Chapter 7

"Why? She?What the hell?"  Her eyes widened as she witnessed an unimaginable thing, "Wait! Why am I... Why're there two me?" She blinked. As far as she remembered, she didn't have a twin sister then who was the girl at her desk? 

"Am I hallucinating?" She rubbed her eyes to see again, just then someone tapped on her shoulder, she yelped. She then turned to see a girl trying to get her attention, "Are you okay?" The girl asked with concern, her Id card hung down her neck, displaying her name, 'Susanne Cruz'

"I don't know," she shook her head, "Oh wait, do you see me there? Am I sitting there?" Arielle asked the girl, "What are you talking about?" The girl frowned adjusting her horn-rimmed glasses. "Why would you be there when you're standing right in front of me?"

"No?" She gave a nervous smile, with her eyes closed she slowly turned her head and she looked with one eye closed, her other eye shot open when she didn't see anyone there. "huh?" She tilted her head in confusion.

Soon other girls stopped by them, "Hey, let's go." 

"Yes." Susanne nodded at her colleagues as she gave a last long stare at Arielle who was rubbing her eyes and muttering things, she only wanted to invite Arielle for lunch with them but she sighed shaking her head and went after her friends. 

"What now? Am I seeing things?" Arielle rubbed her eyes and looked back at her desk, "Pull your self together, Elle." She slapped her cheeks and nodded, "Forget everything, Let's go have a lunch date with Reece." She said with a gleeful smile.

She went to her desk and looked at the note once again, it didn't say where they'll meet for lunch so she decided to wait there, after few minutes of waiting she glanced at his chair through the glass, he wasn't inside. Where did he go? She looked around, her stomach grumbled with hunger. "I'm hungry!" She pouted as she patted her stomach. 

She then searched for her phone which was provided to her by the company this morning, it wasn't there. "Why is this happening to me?" She leaned back on her chair and looked up complaining to almighty. 

She then noticed Mr. temporary secretary and called out to him, "Tom!" She waved as she ran to him, "Yes, Miss Smith." He looked at her with a plastic smile on his face."Have you seen Reece?" She asked catching up to him. He gave her a disapproving look hearing her call her boss by his name.

"He's gone out for lunch," He replied. 

"Heh?" She frowned at his words."But he..." She scratched her head. 

"Well, Miss Smith, I've got some work to do, now, excuse me." saying this he walked away. 

"He went out for lunch by himself? Why did he ask me then?" Arielle pouted sulkily as her stomach growled again. "Okay tummy, let's head to the cafeteria then," She rubbed her tummy but when she reached the cafeteria the food had finished and before she realized it, the lunch break was over.

She kept her head down covered with files as she groaned in frustration, "I'm hungry." She whined as she took out her frustration on the file. Her head shot up when she heard a rustle, she found a choco pie with a sticky note, "You managed the meeting smoothly, good work. -R" She looked inside his cabin, her eyes met his and he smiled at her. "Aww!" She smiled hugging the Chocopie.

But then something struck her mind, 'which meeting?' 

"Who cares?" She shrugged as she gobbled up her Chocopie.

At the end of the day, she stretched her body, waiting for the bus home, "So much for the first day, I feel like I did work for the entire month in one day," She sighed. "Excuse me, this is a story and I'm the author, cut me some slack will you? Even in real life, I don't have this much work, can't it be like suddenly time skipped to a month, progress the story faster, at this rate when can I go back home?" She complained looking heavenward. 

Just then a black Mercedes stopped in front of her, she looked around, she was the only one standing there, the window glass rolled down and it was Reece, her face lit up in an instant, "Get inside," He gestured. 

"Me?" She blinked.

"You see anyone else? Just get inside," Tom glared at her from the passenger seat. 

"Tom," Reece warned him. 

She gladly took her seat next to Reece. 

****

The door to the book store opened as he was about to put a spoonful of pasta in his mouth. 

"Food!" Arielle shouted as she ran inside.

He dropped the fork on the plate as he leaned back, crossing his arms against his chest, "Statue." The word rolled from his lips and she froze instantly, he smiled victoriously. 

"That's not fair." She muttered. 

"You have the perfect timing, don't you? Always interrupting when I'm about to eat, that's unfair." He retorted. "This, I'm not sharing." He added.

When he savored the taste of the pasta, she licked her lips and gulped. 

"Stop staring, don't eye my food, I'll get indigestion." He covered the dish with his hands.

"This is torture!" She complained.

"Why? Your "heartthrob, the sweetheart, the sweetest, kindest, and the most understanding new boss unlike your old rude boss" didn't feed you?" He mocked her. 

"I'm sorry, Your majesty. Please forgive your lowly servant." She pleaded as her stomach grumbled.

He shook his head in resignation and fixed her plate, "over," He muttered and in an instant, Arielle sat there devouring the food. 

"Easy," He muttered as he wiped the sauce stain at the tip of her nose. 

She started to narrate the day's events to him, "And Reece was so cool at the meeting-"

"Eat or talk, one thing at a time." He scolded her.

"But-"

"Shh." 

After they finished the food, Arielle continued, "and he even gifted me a bouquet," She smiled shyly, "He even invited me out for lunch but I couldn't go with him, I even lost my phone as soon as I got it.....he even dropped me here," She giggled.

"Remind me why am I listening to your love story?" He rolled his eyes. 

"It's not my love story, it's my character's love story." She shrugged. "And I don't have anyone here to share it with, you're the only one in this unfamiliar world whom I can talk to, share my things, with whom I can be myself." She said playing with her fingers, "you're my only friend here." She added.

"I don't remember being friends with you." He shook his head disapprovingly.

"Okay, just pretend I'm talking to myself then." She pouted sulkily. 

"That sounds good, that sounds mad and perfect I don't want to associate myself with mad people." He picked up his dishes and moved it to the sink. 

"OK, boss, sorry for even breathing," She pouted sulkily. 

When she reached home, she threw her bag in one direction and got into the shower, getting changed she jumped into bed, as soon as he closed her eyes she dozed off. 

"Oh my god!" Her eyes shot open when she heard someone scream, "What now?" She lazily got up from her bed and rubbed her eyes. 

"What's wrong, Iva?" She heard a male voice. "Iva? Isn't that me?" She scratched her hair.

"Joe looks like someone broke in." She heard the girl panic. 

"Joe? That's Iva's best friend," She muttered. 

"Wait, let me check." Joe shielded Iva as he moved in.

"Let's call the police, what if the burglar's still here, I'm scared." Iva stopped the guy. 

"What's going on?" Arielle opened the door and spotted the guy and the girl outside, she immediately shut the door, Iva and Joe were startled by the noise, "Some one's there." Iva gulped.