Eastern Lights

by Brittainy Cherry

  “You can leave my office now.”

  “Right. Okay. Thank you, Maiv, for giving me this opportunity. This is my dream position, my dream job. I know I probably don’t deserve this at all after quitting, so thank you so much for doing this.”

  “You said this is your dream job?”

  “Yes, it really is.”

  “Then I will say this, something I’ve learned after five failed marriages: never give up your dreams for a man again. Men die—dreams don’t.”

  “Uh, thank you?” I said, uncertain how to take Maiv’s pep talk. “Wait, I’m sorry, did all of your husbands die…?”

  She shrugged. “Some are just dead to me. Some of the others I’m sure were accidental.”

  “Some?”

  She smiled again, and well, that felt like an inappropriate time to deliver a wicked villain smile. “Why are you still in my office?” she asked.

  “Right, okay, goodbye.”

  I walked out, feeling as if I was floating on air. After the week from hell, it appeared the sun was slowly trying to peek out from behind my clouded mind. I pretty much skipped all the way to the subway, humming to myself the entire time, until I took a moment to pause and reality set in.

  I’d promised Maiv I would get Connor to do an exclusive interview with Passion. I’d promised an interview with a man who seemed to be anti-interviews as a rule, a man who’d already given me more of his time and kindness than I deserved.

  I was hoping to never have to exchange another word with anyone connected to Jason ever again, yet without Connor’s help, I’d be jobless and probably homeless soon enough. With his help, I’d have my dream position.

  It was time for me to do what it seemed I did pretty well as of late: grovel some more.

  19

  Connor

  “Please stop crying,” I begged of Rose as she sat across from me in my office. I’d been dreading having the conversation we had to have, yet I knew once Monday came, she’d be sitting in my office as this uncomfortable situation unfolded.

  “Okay,” she replied, yet she kept at it.

  God, her tears.

  It was an uncomfortable sight, and I wished she’d stop crying in front of me. I knew I shouldn’t have felt bad for her, but whenever a woman cried, all I wanted to do was give her comfort. Even though Rose was in the wrong, she was still human, and her sobs—even if they were only crafted out of regret and being caught in my home—were still her emotions.

  I handed her a tissue.

  With a loud blow, she cleared out her nostrils, then sniffled some more.

  “I just, I know you’re about to fire me, and, and, well…” More tears. She kept falling apart in front of me, and I pitied her. She was pretty pathetic, after all, the way she sat there with heavy eyes, whimpering lips, and unrecognizable words.

  I sat up straight in my office chair as she sat across from me, her shoulders rounded forward with a handkerchief in her right hand.

  I felt bad, but then I thought of Aaliyah and what Rose had done to her, and that guilt evaporated quickly.

  “Yes. I’m letting you go.”

  “You can’t be serious.” She sounded stunned. “I am one of the best workers here! This is bullshit!”

  What in the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was that? I blinked, and she became a completely different person. Her whole demeanor shifted. She went from the shy, nervous girl to this moody, uppity persona.

  Dammit.

  Damian was right.

  “It has nothing to do with your work—”

  “You can’t do this!” she scolded. “I am too good for this place, so I quit. I don’t want your stupid job anyway. I’m hot. I can get a job anywhere. That’s what Jason said, at least.”

  That’s because he was trying to get in your pants.

  “That’s besides the point. What took place over the weekend was inexcusable, especially you entering my home.”

  “To be fair, I didn’t know it was your home!” she offered, as if that made it any better.

  “Did you know Jason was getting married? Or was that a detail you overlooked while at his celebration the night before?”

  Her gaze fell to the floor as embarrassment overtook her. “He said he didn’t really love her.”

  “I don’t care what he said to you, Rose. You are grown enough to know better than that.”

  “Whatever. I’m over this.” She stood and started off toward the door.

  “Rose?”

  “Yes?” she asked, turning to look my way.

  “What did Jason say to you that made you think it was a good idea to do what you did with him?”

