Spent quite a sum on a flight ticket too. She couldn't chicken out now.Besides, Tracy and Lily would have her head if she didn't go again. Her hands trembled as she secured the seatbelt across her waist, in her preparation for takeoff. She couldn’t help but realize this would be the turning point. This weekend, she was going to tell him abou
Helen found a taxi and after giving him the address to The Churchill's Mansion, she settled in the backseat. Her phone beeped and it was a message from Tracy. The message read: 'Helen! Aaron called! He’s incredibly anxious that he can’t reach you. Have you landed? I just told him that I’d call him back, and hung up.’She was about to reply when her phone rang, signaling an incoming call. The number wasn't on her contact list but one from Florida. Perhaps it was Aaron. So she picked up but instead heard the smooth response of a woman’s voice.“Miss Helen Roberts?" She called.“Yes?”“I’m Meredith, Mr Churchill's secretary. He’s in a meeting right now so he can’t contact you directly, but he’s been trying to get in touch with you for the last hour. Is everything alright?”She sighed, remorseful that she had caused him to be so worried. She wondered then if it would be best to just inform him of her arrival, but she couldn’t make up her mind. “Everything’s fine,” she replied. “Please tel
Aaron couldn't wait till the end of the meeting. He left thirty minutes before the meeting was concluded. He didn't bother to go back to his office to pick up his briefcase or ask his secretary if Helen had picked up the call. He just wanted to go home, pack up a few things, and be on his way to Chicago. When he got home, he found Anna's car parked in front of his gate and he wondered what she was doing there. Upon spotting him, she exited her car. She walked towards his car just as he exited. "Oh, Aaron. You don't know how long I've been here. Your guards kept me here because I don't have an appointment with you." She said as she hugged him tightly. Aaron's face hardened. He gently pushed her from him to break the hug. "What are you doing here Anna?""That's some welcome Aaron". She rolled her eyes and continued. "You really should put my name as one of the accepted guests so I don't have to spend hours outside waiting for you".What the hell was she talking about and what did sh
Helen knew she couldn't do this alone. The worst seemed to have passed, but from now onwards, she just could not deal with all of this on her own. Just then, her phone began to ring, and seeing that Tracy was the caller, relief washed over her. “Hey,” she said. “I know it’s early but I just thought to check on you. How are things going with Aaron? Sorry, I missed your call a few minutes ago?”At the mention of his name, and her care, just when she was about to reach out to her, her throat constricted again. She couldn’t hold herself back as the sobbing began again, and it didn't stop for a while. When she calmed down, she told her all that had happened with Aaron. She listened in silence at the other end of the call. Aaron was in the middle of a supermarket trying to figure out what to buy for Helen in case she woke up. He already got a few comfy Pyjamas, and sanitary pads because she was bleeding so much when he took her to the hospital. He wondered if it was just her monthly flo