Amber’s POV
“Here,” I placed the handmade bracelet in his palms and looked up to him with a grin. “Yours has my name on it, while mine-“ I showed him my wrist. “Mine has yours.”
His smile was enough to light up the world and his electric blue eyes sparkled. “I love it,” he snaked his hands around my waist and pulled me closer. He bent his head to gently touch my forehead and whispered, “I love you Amber Dally, and I’m never letting you go.”
I gulped another shot of Hennessey to drown the painfully memory. He had let me go, he had left me all those years ago, but yet, he still looked dangerously handsome as I remembered. The same slender physique, only this time he was muscular, like he had been working out throughout the years. He still had the same electric blue eyes that I had melted to many years ago.
“Girl, that’s your fourth shot tonight, are you okay?”
I sighed and shook my head in response.
“Wanna talk about it? Instead of chugging down alcohol?”
I smiled and looked up at the cute bartender friend. “I saw someone I vowed never to have anything to do with again.”
He nodded with understanding. “My abuela usually tells me that it’s a small world you know.”
Ken was afro-latina. He has the longest eyelashes I’ve ever seen on a guy and a face that one could mistake for a woman. Ken was a pretty boy.
“Ex boyfriend ?”
I nodded. “First boyfriend to be precise.”
He shook his head solemnly. “I hear you. But maybe it was just a onetime thing and you’ll never see him again.”
Hope fluttered in my chest. Ken was right. I may never have to-
My shoulders slumped as another thing occurred to me. “I saw him at the restaurant. What are the chances that I won’t bump into him at work?”
Ken opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a microphone screech. I turned on my stool to see a familiar face on the stage. The announcer tapped on his microphone before speaking. “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the beautiful and ever talented diva, Shanice.”
Cheers erupted as a curvy black beauty climbed atop the podium. My best friend looked dazzling in her off shouldered mustard colored gown that hugged her curves and fell to the floor. Her braid was styled into a high bun and her face glowed with flawless makeup. Shanice could easily pass off as a celebrity.
“Thank you so much Jay,” she blew the announcer a kiss and then faced her audience whose cheers had dulled. Lights in the bar dimmed as the pianist opened up her performance. Shanice waited for a minute, drew in a deep breath and started singing.
Shanice moved to my childhood town in 10th grade and we’ve been inseparable since then. It was me, her and Caleb until he left and it became just two of us. We had left the comfort of our small town a couple of years after high school for the big city, to earn money and live our lives. We rented our first one bedroom apartment together, a shitty leaky one until we recently moved to a more decent two bedroom apartment.
Shanice was a natural born singer, but she never made any push until she was offered a gig by Jay, the bar’s manager. Her first performance was so good that the owner of the bar offered her a permanent job with excellent pay.
“You made that dress right? It’s sexy as hell.”
Ken’s compliment made me smile in satisfaction and I took a sip of fruity flavored drink that he had swapped my Hennessey shots for.
I would deal with the Caleb issue later. For now, I was going to enjoy Shanice’s performance.
~~~
“That guy was really getting on my nerves,” Shanice said as soon as we entered our apartment later that night. She slumped to the sofa while I made my way to the kitchen.
“I mean, maybe you should give him a chance?” I yelled from the kitchen while opening the refrigerator to take out the lasagna.
Shanice laughed. “Never gon’ happen Amber. The guy doesn’t even look fuckable.”
I cringe at her choice of words, but shrugged it away. “Everyone is, Shan.” I rolled my eyes before scoping some food into my plate.
“Girl, you know I don’t do commitment,” She reminded me. Since we moved to the city, Shan has never been in a relationship. All she had were hookups. “I ain’t got time for such.”
I nodded while scoping lasagna into another plate for her. She didn’t eat much so I made hers smaller than mine. “Then, let him know you’re not interested.”
Shanice sighed loudly.”He’s like a bee or something,” I saw her waving her hands frantically in the air from the kitchen door. “How about you? Did anything interesting happen? Did that silly boss of yours accidentally fall and broke her legs?”
“I saw Caleb.”
Silence followed and the next thing I knew, Shan was leaning against the kitchen door frame.
“As in Caleb Bancroft?”
I nodded and put my food into the microwave.
“How? When? What happened?” she came close to me with a worried expression. “Are you okay?”
Shanice obviously knew how my breakup with Caleb wrecked me. I cried to the extent that I fell ill and was rushed to the hospital. She never left my side throughout my healing process.
