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Or she’s avoiding me.
My agitation was evident at work. I knew I was being harsh with people, snapping at the smallest mistakes, but I was angry. And confused. I couldn’t figure out what I had done to drive her away. I thought we had a connection. I knew we had a connection. I could still recall the touch of her hand in mine. The smell of her perfume. And the taste of her mouth. But, I didn’t want just the memories. I wanted her. I had to have her.
I was midway through a meeting when the urge hit me. I knew there was no point sitting in that room when I was only half listening. I wouldn’t be able to focus until I found out why she was ignoring me. I stood up from the table abruptly, much to the surprise of my colleagues surrounding me.
“Is everything okay?” Bill asked me.
“No,” I answered, “But it will be. If you excuse me, I have something urgent to attend to. My secretary will take notes and pass on anything you think relevant for me.” There was confusion in their eyes as I packed up my belongings and left the room.
Walking out of the office building, I didn’t bother to admire the scenery as I strode across the park to Bea’s workplace. I entered the Lavender Bricks Design office and was greeted by the receptionist. She was smiley and warm, but I was in no mood for pleasantries.
“Where’s Beatrix Nestor situated?” I said sternly.
The woman looked uncertain, her smile faltering, “One second, let me find out for you. Is she expecting you?”
“She should be.”
“Third floor, in the open-plan office. Would you like me to get someone to escort you? Or should I call her to come greet you?”
“Neither. I’ll find my way.”
“You’ll need to sign this logbook before I grant you access,” the woman said as she shoved the visitors’ book in my direction.
I furiously scribbled down my name before marching past her towards the elevator. One quick ride up, and I arrived at the third floor. It was a bustle of lively people, all brightly dressed and running about with bundles of paper. It was chaos compared to my office. Chaotic creativity. Walking deeper into the building, my eyes scanned the workers. Her back was facing me, but I could tell it was her from a mile off. It was time for me to get my answers.
“Bea?”
When I placed my hand on her shoulder, she practically jumped out of her skin. Her eyes were full of panic as she swung around to look at me. All around us, people were sneakily turning to look at us, as though they knew drama was brewing. I didn’t want to satisfy their craving.
“Is there somewhere we can talk more privately?” I grumbled.
Still silent, she nodded before standing up and closing her laptop. I followed her through the jumble of employees to an empty office. After she walked through, I closed the door behind us—the satisfying click muffling out the noise from the outside.
“Noah, what are you doing here?”
“What am I doing here?” I exploded, “What are you doing here ignoring me? What did I do? Why did you cut me out?”
Bea looked down at her feet. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong, but I knew she was struggling with it. My anger ebbed away and was soon replaced with concern. Something was wrong here.
“What is it?” I asked, rushing over to her.
As soon as I made contact with her, she pressed against my body and started sobbing. Her whole body shook as she wept. I couldn’t say or do anything other than hold her close to me and wish that whatever it was could be fixable. It broke my heart to see her in so much pain. I just wanted to enclose her in a bubble and keep her safe from the pains of the world. After a few minutes, her crying seeped away, and she slowly took a step back. I stared down at her tear-stained face, devastated by her reaction. I didn’t know what to expect until she spoke.
“It’s Veronica. She came to visit me.”
ELEVEN
~ Bea ~
I told him everything.
Once the words started tumbling out, they didn’t stop. I told him about Veronica coming to visit me at the office, the horrible things she had said, the trouble she had gotten me into with the manager. I told how I spent the next couple of days, in a blur of tears, fighting not to contact him. Noah just stood there and listened, his face filling with horror.
“I had no idea.”
“Neither did I,” I wailed, “I never signed up for this kind of abuse. I was doing so well at work, and now there’s no way I’m going to get a permanent job here, not with the manager thinking I scared away a potential client. I don’t know what to do.”
He placed a hand under my chin and forced me to look up at him. I could just about distinguish his features through the tears. I knew I must have looked like a mess at that moment.
