11
KIERA
"Alright then.” Jake sounds almost reluctant when he says this. I wonder what happened.
Did I offend him somehow? Is he still stuck on the fact that I ran into him half-naked?
Just the thought of him wrapped in a towel with water dripping down his chest is enough to make me squirm in my seat.
When I look up, Jake is staring at me. “You good?”
“Yeah,” I clear my throat. I can’t be out here openly lusting after my boss.
"Get ready. We'll head out in a bit."
“I’m ready,” I point at myself. “I always dress like I’m going to a meeting.”
He looks me up and down, and I swear it lingers. “That you do.”
I excuse myself to go upstairs and put some finishing touches to my makeup. When I come downstairs, Jake is already waiting for me.
He’s dressed casually, scrolling on his phone.
Is he single? He can’t be. He looks so fine. He said he didn’t have someone here in France but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t someone back home waiting for him, right?
Jake finally looks up.
There’s a kind smile on his face that reminds me so much of our teenage years. He would always be parked right outside my door, and we would drive down to school together. I never had to text him for confirmation. He would always be there for me. I never missed a day of school. And only when he went away to college, and I no longer had his smiling face waiting for me outside, did I realize how much I had lost.
How could a sweet boy like him betray me like that? Because until this day, that was the betrayal that hurt the most.
“Worried about something?” Jake asks.
I was never that good at hiding my true feelings from Jake. But I guess I have to be now.
“No, no, I’m good. Let’s go.”
I watch him walk ahead of me. He may look like my best friend, but he’s no longer the boy I once knew. This Jake is a total stranger to me. Maybe the one I knew faded away when he left for college, when he decided that Chris’s feelings mattered more than mine.
Why did he sleep with me? Did he merely take pity on me? Was I just a drunken mistake to him?
It’s true that I practically threw myself on him. But things were so passionate between us. I’ve never found that with anybody else. Before or since.
I shake my head.
Kiera, what are you even thinking?
We’re in Paris. I’m so close to achieving everything I want from my career in this project. I cannot sabotage myself by digging up the past unnecessarily, and definitely not by ruining things with Jake.
Forget about it, Kiera.
***
We pull up to the city center, finding ourselves at the base of the building that houses our new office.
I take off my sunglasses. “Wait a second. This is our office?”
“Yep,” Jake says as he parks down the block.
We’re surrounded by historical buildings, each at least a hundred years old.
“How much is this costing us?”
“Actually, we got a pretty sweet deal.” Jake glances at me. “You like this place?”
“Like? This place is amazing.” And that’s an understatement.
"Each building in Paris has its own character, doesn't it?"
I nod, looking at him. Our tastes are very similar.
We make our way to the third floor, anticipation building as we approach the entrance.
The office is a hive of activity. Workers scurry about, arranging furniture, hanging artwork, and putting the final touches on the space. Boxes lie scattered, awaiting unpacking, and the walls echo with the sounds of construction and the hum of conversations.
"It's a bit chaotic at the moment, but it has potential," Jake says while I survey the chaos.
“I love it. It's like witnessing the birth of something new," I say. “Just like art.”
“Just like art,” Jake echoes. “Well, that’s one way to put it.”
Jake and I walk further into the building space.
“Wow, I can’t believe this place.”
"Might as well get our hands dirty.
“Let's set up our office space before the meeting,” Jake says as he starts to fold his shirt sleeves.
I can’t help but stare at the veins popping up on his forearm. My mouth goes dry, and it takes me a few seconds to recover.
Get a grip on yourself, Kiera!
"Are you sure? We could leave it to the professionals."
“They’re doing their job, of course, but I want to get my space just right,” Jake says, looking around.
“There’s the old Jake I know,” I blurt out. “I mean, you always wanted things in a particular way.”
“Yeah.” Jake says, trying not to drag out the awkwardness, but he looks so bashful. Both Jake and I have brought up our past on multiple occasions, even though we swore that we wouldn’t. Some things are just impossible to ignore.
“I’ll help you,” I offer.
“You really don’t have to do this.”
“I want to.”
We stare at each other for a while before a worker walks up to Jake asking him to sign some forms, effectively breaking our bubble.
We start by organizing the half-empty boxes and carrying them out into the corridor before we start working on the room.
