"Zab!" Andrea screamed as soon as the door of my apartment opened. She grabbed my sister into a tight hug which my sister gladly returned.
"Dre! I missed you!" She screamed while the two of them twirled around the living room. I can't help but laugh at the sight of my best friend and my sister acting like they're the ones who are related. It's been so long since I had the two by my side at the same time.
The three of us ended up having dinner together just like old times. I miss being surrounded by these two, specially Zabrina. I miss sharing a room with her, waking up, and going to sleep together. I love being with her again, but I still can't shake off the feeling that she's still hiding the truth of her unexpected visit. I want to say something about it, but she looks so happy that I can't bring myself to ask her again and ruin the mood.
"I'll be staying here for the night." Andrea suddenly declared and by the looks of it, I don't think I have any say in this.
"You know your sister might like someone. And he might like him back." She confessed to Zab, earning her a death glare from me.
"Really? Who? What does he look like? Do you have a picture of him?" She asked in a flash that even the so ever talkative Andrea had a hard time keeping up.
"One at a time Zab." She said while giggling as I shook my head at them.
"Okay, who is it?" Zab slowly asked.
"Our new boss seems to have a particular liking to one Catherine Zoe Aragon." Dre answered her while wiggling her eyebrows at me.
"What? Oh my gosh! Is this some sort of office romance? So romantic! Ahh!" she shrieked, making me clasp my hands to my ears.
"Stop it Zab! It's definitely not an office romance. He just happens to be very hands-on with his work." I answered, but it looks like she doesn't believe me.
"Looks like he's been very hands-on with you." my little sister answered me with a malicious look in her eyes. I could feel my face burning and as soon as they looked at me, they both let out amused laughter.
"What are you thinking about Zoe?" Zab asked stifling her giggle and I just continued eating my food. Thankfully, the two of them stopped and we could finally finish our food. We then started up a movie, and just cuddled together under our blankets on the living room floor.
"So, you don't have any feelings for this boss of yours?" Zab suddenly whispered to me as we were watching the movie.
"I don't know how to answer that Zab." I said to her.
"See, don't what to admit it, but you also can't deny it." Andrea said beside me.
"Sir Mitchel is very attractive. He might look a bit cold and intimidating, but he's passionate and open-minded. He can accept suggestions and criticism well. Also, he's caring and thoughtful, even if he doesn't act like it." I said to them, remembering all the times that I've spent with Sir Mitchel.
"Looks like you've already fallen Zoe." Zab said as she was tucking herself in the blankets.
"No, I'm not. He's just easy to get along with."
"Yeah, keep telling yourself that." Andrea said cuddling herself under the blankets too.
I wanted to argue with them more but it looks like they wouldn't listen to me anyway. I turned off the television and followed them under the blankets. I can't believe that these two really think that I have feelings for Sir Mitchel.
I woke up with the smell of bacon in the air. I opened my eyes and noticed that I was the only one left inside the blankets. I got up and saw the two in the kitchen cooking and preparing breakfast.
"Morning!" I called out as I started folding the blankets we used.
"Go get ready. Let's have breakfast together." Andrea said to me, and that's when I realized that she was already ready for work. I got in the shower as soon as I finished making the bed. The three of us ate breakfast together and they still won't drop the topic of Sir Mitchel.
Both me and Andrea then rode to work together leaving Zab at the apartment, doing who knows what.
"Gosh! I'm so hungry!" I exclaimed as I slouched down on my chair after I finished proofreading the script for the new volume of one of our comic books.
"Let's go Cath Cath!" Andrea said strutting to my desk. I was about to stand up from my chair when a pop-up suddenly appeared on my screen.
To Catherine Aragon, Bellena Madrid, Jake Matthews, and Zacharia Hill.
We will be having a meeting regarding the next volume of "TIMELAPSE" this afternoon at three o'clock in the afternoon at my office. Please prepare all the revised, finalized, and proofread materials and drafts for the said project. Thank you.
-Gavin Mitchel
It's a good thing I've finished all of my work and after weeks, I finally don't have any backlog. Now all I have to do is finish my lunch and wait until three for the meeting.
I took my wallet and phone then followed Andrea to the elevators. We went to our favorite restaurant for lunch and unwind.
"I saw you talking to Axel earlier. What was that about?" I curiously asked and I immediately regret it. Her face turned sour at the mention of the name.
