Skylar sat in the meeting she had attended with Ivan the next day at the newest branch of their company in Munich, Germany, while taking detailed minutes of every important point, decision, and action that was concluded in the meeting. And even as she tried to keep typing on the keyboard of her laptop, her mind would suddenly wander away, to the events of the night before, her heart fluttering with anxiety as well as excitement, and would skip several beats whenever she thought of it. The memory of his touch all over her body, the way his eyes had locked with hers, the bites, the pleasure, and everything he did to her, had her head up in the clouds, and had loitering effects on her body at the sight of him the next morning. She could still feel the crawling effects his breath on her neck, and his scent that lingered on her like a sweet intoxicating perfume. The night before, he gently told her that she should take her bath after she came back to her mind and suddenly became
The event was for the launch of their company's latest achievement; a cutting-edge virtual assistant technology, automated to perfection, was being held in one of the most luxurious venues in Munich known for its high-tech innovations, and the atmosphere was nothing short of awe-inspiring.A sleek, red, newest edition luxury Rolls-Royce glided to a stop in front of the grandeur venue, as its polished surface reflected the multitude of flashing lights from paparazzi, and an able-bodied chauffeur stepped out of the car instantly to the back side of the car. He opened the back door smoothly, and Ivan stepped out, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit that highlighted his tall, athletic frame, as he stood with an effortless allure and sophistication. As the spotlight caught his face, he turned slightly, extending a hand into the car, to Skylar, who was already trying to help herself out. Her heart skipped and she hesitated where the kind gesture was coming from. Still skeptical about t
The sound of Skylar's fall echoed through the event room, drawing the attention of nearby guests, as laughter rippled through the crowd when they all saw her sprawled on the ground. “Clumsy,” someone muttered, and the hateful word stung more than the pain in her ankle. “She doesn't deserve to even be here. Now she just ruins the mood,” another spat maliciously, her eyes rolling disdainfully. “That is what happens when you try so hard to fit in,” A jibe escaped another. “Such lowlife.” “An embarrassment!” Their mean words painted Skylar's ears dirty, and shattered her head mercilessly, so that she almost cried right on that spot, heavily mortified by what had just ensued. “You should watch where you are going,” the lady, whose heels she had tripped on muttered, her eyes rolling contemptuously, “I am sure your dress wouldn't hurt so much to reimburse. It is a knockoff after all,” her words dripped spite. Just as Skylar was about to push herself up and scurry away from the m
The morning light filtered faintly through the floor-to-ceiling windows and shone brightly on her sleeping face, which caused her to stir noticeably, and her eyes slowly fluttered awake as she came to the awareness of her surroundings. As she stretched languidly, her eyes suddenly widened in shock as the memories of the previous day flooded her head in vivid detail. She couldn’t help the awkwardness that settled in her chest as a soft gasp escaped her, and the thoughts of him sleeping behind her made her heart skip. Carefully, she slowly began to turn her head, hoping that he would still be sleeping, so that she might save herself from further embarrassment from seeing his face. However, he was gone when she turned her face. Instantly, emotions swirled within her as she sat up and glanced around the room, half expecting to see him pop out somewhere, even if there was a sort of uncertainty settling in her heart from the hesitation about seeing him already. Nude, Skylar cl
Kali stood behind the counter, her facial expression still in its usual state of indifference as she wiped down the wooden surface carefully, and focused intently on what she was doing, that she had not seen who made their way into the café right at that moment. Casually strolling inside, Leo's eyes briefly scanned the vibrant room, before making his way straight to the counter to order his favorite coffee, with the thought of enjoying the beautiful scenery the café had to offer, while waiting for his friend to finally pick up his call. It was then that he saw her in her usual fierce demeanor as she carefully began to mill fresh coffee beans in the coffee grinder, but with a facial expression that seemed rather softer than the previous night at the bar, and he had never been so shocked. He had not expected to see her in such a place where everything seemed so cozy and beautiful, which was a sharp contrast to where he had last seen her. And he was instantly awed by the realization
The conference room buzzed with excitement as the team gathered for the post-event debrief that morning, to talk about the success of the new product pop-up event that had been completed the previous day. Ivan leaned back in his chair, listening intently as the head of PR began the discussion, while Skylar sat miles away in a corner of the meeting room as usual, intently taking notes. “The event has exceeded all expectations,” the PR lead began, glancing at the digital presentation projected on the wall, “Celebrities and socialites have already been spotted using the new virtual assistant technology automation system, and social media are buzzing with hashtags about the product, as well as the purchasing website. Influencers are posting stories, and even some of the most hard-to-reach tech reviewers are giving it high marks,” he said, with a professional demeanor, even if he struggled to contain his bliss. Ivan fought a satisfied smile that was about to curve his lips, as he lis
