“Abigail, you’ve worked for me, and you’ve made my business much better. You’re brilliant.”
Abigail dropped her gaze as her cheeks burnt. “Thank you.”
“That is why I know I have to have you as an asset in my business. When you graduate, I want--no, I need you full time with me at SHI’s.”
Abigail’s face lit up. So it was a business dinner, and it was exactly what she’d hoped for. Her face broke out in a massive grin as her eyes danced in excitement. “Really? I mean, I’d be honoured. I love my job.”
“And I love that you are there. You make it better, Abigail. I’d be a fool to let you slip away. Now, I know that you had planned to visit home after graduating, so I wouldn’t expect you to start immediately. But once you’re back, you’re on the team as long as you want it.”
“Of course! Thank you, Mr Hansic, you have no idea .
Being a light sleeper was both a gift and a curse at the same time.It was a sleeping trait Abigail developed after everything with Nicholas.It saved her a lot of trouble on mornings when she fell asleep on the couch after studying all night, where she had work the following day.Alternately, on nights when she was exhausted, the simplest sounds like Najay using the microwave or a phone ringing would cause her to jump from her rest.Now, when she felt the bed dip by the middle, and a warm, familiar hand brushed the hair from her sleepy eyes, it felt like a blessing because she knew that it was Theodore -- he had come home.Abigail blinked her eyes open and smiled at him.“Theodore,” she mumbled. Her voice was barely a whisper as her slumber dri
“Get up.”Theodore swept the blanket from Abigail’s body. She groaned, pulling the pillow over her face to block the beams of sunlight that escaped through her thick drapes.“I’m not ready to,” she groaned, evoking a small chuckle from Theodore’s chest.“But you have to,” he pressed. “We’re having breakfast together.”With her head still under the pillow, Abigail kicked her foot in the direction she thought Theodore stood but kicked the air instead.“We have breakfast together every morning, Theodore. Today is no different. Except for the part where you are interrupting my sleep.”The bed dipped on her left as Theodore joined her. “This morning is different. I’m taking you out.”The thought of going out caused a jitter in Abigail’s
The day went by surprisingly quickly. The office grew lighter as Seymour’s presence enhanced everyone’s mood by the hour. That, and the fact that they wouldn’t lose their jobs.At exactly six-fifteen, as Abigail killed the power on her computer and packed her bag, the secretary, her only friend at work, entered her office. Abigail knew the only time Camille came into her office was when she had gossip that they couldn’t discuss in the lunchroom. She smiled at the thought.“Hey, Camille.”“Hey, precious.” As if it was instinct, Camille began grabbing stuff to help Abigail pack her bag.“What’s up?”“Oh, I’m just waiting for my boyfriend to come to pick me up, then I saw your lights still on.”Abigail paused to raise her eyebrows at her. “Okay, I don’t know what&rsqu
The elevator pinged, and all heads turned towards the entrance as Najay waltzed towards the kitchen in all her bold, confidentbeauty.As her eyes met Abigail’s, her smile grew even wider, but Abigail dropped eyecontact.Najay was taken back, but she didn't read too much intoit.She plopped her bottom on a stool by the island and threw her bag totheground.“I have had the longest day! I need food .. . Hey, Theodore. Hey, Angela.”“Hi, love. I’m making beef stew and garlic rolls, and for dessert, apple pie,” Angela told her as she slid around the kitchen.Najay beamed. “Sounds great. And when did you start baking?”&
In a moment when the world felt like it had stopped spinning--as time had ceased to exist, Abigail froze in her spot. Abigail gazed at the woman whose big, green eyes watched her with nothing but mere curiosity. The vivid memory of the woman on Theodore’s phone resurfaced in Abigail’s mind. Cleo was even more perfect in real life. Her brown hair fell to her waist in luscious curls. Of course, she wore extensions, but that didn’t take away from her natural beauty that Abigail was sure sat beneath all her makeup. They could almost hear Theodore’s heart racing from where they stood. Silence reigned in the room for a minute or two. Abigail was the first to walk away, not sparing another glance in Cleo’s or Theodore’s direction. But it was when she moved Cleo found it fit to finally speak. “Theo, who is this?” she asked, and Abigail stopped dead in her tracks, throwing a glare in Theodore’s direction. But it was evident that he tried to avoid eye contact.
