Chapter 2 Steven
STEVEN
Today is the day … I think to myself as I scroll through my computer, looking at the new pitches sent over to me just in time for the holiday season.
But it’s hard to focus on work when I think about who is starting their first day here.
Rebecca Gallagher … the one that got away.
Well, she actually ran away as fast as she could, and I still, to this day, don’t know why.
Maybe I did something that I’m not aware of.
Was it because she had feelings for me and it scared her?
It doesn’t help that she is my best friend’s daughter.
The situation definitely put a damper on something that should’ve been beautiful.
After one drunken night, our love flourished.
Exploded is a better way to describe it.
We couldn’t keep away from each other, but one day, without an explanation, she was gone.
Moved hours away, and I haven’t been able to forget her, even after five years.
When Russell—her father and my best friend—told me that Becca was moving back home and needed a job, I jumped at the opportunity.
Not only will I get to see her every day, but she won’t be able to avoid the elephant in the room.
I loved her, hell, I still do, and she wrecked my heart.
Of course, I couldn’t tell anyone about it because Russell would surely try and kill me.
I betrayed him when I overstepped boundaries and got into a relationship with his only daughter.
I couldn’t fight the feelings, and neither could she.
We never officially said we loved each other, but I know what I felt.
And even someone oblivious could see it in her eyes when she looked at me.
Having my business has kept my mind and my time pretty busy, so I haven’t had much of a chance to see Russell, and I haven’t gotten any updates while she was away.
Back in the day, I was just starting up a business for myself, working out of a rundown warehouse.
Once I was able to get the backing I needed, I found the perfect location for Impact Media.
And since opening a year ago, business has been booming, and I’ve barely had time for myself, let alone a free moment to hang out and catch up with Russell.
There are a few messages here and there, but that’s about it.
So, to say I’m nervous to see her is an understatement.
Seeing her for the first time in so long has had my nerves kicking into overdrive.
I’m far too old, being forty-five, to have these feelings, but it happened, and now it’s my only opportunity to win her back.
I was shocked that she took the job, given our history, but I’m ecstatic that she will be here.
With an exaggerated sigh, I check my watch one last time, wondering why time seems to have stopped completely.
I feel stupid reacting like this, but what can I say? She brings it out of me.
Suddenly, my computer chimes, showing that I have a new message.
It’s from Alice, my lobby receptionist on the first floor, letting me know that my new assistant has arrived and should be waiting in the fourth-floor lobby.
My stomach drops, my nerves now flooding me.
I lean over my desk and see a glimpse of her sitting in one of the chairs by the water cooler.
She is nervously looking around with her hands pressed between her knees.
It’s comical to see that she still reacts this way when she is scared or nervous about something.
God … She’s even more beautiful than back in the day.
Standing, I clear my throat nervously and straighten my suit jacket before exiting my office.
As I turn the corner, I plaster on a smile, but her reaction is something I wasn’t prepared for.
She begins coughing roughly, choking on the drink of water in her mouth, and her eyes widen as she stares at me.
This isn’t the reaction of someone expecting to see me standing here. She looks as though she’s seen a ghost.
“Steven?” she asks, her voice sounding shocked as she looks me up and down. “Steven Ricci?”
Clearing my throat, I place my hands in my jacket pockets. “In the flesh,” I say, trying to sound cooler than I actually feel.
My skin is heating up, and I’m not sure if my body is reacting to seeing her again or if I’m just embarrassed.
It becomes painstakingly clear to me that she must not have known that I would be here, that I would be her boss.
But why didn’t Russell tell her?
Maybe he wanted her to be surprised.
If that were the case, he hit it right on the nose.
Not to mention, she and I didn’t really speak about jobs or the logistics of our personal lives much.
We were too busy tearing clothing and getting tangled together to get any real talking done.
“Um,” I say awkwardly. “Let’s go into my office so we can talk more about what the job entails.”
I step aside and urge her to come with me.
She is very reluctant, but she eventually grabs her purse and follows me into my spacious office that overlooks a good part of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
As I take my seat, Becca sits across from me at the desk, her body tense as she stares down at the dark blue carpet.
The silence between us is deafening.
I want to talk to her about so much, but I fear that I will scare her away again.
“So, Becca,” I start, and her eyes slowly trail up to mine. “How’ve you been? I mean, it’s been five years …”
“I’ve been good,” she replies shortly, giving me no opening for a real conversation. “I’ve been keeping myself busy. I just wanted to move back home and be with my family.”
I immediately sense her timidness and decide to cut out all the small talk.
That will come with time.
I’ve waited five years already, what’s another few days?
“That’s good. Well, I’ll just cut right to the chase. The job is easy. You’ll be working under me,” I start again, and when I say this, her cheeks redden.
Maybe it brought up some of our fun we had in the past. “Mostly filing or running errands for me. Keeping my paperwork neat so I can get through this holiday season without a hitch. Is this something you want to do?”
I pray that she agrees, even if it will be a little awkward until she warms up to the idea.
Becca nods, flashing a quick smile. “Absolutely.”
“Great!” I exclaim.
Bending down, I open the bottom drawer of my desk, pull out a hefty stack of papers, and hand it to her.
Her brow raises as she inspects them.
“These are from last year. I know it’s a lot. What I need you to do is to file these according to the dates highlighted at the top of each page, starting with the most recent and going back.”
She nods again silently as I tell her that the filing cabinets these need to go into are located in the back storage room at the end of the hallway.
“I know it seems silly, us being a digital company, but with how many times our tech guy has had to come out to fix something with our systems, I don’t fully trust that these won’t be lost. Paper trail is important.”
“Okay,” she finally says. “Should be easy enough.”
She stands and, with her purse over her shoulder, she exits my office like she can’t get out of there quickly enough.
As she passes my mostly glass wall that overlooks the office space, I catch her staring at me as she heads down the hallway.
Once she is out of view, I rub my eyes roughly, more confused now than ever before when it comes to Becca.
It’s obvious she had no idea what this job was or who her boss was. I have a feeling that if she knew, she wouldn’t have shown up today.
What did I do to her all those years ago that was so terrible and would warrant her to act like that when she saw me?
It had to have been another factor that I don’t know about yet.
Rest assured, I will find out.
It’s only fair that I get an explanation, especially after she broke my heart five years ago.
I hope that now that she’s here, back in my life, we can at least rekindle the friendship we once had.
That’s the worst part of this all.
I didn’t just lose the love of my life; I lost a friend.
It hurt, and still does.
Seeing her feels like reopening those wounds, even though they were never truly healed.
At first, I was excited to see her again.
Now, I worry that this may not go as I thought it would.
I guess only time will tell …