"You like macaron?"
Anna was about to take a bite of her pink macaron but canceled it. Somehow, it sounded like someone was surprised to see her eating that. In fact, what was wrong with macaron?"Yes. This is my favorite," Anna replied. She then devoured the macaron into her mouth. Oh, the sweets were so delicious. It gave her a better feeling. At least, it changed her focus to only tasting the sweetness. And because of that, she loved to enjoy sweets when stressed. It was like medicine to her.Jeff saw the way she ate it and the change in her face. "You must really like this," he concluded after finding something like peace in her.She had already said that, so she didn't need to justify his words, right?"You don't want to try this?" she offered. She was the one who recommended macaroons on her best friend's wedding menu. And candy in another spot."I guess it's enough just to see you enjoying this."Anna almost choked on hearing that. If Matt had said that, she would probably be happy. However, when it was told by someone she had just met, it sounded... wrong?Was it because she had closed her heart so that romantic words didn't work for her?She swallowed her food and turned to look at him. She took a deep breath before speaking her mind. "Jeff." She started by saying his name. "I'm sorry for Rebecca. But I'm not interested in a relationship right now," she continued.They were silent.The situation was actually a bit awkward for her. She had the leftover macaron in her hand and felt uneasy about it. She should have put it down first or finished it before starting a serious conversation with Jeff.But it was too late. Anna wished he could understand and leave her so she could continue eating.Oh, how bad her mind was just thinking about herself!Jeff looked straight into her gray eyes. He held that and said, "Why so rushed?"Because it was better to say it as soon as possible as they didn't really know each other yet. Anna was afraid Jeff might have hoped for her if she had put this off.But she didn't say it. She was still thinking about how to refuse him."We don't know the future," he said again.Yeah, that was right. No one knew the future. But, Anna had already promised something about her fate to another man. She didn't want to break a promise she hadn't even started to keep."We can be friends." Jeff continued to say after getting no response from her. That was his way of persuading her.Friends?That sounded simple. But, didn't almost all relationships start with friendships, whichever ended good or bad?Anna silently stared at the man in front of her. She thought she was going too far if she refused a simple relationship. After all, what was wrong with being friends? Who knew if they would become best friends?The problem was that she already knew the meaning behind his friendship offer. It was bad."Sorry, I-""It's just friends. Really," he cut in before Anna could say her refusal.She fell silent again. Before long, a heavy sigh escaped her lips. "It's only a friend," she repeated, affirming her point. "Only friends." As if that wasn't enough, she said it one more time to make sure he got the point.A wide smile appeared on his face. "Yeah, just friends." Then he held out his hand.She looked at it for a few seconds, then shook it. "Just friends."In the evening, there was a family dinner. And the Dunns were invited because of their children's friendship."Congratulations on our children's wedding," Erin, Rebecca's mother, said as she raised her glass. Excitement flashed across her face, as did Michael, Rebecca's father, and Matt's parents. Yes, it's still part of his son's happy day.Everyone there followed him and drank his wine."I thought they were going to get married," Erin said again, in the middle of enjoying her dinner. It had varied options, such as steak with salad, fries, and lasagna.And Anna tried them all. He felt like eating it all. It may have something to do with stress. When there are no sweets, the escape is any food."Yeah, I feel it too. They look nice since the beginning of the date," said Wendy, Matt's mother.Anna didn't really listen to him. In fact, only food caught his attention."Slow down, Ann." Matt suddenly reminded him, automatically interrupting the conversation with something unimportant. Anna.Actually, Anna was enjoying her dinner slowly. However, he didn't stop eating from the first bite. He only stopped when he drank his wine.So, his word about slow doesn't feel right. Better he told him to stop."Something bothering you?"And he was silent for a moment. His finger, about to lift a piece of french fries, froze in place. His concern... She couldn't handle such a thing anymore. It made her want to maintain her feeling for him.So pathetic."You have a problem?" Rebecca joined with the same question.That was her suffering being a friend between them. Anna loved