by Anna Belle
Marie suddenly awoke from her dream. She was covered in sweat. Strands of her hair were sticking to the sides of her cheeks. She grabbed her head, which throbbed in pain. She knew that everything was just a dream, but that didn't help that fact that she was still upset about it. She looked at the digital clock next to her and realized that it was time to get up.
She took long strides to the bathroom. The cold water felt good on her face.
With the help of makeup, she was able to hide the fact that she had been crying all night. She got dressed and went downstairs into the kitchen to eat.
"Good morning Lola." She said without getting any reply back. "Did Bruce call?" She asked, understanding why she didn't get a response back.
"Yes, he did. He called as soon as you left the house." She said dryly.
"Sorry for getting you involved in all of this." Marie said softly.
"Your father called you from the office and said that he's waiting for you."
"Thank you." She said as she grabbed a quick breakfast, so her dad wouldn't wait for her for too long. She thought that he had some important work for her to do.
An hour later, she was smiling while she looked at her father's happy grin.
"Good news?"
"Yes." He showed her to a chair with his hand. "Sit, let me tell you about it."
"What is it? Tell me."
"I talked to Nathan earlier today."
"So he came to work then?"
"He's still not feeling very well but he managed." He joked about Nathan's baggy eyes and tired face that were hard to miss.
"He's still not feeling well?" She asked, concerned.
"He'll be alright honey, don't worry about him, Nathan is a tough man." He said with a smile.
"If you say so." She replied weakly.
"Anyway, Nathan is happy with everything he's seen and he promised me that he will do anything he can to get the contracts signed and the transition as smooth as possible."
"How long will that take?"
"About ten days, give or take." O'Conner replied happily.
"Good!" She managed to let out a smile while her head throbbed.
"I need to ask you for a favor. Just be around Nathan if he needs anything please, I need this to happen without any interruption." He begged her.
"Of course."
The phone on his desk began ringing. He answered it and she used the opportunity to quickly leave his office.
She told herself that she needed to do something as soon as possible. She already had a plan, which wasn't the greatest, but on the way there she would think most of it through.
Her plan was to give Nathan another chance, another chance to really figuring out how he felt towards her. She knew she could get his real feelings out him. He'll tell her what he feels. She promised herself that she would accept whatever he tells her, but she had to know for sure.
She planned that from that moment on, she would be around him all the time.
But, before all of that, she had to find Bruce and talk to him. She would try to explain to him her feelings towards Nathan and what she needed to do. She would tell him how much turmoil she face and how far she's willing to go to find the truth behind everything.
She knew that it would be difficult to tell him all of this, but that she had to do it. She hoped that Bruce would understand at least a bit of what she had to do and would support her as much as one man could support a woman he loves while she looked for meaning in a past lover.
Chapter 23
Her talk with Bruce lasted more than an hour. After the initial shock of it all wore off, there was only rage and jealousy, but nevertheless, Bruce accepted what she told him. He tried to understand her. He felt worse knowing that he couldn't have any effect on her or what she decided to do.
She put Bruce to the side and there's nothing he could have done about it. All he could do was wait for her to finish what she wanted to do and come to a decision at the end of it all.
"Please call me once you finish all that you want to do. I'll wait for you and I won't stop hoping that you'll come back to me." He told her.
"I'll call you." She promised him.
The sadness and guilt she felt because for what she was doing to Bruce was instantly replaced when she realized that she had to find Nathan.
"Hey!" She waved at him as she saw him open his car door.
She caught up to him in the parking lot. She acted like he was waiting for her all this time, which surprised him.
"Hey Marie."
"Where are we going?" She asked him.
For some reason she was very red in the face. He couldn't possibly guess the fury of love and passion that Marie was feeling at that very moment, and how could he, after all that she said to him.
"I have to go to the bank. I have a meeting with the bank director there. You know, for the acquisition. But, I'm not sure where you're planning to go?" He asked, confused as to why she was acting the way she did.
"I'm going with you." She said as she walked around to the passenger side of her car. She opened the door and sat in the car.
"What do you mean you're going with me?" He asked, even more confused than before.
"Well if you have nothing against it." She smiled. He shook his head as he laughed at the absurdity of it all. He sat in the car, closed the door and started the ignition.
"What's all this about?" He asked her after a long awkward pause in the car. He knew that she had something up her sleeve, but he wasn't sure what exactly.
"I just want to help you with what you need to do." She said, giving him half the truth. The rest of her plan she kept hidden.
"So I would leave sooner." He added.
"No, that has nothing to do with it." She waved with her hand.
"I know it does." He smiled ironically. "I know how you are." He added with a cold voice.
"I'm doing this because I want to, not because I want you to leave." She said, remembering that he said a similar thing when he bought the wine for her.
