The elevator dinged as it reached the top floor; the floor only had two doors, one for her and the other for her neighbor. Layla punched in the code and told Emma she could change it if she wanted to. Emma could hardly keep her mouth closed because of how beautiful the house was. They walked into the entrance gallery, filled with light that resonated through the perfectly white-painted walls.There were three rooms, all decorated beautifully with minimalistic yet stunning designs that mesmerized Emma.Layla gave her a tour of the grand gallery and the small room that was her office in case she still had work to do for him from the company."And that’s the tour; I have been here a lot, so I’d leave you to figure out where you want to choose,” Layla called as they stepped into Ryan’s room.It was painted sky blue with beautiful stickers of whales and stars; his bed was a beautiful beige canopy, and the moment Ryan walked into the room behind his mom, his eyes widened. "And this is your
“What?”Emma was shocked out of her mind by Rowan's announcement. Did he just say he was her neighbor—the neighbor who just moved in with her?“What would you do?""You know my hands are full with the groceries,” he says, showing Emma his hands filled with groceries, and even Ryan joined in as he raised the small bottle of milk."Me too, me too, mom, let’s go in." Ryan whined, and Emma had no choice as she opened the door, letting both father and son in.She was still in disbelief, but she didn’t want to talk to him in front of Ryan. "Ryan, can you go wash your hands, please?” Emma notes this to Ryan, who runs to his room.And the moment he was out of earshot, Emma turned to Rowan, her eyes mad and searching as she confronted him. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Rowan? You’re stalking us now.“No… I was staying here first.""That's total bull, Rowan.""I have a lot of houses here, and I just wanted to have a change of location, and coincidentally, you were here too.” Emma wa
She accepted his ride, learning to put her pride aside juts this one time , and she couldn’t ruin Ryan’s bonding time with him anyway; she didn't have the heart to.They got into the car, with Rowan putting Ryan’s seat belt on before he walked into the driver's seat and then turned on the ignition. For a split second, Emma held her breath, taken aback by the moment that Rowan leaned over to her side, making her instinctively close her eyes. She wondered if he was just going to kiss her like this, and her heart skipped a beat. But then she heard a loud click, opened her eyes to see that a belt had been passed over her, and clicked in. He was just putting her in her seat belt, and Emma felt so embarrassed. She felt blood on her cheeks and ears as she turned to the window, clearing her throat as she turned away, embarrassed by what she had just done."Why would you even think he was about to kiss you?" she scolded herself as Rowan smirked before he reversed the wheels, and they were ou
Emma left the elevator and quickly remembered that she was supposed to be at work in less than 20 seconds as she cursed Rowan in her head for distracting her with his damning smile.She reached the department with other recruits already lined up and waiting, and she felt embarrassed that she got in last with everyone looking at her as she joined the small group.She checked herself, making sure her clothes were right and her hair too, as she calmed her breathing the minute someone else walked in."Hello everyone." An older man called, getting all their attention as they all turned from their work desks to the new group at the center."We have our recruits today, and I’d like we can all give them a hand in welcoming them to the planning and strategy department of Kings Consolidated,” the older man says, and the room goes up in applause and smiles."I am Mr. Sanders and the assistant manager of this department. Our manager is a little grumpy this morning, but he’s over there, so be sure
She leaves Jamie’s office after a few minutes of small talk. She then gets the rest of her work done before heading out to get a bit of fresh air.Thankfully, their rooftop was fully vacant and publicly built as a recreational spot to hang out during breaks, and she was glad that there was hardly anyone there right now.She takes in the fresh, crisp air, breaking in and out to cool her head, as so much thought fumbled with her mind and she needed time to think. She wouldn’t like what Jamie said to affect her; she knew that her heart was still away from him. Her thoughts were interrupted by the buzzing of her phone. She saw Raya and Amy on the line for a video call; thankfully, she wasn’t busy.She quickly picked it up, facing the camera to her face, and the minute she saw her friend, her stress quickly reduced. "Hey guys," Emma called to Amy and Raya; they were at the beach with their sunglasses and swimsuits.She was glad they were still enjoying their honeymoon. “Hey Emma, we wanted
The walk of shame back to the company was jarring. Emma knew Jamie was giving her a mischievous and playful glint as he messed with her.“Oh? Something isn’t going on, really.”“Um, why would you say we are in a relationship ?” Emma tried to explain, but their sly smiles just told her he wouldn’t believe anything, especially after what Rowan did in front of them all.They were in the elevator when Jamie scooted over to where she stood. Emma tried her best not to laugh at him; this was her first day, and all this had begun to happen.She thanked God for the moment the elevator opened, and she walked out fast to her desk and tried to concentrate on her work for the rest of the day. She thought the coast was clear, but not until she saw Rowan waiting by the car in front of the office.She tried to run away and act like she didn’t see him, but everything was futile the moment he called her name. "Emma," Rowan said to her.“You,” she whispered, walking to him fast, "get in, get in!” She ca
*Emma*I must be crazy.I really must be going crazy. I thought to myself, I couldn’t believe I did that. Even as I washed the fresh fruits I was preparing for tomorrow's breakfast, I blanked out, still in disbelief.Remembering what I had just done a few minutes ago with Rowan, I kissed him. This time I wasn’t drunk; it wasn’t until I felt water spill on my legs that I looked to see that the sink tap was still open.I turned it off quickly, cleaning the counter space. I couldn’t believe this. "You've gone crazy, Emma,” I scolded myself.“Okay, you just need to focus," I tell myself as I prepare dinner after I’m done. Ryan was in his little world, watching cartoons, while I was in the kitchen.He was so happy; even after he woke from his nap, he had asked for Rowan, but I promised him Rowan was just busy and he would come when needed, but right now I didn’t want to see Rowan.Who knows what would happen to my restraint or shame if he showed up? I served out a meal, and Ryan ate with su
Emma knew there was no way to avoid Rowan.especially since it had been agreed that he would give Ryan a ride to school to avoid the morning traffic rush and spend time with him. But it felt like torture for her, especially since she had kissed him. She still had not gotten the chance to bring it up, especially since she had been avoiding it herself.The car ride to Ryan's school felt like a blur, and the next thing Emma knew, she was once again alone with Rowan in the car.She looked at the rearview mirror, catching a glimpse of his lips in the mirror that quickly had her heart pounding. “Stop it, Emma,” she scolded herself as the car took off."You have something to say, don’t you?” Rowan’s voice broke through her thoughts, and she flinched, hearing his voice. suddenly. “What happened yesterday?”“No,” Rowan replied. “If you mean you want me to forget, then I can’t do that; I just can't.""Then how about just keeping it professional in the workplace? I just started work, and I’m in