  “He said he thought I was gifted, and he believed I’d be successful someday. He told me he believed in me, and I’ve never had someone like him say that to someone like me.”

  “He might not have been wrong, but he may have said it to get exactly what it was you gave him. Men are snakes, Rose. Don’t let them taint your future by falling into their lies.”

  “Women can be snakes, too, Mr. Roe. I’m grown enough to know what I’m doing.”

  As she walked out, Damian was yet again walking in. For the first time since Rose began working there, he spoke to her.

  “Bye, Rose,” he stated flatly.

  “Fuck you, Damian,” she barked in reply. Once she left, he closed the door behind her.

  “I love it when the trash takes itself out,” he commented dryly, taking a seat across from my desk. “So!” He clasped his hands and leaned forward. “Is this the point when I get to say I told you so?”

  “Touché.”

  “One day, you’ll start listening to me.” He opened the portfolio in his hold and slid some paperwork across to me. “I knew you were pissed after losing that last property, so I spent the weekend exploring some spots, and found this abandoned property. It’s in Queens. I figured you might be interested in flipping it. Not many people are looking at it right now. I searched and called around a bit to get more intel on it. Might work for your dream or whatever.”

  He talked so calmly about going out of his way to find me a property to look at as if it wasn’t a big deal, but I knew it was. Damian didn’t straight-up say when he cared about people, but his spending the weekend to help me out demonstrated that he cared about me.

  I smirked. “You love me, don’t you.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Don’t make it weird.”

  “Okay, I won’t, but…” I kept smiling ear to ear. “You do, don’t you?”

  He stood from his chair. “I’m done talking to you.”

  “I love you, too, Damian,” I called out. Even though his back was to me, I could feel him rolling his eyes.

  “Oh, by the way—that woman who got stood up called the office. Said she wanted to meet with you briefly tomorrow. I told her you probably didn’t have time to—”

  “Red?” I asked.

  “What?”

  I shook my head. “I mean, Aaliyah? She called?”

  “Yeah. Said she needed to have a conversation with you if possible, but your schedule is packed and—”

  “Cancel my morning meeting at nine. Call her back and let her know she’s more than welcome to stop by.”

  He cocked a brow. “You never cancel meetings.”

  “Well, tomorrow I will.”

  I didn’t know why, but the idea of seeing Aaliyah again seemed much more important to me than some morning call. Ever since she’d come back into my world, I hadn’t stopped thinking about her. I couldn’t help but wonder if she was doing okay.

  20

  Aaliyah

  I spent the night researching Connor, and I was floored by what I found. I’d had no clue he was so powerful. Not only had he built himself an empire from the ground up but he also made sure to give back tenfold to the different communities as he succeeded. It was hard to find much personal information due to him never doing interviews.

  From what I read, it seemed he was a stand-up guy with morals that he stood by—whic
h held true to how he’d appeared a few years ago. Giving back to the community seemed to be high on his priorities, and that intrigued me. Jason wasn’t as big on giving back in the same way as his business partner had been, though it might’ve been because Jason grew up privileged. He hadn’t struggled a day in his life when it came to his finances. From what I’d read, it seemed as if Connor had to fight tooth and nail for every cent that fell into his bank account.

  The next morning, I found myself standing in front of Roe Headquarters with nerves in the pit of my stomach and a bouquet in my hands—because what do you bring to a person who you are about to beg to give you an exclusive interview? Red and white roses, of course. The pack of chocolates under my arm was a backup plan, too, if he didn’t like the flowers.

  After I called Connor’s office, asking if I could meet with him, I was surprised he was so quick to give me some of his time. From what I’d read, he was a pretty busy man, and I had no doubt I’d taken more than enough of his time over the past few days.

  My mind was running in extreme overthinking mode as I rode the elevator up to Connor’s office. The moment I walked through the doors, the receptionist looked at me as if I were insane holding the flowers and box of chocolates.

  “Hello, how can I help you?” she asked.