their attention but sometimes hated it.Anna resumed spooning her fries into her mouth as she said, "No. My only problem is that I want to eat a lot. Maybe it's nearing my period."That was her habit too. But maybe, they didn't remember that. Eating a lot and stress were always connected to her. Hence, they first showed their concern toward her. And she hated to admit it was true.Matt and Rebecca no longer asked. Apparently, her lie was effective in dispelling their question."I saw you with someone at the party." Erin opened a new topic. "You look good together."Anna couldn't help but smile awkwardly. That was why she didn't like Rebecca, Matt, or anyone to do with them setting her up. They would monitor her relationship, and she hated those feelings."His name is Jeff. He's Matt's coworker." Rebecca replied. It was good because Anna didn't have to explain something she didn't know."Are you close?""Sure. Matt couldn't have made him a best man if they weren't close and introduced him to Anna." Rebecca looked at Anna with a meaningful smile."He looks good," Wendy commented. It was as if Anna had won the blessing of two families. Unfortunately, it wasn't her family. Her parents wouldn't press her with this."She can choose whoever she loves, Jeff or anyone else." Lane, Anna's mother, chimed in.Oh, Anna really loved her family."Yeah. But she's single now, right? She could try with Jeff." Erin said again. Like daughter, like the mother. They loved to interfere in someone's life."That's up to her. We never demand anything from her." Hugh, Anna's father, responded. That seemed to be the end of the conversation about Anna and Jeff.His father was usually silent. But, when he talked, sometimes it silenced the other person. And that was why she was afraid to reveal her marriage.Anna hugged her mother tightly before they separated. Yes, his family must return to Ohio."Look after yourself," Lane advised while gently stroking her daughter's back. Separation never felt good, especially with family. However, they couldn't live in Los Angeles forever. Her husband had a job in Ohio, and her other daughters had a class the next day. While she needed to return to her role. Become a housewife.She had thought back to work after her daughter was an adult. But Hugh prevented her and told her to be a writer as it was her hobby. So, she did it in the last ten years.And the ability, it seemed, descended to Anna. Anna learned about literature and dreamed of becoming a screenwriter. Although, reality did not give an easy path to her. Anna must be a celebrity assistant while looking for connections to her dreams.It was pathetic, right?But that was how the world worked. It was so cruel."Yes, Mom. You, too, take care of yourself."They hugged for a few seconds before relea
After some tiring days—her wedding and her best friend's—finally, she was back to her monotonous routine. She had to return to work, and it was her first-day meeting Kate Burton, the celebrity she was going to work for. Of course, she was not alone. There were two others with her to be her assistants. And the meeting, besides introductions, would also discuss the job desk of each assistant."Anna will be the manager taking care of the work and contracts with partners." Jenny, the CEO, began handing out assistant duties after introductions and pleasantries. "While others will help with other tasks," she continued. She made that decision because Anna was more experienced than the others.Kate glanced at the three assistants, Anna, Helen, and Ben, then turned back to Jenny. "Are you sure they deserve the job?" She sounded doubtful and belittled the three of them."Sure, they're very experienced with this," Jenny replied with a big smile, trying to show her friendliness. After all, Kate w
I'm on my way.Anna immediately sped up her breakfast after reading Ben's message. She took a big bite of toast and went to get her bag. Then Anna came back to take it with her out of the apartment. As soon as she swallowed the food in her mouth, she ran down the stairs. Luckily, she lived on the fifth floor.After that, she waited for Ben's arrival. He had just bought abalone porridge for Kate.Yes, Ben. You read that right. That was abalone porridge for Kate. Suddenly she asked him to bring it with him when they visited her.Anna would scold her if it wasn't an important day, not the day of her audition. That was not his job. At least not for that kind of request.The sound of a horn made Anna turn around. That was the car.Thus, as soon as the car stopped, she opened the door and climbed in."You bought it right, didn't you?" she asked without greeting. That was more important because Kate threatened not to come to the audition if they didn't bring the porridge."Yes. We visited th