Just as I’m coming inside the narrow hallway, he’s about to leave, and as a result, we’re stuck in a tiny space.
A mere step separates us, and for a fleeting moment, time seems to pause.
"Sorry, didn't mean to cut you off,” I say as I try shimmy past him in the narrow corridor.
“No harm done,” he replies, his voice composed while my heart flutters in my chest. Doesn’t he feel the same way I do?
As we maneuver a particularly cumbersome desk into place, our bodies align in a way that feels almost too intentional.
"Easy does it." Jake’s breath grazes my cheek as we settle the furniture into its designated spot.
I’m aware of how close he is, how he can just reach out and wrap his arms around me, his fingers digging into my waist like he wants me desperately.
No!
I practically jump away from him.
He turns to look at me. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I think I stubbed my finger on something.”
Jake frowns.
“I’m fine.”
“Let me take a look.”
“I said I’m fine,” I reply, my voice way harsher than I intended.
“Jeez, alright, I was just looking after you.”
“You don’t have to,” I say, still not meeting his gaze.
I can’t be thinking of him like this and still have his hands on me. As innocent as it might be to him, it would give me ideas I should not be having.
He looks a bit taken aback before he nods. “Suit yourself.”
I walk away from him and make a point to ignore him for the rest of the day. I’m seated on the floor, having my lunch with the rest of the workers, when Jake approaches me with a guilty smile on his face.
I’m not over it yet but I look up at him, a brow raised.
"Mind if I join you?" he inquires, a subtle apology embedded in his tone.
"Sure, have a seat." As long as he doesn’t touch me, I’m sure it should be fine.
We sit in silence and eat. The workers around continue to chatter.
I can feel Jake’s eyes on me.
“What are you doing later today?” he asks.
I shrug. “I don’t know. You haven’t shared your plans with me yet.”
“You don’t have to stick with me all the time,” he says.
“I know. But I came here to work. With you,” I say, then lower my head and sigh. “Look, I’m sorry. I’m just tired or jetlagged. I know we had a truce and I’ll honor it.”
He smiles.
“It’s okay. Actually, I don’t have anything in my calendar this evening,” Jake says. “Since we’re going to be here for a week, and we have a lot to do anyway, I thought we would take things a little chill.”
“I think it is a good idea to take things slow,” I say.
"How about you take the rest of the day off? And you can relax and prepare for the project tomorrow.”
I frown. “Won’t you be needing me tomorrow?”
“I've got a meeting with a private buyer later. You can use the time to explore Paris or relax,” Jake says. “I don’t want to trouble you too much. I know that I gave you a very difficult timeline to work with, and the scope of the project is vast.”
“Actually, I’m already done with the presentation.”
He frowns. “Really? That was quick.”
“Might have pulled a few all-nighters,” I say bashfully.
Jake shakes his head. “I didn’t want to burden you too much.”
“You didn’t,” I say hastily. “Your notes were immaculate. And your vision is very clear to me.”
“It’s not too chaotic?”
I remember how Tammy had described our friendship.
No, scratch that thought, Kiera.
Jake and I are not friends anymore. He’s my boss, and that’s all there is to that.
“Not at all. It wasn’t very hard to figure out at all.”
Jake actually looks relieved. “Well, I’m glad to hear that.”
“Jake—” I begin.
“Yes?” His eyes are on mine.
I shake my head, and a few tresses of my hair come loose.
From the corner of my eyes, I see Jake reach out instinctively, but then seems to change his mind at the last second.
I put away the empty takeout box. “Never mind.”
I stand up and start walking away.
Jake groans as he comes to his feet. “Why do you do that?”
I freeze. “Do what?”
“Pull away—just when I think we’re getting somewhere.”
I turn to him.
“You’re my boss, Jake.”
He breathes, his gaze never leaving my face. “I know.”
“Why did I get the job, Jake?”
He frowns. “What do you mean?”
“Did you give it to me because of what happened between us? Is this your way of making it up to me?”
“I told you I had nothing to do with the selection process. I had no idea it was you till you walked into my office.”
“So, this is not about—”
“What?” he says. “The night you left me behind without even hearing my side?”
What’s that even supposed to mean?
“You know what? Never mind. You have the rest of the day off. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
Before I can ask what the hell this is about, Jake walks away from me.