I narrated how and where I saw him and she nodded slowly. “He posted a picture on his I* of him in a plane. I never thought he was coming to LA.”
“Of all the places, he chose to come to the very restaurant where I work,” I scoffed, exchanging my food for Shan’s in the microwave.
“That don’t mean a thing,” Shan said. “He’s old news, he’ ex and he’s your past. Even if you have to serve him, do it with a straight and professional face.”
I exhaled air through my mouth. Shan was right. Caleb is my past, not my present and never my future.
“You have a boyfriend now,” she nudged me playfully. “And y’all might be getting married sooner than expected.” She collected her food which I had taken out of the microwave and sashayed to the living room.
“Wait what?” the reality of her words dawned on me and I bolted to the living room. “Sooner than expected? What do you mean by that?”
Shan rolled her eyes and I had to wait until she finished chewing. “Girl, don’t overreact okay? All I’m just tryna say is that you and Dave have been dating for two years now. I mean, wedding bells are around the corner.”
“Oh,” I relaxed. A nervous laugher escaped my lips causing Shan to stare at me confused.
“You love him, right?”
He’s a good man. I said in my head. He’s a good man. He’s good for me.
“Hello??” Shan snapped her fingers, pulling me out of my chant.
I forced a smile and nodded as convincing as I could. “Sure. He’s a good man.”
I was able to distract myself for the rest of the night by watching kdrama until I finally fell asleep.
~~~
Caleb came to the restaurant the next day around 3pm. I really tried doing what Shan advised; to attend to him with a straight and professional face, but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t face him. So, I let one of my colleagues do it instead.
Luckily for me, he sat at a front corner facing the glass panel and focusing on the view beyond. That gave me the chance to attend to guests that sat far from him. While working, I would frequently glance in his direction.
Why was he alone? Was he okay?
I shook my head to dismiss the thoughts and unnecessary concern. It wasn’t my business, and I didn’t care. As if he heard, he turned his head to my direction and I swirled so fast that I almost tripped.
That was close. I placed my hand on my chest trying to soothe my poor heart that was beating thrice as normal. I continued working until after my shift ended, and when it did, I spent longer than usual in the locker room busy with my phone.
I don’t know why I felt this tug to check the restaurant’s main hall, but I obeyed. To my greatest surprise, Caleb was still there, but instead of sitting straight like he was, his head was on his table and one of his hands fell to his side.
For a moment fear clutched my gut, until I sighted the bottles of wine on his table.
I wanted to leave. I really wanted to mind my business and go home. But instead, I found my feet walking to him.
CHAPTER 3Caleb’s POVI came to LA to follow up on the progress on the company’s branch. But right now, I was fucking exhausted, and I couldn’t let it show. My flight from NY touched down at 11am and this particular meeting was scheduled for 12pm. My assistant- Tom had mixed up the dates, so here I was, in a fucking meeting I wasn’t even fucking prepared for.“Mr Bancroft?”I raised my head up and nodded. “Continue, I’m all ears.”I drowned his voice immediately; Tom would be writing down the minutes and important details for me that I can go through later at night.After two painfully slow fucking hours, the meeting ended and I was so glad to be heading home.“Mr Bancroft,” I recognized the man from meeting, but I couldn’t remember his name. “We’re so glad to have you join us for the next two weeks. Er, we promise to always do our best and uphold the company’s unflinching reputation.”I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at him. I was so goddamn tired, but I couldn’t tell him that, s
Amber's POV “Sir,” I nudged an excessively drunk Caleb. “Sir, please get up, you’re drunk.” The only response I got was a groan. I looked around, nobody was paying us attention but with each passing moment, my anxiety grew. I was already exhausted from work, but seeing Caleb passed out like this made me extremely concerned. What was he thinking about?I squatted down and tapped his back softly, yet as urgently as I could. “Caleb,” I whispered frantically while looking at his face.His face that once upon a time, I could never get tired of staring at.“Is anything the matter, Amber?” I spun to see the assistant manager eager for an explanation.“I don’t know,” I rose and dusted my jeans. I had changed out of my uniform. “He’s passed out.”The assistant manager studied him and then the two empty bottles of wine. He shook his head with sympathy and tapped on his back. “Sir,” he called. “It’s time to go home, you’re passed out.”Caleb only stirred and turned his head to the other si