The light chatter of happy friends, drunk buddies and men trying to snatch a one-night stand filled the tiny pub.Abigail sat at the bar, staring at the untouched glass of liquor.She thought she’d be able to drink her sorrows away like hundreds of people.Still, drinking was never quite her way of coping, and alcohol reminded her of Theodore.The bartender eyed her from the second Abigail stepped inside with a duffle bag on her arm and tear-streaked cheeks.It wasn’t anything new to see, but the young woman sympathized with whatever Abigail was going through more than she would normally.Abigail only uttered one sentence since she arrived, asking for the glass of Brandy--neat.The bartender, whose nametag read &lsq
It smelled the same.The very distinct scent of bleach and ‘white’ was everywhere in the small clinic ward attached to the hospital.Abigail sat patiently in the reception room, waiting for the nurse to call her name.The anticipation was maddening.She was unconscious the last time she entered this hospital, so Abigail had no idea that the wait was so frustrating.Her stomachache grew by the second, and she had to switch her tampon thirty minutes ago from the heavy flow, though she tried not to focus on it.What she thought about, however, was each second that passed when she wasn’t closer to the examination room.How hard can it be to say--“Abigail?”“Ye
“Theodore Adams! Come out here right this instant!”Theodore perked in his chair at the female's voice but instantly rolled his eyes when he realised it wasn’t the person he wanted to see.Huffing, he dropped his pen and slammed his laptop shut as he exited his office towards the lounge room. And there she was: hands akimbo and eyebrows perfectly arched as if she freaking owned the place.“What are you doing here, Cleo?” he asked, his voice much softer than he intended. Theodore had no energy for another fight with her.“What do you mean, Theo? I gave you two weeks to come to your senses! Two! Now it’s just getting ridiculous.”“Cleo, just leave, please.” Theodore pi
Song for final chapter:Like I'm Gonna Lose You by Meghan Trainor ft John Legend ***Theodore sat in his office--thoughts filled with Abigail. The last thing he wanted was to entertain thoughts of the tantalising woman who drove him crazy, which was why the first thing he did when they arrived was head straight to his office. But he couldn’t help it. She was a few rooms away, sleeping, and he couldn’t focus on his papers. The last thing he wanted to do was write something in the wrong place. That could be chaotic.He closed the folder and ran his fingers through his hair, exhausted. He’d only slept three hours on the plane, and that’s after Abigail finally fell asleep. He checked the time, seeing that it was minutes after ten a.m. Theodore replayed the past twelve hours in his head after learning about Abigail’s miscarriage.The very thought caused a stab in his heart that he had never felt before. It almost felt as bad as when he lost Abigail. But losing his baby--their baby... It w
As the man and a woman, who Abigail assumed was his wife, approached, all she wanted to do was run for the hills. But Theodore smiled at him, too, showing that he knew the doctor quite well.“Doctor Danvers,” both Theodore and Abigail said simultaneously in two different tones, of course.Doctor Danvers beamed at the couple as his eyes settled on Abigail, Theodore’s hand around her waist, then on her stomach.Oh no.“How are you doing?” he asked, staring at Abigail.Abigail gulped. “I’m great. Never been better. I see you know Theodore?”“Ah yes,” Doctor Danvers said, sharing a quick smile with Theodore. “Our families go way back. I actually mentored Jessica when she wanted to be a doctor. Such a shame she gave it up. She had talent.”“Well, that’s Jessica,” Theodore concluded with a chuckle. A brief silence reigned, and Abigail tried to use it to her advantage to get away, but Theodore beat her to it as if just noticing that Doctor Danvers called Abigail’s name and not his.“Wait, ho
Abigail never fancied makeup, but she was utterly grateful for her tiny tube of foundation. She hadn’t realised that Theodore had gotten carried away with his love bites until she woke up this morning.She didn’t even go to Jessica’s bachelorette party. After they left the cellar, Theodore and Abigail showered and changed before heading to the dining room. Penny and Brad pretended that they didn’t notice the sudden change in attire. But Jessica was quite blunt with her remarks, even insisting that Abigail stay home, saying she “Must be tired from the long plane ride.”Abigail didn’t protest, and when Jessica returned home sometime after midnight, she spotted Theodore leaving Abigail’s room.Jessica took Abigail to the hotel to get ready, so Abigail hadn’t seen Theodore all morning or afternoon. She made a beautiful bride. Though they had to redo her makeup two times because her panic caused her to sweat and cry, smudging the lines of her eyeliners and making imbalances in her foundat
