He wants her back

Brielle ran out of the break room and down the hall to the nearest bathroom, holding her hand over her mouth. She made it just in time, falling to her knees in front of the toilet and retched violently. Her whole body was shaking, and she felt completely mortified. What must Xavier think of her now? She was sure that he would never look at her the same way again.

Brielle rinsed her mouth out with water, trying to get rid of the awful taste. She looked at herself in the mirror, and she could see that her face was still red and blotchy. She splashed some cold water on her face, trying to cool herself down and calm her nerves. She felt shaky and vulnerable, and she just wanted to hide away somewhere. But she knew she had to face Xavier eventually.

As Brielle walked out of the bathroom, she saw Xavier standing there, a cup of coffee in his hand. She felt a rush of embarrassment and shame, and she looked down at the floor, not able to meet his eyes. She could feel him looking at her, and she wondered what he must be thinking.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice gentle and full of concern. Brielle nodded.

"I thought you might need this," Xavier said, holding out the cup of coffee to her. "To help get rid of the... aftertaste," he finished, looking a bit embarrassed himself.

Brielle took the cup from him, not sure what to say. She was grateful that he was being so kind and understanding, but she still felt mortified by the whole situation. She took a sip of the coffee, savoring the bitter_sweet taste.

"Why don't you take the rest of the day off?" Xavier suggested, his tone still gentle and understanding. "You look like you could use some time to rest and take care of yourself."

Brielle hesitated, not sure if she should agree or not. But the thought of going home and getting some rest sounded so appealing but then again, clocking out before then boss does sounds unprofessional.

"That's very kind of you to offer, but I think I'd rather finish out the day," Brielle said, feeling a bit more like herself again.

Xavier nodded, seeming to understand her desire to stay on task. "I admire your work ethic," he said, a small smile on his face. "Just make sure you're taking care of yourself, too."

The elevator ride back to the CEO's office floor was awkwardly silent. Both Xavier and Brielle seemed intent on avoiding eye contact, looking anywhere but at each other. The silence was deafening, and it seemed to last forever. The elevator finally arrived at their floor, and they both stepped out, not saying a word. Brielle went back to her desk, and Xavier returned to his office. The air between them felt tense and uncomfortable.

***

The workday finally came to an end, and Xavier put on his suit coat and headed out of his office. As he walked past Brielle's desk, he noticed that she was already fast asleep, her head resting on her arms. She looked so peaceful as she slept. He didn't want to wake her up so, he walked back into his office.

Xavier sat at his desk, waiting for Brielle to wake up. He knew that it was probably inappropriate for him to be waiting for her like this, but he didn't want her to walk home alone in the dark. He just wanted to make sure she got home safe, and he didn't know how else to do that without seeming like a creep. After a while, he started to doze off, his head falling forward onto his desk.

Xavier was jolted awake by a loud knock on the door. He looked up, and there was Brielle, standing in the doorway, looking a bit disheveled but alert.

"I'm sorry to have dozed off like that," Xavier said, feeling embarrassed.

Brielle looked a bit surprised, but she quickly recovered. Why was he apologizing to her? "It's okay," she said, a small smile on her face.

"I know it's late, and you're probably hungry," Xavier said, his voice a bit hesitant. "Would you like to join me for dinner? We could grab a quick bite before we head home."

Brielle looked a bit surprised by the invitation, but she couldn't deny that she was hungry. "I'd like that" she said, a smile growing on her face. "I could use a bite to eat after a long day."

Xavier drove them to a fancy steakhouse that Brielle had only ever seen from the outside. She couldn't believe she was actually going to dine there.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked, a bit of nervousness in her voice. "It's a bit... out of my price range."

Xavier smiled, his eyes sparkling. "Don't worry about the cost," he said, his voice warm and reassuring. "I want you to have a nice meal, without any worries. Xavier pays the bills okay?"

____

Brielle found herself relaxing and enjoying her time with Xavier, despite the awkwardness of the beginning of their evening. As the conversation flowed, they found themselves laughing and joking together, as if they had been friends for years. It was a strange, but wonderful feeling. Brielle laughed so hard at one of Xavier's jokes that she nearly choked on her food. She covered her mouth, embarrassed, but Xavier was laughing right along with her.

"I don't think there's ever been a secretary who's gone out to dinner with their boss at a fancy steakhouse," Brielle said, still chuckling. "I might be breaking new ground here."

Xavier smiled, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "Well, I think it's about time we started setting new precedents." Brielle couldn't help but agree, and they both laughed again. It felt like they were two friends out for a fun evening, rather than a boss and his secretary.

"You know, you never once listened to my request to call me by my first name" Xavier said, a playful grin on his face.

Brielle felt a blush creep up her cheeks. "It is a matter of principle" she said, feigning indignation. "I'm a secretary, not a friend."

Xavier let our an uneven smile and continued picking his food with the fork he had in hand.

The sound of Brielle's phone ringing cut through the comfortable silence of their dinner. Brielle looked at her phone, her face falling as she saw the name on the screen.

"I need to take this."

Xavier nodded, understanding. "Of course, take your time."