At the time, she didn't understand him, just like now he probably doesn't understand her either.
"Marie, you're playing with fire now." He warned her.
"I guess that's just how I am." She said, mocking the way he used to say the same thing.
"What's gotten into you today?"
"You're not like the Marie I use to know." He added quickly. "I don't even know anymore." He looked away from the road and at her. "Who are you?" His smile told her that he liked the new her.
"Stay here long enough and you'll find out." She gave him a very telling look.
Nathan decided to relax and enjoy her company, no matter what game she was playing. She'll be to blame no matter what happens, he thought to himself.
"When we're done with the meeting, I'm taking you out to lunch." She said as she moved around in her seat, trying to find a comfortable position.
"What's with you today? Seriously?" He smiled.
"There's a restaurant I go to every time I'm downtown. I'd love for you to try it."
Nathan didn't even know how to respond. But, he noticed how her new attitude made him feel a lot better all of a sudden.
That was going to be a good day, he thought hopefully as he noticed her beautiful smile at the corner of his eye.
Chapter 24
"Your daughter has changed in the past few days." Nathan told O'Conner at the end of the day as they left the office together.
Marie has been around him all the time. At one moment, he thought he would trip over her due to her being there, almost as if they were the same person. Hot and cold, that's how it's always been with her, and that's how it probably is now.
In those rare moments that she would go somewhere, he would miss her. Even though he knew that she must be playing some game, he loved the fact that she was always around him.
"Marie? Really?" O'Conner laughed loudly. "Well you know her, she always goes from one end to the other. There's no middle ground with her really."<
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"I think that she decided that she wants me gone as fast as possible and that everything she's doing now, is because of that."
"I don't think so, I just think she finally realized how important your job here is and she finally decided to help you with it." O'Conner defended her, but he wasn't really sure.
"Whatever it is, she's trying real hard." He smiled while he remembered the past few days they spent together. She was the cutest he's ever seen her, and really fun to be around. They truly enjoyed each other's company, they laughed together, flirted a bit and just took some time to relax.
That day will always stay with him, the best day of his life, where he got to spend the whole day with a woman that he can't seem to get his mind off of.
"Where is she anyway?"
"Somewhere around here." He looked around. "Can't be too far away from me." He said with a smile.
"There." He said when he looked to the side to see her leaning on his car and talking on her phone. When their eyes met, she waved to him. Her face was full of happiness and a small smile appeared on her lips. Her eyes were soft and inviting.
"She must take from her mother's side." O'Conner said jokingly. "Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow." He said as he sat in his car.
She hung the line up and put the phone in her pocket. Looking up at Nathan as he approached, she smiled at him.
As Nathan walked he wondered if he would ever truly know this woman. She seems to surprise him every single day they're together. Even if he lived for one hundred years he still wouldn't really know her, and even if he lived for one hundred years, he still wouldn't be able to get enough of her beauty.
He approached her and leaned on his car. They spent a few silent moments just looking into each other's eyes.
"What's the plan?" She asked, breaking the silence.
"Don't know."
"I don't have any plans really."
"Me neither." She answered quickly.
"See you tomorrow then." He said as he opened the driver's side door.
Marie didn't want him to go, she wanted to tell him something so she grabbed him by the arm. She looked at him but words couldn't come out. Her throat was dry and her mind just stopped working.
"I'll see you." She whispered.
He nodded his head and waited for her to move away from the door.
"Actually, I think I'm going to go visit the farms today. I'd like for you to come with me."
"Didn't you say you had nothing planned?" He reminded her.
"Well, kind of I guess." She smiled at him.
"Why are you doing all of this?" He asked, trying to understand her recent actions.
All he could really think of is that she did whatever he wished for now so that he would leave Texas as quickly as possible.
"Bruce, is he going to be there?"
"I don't think so."
"What do you mean you don't think so? You know what? Forget it, call me when you're sure." He told her seriously and he sat in the driver's seat, closed the door, and drove out of the parking garage.
Tears appeared in her eyes as the sound of tires rubbing on cement echoed throughout the garage. She already was sure, but she didn't have the courage to tell him.
She felt empty and broken. With every passing moment, she would feel less and less sure that Nathan had any feelings for her.
Chapter 25
Nathan didn't show up at the farm, but Bruce did. She walked up to him when she recognized his car.
"How's everything?" He asked her.
"Good." She stood next to him. She didn't have the strength to look him in the eyes.
"What's wrong with you?" He grabbed her chin softly and moved her face up to look at him. "You were crying. What happened?"
"I'll be fine." She moved her fingers through her hair annoyingly. She felt awkward about the whole situation.
"You didn't get back to me after some time so I had a feeling I'd find you here."
"I had a lot of work to do." Both of them knew that it was just an excuse for what she was really doing.