Amber's POV As Dave spoke, my mind kept on drifting to the intense session Caleb and I had that morning. I could still taste him, even after eating jam donuts. I could still feel my skin hot from his touch, even after taking a long cold shower at home.I should’ve have sex with him.The thought was so unexpected that I had to take a gulp of my coffee to drown it. What happened that morning was a one-time thing and a mistake. It was never going to happen again. “…turns out they were both making out secretly and kept it a secret.”“What?” I almost choked on my coffee. Who was making out? Did Dave know what happened between Caleb and me?Dave raised a brow. “Uhm, yeah they did. Gil and Linda.”“Oh.” I relaxed and leaned into the comfort of my chair.“And you know, I’m betting on them. They’ll both have cute little blue-eyed children.”“What?” I blinked and an image of Caleb’s electric blue eyes popped in my head.“Amber, are you okay?” Caleb’s face was full of concern, his brown eyes s
Caleb's POV“Leave now, Amber. Or I will bend you over that kitchen counter and fuck that pretty pussy of yours until you forget about your boyfriend.”Those were the last words I said to her before she bolted out of my house yesterday. If she had stayed, I would have kept to my words and I wouldn’t fucking regret it.What a shocker it was to me when I woke up to see Amber’s beautiful face, sleeping so peacefully that I was scared to move and make a sound in case she woke up.She was still breathtaking, and her curves, fuck. It was visible, even in the jeans she wore. Her hair used to be longer in high school but now, it was shorter- fuck, I didn’t care. The mere sight of her on that bed triggered my morning erection.When she opened her eyes, I held my breath. It still affected me, even after five years. Her amber colored eyes still pinned my body and almost controlled my soul. It was why I sent a pathetic breakup text instead of doing it physically because I wouldn’t be able to do i
Caleb's POV Madeline Grant was right on time. Not a minute late, or a second earlier.She strutted into the restaurant with practiced grace and approached my table with a tight smile.Her pink tweed suit complimented her pale skin and her neck was adorned with three layers of pearls that matched her earrings. Her bleached blonde hair was packed into a tight bun that made me flinch at the little at the type of pain she could be enduring. She had high cheekbones, a slender nose and the faintest eyebrows I have ever seen. Her dentition was perfect and her eyes were the faintest shade of grey.Frankly speaking, nothing about her physical appearance sparked my interest or attention.“Hello,” her voice was even as she stretched her arm for a handshake. “My name is Madeline Grant.”“It’s nice to meet you, Madeline. I’m Caleb.” I willed a polite smile on my face as I accepted her handshake.“Caleb Bancroft,” her voice carried awe. “Your mother is a lovely person.”I smiled in appreciation a
AmberNothing spoils your mood and possibly your day faster than ‘the boss wants to see you now.’As I trudged towards Juanita’s office that morning, my brain ached with questions I didn’t have answers to. What did I do this time? What does she want to say to me?It was a Monday morning, and my mum always said that what happens on Monday determines how the rest of the week will go. The fact that I’m starting my week in Juanita’s office makes me frustrated in advance.The familiar scent of vanilla and lemon welcomed me in Juanita’s office, and I strode forward until all that separated both of us was her office desk.Her wavy black hair was loose today, and her peach colored shirt clung to her skin and outlined her boobs. It was the type of shirts she loved to wear, tight. Her face was caked with makeup, well defined brows and valentine-red lipstick. According to rumors I heard, she did surgery on her lips to make them fuller.“You called for me?” There was no need to beat around the bu
CalebI found Amber’s fucking boyfriend social media pages- Facebook and IG.Shan had let the name slip at the bar and that was all I needed to get the bastard.Why am I pissed? Because the idea of this simpleton touching my darling Amber is enough to almost make me want to murder him.Dave Sanders. Age 29. A digital Strategist at STG Advertising Agency. Brown eyes, blonde hair and a body that says I would easy defeat him in a hand-to-hand combat. His page was the epitome of boredom but right now, I’m staring at a selfie picture of his hand around Amber and both of them are grinning. While his smile is authentic, I can’t help but linger my attention on Amber. The sides of her lips are lifted into a smile but it doesn’t reflect in her eyes. The picture made me feel like Dave was more invested in the relationship than Amber.Was she happy? Does she love him as much as he does?I think back to our brief encounter against the kitchen wall and how she moaned my name- like she missed feeli
