Novels by S. O

I walked into work with my extra bag and suddenly felt nervous that I’d be seeing Tom today. It had only been four days, but it felt a lot longer. *ping* “You look beautiful today, trust you slept well?” I looked around, but couldn’t see Tom anywhere. Confused and stopped in my tracks. “I did, but I’m not sure how you can see me?” I questioned. A picture of the security cameras zoomed in on me came through and I knew he must have been waiting for me to arrive. I shook my head, knowing he would also see that movement and continued to my office. “Morning Anna, have you been to the gym this morning?” Skye knocked on my door “Morning Sarah, umm no I haven’t, should I have?” “Just the bag, I thought you may have.” Skye’s cheek blushed as did mine. “I see you have a meeting this afternoon, if I don’t see you before then, good luck with your exams.” “Thank you Skye”, I smiled and remembered the meeting invite. I clicked into the calendar and read through the details to see if I h

The next two days went fast. Work was super busy, and not just because I was new, everyone seemed under the pump. Skye was still lovely, but you could tell she was stressed, as her responses were short and quick. I was glad tomorrow would be my last day for the week. I hadn’t really heard from Tom. I thought about calling him, but it’s not like he really tried to contact me. I sighed before going through the rest of my tasks for the day. An email notification popped up. It was from Tom. He’d scheduled me in for a ‘meeting’ at this fancy restaurant down the pier from the office. Can’t even call me, I rolled my eyes, and now I’m just becoming something he has to schedule in. As I looked at the email invitation, I tossed up whether to hit maybe, but instead I chose to hit decline, knowing it would annoy him. Not even two seconds later and my phone was ringing. As he chose to call my mobile and I was at work, I declined, responding that I was unable to take calls right now. And no

Focus Anna! Focus, I thought to myself. I had exams coming up. I needed to study and I really needed to just clear my head. ‘I’d go for a walk first and then hopefully my mind would be less.. cluttered’, I nodded to myself. As I was leaving, Mae popped her head out of her room. “A, where are you off to. I’m just about to go for a run, I’ll come with?” Noticing I was in workout clothes, she too was obviously needing to clear her head. “Sounds good, I can wait if you’re still getting ready?” “I just need a water bottle and I’m good to go!” M answered. We strolled the streets, jogging up and down a few of the hills. It was nice. The fresh air was just what I needed. We walked past the fancy houses not far from us and admired their gardens, Mae picked a few that were over hanging the fence and admired their fragrance. Instead of heading straight home, we decided to stop at the little coffee shop on the corner not far from us. It didn’t have much in terms of food, a few slices and

** Anna ** It’s a new day, I thought to myself as I opened my eyes to the sun glistening through the sheer curtains. It was quiet and I only imagined it was still early hours of the morning as no one else was about. I skipped to the kitchen and made myself a coffee. It appeared to be a nice day so I walked out onto the balcony and sat in my usual spot enjoying the morning light, the glistening sun. The rays beaming down on my milky skin, heating me up. It was Sunday so I’d stay at home tonight before work tomorrow. And then I’d only work until Wednesday this week due to exams. A short week, I could deal with that. I could hear someone in the kitchen, I looked through the window and could see Sylvie going about her usual morning routine. She didn’t notice I was outside. I wondered if Tom was awake yet. I sighed a little as I recalled our conversation from last night.I sat a little longer enjoying the fresh air before going in and joining Sylvie. “Good morning Anna, how did you s

Did I just tell him I’m ready or did I just tell him I know how to let him know I’m ready. If I was being honest I don’t know which one I actually meant. But it didn’t matter anyway, Tom kissed the top of my head and whispered into my ear, “you need to recover first princess, but I like your eagerness”. He really did have a softer side. He was acting like a boyfriend more and more each day, this all just didn’t make sense. I sighed and rolled my eyes, apparently loud enough for him to notice. “Is there a problem Anna?” He queried. I’d have enough of holding back. I had a sea of emotions coursing through me and everything seemed to come crashing out. “Why be so kind and caring and loving towards me..” I paused assessing his facial expressions before continuing, “when you don’t want a relationship?” He stayed silent as usual when I brought up the feelings chatter. “Am I wrong to not think there is something more here?” I again sat, assessing his face, but this time I would wait f

— Monday —I’d stayed at Tom’s for the rest of the weekend. He was… different. More caring. More soft. I refused to postpone starting this week in my new job. Frankly the distraction was what I needed right now. Sylvie had picked up a few dresses, all business attire. I picked out a mid length navy blue dress for my first day. It was simple, yet elegant. Tom had insisted on driving me on my first day. I didn’t want anyone to talk so we agreed to walk in separately. Him first. Once I was ready, I checked my makeup once more. I used concealer to hide the bruising. The scratches, the marks. A few bruises on my legs were easily hidden with a pair of stockings which fit nicely with my black gloss heels. I walked out and was greeted by Tom’s smile. “Ready then princess?” He asked as my cheeks blushed at his words. Once we got in the car, Tom handed me a small gift box. He didn’t have to get me anything, but insisted as it was my first day. It was a rose gold pen. As far as pens go,