"He was asking if I would go on another date with Xander." she said, making me raise an eyebrow at the absurdity of what she just said.
"Is he serious?" I asked and she at least gave a slight giggle at my reaction.
"I guess I should be an actress since I totally convinced him and Xandra that nothing was wrong with the whole double date. And he said Xandra thinks that Xander was really into me."
"What did you say to him?" I asked her, she shrugged at me and continued eating.
"I told him that I'll think about it. And he even told me to tell him right away what my decision is, so they could plan another double date." she said, taking a sip from her cup of iced tea. I dropped the conversation and we both continued eating.
"So, are you gonna go for it?" I asked as we were walking back to our building and she just shrugged her shoulders at me.
"I honestly, don't know what answer to give him. I don't know if I even want to go on a double date with them. Even with Xander being a total sweetheart, I still clearly have feelings for Axel and if what Xandra says is true, I don't want to lead Xander on." She admitted and I know that there is nothing I can do about her situation, she needs to figure out the answers by herself.
Five minutes before three o'clock, I got up from my seat with all the materials that I needed for the meeting and went straight to Gavin's office. Kyla immediately saw me as I turned the corner and smiled at me brightly.
"Busy day, Cath?" Kyla asked me and I shook my head at her.
"It was okay Kyla. I finished all of my backlog work, so all I have to finish is the meeting." I said to her. She was about to say something again when we both realized that everyone who was attending the meeting just arrived. Kyla turned on her intercom and started talking.
"Sir Mitchel?" she asked and Sir Mitchel immediately responded.
"Yes, Kyla?" he answered in his deep raspy voice.
"The team for TIMELAPSE is already waiting here for your meeting." She said to him.
"Okay. Let them in, thank you." He answered before the line went off.
"You can go now. Sir Gavin is waiting for you." Kyla said to us, giving me a wink before getting back to her computer.
The meeting went quite well and everything has been finalized. We should be able to put the volume up for production this week. I really can't help but admire Gavin's work ethic. You can see the love and passion he is putting into his works and I honestly think that it makes him more attractive. The way that he keeps ruffling his hair and biting his lips, whenever he was concentrating on something, keeps distracting me from everything that was being said in the meeting. Oh gosh! What am I thinking!
"Good work everybody. You are dismissed." Sir Mitchel announced as I got my heads out of the clouds.
"You too sir." Belle said clearly wanting to flirt with Sir Mitchel but by the looks of it, it didn't work. I tried my best to hold in my laughter as I saw the desperation in her eyes, and she has the nerve of calling me the "flirt" of the office.
I started gathering all my materials and was heading out of the office together with the others after saying goodbye to Sir Mitchel, but clumsy old me would not even give myself a break. I tripped over the rug in front of his desk and dropped all the papers I was carrying.
"Sorry, sir. I'm such a klutz." I said putting down all the things in my hand and started picking up all the paper on the floor, and without any hesitations, Sir Mitchel crouched down and helped me.
"Here." He said handing me a pile of paper that he gathered.
"Than..." I stopped in the middle of what I was saying when I realized how close we were to each other. My eyes were drawn to his. His piercing brown eyes look like they were seeing right through my soul. Like he was seeing my whole being. He leaned in closer and closer and closer, making me close my eyes on instinct. I remained still. I wanted to move, but my body refused. It was like my whole being was waiting for this exact moment to happen.
My eyes never left his eyes, I can feel his breath on my lips, and with his every breath, I knew our faces were only inches away. If we weren't already seated, I knew my legs would have given in. I felt my face heat up as the feeling of his breath lingered on my lips, and that's when I realized, maybe Zoe and Andrea were right and I'm in so much trouble now.