Theodore’s smile had disappeared entirely as if it weren’t there in the first place.“I have no idea. And I don’t care.”“Oh,” Penny simply said, realising she had upset both Theodore and Abigail. “I didn’t... Not that I care. I didn’t much like her anyways.”“Mother, you loved Cleo,” Theodore said, calling her out. Penny seemed uncomfortable.“I did when she was younger. But I don’t quite think she was right for you. I just thought that when the break-up happens, you’d just remain friends.”Brad, evidently seeing Abigail’s discomfort, changed the topic. “Abigail, I hope you like lasagne.”“I love it,” Abigail said, forcing a smile.“Great!”Jessica gripped Abigail’s wrist and pulled her to the other side of the room, seeing that Penny was trying to apologise to Theodore for bluntly bringing up Cleo’s whereabouts.“You must come to my bachelorette party,” Jessica said, curling her palms under her neck with a huge smile.Abigail--who had initially planned to go to bed--stumbled over he
California--the state of sunshine and beaches.Abigail had a considerable amount of time daydreaming about getting fresh air compared to New York’s busyness. And more times than she’d liked, Theodore was present in those daydreams too, either holding her hand along the beach or kissing her under the open moonlight.It was quite inappropriate to dream about, but she couldn’t help her wandering thoughts. Najay, having tried everything she could to stop Abigail from going, helped her pack and tried to shove the largest, most unattractive underwear in Abigail’s carry on. But Abigail noticed before Najay could close the zipper and packed some moderately decent underwear--not too sexy, but not too repulsive either. Not that it mattered. Theodore and Abigail wouldn’t even share a room. So that shouldn’t have been a concern.Theodore.Abigail hadn’t seen him since the day she went shopping, and they had talked but twice on the phone to arrange the time for pick up and departure. The way he le
Slowly, they all turned around as if they were two-year-old triplets being caught colouring on the wall.Behind them stood Theodore and his COO, Jerry. Abigail met Jerry once, but Cleo knew him quite well.“Theodore,” Abigail mumbled, clutching the dress to her chest.He ogled the dress with an approving glint in his eye, imagining how its soft silky-like texture would look on Abigail. And how he could almost run his hand under the--“What the hell are you doing here?” Cleo’s voice snapped him from his naughty thoughts, but every warmth disappeared from his eyes when he met Cleo’s.“I would ask you the same thing,” Theodore growled.Without taking his eyes from Cleo, he stalked towards Abigail and slipped the dress from her fingers before handing it to Sarah.“Get this ready for me, would you?”“Are--are you buying it, s-s-sir?” Sarah stumbled over her words. But the question yielded a glare from Theodore, which had her squirming. The dominance and power that radiated from him were a
“I don’t like it.” Najay had made it abundantly clear five times already that she didn’t like the idea of Theodore and Abigail becoming... acquainted again.Najay believed Abigail would just end up hurt and fall into a cycle of Theodore and heartbreak all over again.When she learned that Abigail had lost her baby, Najay didn’t blame Theodore. No one did. But she believed it would be too hard on Abigail to be around him--especially since he didn’t know.“I know you don’t like it,” Abigail said, “but I think this is good for me. I need a vacation.”“Not with him. And won’t a wedding make you feel all... I don’t know...woozy?” Najay said, throwing her arms in the air. Abigail chuckled as they stopped in front of the salon.“Woozy?” Abigail snorted.“I don’t know, okay? Just be careful.”“Najay, I’ll be fine. I’m keeping him at arm’s length. Besides, what’s the worst that could happen?”“Well--”“That was rhetorical.” Abigail quickly cut her off before dashing across the street. “I’ll se
“Yes!”The email Abigail had been dreading over the past week had finally arrived, and thankfully, it bore good news.Abigail jumped from the couch, throwing her arms in the air as she performed a mini dance in front of Najay. Najay couldn’t contain her laughter, happy that Abigail seemed to be getting back to her old self.“Yes what?” Najay asked, though she already knew.“I just got the confirmation email about my special request. I am officially done with grad school. I made it bitches!”Chuckling, Najay grabbed the beer bottle from her friend’s hand and closed Abigail’s laptop. “Okay. Take it easy, tiger.”“I’m easy,” Abigail grinned. “I’m really, really easy.”“Okay, let’s get you to bed.”Abigail darted away from Najay’s hand, dashing towards her bedroom.“No! I have to go to Vanx Club, remember?”“Like this?” Najay asked, following behind Abigail. “You’re not in the right mind space to go out tonight. It’s almost ten.”After grabbing a mini dress from her packed box on the grou
She sat in the single armchair, knowing it was the safest choice considering the other was a loveseat. Theodore and Najay sat across from her only seconds later. They all waited for someone to start speaking first. Ultimately, it was Najay.“We have one fight, and you leave the city without telling me.”“Najay...” Abigail sighed, knowing it would lead to this.In truth, Abigail was just as surprised to see Najay as she was to see Theodore.“No, Abigail. I was pissed, yes. You accused me of something not just awful but disgusting and heart-breaking. I spent days wondering what I could’ve done to make you doubt my loyalty. I admit I kept a few details away from you because I didn’t want you to freak out. But when I invited Nicholas inside my apartment, it was only to threaten his sorry ass in a place where no one would hear.”“I know, Najay. I was stupid and scared and hurt, and I should’ve never accused you of something like that.”“No, you shouldn’t have.” Najay had always been bare-f