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Chapter 1: Harry
AyakaCallowayisuptight,grumpy, and the coldest person I’ve ever met. She dresses in all black, all the time. She stays in a dark room with a desk, and keeps her hair pulled tight back in a bun. Hair wrapped that tight probably gives her a headache, which may be her goal.
All this, and I’m secretly in love with her.
I know it’s stupid. In every way, considering she’s also my boss. But for some reason, I’ve become addicted to her permanently stern face. There’s something so attractive about a woman who takes no shit. She’s assertive and dominant and runs her company well.
Eight years ago, I became her assistant. I saw her sitting at that big desk. She was wearing a black blazer and pencil skirt with a white T-shirt underneath. Her hair was pulled into that super tight bun. She flicked through my resume as I stared at her face. I was intrigued from the moment I saw her. In fact, I was about to ask her what she was doing for dinner until she started to talk about the job and I remembered why I was here.
I had finished school a few years earlier and wanted to work in the marketing sector. I was told Calloway Designs was hiring an assistant and figured this was my into the career of my dreams.
My dream had been slightly derailed by the eight years I’ve been working for her. I think she needs me. Not for her business, but for her social life. She doesn’t make friends easily. She does know how to be friendly—to a point.
I’ve been her pet social butterfly. I help her through social situations where she doesn’t know what she’s doing. Like buying Christmas presents or what to write on a get-well card.
Yes, she’s not exactly a warm and fuzzy person. I had to stop her once when she wrote‘Well, at least you aren’t dead’on a card. I mean, it’s not the worst, but still…it was abirthdaycard.
But that never bothered me. I still like her. I like how much she cares about her employees even though she doesn’t show it. I can tell by the way she works that she’s super passionate about her company.
My passion for her has led me to the Wishing Tree in Vancouver. One day, that was my wish.
Just one day.
One day where Ayaka has feelings for me too. A day we would spend together.
In all the years I’ve been working for her, she’s never told me if she likes me or not. I’m not even thinking about romantically, but in general. It’d be nice to know if she liked me or just tolerated me. I can’t tell with women like her.
I get a cup of coffee and some papers for her to sign, and stand outside of the elevator, waiting for her to arrive. We get a lot of work during the holidays. Companies hire us to do their Christmas and New Year’s advertisements. Being the proper workaholic she is, she’s all over it.
The elevator dinged and she walked out of it as if she’d just walked through the other side. She didn’t acknowledge my presence as I kept pace with her, following Ayaka down the hall to her office, telling everything going on for today.
“You’ve got that meeting with Ms. Brennan. Then the lunch with Harris was cancelled so your afternoon is free, but he rescheduled for tomorrow at eleven.”
Ayaka opens her office door and steps through.
“You’ve got Mr. Crenshaw on line two. Do you want—” I stop talking as she slams the door right in my face.
She opens the door with a shy and embarrassed smile on her face.
“I did it again, didn’t it?”
“Did what? Oh! Slam the door in my face? Why, yes. You did do it again.”
Ayaka’s hand raises up the door, accentuating her slender figure.
“Sorry. Only child syndrome. I was always the last one to get out of the car so I’m just so used to closing the door right after me. I’m sorry.”
“That’s fine. You only would’ve broken my nose. It’s nothing. I mean, what’s a nose in the grand scheme of things?”
“I said, I’m sorry,” she says tersely.
“I know. I’m just teasing.” I grin.
Ayaka narrows her eyes.
“You were saying, Harry?” she asks, her eyebrow lifting.
“Yes. I was just going to ask if you wanted a coffee.”