“Where has your phone been all day?!” Leo half-yelled at the other side of the phone as soon as Ivan picked up his call.“I didn't see any missed calls,” he had a surprise on his face as he tilted the phone away from his ear as if to check if he had truly missed his call. “You never see them,” A sigh escaped him. “Are you okay?” Ivan was more concerned about that, noticing that his ever-bubbly and energetic friend seemed to sound so languid from the other side, “You don't sound too good.” “Yeah, I am not,” Leo replied lazily. “You finally got kicked out for giving bad therapy?” He teased, a taunting smile dancing on his lips. “Worse!” “What?” Ivan gave a startled gasp, upon realizing that Leo seemed to be in a more bad situation than he thought, “What is up with you?” He couldn't help but ask. “Yeah, so I am in Manchester right now, and I have been shot in the heart,” he revealed plainly, unable to hide his feelings. “You are in Manchester?” Ivan's forehead wrinkled in surpr
“Let me see,” Ivan said, his voice low but firm, as he gently took her hand in his, looking intently at the cut skin with so much concern scribbled on his face, his thumb brushed over the wound with a feather-light touch, his expression darkening with worry. “You should have been careful,” he murmured, his voice a hushed whisper as he chided her as if speaking to himself. The air between them grew thick with a palpable tension that made her pulse quicken, as Skylar watched him intently, feeling the warmth of his hand against hers. The room seemed to shrink, the noise of the world fading away, leaving only the sound of their breathing, as his fingers moved, so tenderly, as if afraid of causing her more pain. Quickly, Ivan sauntered to where the drawers were and grabbed the small first-aid kit that was inside, before he quickly pulled out an antiseptic wipe and began to clean the bloody cut. “Sorry,” he whispered when she inhaled sharply in reaction to the sting, his breath warm a
“The surgery had just ended and was successful,” the surgeon, who had just come out of the theatre room still dressed in her blue scrub, and had a nose mask hanging below her chin, told Skylar with a reassuring smile that didn't brighten her face.Instantly, the world around her paused for a millisecond as the tension that had been hanging in her body crumbled instantly, and dissipated into the air. Her legs gave way below her body, and before she knew it, she had fallen on her knees, as she felt the hard, cold floor press against her palms that rested against the floor, the weight of the news sinking into her mind. Her right hand which was trembling covered her mouth, as a stifling gasp that felt like it had been locked in her chest for hours escaped her, alongside the tears that trickled down her cheeks. ‘She was alive. Her mother was alive,’ she heaved a sigh of relief, unable to handle the excitement. “Thank you, doctor. Thank you so much,” were the few words her voice could u
“I am sorry, we cannot be together,” those heavy words hung heavily between the two standing across from one another, and the receiver, Leo, blinked hard as he stared at Kali, who had broken the news to him.“What.. What is wrong, Kali?” His lips barely found the right words to utter because his brain was barely functioning coherently. That was the last news he expected her to bring to him, just when he was planning that they would go hiking together since she liked doing that. ‘Things had been going fine between them for the past few days. What went wrong?’ His eyes took a haunted look as if awaiting an explanation from her. “Nothing is,” she looked away from him while resting her back on the railings of the rooftop recreation spot they were standing, because she said she wanted to go there when he asked what she wanted to do. “Kali, meet my eyes,” Leo stared at her, his heart wanting to reach out to her in the most intentional way, as his right hand stretched and caught hers in
Skylar made her way into the five-star restaurant, her eyes glancing briefly through the few people that were seated in the room, until they landed on Grayson, who was seated by the window, his face brightening with a warm, sweet smile the moment he raised his head. She instantly flashed a warm smile at him from where she was standing, and he rose to his feet, as a gesture to welcome her which almost melted away her initial nervousness instantly. It made Skylar's eyes almost roll in shock because she never thought she could see him smile considering their first and second encounter. “Hi, Sky,” he greeted her with a sweet smile, and politely offered her a seat across from him, “You look absolutely gorgeous,” his eyes lingered as he took in her dress, and her smile.“Hi, Gray,” she responded with a nervous smile, “You don't look bad yourself,” she finally settled into her seat. “How have you been these days?” He initiated the conversation, his eyes peering at her. “Been great,” Skyl