Amber’s POVI couldn’t take it anymore.So I did what I usually do. I parted my lips, stiffened my body and faked an orgasm.Moments later I felt him cum and rolled off me to the bed. “Did you enjoy it?” sweat glistered on his face and his brown eyes glimmered with self-pride. I forced a smile on my lips and nodded. “I did. It was awesome.” I didn’t. I never really enjoyed sex with my boyfriend- Dave, but he was a good man. He had a normal stable job, a decent apartment, and always knew what to say no matter the situation. Being in a relationship with him was healthy- according to societal standards. “I’ll be right back,” he kissed my forehead and leaped off the bed, heading to the bathroom.I sighed and dragged the sheets up to my neck. I had work tomorrow so I needed all the sleep I could get. I felt his weight on the bed as he cuddled nakedly against me. “I’ll be going to work really early but so you might not see me.” He kissed my cheeks before murmuring against my neck. “Goo
CalebI found Amber’s fucking boyfriend social media pages- Facebook and IG.Shan had let the name slip at the bar and that was all I needed to get the bastard.Why am I pissed? Because the idea of this simpleton touching my darling Amber is enough to almost make me want to murder him.Dave Sanders. Age 29. A digital Strategist at STG Advertising Agency. Brown eyes, blonde hair and a body that says I would easy defeat him in a hand-to-hand combat. His page was the epitome of boredom but right now, I’m staring at a selfie picture of his hand around Amber and both of them are grinning. While his smile is authentic, I can’t help but linger my attention on Amber. The sides of her lips are lifted into a smile but it doesn’t reflect in her eyes. The picture made me feel like Dave was more invested in the relationship than Amber.Was she happy? Does she love him as much as he does?I think back to our brief encounter against the kitchen wall and how she moaned my name- like she missed feeli
AmberNothing spoils your mood and possibly your day faster than ‘the boss wants to see you now.’As I trudged towards Juanita’s office that morning, my brain ached with questions I didn’t have answers to. What did I do this time? What does she want to say to me?It was a Monday morning, and my mum always said that what happens on Monday determines how the rest of the week will go. The fact that I’m starting my week in Juanita’s office makes me frustrated in advance.The familiar scent of vanilla and lemon welcomed me in Juanita’s office, and I strode forward until all that separated both of us was her office desk.Her wavy black hair was loose today, and her peach colored shirt clung to her skin and outlined her boobs. It was the type of shirts she loved to wear, tight. Her face was caked with makeup, well defined brows and valentine-red lipstick. According to rumors I heard, she did surgery on her lips to make them fuller.“You called for me?” There was no need to beat around the bu
Caleb's POV Madeline Grant was right on time. Not a minute late, or a second earlier.She strutted into the restaurant with practiced grace and approached my table with a tight smile.Her pink tweed suit complimented her pale skin and her neck was adorned with three layers of pearls that matched her earrings. Her bleached blonde hair was packed into a tight bun that made me flinch at the little at the type of pain she could be enduring. She had high cheekbones, a slender nose and the faintest eyebrows I have ever seen. Her dentition was perfect and her eyes were the faintest shade of grey.Frankly speaking, nothing about her physical appearance sparked my interest or attention.“Hello,” her voice was even as she stretched her arm for a handshake. “My name is Madeline Grant.”“It’s nice to meet you, Madeline. I’m Caleb.” I willed a polite smile on my face as I accepted her handshake.“Caleb Bancroft,” her voice carried awe. “Your mother is a lovely person.”I smiled in appreciation a
Caleb's POV“Leave now, Amber. Or I will bend you over that kitchen counter and fuck that pretty pussy of yours until you forget about your boyfriend.”Those were the last words I said to her before she bolted out of my house yesterday. If she had stayed, I would have kept to my words and I wouldn’t fucking regret it.What a shocker it was to me when I woke up to see Amber’s beautiful face, sleeping so peacefully that I was scared to move and make a sound in case she woke up.She was still breathtaking, and her curves, fuck. It was visible, even in the jeans she wore. Her hair used to be longer in high school but now, it was shorter- fuck, I didn’t care. The mere sight of her on that bed triggered my morning erection.When she opened her eyes, I held my breath. It still affected me, even after five years. Her amber colored eyes still pinned my body and almost controlled my soul. It was why I sent a pathetic breakup text instead of doing it physically because I wouldn’t be able to do i
