AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Prologue
Friday afternoon.
One thousand nine hundred and eighteen days left.
I stared at my best friend from the upholstered grey couch. The itchy fabric bothered my thighs, but it was the most comfortable place to sit in the house. He paced between me and the weathered coffee table, waiting for my phone to ring. The sun started hiding behind a cloud, so the living room progressively darkened.
Connor, the CEO of Capital Media, said he would be making final decisions on staffing today. Any minute, we would hear back about whether or not I had a job waiting for me after graduation. Erik had received his call earlier.
My phone sat face up on the table, and the house was eerily quiet. We were at his house since my roommates and their boyfriends crowded our apartment. I didn’t mind, but the noise just added to my nervousness. His two roommates were out of town on a camping trip, and the place smelled the best it ever had in the year he had lived here. I stared at Erik, his dark eyes comforting me at a time of uncertainty.
Time stopped when my phone rang. I stared at the unknown number on my screen.
“Pick it up!” Erik urged.
“Hello?” my hands trembled as I put the phone to my ear.
Erik sat beside me, sinking the couch and tilting me toward him. He set his comforting hand on my thigh. It was warm and sent goosebumps down my leg.
“Hello. Is this Blake Johnson?” the male voice on the other end said. “This is Connor Phillips from Capital Media.”
“Yes, this is she.”
“Good afternoon, Ms. Johnson. I don’t want to take much time from your evening, so I’ll get right into it. As we discussed, I was thoroughly impressed by your presentation on Wednesday and enjoyed our subsequent interview. I want to offer you a full-time position within Capital Media starting in July. I think you have a very bright future ahead of you, and I know I could use someone with your drive and creativity on my growing team.”
“Oh, wow! Thank you so much, Mr. Phillips!”
“I understand that you cannot give me a certain answer until you see the offer, so I’m emailing that to you now. I would appreciate an answer by Monday evening.”
“Yes, yes, of course. I look forward to reviewing it.”
“I look forward to your response and hopefully working with you.”
“Thank you,” my smile was hard to contain as I hung up the phone.
Erik stared at me with a broad smile on his face, expectant. His thumb caressed my thigh as he waited for me to say something.
“I got the job!” I exclaimed, throwing my arms around my best friend as he wrapped his tightly around my waist.
“I’m so proud of you, Button!” he squeezed me, his hot breath in my ear. “It’s so cool. We’re going to be working together!”
“Our lives are changing, Erik,” I shook him. “I’m proud of both of us.” I brought him back into a hug.
Suddenly, his mood dampened. His smile was replaced with a pensive frown. “Our lives are changing,” he whispered.
“Yes! It’s going to be great!”
I pulled away from him and tried to coax back his smile with my own. I was successful as his dark eyes crinkled at the corners.
“Our lives are changing, Button,” he repeated, bringing his hand to my cheek.
I could do nothing but stare at him as the unexpected happened. His pull was magnetic and haste, like two opposing magnets being hurled at each other. I felt his lips against mine as fireworks consumed my mind.
I sat frozen in his grasp for a second before finding the previously suppressed desire to kiss him. For a few seconds, the world was still. Then, a strange force overwhelmed me, and I pushed away from him.
“Woah, woah,” I chuckled nervously. “This…this is not a good idea, Erik.”
“Our lives are changing, Button,” he broke away from me and stood up again. He was never good at dealing with emotions sitting down. “Our lives are changing. We have jobs. We’re graduating. Things are going to be different now.”