The evening breeze brushed gently over the terrace of Ivan's home, and the beautiful scents of marigolds and lavender from the garden which was situated not far from where the two friends sat, permeated the cool evening breeze with a nice fragrance that was soothing. Sitting across from Ivan, was Leo, who was dressed in a finely pressed summer shirt and slacks, as he slouched comfortably against the chair he was sitting on, with a light grin sitting on his lips. Gently, he swirled the glass of whiskey that was nestled between his fingers, as he stared at Ivan, who had been gazing hard at him for the past few seconds, as if thinking of what to say first. And then, he finally spoke. “So, you are telling me it has taken you two days since you landed to get a drink with me all because of a lady?” Ivan cocked a brow at him. “You know I have not seen or spoken to her since that …….” “Says the man who shows up on my doorstep after disappearing for half a year, and felt like he had to
It was late at night already, but the skies were still as bright as evening, which gave a physical misrepresentation of what time truly was, and had tricked Amelia into believing that the night was still young. She had quickly dressed up for work and sat in front of the dresser for a quick makeup touch, as she used the curling iron to press her hair while trying to gloss a shining red lipstick across her lips at the same time. However, while in haste to leave for her shift that night, her eyes caught sight of Skylar's restlessness through the mirror, whose body was sprawled lazily on the bed, with one hand tucked under her head, the other holding her phone close as she stared at the screen with an unreadable expression. “You never told me what happened last night,” Amelia began, trying to sound casual as she fluffed her hair over one shoulder, “You came home so gloomy and sad,” she glanced at the mirror again, while observing her closely.Meanwhile, Skylar was so engrossed in wha
Ivan stepped into his office after the meeting had ended, and was so surprised to see Skylar sitting at her desk, as calm and composed as ever. It was as if she had not refused to pick up his call all day, or failed to inform him as usual that she would not be around in the morning. She had him so worried. Regardless, a sense of relief washed over him in the most exhilarating manner, before he walked across to the front of her table, a little worried that she seemed bothered by his palpable presence, “Where were you, Sky? Your phone has been off since yesterday,” he gazed at her so intently when he questioned, as if beckoning her to look up at him. Without meeting his eyes, Skylar continued to type fast on her computer as if she had a deadline to meet, and murmured a sincere apology, “I am so sorry for missing the meeting, Mr. Hamilton. It won’t happen again,” she spoke calmly and eloquently. Ivan was taken aback by her very professional tone, as if to shut him out and install
With a weary and bothered heart, Ivan made his way to the office the next day, bothered that Skylar's phone had been off since the previous night. He was a little later to work than usual because a minor collision occurred with his car that morning on his way to work from a rough driver, and it distorted his plans to come early by a few minutes because he had the car towed and another brought to him.Quickly, he stalked out of his elevator as soon as it chimed open on the last floor with large strides in the most elegant way, and instantly made his way to the front of his office, as he opened the door to the office instantly, hoping to see her. However, disappointment clouded his face as soon his eyes fell on the empty desk where Skylar was supposed to be sitting behind. The chair was pushed in, and her papers were still untouched from the previous day. ‘Where was she?’ He wondered, his eyes raising in concern as he hesitated for a few seconds before entering inside, and made his w
The morning sun which Skylar had always loved suddenly felt unkind as it cast its harsh light on her weary face as she trudged into the main doors of the huge company, because it seemed as if it amplified the ache in her heart and the anger she felt from deep within. She made her way into the CEO's VIP elevator with its access card because she gracefully wanted to avoid bumping into any of the company workers, not minding the talks they might make again as to reasons why she got to ride the elevator when Ivan was not even with her. She could barely look at herself in the elevator mirror that she was surrounded by when she got in, and each glance she took at her reflection revealed her tired, hollow eyes and puffy cheeks, which she had spent half an hour trying to conceal. Despite the makeup, traces of last night’s turmoil clung to her like an embarrassment that she couldn’t wash away. It was obvious that she had cried so much. Skylar just wished that she was so open and cared less
Skylar stepped into her apartment with deep weariness engraved deep into her bones, as the weight of what she had just witnessed sat heavily on her chest, crushed her with each breath she took, and blurred her eyes with suffocating tears. The image of Ivan and Gwen kissing replayed in her head like a broken record over and over again, and it was as if a knife had been thrust into her gut. It was almost too hard to bear in mere sight, and the thoughts it brought to her mind severed her heart mercilessly. It suddenly felt as if all the moments that existed between her and Ivan meant nothing. Like she didn't even exist, enough for him to respect what happened between them. Like she didn't matter. Nothing hurt her more than the fact that the sight confirmed her fears and made her feel smaller than ever. It was even more terrifying because she didn't have the right to get angry at him. After all, they were just flings anyway. They didn't even have a name for what they were doing, so she