  “I’m here to see Connor.”

  “You’re Aaliyah?”

  “Yes. Should I wait out here to—” Before I could finish my thought, the door that led to Connor’s employees’ offices and his own opened up. A tall, somber-looking man stared at me. His all-black suit matched his charcoal black eyes. He was built, his arms pressing against the fabric of his business shirt, and the dark earrings that pierced his ears tied together his whole vibe. To put it frankly, the man looked terrifying, the kind of person you did not want to piss off because he could end your life with one stern look—the complete opposite of Connor’s bright, welcoming feel.

  When he turned to look my way, chills raced down my spine to the point that the box of chocolates almost dropped to the ground.

  “Aaliyah?” he asked, his dark eyes staring into mine.

  “Uh, yes?” I asked, sounding unsure.

  “You’re here to meet with Connor?”

  “Yes?” I said again—as if it were a question.

  He nodded once. “Follow me.”

  I looked at the receptionist to make sure this man wasn’t going to murder me, but she’d already moved on to a different task. We walked down the hallway, and the knots that sat in the pit of my stomach hadn’t dissipated. I felt like an asshat walking down the halls with a bouquet. What sane woman brings a grown man a bouquet?

  A desperate one, I supposed.

  We paused in front of an office door, and the man knocked two times before being told to come in.

  “Aaliyah is here for your meeting,” the somber man stated, nodding in my direction after opening the door. Across the way sat Connor, who stood from his seat quickly. He wore a light blue button-down with navy blue slacks, along with a belt that had probably cost more than my whole wardrobe if he shopped anything like Jason.

  “Thanks, Damian. You can close the door behind her,” Connor said, nodding toward the man who escorted me. “Aaliyah, come in, have a seat.” As I began to walk toward the chair, Connor slapped his hand against his upper thigh. “Wait, Damian—I almost forgot.”

  “Please don’t do this right now,” Damian said dryly.

  “Come on, we can’t avoid our daily banter,” Connor insisted.

  “It’s not daily banter. It’s you being idiotic.”

  They must’ve had a different kind of boss-employee relationship. If I’d said those words to Maiv, I would’ve been attending my funeral the following week. Cause of death would be a heel to my ass.

  Connor rounded his desk and took a seat on the edge of the wooden structure. He crossed his arms, and a wicked smirk found his lips. “Why did the ketchup blush?”

  Damian let out a dramatic sigh. “I don’t know. Why, Connor?”

  A childish chuckle escaped Connor before he proudly said, “Because it saw the salad dressing.”

  I couldn’t hold in my laughter. It was clever and corny, two of my favorite things.

  “Oh please don’t encourage him with your laughter. It only pushes him to find worse jokes,” Damian said in a monotone voice.

  Connor gestured toward me. “No, she just knows good humor. You have to admit, Damian, that’s a good one.”

  “It was a good one, but it kind of makes me sad seeing that you are using the same jokes as before,” I said. “I didn’t take you as a guy who recycled jokes.”

  Connor cocked an eyebrow. “I used that joke on you before?”

  “About two years ago, yup.”

  “No way…” He blew out a cloud of smoke. “I need to do better. Though, it is remarkable that you remembered the exact joke that I told you two years back.”

  “What can I say? You left an impression on me,” I said with a shrug.

  “You two know each other?” Damian asked, confused.

  “We met once on a random Halloween night two years ago,” I explained.

  Damian seemed a bit intrigued, which surprised me. I didn’t know he could look anything more than monotone. “That’s Red?”

  Connor grew a bit flustered as I smirked. “So, you talked about me to people, huh?”

  “Just here and there,” he calmly stated.

  “Are you joking? You met me a few months after that situation. You went on and on about how that woman changed your life. You couldn’t shut up about how perfect and wonderful and life-changing—”

  “Okayyy, Damian, now is not the time for you to adopt a chatty personality. You can go get back to work,” Connor said, hurriedly ushering Damian out of the room. He was quick to close the door behind him, and when he returned to the front of his desk, he looked like a boy who’d got caught in the act.