"Anna," Chelsy called her name when Anna had just come out of the toilet cubicle. "What are you doing here?" she asked."Chels," Anna replied as she walked over to her. Then they hugged each other. "I'm here for work.""Work?" Chelsy parroted."It's for the audition."A surprise appeared on her face. "You're auditioning for Murderer?""No." Anna shook her head and chuckled. She? Auditioning? Impossible. She never wanted to be a celebrity. "You remember I work as a celebrity assistant, don't you? Well, the actress I worked with auditioned for a role on Murderer."Chelsy nodded in understanding. "Who's the artist?""Kate Burton."And the second surprise was shown on her face. "You work for her?" she asked in disbelief.An awkward laugh escaped Anna's lips. Seeing her reaction, it seemed that Chelsy had heard the rumors about Kate. It must be so because this world was so tiny. "I had no choice. They assigned me as her assistant." She grinned awkwardly. "What about you? You work here?" Sh
Anna stopped her car at the arrivals section of the airport. She was there to pick up her husband.Yes, David Byrne. He just got back from New York.No. It should have gone because his home also his major company were in New York. He went to Los Angeles to meet her."Hi, sorry I keep you waiting," she said after stopping the car and rolling down the window. Dave had been standing outside after she had made him wait for half an hour. It was her job. She had to deal with an advertising offer for Kate, which lasted longer than she thought.Dave slightly nodded and gave a smile. "It's okay, Ann. I shouldn't have asked you to pick me up when you were busy."Anna opened her mouth, about to spit out her rebuttal when he said again."Can you open the trunk?"She then remembered the 18-inch suitcase beside him. She had intended to open the truck before lowering the window. But she forgot.After Dave put down his luggage and sat next to her, she drove the car out of the airport. It was pretty c
"Are you sleeping?"Anna changed her position to the left side to look at her interlocutor well. It was eleven, bedtime.Dave glanced at her and replied, "Not yet. Why haven't you slept yet?" he asked back. Half an hour had passed since they decided to sleep and filled it in silence. But apparently, that was just a plan, as they had not yet reached the dream world."I don't know. It's hard to close my eyes," Anna admitted. She had a theory. It was probably related to his existence. She rarely brought a man to sleep in her apartment. Only Matt. And even then to take care of her when she was sick."Because of me?" He guessed right. Or not? But that was just a guess. Anna didn't even know the exact reason."If so, what are you going to do?"Dave mumbled, then replied, "What else? I'll leave your apartment.""In this hour?""Yes. I don't want to be a gadfly to you."Anna smiled, amused at his last sentence. A gadfly? She rarely heard such a word. "How about the other way around? You're n
Her eyes moved restlessly as the sound entered her ears and disturbed her sleep. Before long, those eyelids opened and revealed gray beads behind them. They hurried to find the source and found it was none other than Dave.Anna forced her body to move to eliminate sleepiness and laziness, which still hung onto her. Then she got up and walked over to him.Dave heard a voice, so he turned his head and said, "I must have woken you up." He worked in the kitchen with the stove, a pan, sausages, and eggs. Yes, he made a simple breakfast for them.Anna mumbled as she shook her head. "No. It's already morning, anyway." She pulled up a chair and intended to sit down. But she remembered something. "You need help?"He immediately gave a quick shake. "No. It's just toast and eggs. I can do these myself."Anna nodded in understanding and then resumed her activities. She threw her body pretty hard. And because laziness still held her, she laid her head on the table."If you're still sleepy, you can
"So they also want me to promote these on my social media?" Kate asked lazily, staring at the lipstick in her hand. Then a disdainful smile appeared on her face, and without words, she threw it onto the table. "When are you going to get a luxury brand ad for me?" she asked again.Anna clenched her fists, trying to control her emotions. Her weekend was terrible, having to deal with her annoying talent.She took the lipstick and put it back in a suitable position, along with the rest of the makeup. "You'll get it soon. For now, this is what they have to offer you," she said with a smile. That was definitely fake hospitality."You always say that. But where is my precious offer?" Kate glared at Anne, meant to intimidate her.But Anna wouldn't come this far if she was easily intimidated. She was used to getting that look when she offered her talent for a job and had problematic talent like Kate. She was invulnerable but still didn't like getting that. Who wanted to be treated like that?"