My face heated up every time I remember what just happened inside Gavin's office. And it doesn't help that I actually left my phone inside. I feel so embarrassed that I don't even know how to face him next time. I've been avoiding him for the rest of the day, but I can't avoid him forever. He's my boss for Pete's sake, but every time I see even just a glimpse of him, my face would turn tomato red and I just want to hit myself in the head with a rock to make me forget what just happened.I felt his breath closer to my face, the air between us seems to go thinner by the second. I closed my eyes unconsciously, and I still can't move of my own accord. I can't help but swallow my saliva due to nervousness and honestly, excitement."Sir, your next meeting..." Kyla's voice rang through Sir Mitchel's office, but she was stopped mid-sentence by something. Then I was reminded of what our position might look like from someone else's point of view. My eyes sprang open
Working with Sir Mitchel after my phone debacle is just simply awkward, and that is putting it lightly. I don't even want to be left in the same room with him. Most of the time, in our meetings, I just try and distract myself and refrain from looking at him."Miss Aragon? Are you okay?" I was snapped back to reality after hearing his deep voice beside me.I looked around the conference room and saw over a dozen pairs of eyes looking at me like I had completely lost my mind. My gaze fall on my best friend and she looked at me twitching her lips, signaling for me to get my head out of the clouds."Ah, yes. Sorry, Sir Mitchel. My head just started throbbing for some reason, but I'm fine. Please go on." I answered, looking right at him, trying not to stumble through my words. He looked back at me raising his eyebrow with a cocky expression on his face, clearly trying his best not to laugh. He then cleared his throat and brought his focus back on the others.
"Is anyone seating here?" I looked up and saw Yohan who was about to take the seat across from me in the cafeteria."Ahh." but before I could answer someone answered for me."We're actually having lunch with her, sorry about that." Janice said with Charles and Axel in tow."Ahh. Okay. Maybe some other time. I guess I'll see you around Cath." He said smiling at me before walking away from our table."You guys are lifesavers." I said sighing in relief, just thinking about having lunch, alone, with Yohan is already giving me indigestion."We kinda sensed that you didn't want to be with him." Charles confessed as they sat down with me."Why are you eating alone anyway?" Janice asked again."Where's Andrea?" Axel asked."She's still in a meeting. She said she'll have lunch later. And that's how I'm left by myself on this faithful day." I said with a bit of dramatic flair."You don't look too lonely from a by passer's point of
My body froze up as the elevator doors opened. We were faced with a crowd of people with bags in their hands as they waiting outside the elevator and Andrea was one of the. My hands started sweating again, scared that they caught a glimpse of what just happened inside the elevator. Luckily, all of them seem unaware of what I experienced moments ago. Sir Mitchel was the first who got his composure back and finally got off the elevator. The crowd parted for him while I follow immediately and got back to my desk. I hardly noticed anything around the office as I walk to my desk. I didn't even know that Andrea followed me back. "What took you so long?" Andrea asked snapping me out of my trance, I quickly packed up my things and handed her the paper bag. "Here." I crooked out. I swallowed trying to get some moisture back to my dry throat. "Why is your face so red? Are you okay?" She continue to ask and I just nodded and took my bag before dragging her
My eyes almost bulged out of my eyes as soon as I heard that question. She was smiling the whole time so, I don't know what to make of her. Her being his wife, she shouldn't be smiling like this if she knows that I shared a kiss with her husband."Excuse me?" I coughed out, and to my and Andrea's surprise, she laughed at my reaction."Come on, Cath. Gavin already told me everything. You don't have to feel weird talking to me about it." she said, the smile not leaving her face. My throat suddenly felt so dry, making me take a swig of water. Andrea was so speechless that she just sat there staring at the woman in front of us."Sorry. It was an accident, really. I didn't mean to step my boundaries. I am very sorry. We both didn't want anything to happen. I would never want to offend you or anything." I explained, her expression then turning sour, almost confused. Then she cut me off, as I continued to apologize."What do you mean by stepping your boundaries?