Brielle stood up and walked out of the restaurant, answering the call as she went. Xavier watched her go, a pang of concern in his chest.

Brielle answered the call, and a familiar voice greeted her. "Hey, it's me" said Dylan, her ex-boyfriend. Brielle felt a mix of emotions irritation, anger, and a touch of sadness.

"What do you want?" she asked, her tone cold.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing," Dylan said, his voice a bit hesitant. "I know we haven't talked in a while, and I thought I'd check in."

Brielle scoffed. "That's funny, considering you never checked in while we were together."

Dylan tried to apologize, but Brielle cut him off. "You know, I don't need your apologies" she said, her voice firm. "I've moved on, and I'm doing just fine without you. So save your breath."

Dylan paused, taken aback by her response. "But... I thought maybe we could be friends again," he said, his voice pleading. "I miss you, Brielle." Brielle shook her head, even though he couldn't see her.

"No, we can't be friends," she said, her voice resolute. "I can't trust you anymore."

Dylan's next words sent a chill down Brielle's spine. "You know, I'm actually outside your apartment right now" he said, his voice calm but unsettling. "I thought we could talk in person."

Brielle's heart started racing, panic rising in her chest. "How did you know where I live?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"I had to track you down," Dylan said, as if it were no big deal. "I figured it was the only way to get through to you."

Brielle ended the call, her heart pounding in her chest. She turned and hurried back to the table, a sense of urgency in her movements.

"I'm so sorry, but something urgent has come up and I need to leave" she said to Xavier, her voice shaking. "I'm really sorry to cut our evening short."

Xavier looked at her, concern written all over his face. "What's wrong?" he asked, standing up from his chair. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine" Brielle insisted, her voice quavering despite her best efforts to keep it steady. "I just need to go."

Xavier didn't seem convinced, but he nodded and said, "Okay, but please let me know if there's anything I can do to help." Brielle forced a smile, but it felt tight and unnatural. "Thank you" she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'll be fine, I promise."

With that, she hurried out of the restaurant, leaving Xavier standing alone at their table. Brielle rushed out of the restaurant and hailed the first taxi she saw. She barely gave the driver her address before she sank into the backseat, her heart pounding in her chest. As the taxi sped through the city, Brielle's thoughts raced. She couldn't believe that Dylan had tracked her down, and she felt a mix of fear and anger coursing through her.

As the taxi pulled up to Brielle's apartment building, she saw that her worst fears had come true. There was Dylan, standing outside the door, a determined look on his face. Brielle's stomach dropped, and she felt frozen in place.

Brielle took a deep breath, steeling herself as she opened the door of the taxi. She walked slowly towards Dylan, trying to keep her voice calm and steady.

"Dylan, what are you doing here?" she asked, trying to sound firm. "We broke up. I thought that was clear. I don't want you here."

Dylan looked at her, his face a mix of anger and desperation. "But I love you" he said, his voice pleading. "I can't let you go."

Brielle's voice rose, the anger and hurt finally breaking through her calm facade. "You had the nerve to cheat on me with my best friend, and now you're standing here, telling me you love me? Are you serious? How dare you even show your face to me after what you did!"

Dylan's face fell, and he opened his mouth to speak, but Brielle cut him off. "No, I don't want to hear it," she said, her voice shaking. "I never want to see you again. Get out of here and leave me alone."

Brielle turned to open her apartment door, desperate to get inside and away from Dylan. But before she could, she felt his hand on her waist, gently but firmly pulling her back.

Before Brielle could even react, Dylan had closed the door behind them, leaving them alone in her apartment. Brielle felt like she couldn't breathe, and she tried to wrench herself away from him, but he held her close, refusing to let her go.

"Please, just listen to me," he said, his voice breaking. "I know I made a terrible mistake, and I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. Please, just give me another chance."

As he released her waist, he gently turned her to face him. His eyes were filled with regret and sorrow, and Brielle could see the pain he was in.

"I know I hurt you" he said, his voice full of emotion. "And I know I don't deserve your forgiveness. But I want to make it up to you, if you'll let me. I know I can't take back what I did, but I want to try to make things right. I never stopped loving you, not for a second."

As he spoke, Brielle could feel her resolve weakening. She knew she should push him away and tell him to leave, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. As Dylan leaned in closer, Brielle could feel his breath on her cheek. She could feel her heart racing, and she could feel the tension in the air.

"Tell me you didn't miss me" Dylan said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Tell me that you didn't miss our late-night conversations, or how I kiss you. Tell me you didn't miss the way I made you laugh, or the way I made you feel like you were the only person in the world. Tell me you didn't miss any of that, and I'll walk out that door right now and never bother you again."

Brielle's heart was racing, and she could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She couldn't deny that she had missed all of those things.

Brielle's breath caught in her throat as she felt Dylan's lips on hers. It had been so long since she had felt this kind of closeness, and she wasn't sure what to do. But before she could even think, her arms wrapped around his neck, and she kissed him back. Suddenly, all of the pain and anger she had been feeling melted away, replaced by a feeling of peace and comfort.