Anna peered through the common bathroom door on the first floor before stepping out casually as if nothing had happened. She walked past Dave, who was sitting on the couch in their living room and reading a report on his tablet, with Zach crawling on the floor."Zach, baby, come here." She called for Zach's attention, which was never hard to get. "Let's play outside."And his reaction was predictable. He was running toward his mother excitedly. His smile was so big that it was going to explode.Being a child seemed fun, didn't it?She followed him, running out of the house to their yard barefoot. She couldn't help her own smile from forming on her face at seeing him and another happiness she had just found out about today.She was pregnant with their second child.But be quiet. Anna wanted to make a surprise for her husband.Oh, she couldn't wait to see his reaction!"Zach, come here. Mommy wants to say something to you."Zach halted his running to look at his mother with an indescrib
Three years later.She watched everything. Their every move, laugh, giggle, scream, and more. She couldn't help but grace a wide smile over that. It was too good to be true. But it was what that was as it was the reality.Baby Zach was now three years old and in his active days. He had run on every corner of the house and was always excited to run outside.Although it tired their body from following him around, she didn't complain, especially Dave. He always had the energy to play with him and never ran out of ideas. He raised their child with all his heart.She shook her head to force herself back to her place. She couldn't only observe them all the time, as she needed to finish the cookie dough.Zach had the exact liking as hers for sweets. So she tried to be the best mom by baking them instead of buying them outside or ordering chefs to make them. It was cheaper and could adjust to her family preferences, which she wanted, not too much sugar.As Dave said, sugar was a killer.She
"Hi, baby boy. I'm happy you're awake, and I can hold you. Your mother must feel the same way. But she's resting now, so let's not disturb her and play with me instead." His voice was laced with happiness as his eyes flitted the same feeling. There was nothing happier than this moment when he finally held baby Zach. And the fact that he was born healthy was wonderful. It could be perfect if his wife's recovery went well.Baby Zach wriggled his tiny hands and managed to capture Dave's finger. He gripped it though his eyes were still closed. Baby Zach might sense familiar and safe, so baby Zach didn't cry, which made Dave's heart swell with pride and warmth. Only his touch could do that, and he couldn't be more proud of that."What do you think about this world? It's amazing, isn't it? You have me, your mother, and your entire family by your side. And in the future, you will find your own friends."Baby Zach was just quiet, and if his grip was not still on his finger, Dave might have th
A few months later.Anna was closing drawers after checking what was inside was still inside.It might be confusing. The point was Anna had just finished looking at their baby’s needs, such as clothes, diapers, socks, blanket, and more. She wanted to make sure everything was ready when the time came, which was soon. Her due date should be this week, and she couldn’t be more excited to finally welcome their baby.She moved to the only bed in the room. It was big and had four wooden walls on four sides to protect the baby from falling. And it was the one Dave said could accommodate her body while breastfeeding their baby. She even could sleep on it too.Her hand touched the doll on the nearby side and placed it neatly between another doll and the pillow. She had some, mainly cute animal characters, to accompany him while he was sleeping.Yes, him. Their baby was a boy.“Do you like it, honey? It’s nice, right? Your father prepared them for you.” She spoke as her hand caressed her so big