"Seriously, Belle. I can't believe how powerful Catherine's manipulating ability is." I heard Margareth say as they entered the restroom of the office. "I know right. If only Miss Gabriela knows that she's after her man, I'm sure that she'd wipe the floor with her." Belle answered with a slight giggle. I remained quiet inside the cubicle. I don't want any more drama, especially coming from these two. I waited for them to finish and go out before I opened the cubicle door. "Hi! Miss Gabriela. Can I help you with something?" I heard Belle ask from outside. "It's none of your business." I heard Gabriela say before she entered the restroom. "Finally! Found you!" She exclaimed as soon as she saw me washing my hand in the sink. "Why were you looking for me Miss Gabriela?" I asked as we left the restroom. To my surprise, Belle and Margareth are still lingering outside the restroom. "I told you, just call me Gabby. Let's have lunch?" S
"Let's get some beef too." Zab exclaimed as we got into the meat section of the grocery. "Hey, don't go overboard okay? We have a budget." I said to her and she just nodded at me and skipped off like a little girl through the aisles. I can't help but find her adorable. This is the first time she's doing groceries and I know how exciting it can be, I've been there. "She looks pretty happy." I heard Gavin say as we tried and follow Zab around. "My sister rarely gets out of the house so, as you can see that's what happens." I said to him as I start getting stuff from the shelves. "Looks like you came from a pampered life." He said also getting some groceries done. "You can say that." I quietly answered him, not wanting to get into the family topic. It seems that Gavin understood this, he never mentioned anything about my family after that. We finished doing our groceries in a flash, Gavin insisted that he drive us home and with Zab with u
"What do you think about this storyline for the next volume, Cath?" I was snapped out of my dazed state by Janice's sudden question. "Ah. Yes. Uhm. Sorry. I mean. I like the storyline but I would like to have a rough draft of the dialogue first, so I can iron out any inconsistencies in the flow of the story." I barely answered, trying to get my head back in the game. I looked across the table at Gavin and he immediately mouthed 'Are you okay?' as soon as our eyes met. I nodded to him and tried focusing back on the meeting. I looked at my phone as soon as the meeting finished. It has been vibrating non-stop throughout the week. They came from different numbers, but after answering a few of them, I know exactly who was calling. Our parents. I can't change my number easily because all of my accounts are connected to this number, so it has been a nuisance to block and drop their phone calls multiple times a day. "You okay?" Gavin suddenly asked, and that'
Soon the party settled down and a two-tier birthday cake was pushed into the center of the garden. The people in attendance were just my family, friends, and co-workers, so I looked at my husband and he immediately understood what I was thinking. My kids led the crowd in singing Happy Birthday. Both of them were jumping up and down, clapping their tiny hands. I gestured for them to come over as the song came to an end and they joined me in blowing out my candles as everyone cheered. "Let's hear from the birthday girl!" Cam suddenly said, handing me the microphone. Gavin picked up Zia as I held ZG's hand while I addressed the rest of the crowd. "First and foremost, thanks to all of you for spending your time to celebrate my birthday with me. It has been a rough couple of weeks for me and my family, but standing here in front of you makes me realize just how much love we receive from lots of people around us, and for that, I want to show my gratitude to everyone who gave us strengt
The days in the hospital were still so agonizing. I could still feel the pain in my abdomen, just where the bullet hit me. The doctor told me that I might be experiencing the "phantom effect", you know? The feeling you get when you remove something but it still feels like it's there. They kept reassuring me that everything was fine, but I had my doubts that's why we decided to take a few more tests just to be sure. And just like any other day, Zia and ZG visited me right after school. They would always tell me everything about their day and these past few weeks, their stories have been the highlight of my days inside my dull hospital room. "When are you going home, mommy?" ZG asked as he got ready to go home for the night. "We're still not sure, baby. But I'm fine. The doctors just want to do some more tests to be sure." I answered him, patting his head before giving it a light kiss. "Don't worry, bud. Mommy will be home in no time." Gavin said as he lifted our youngest from t
His lips on mine were pure ecstasy. Honestly, I was left hanging and unsatisfied with his kiss earlier but this erases those longing feelings that were lingering in my chest as my doctor was checking on me earlier. His hand made its way to the back of my neck, pulling me closer and deepening the kiss. We were kissing each other as if our lives depended on it, and frankly, I think it does. It felt like an eternity since our lips met, but when we pulled away, out of breath it still didn't feel enough. Our eyes met and a smile was lingering on his lips. "Welcome back, love. I missed you." He whispered to me before planting a kiss on my forehead. "I missed you too, love." I whispered back, returning his smile before he pulled away and sat on the side of my bed. He started fidgeting with his phone which made my eyebrows furrowed. I just woke up from a two-week-long coma, as per what the doctor said to me, and here is my husband sitting beside me but is preoccupied with whatever inter