"Yea I can see that. You were working with him." He grabbed her arm and walked with her along a path covered in roses.
"You were never as happy with me than you were with him." He said suddenly.
"No, not ..." She started to defend herself but her cheeks turned rosy.
"I'm not stupid, Marie!" He cut her off. "I'm not just talking randomly here. I saw the two of you, him and you happy to be with him." He said, trying hard to understand what was going on.
"I just realized that today."
"That you never forgot him? That you never stopped loving him?"
"Yea. Sorry ..." She started to say with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry about all of this."
"I thought about you for a long time." He said with a smile. "These past few days, after our little talk, you're all I could think about." He straightened out. "I really tried to understand why you were doing what you were doing and I finally think I found the reason."
She looked up at him.
"I think that you have a lot of pride and I think that pride is the main reason behind all of your problems."
"When he came here and I saw him again, I started to get the same feelings I've had before. Finding that out has been weird for me, and uncomfortable to say the least. To be honest, I couldn't believe that after all the years that passed, I still couldn't forget about him." She opened up to him, realizing that he was her friend and that he always will be. "Everything is just so confusing. My whole world turned upside down and I didn't know who I was nor what I want."
"But now you know." He wanted to hear it from her.
"Yea, now I know." She answered.
For some time they continued to walk in total silence. Him with his own thoughts and her with her own. Bruce needed that time to think about all that was said. He heard from her own mouth what he already knew but was afraid of and now he needed some time to get over it.
"Today your father came into my office to check up on the new shipments. He was ecstatic when I showed him all the new customers we got." He said proudly. "I might ask him for a promotion." He said with a smile.
"A promotion?" She said with a laugh.
"Yea! What? You think he wouldn't give me one?"
"I don't know Bruce, you're kind of lazy." She said jokingly.
Both of them smiled and laughed, truly enjoying ones company.
Chapter 26
Marie felt a lot better after her talk with Bruce. She felt her strength and will come back, just like her courage to tell Nathan what she needs to tell him before he leaves.
When she came back home, she spent a long time talking things over with Lola. Both of them laughed at the events that have happened.
"When did you plan to talk with Nathan?" Lola asked her.
"Tomorrow."
"I wish you the best of luck with that." She said as she yawned. She got up from the sofa and went to her room. "Sleep well." She added before she walked down the long hallway.
Marie couldn't sleep that night. All she could think about was Nathan and what she needed to tell him.
She woke up early, showered, got dressed and put on her makeup.
When she arrived to work, she skipped greeting everyone and went straight to her father's office, hoping to find Nathan there.
"You're here." He said surprised as she walked in without knocking. "Come, look at this." He showed her a file with his hand. A small smile appeared on his face.
"What's that?" She grabbed the file and sat on the couch.
"That's Nathan's findings, the ones he sent to New York. I just heard from William. He's very happy to be doing business with us." He said proudly. "Nathan can leave soon."
"Excuse me?"
"He's an ambition man honey, I'm sure he has business elsewhere."
"Too bad he didn't stay with us." He added.
"Where is he now?"
"Downtown, I think."
"When is he coming bac
k?" She asked with a shaky voice.
"Tonight, I'm not sure. What's with all the question?" He got up and came closer to her.
She covered her shaky lips with one hand as her heart beat loudly in her chest. She was afraid that he would leave without her having the chance to tell him everything, what she feels for him and how much she loves him.
"You're in love with him again." Her father stated bluntly. "And, just like before, me being concentrated on my work, I didn't even notice it. I had my feelings about it, sure, but I didn't know it was back like this." O'Conner looked at her.
He sat at the edge of the couch. She leaned her head on his chest and stared quietly out of the window behind his desk.
"Is he going to come back?" She asked him suddenly.
"I think he will."
"You think, but you're not sure."
"Ok honey, I'm sure." He added quickly.
"If he's going to come back then why did he give you the files already?" Panic suddenly set in. "No, he's not coming back." She shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Marie, he'll come back, we have to see each other at least one more time." Her father knew what his daughter was feeling and he tried his best to calm her down. He knew that her fear of never seeing him again made her act irrational.
"I have to see him." She got up.
"Where are you going?"
"I don't know. I just know that I can't stay here." She left his office not even knowing where she was going next.
She sat in her car and drove around the city for a long time. She didn't really think about anything, how could she, the man who she loved was leaving her. Without knowing where she was going exactly, she turned her car around and went back to the farm closest to her house. She didn't talk to anyone. She just wanted to walk along the rose covered path and keep her mind off the fact that this time, she might lose him forever.
Chapter 27
After about four hours, Marie decided that she would try and see if Nathan is back in his penthouse. When she arrived there, the security let her in, recognizing her from before. She went inside the elevator, clicked the button for the top and went up.