"I saw everything, Anna. I know what you hide behind your back." His eyebrows raised as if waiting for her to reveal it by herself. There was no point in hiding it anyway since it was why he approached her. He already saw her enjoying the ice cream!"What do you mean?"So she was going to play with him. Unfortunately, he didn't want to pretend that he did not see that. "The bowl. Ice cream."And she could only force a grin."Come here." His hand reached out to invite her to come near him."No. You will scold me.""That means you know you were doing wrong. How many bowls have you had?""Hmm. Five?""Count it correctly, honey.""Okay. Okay. Nine." She raised both her hands in the air and surrendered herself."No, honey. The bowl in your back is the eleventh."He actually didn't have a problem with her enjoying the ice cream. But Anna liked overeating, and she might have more if he didn't watch her."Good job Dave. She needs to be more careful with her health." Rebecca, standing beside h
Finally, the day they had been waiting for came. It was hectic but also fun. Their friends and families gathered together to celebrate the happy day. What was more pleasing than that?The vow went well. Although Anna felt more nervous, everything was perfect this time compared to the real one. Her father led her to the altar and handed her to Dave, which generally did at a wedding ceremony. And she and his husband stated their vow again and became husband and wife one more time.And to make it perfect, he sealed their vow with a kiss on her lips. Then cheers and applauses filled the hall.It was indeed a favorable moment. And it lasted until night."It's a pleasure to finally meet the newest Mrs. Byrne." Alexander greeted Anna and took her hand to land a quick kiss, like how a gentleman met a lady for the first time. "My name is Alexander Green.""Oh!" Anna couldn't help but show her surprise. She heard a lot about him from Dave, but this was the first time they met in person."Based
She felt warm on her skin. Also, a soft and warm breeze brushed over her neck, bringing a shiver to her body. A second later, she sensed warmth moving on her swollen belly, rubbing it so gently as if fearing to wake her up."Hmm." She stirred from her sleep, the result of those doings. Only then did she realize hands wrapped around her, and she knew whose those were. "Dave." Her voice came throatily from sleep."I'm sorry I woke you up." He mumbled against the nook of her neck.She heard it but didn't want to answer him as her voice was stuck in her throat. But she couldn't do it anymore when her eyes fluttered open and dark welcomed her through a glass wall which gave a view of the dark sky. "It's still dark.""Yes.""What time is it?""It's past midnight.""Why aren't you sleeping?"Instead of replying, he tightened his arms and dug his face deeper into her neck. His hand slipped inside her nightdress and caressed her tummy. "I can't sleep.""Why?" She wriggled her body to turn arou
"The preparation is doing good, right?" Dave asked Eddie, General Manager of The Byrne Hotel in Los Angeles, as they took a look at the hall designated for his event to take place. It was still filled with other decorations, as it would be occupied for someone's event for tonight."Yes. We have everything that we need ready. Gifts also have arrived, and we're working to put them into goodie bags."Dave nodded his head in understanding. "Pack them nicely and make sure those are right for each occasion. Don't get confused." He gave further orders.As planned, they would split the event into two, the vow and the party. And because of that, they would use a separate hall, decorations, gifts for guests, food, and more. They had different preparation for each occasion."Sure. We have a lot of experience with these things. I assure you everything will be in expert hands. You can enjoy your time with your bride.""Okay. I trust you with this.""Yes."Then they walked together for a few minute
"I'm like a dolphin already!" Her voice echoed throughout the room. She was standing in front of the mirror, checking her appearance from the reflection. She wore an A-line midi dress in black, which fell nicely on her body. But it also made her baby bump visible."Says who?" Dave was walking toward her while buttoning his shirt."Me." She still focused on her own reflection, as if looking for something to satisfy her."Then you're wrong. You don't look like one at all." He slipped his arms around her waist. "Instead, you look sexier." He landed a kiss on her neck and began to stroke her stomach gently. It was almost six months, and the bump was pretty big."Don't lie to me, Dave. Look at me. Everything in my body is swollen now. Even my cheeks are full.""That's what makes you sexy, honey. I like how your body changes."She narrowed her eyes at his reflection. "Liar.""I'm not. I'm being honest with you.""I don't believe you."There was a sound of a sigh before he planted the last k