Amber's POV As Dave spoke, my mind kept on drifting to the intense session Caleb and I had that morning. I could still taste him, even after eating jam donuts. I could still feel my skin hot from his touch, even after taking a long cold shower at home.I should’ve have sex with him.The thought was so unexpected that I had to take a gulp of my coffee to drown it. What happened that morning was a one-time thing and a mistake. It was never going to happen again. “…turns out they were both making out secretly and kept it a secret.”“What?” I almost choked on my coffee. Who was making out? Did Dave know what happened between Caleb and me?Dave raised a brow. “Uhm, yeah they did. Gil and Linda.”“Oh.” I relaxed and leaned into the comfort of my chair.“And you know, I’m betting on them. They’ll both have cute little blue-eyed children.”“What?” I blinked and an image of Caleb’s electric blue eyes popped in my head.“Amber, are you okay?” Caleb’s face was full of concern, his brown eyes s
Amber's POV “Sir,” I nudged an excessively drunk Caleb. “Sir, please get up, you’re drunk.” The only response I got was a groan. I looked around, nobody was paying us attention but with each passing moment, my anxiety grew. I was already exhausted from work, but seeing Caleb passed out like this made me extremely concerned. What was he thinking about?I squatted down and tapped his back softly, yet as urgently as I could. “Caleb,” I whispered frantically while looking at his face.His face that once upon a time, I could never get tired of staring at.“Is anything the matter, Amber?” I spun to see the assistant manager eager for an explanation.“I don’t know,” I rose and dusted my jeans. I had changed out of my uniform. “He’s passed out.”The assistant manager studied him and then the two empty bottles of wine. He shook his head with sympathy and tapped on his back. “Sir,” he called. “It’s time to go home, you’re passed out.”Caleb only stirred and turned his head to the other si
CHAPTER 3Caleb’s POVI came to LA to follow up on the progress on the company’s branch. But right now, I was fucking exhausted, and I couldn’t let it show. My flight from NY touched down at 11am and this particular meeting was scheduled for 12pm. My assistant- Tom had mixed up the dates, so here I was, in a fucking meeting I wasn’t even fucking prepared for.“Mr Bancroft?”I raised my head up and nodded. “Continue, I’m all ears.”I drowned his voice immediately; Tom would be writing down the minutes and important details for me that I can go through later at night.After two painfully slow fucking hours, the meeting ended and I was so glad to be heading home.“Mr Bancroft,” I recognized the man from meeting, but I couldn’t remember his name. “We’re so glad to have you join us for the next two weeks. Er, we promise to always do our best and uphold the company’s unflinching reputation.”I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at him. I was so goddamn tired, but I couldn’t tell him that, s
Amber’s POV“Here,” I placed the handmade bracelet in his palms and looked up to him with a grin. “Yours has my name on it, while mine-“ I showed him my wrist. “Mine has yours.”His smile was enough to light up the world and his electric blue eyes sparkled. “I love it,” he snaked his hands around my waist and pulled me closer. He bent his head to gently touch my forehead and whispered, “I love you Amber Dally, and I’m never letting you go.”I gulped another shot of Hennessey to drown the painfully memory. He had let me go, he had left me all those years ago, but yet, he still looked dangerously handsome as I remembered. The same slender physique, only this time he was muscular, like he had been working out throughout the years. He still had the same electric blue eyes that I had melted to many years ago.“Girl, that’s your fourth shot tonight, are you okay?”I sighed and shook my head in response. “Wanna talk about it? Instead of chugging down alcohol?”I smiled and looked up at the
Amber’s POVI couldn’t take it anymore.So I did what I usually do. I parted my lips, stiffened my body and faked an orgasm.Moments later I felt him cum and rolled off me to the bed. “Did you enjoy it?” sweat glistered on his face and his brown eyes glimmered with self-pride. I forced a smile on my lips and nodded. “I did. It was awesome.” I didn’t. I never really enjoyed sex with my boyfriend- Dave, but he was a good man. He had a normal stable job, a decent apartment, and always knew what to say no matter the situation. Being in a relationship with him was healthy- according to societal standards. “I’ll be right back,” he kissed my forehead and leaped off the bed, heading to the bathroom.I sighed and dragged the sheets up to my neck. I had work tomorrow so I needed all the sleep I could get. I felt his weight on the bed as he cuddled nakedly against me. “I’ll be going to work really early but so you might not see me.” He kissed my cheeks before murmuring against my neck. “Goo