"Officer, can you watch over my kids for me? I just need to know what's happening to Cathy." I asked Officer Philipps and he nodded. "ZG, Zia, Officer Philipps will stay with you for a while, okay? He we keep you safe. Daddy is just going to see Mommy." I said to them, and they both nodded at me. "Come back soon, Daddy." ZG said and I nodded at him, giving them each a kiss on the forehead before heading out of their hospital room and making my way to the Emergency Room. "I'm looking for Catherine Mitchel, she got shot." I said as calmly as I could to the person at the desk. She nodded and started tapping on her computer. "The patient has been transferred to the operating room." She said and I dashed off before she could finish talking. The lights in the operating room were already on when I got there, so there was only one thing to do, wait. Minutes passed, then hours, and a couple of minutes after the three-hour mark, the doors opened. "How is she?" I immediately asked the
I got out of the house, I need fresh air. I had to clear my mind or our conversation would not get anywhere. I was in the middle of the park when I decided to call someone I really trusted. "Good afternoon, sir. Can I speak with Officer Philipps?" I asked the person in the other line. "May I ask who this is?" He asked. "This is Gavin Mitchel." I answered shortly. "Okay, sir. I'll patch you in." He replied and a lively tune started playing before I was greeted by a familiar voice. "It's been a long time. How are you, Gavin?" Asked Officer Philipps through the phone. "Not so good, sir. I need your help." I then gave him a quick rundown of everything that went down. After I finished I heard him sigh. "Why do both of you attract these types of people?" He asked curiously, but even I couldn't give him an answer. "For now, be with Cath. I'll look into it and call you as soon as I get something." "Okay, Officer. Thanks... for everything." "Now, go home. And make sure Cath doesn't d
This is probably the longest ten-minute shower I ever had. I'm still waiting for Nathan's instructions and I got into a huge fight with Gavin because of it. “You want me to be okay with him taking my wife in exchange for my kids?” He asked. “No way I’m letting him take any of you.” “Love, we can guarantee that he wouldn’t hurt me but we can’t say that it's the same for our kids. We don’t know what’s going inside his head.” I said, trying to reason with him. “No. No. Sorry, love. That is not an option.” He said walking out of our bedroom. It was a hard decision for me too, but I can't let my kids get hurt. I can't let any of them get hurt because of me again. This time, it's my turn to save them. I got out of the shower and Gavin was still not back in our room. I grabbed my phone and there it was. A message from Nathan. It didn't have any time or date, just the address, making me think that he probably wanted me there as soon as possible. That works for me because I want to see my k
"Where are my kids, Nathan?" I began, trying my best to remain calm in the situation. Gavin tried to snatch my phone from me but I avoided it. I don't think it's a good idea to let the two of them talk. they both might explode. "They're safe. I have them with me. We had a little bonding session today. I was hoping you could join us?" He asked trying to sound sweet, but I couldn't help but feel a shiver down my spine as listened to him talk. "I'm still at work, Nate. Maybe another day? Do you mind dropping them off at the office?" I asked, acting oblivious to his motives. "Oh come on Cath. It's already seven in the evening, you should be home by now, right? Both you and your husband?" He asked and Gavin quickly took the phone from me. "Where are our kids, Nathan? I'm not playing with you!" Gavin angrily said through the phone. "You are going to talk to me! Just what do you want from us!" Then Gavin went silent. He looked at me, his eyes trembling. I could see fear in them. "Fine!
Being with Gavin again made me realize that I have never stopped loving him. No matter how much I wanted to forget about him, my heart remained with him throughout the years. I guess it is true, that no matter how far you walk away from each other, people who are meant to be together will always gravitate back to each other. "Mommy?" I heard Zia's voice as she was tugging on my dress. "Are you okay?" She asked me. "Why? What happened?" Gavin suddenly asked as he and ZG walked towards us. "Mommy was staring at you with a silly smile." Zia said that made my eyes bulge out of their sockets. "No, I wasn't." I said to her, looking right at her. Asking her to shut up with my eyes but it looks like I need to work on my silent communication with my daughter. "Yes. You were." She said before hopping away from us. "Just hold it in, love. Our kids are still awake." Gavin whispered to me, taking the picnic basket from my hand before following our daughter, leaving me dumbfounded. "I wasn't
The weeks went by in such a bliss and now, we’re moving back in with their dad in our old apartment. It took a lot of convincing on my side but eventually, Gavin was able to make me agree with him. “Are we there yet?” Zia asked for the nth time as we were driving to the apartment. She has been very excited since we told them about the move, and couldn’t wait to see the room her big brother was talking about. “No yet baby. We’ll have to stop to get some groceries, remember?” Gavin answered her sweetly. “Aww. Are we going to stay there long?” She asked again with a pout on her face. “Come on, Zia. It’s going to be fun. And you can pick out some decorations for our room.” ZG said, calming her sister in the back seat. “Yey!” Zia screamed as she started humming the theme song of her favorite show. Thank goodness, ZG knows precisely what to say to his sister in every situation. When we got to the groceries, the two of them walked in front of me and Gavin and started getting things that