  “I swear, the guy never talks, and this is when he decides to blurt out all his thoughts,” he said, shaking his head.

  “Sounds like I left an impression on you, too.”

  He smiled. “Without a doubt.” The mirth that radiated from Connor’s face stayed as he shook his head but then a somberness fell over him. “I was kind of surprised to hear you wanted to meet.” He narrowed his eyes, and the jollity he’d possessed seconds ago transformed into concern. “How are you doing?”

  Why was that question almost enough to send me into a tailspin of emotions?

  I shook my head and shrugged. “As well as one could imagine, but that’s not why I’m here.” I looked down at the gifts in my hand and shoved them out in front of me. “These are for you.”

  He raised an intrigued brow. “Uh, thank you?”

  “Yeah. I mean, I don’t know if guys like getting flowers, but if it were me, I’d love getting flowers. I went with roses because, basic safe route, even though I’m more of a sunflower girl myself. Anyway, here you go.”

  I shoved them toward him a bit too aggressively until he took them from my hold.

  He leaned in and smelled the roses. “I gotta say, I’ve never had someone give me flowers. I’m not sure I have a vase for them.”

  “I didn’t think of that. I should’ve gotten a vase. If you want, I can run down to—” I started to get up, but he held up a hand.

  “No, it’s fine. I’ll have one of my assistants pick it up. Thank you for the gesture, though I’m not sure I know why you’re bringing this stuff.”

  “Well, you did put up with me on Saturday. The least I can do is bring you a gift after wasting your time. I know how important time is, and I make it a habit to try not to waste it, and well, once time is gone, you can’t get it back, so I was thinking, well—”

  “Aaliyah.”

  “Yes?”

  “You’re rambling.”

  “I know, sorry.” I began wiping my hands on my thighs because when I was anxious, sweaty palms were a given. I’d have bet my armpits were currently creatin
g impressive pit stains, too. “I’m dealing with a new set of nerves.”

  “No need for the nerves. We haven’t been nervous around each other since the first time we met. We shouldn’t start now.”

  Easy for you to say—you aren’t about to make a crazy request.

  He continued. “Honestly, you didn’t have to bring me anything. You’ve never been a waste of time in my life.”

  He was being too kind because I knew the level of destruction I’d been. Though, Connor wasn’t the type to throw that fact in my face, which I was thankful for. We stood there smiling at one another for a minute, and I was probably cheesing like a fool trying to push out the words that had to come out of my mouth next.

  “Okay, that’s not the only reason I came here with gifts,” I confessed. “Oh gosh, is it hot in here?” I began tugging on the top of my blouse, trying to air out my nerves.

  Connor raised an eyebrow. “The air is on.” He reached toward his phone and paused. “I can call for my assistant to bring you water, though.”

  “No, no. It’s fine. I’m just on the brink of a breakdown, no big deal. But that does lead me to what I need to talk to you about. Or more so, ask you about.”

  “Oh?”

  I clasped my hands and set them in my lap. “I was hoping I could interview you.”

  Inquisitiveness filled his stare. “Interview me?”

  “Yes. I know this sounds crazy, but I work for Passion Magazine. Well, I did work for Passion Magazine. I put in my two weeks’ notice before the wedding since I was planning on moving out to California with Jason, and well, now…” My words faded as my brain began to recall why I was in this situation and why I was seconds away from begging Connor to help me.

  I cleared my throat and blinked a few times, forcing out a smile as I continued to talk. “I went to try to get my job back yesterday, and I guess my boss saw you at the ceremony hall. I don’t know if you know it, but you are a hot commodity in the media sphere, and so many people are interested in getting an exclusive interview with you.” The more I talked, the more the light evaporated from Connor’s eyes. “Straight to the point, my former boss said I can get my job back if I’m able to convince you to do an exclusive interview with Passion by this Friday.”