24.
I was busier than ever. Between working at the firm and night shifts at the bar, I barely had time to even sleep. I was constantly on the go.
It had been a little over a week since I started working at the law firm.
My fear of not getting along with the other lawyers on Sarah's team quickly dissolved when I met them.
Most of them were slightly older than me, but they were all so welcoming and accommodating I couldn't help but feel at home right off the bat.
Normally, I had trouble clicking with people right away but the conversation flowed easily and the vibes were great.
Despite the numerous invitations to drinks or supper after work, I was never comfortable leaving work until all my files were completed or updated.
Seeing as I was still new and adapting to the workload, that normally meant I was the last person to leave.
Today, I managed to finish around 9. I slowly packed up my things before making my towards the exit.
"Good night, Charlotte!"
"Night Hank!" I tossed a wide smile over my shoulder as I pushed against the glass door.
I slid my headphones on and made my down the dark streets towards the direction of my apartment.
I walked slowly, taking in the fresh air and warm breeze as it cascaded over me.
I watched as numerous people crossed the street as I waited, planted by the street light for the pedestrian light to appear.
The pedestrian light went off and I made my way off the sidewalk onto the street. I glanced down, changing the song playing. Within a second, I felt a strong, powerful grip pull my arm, making me stumble backward into a hard force. A strong gush of air swept through me as a car raced past me.
My heart was pounding loudly against my chest and I felt my nervousness rise as I stared in the direction the car went in before it quickly disappeared around the corner, away from my view.
I looked myself over, making sure I had all ten toes and ten fingers before I realized the grip placed around my waist was due to a strong muscular arm.
My eyes trailed upwards slowly as I twisted out of the man's grasp. My eyebrows shot up as I recognized the man's molten amber eyes. Wrapping my arms around myself, I stepped further away from him. His arms fell to his sides with clenched fists as he looked at me, his jaw heavy with tension.
"Thank you."
"Watch where you're going next time."
I bit my tongue to prevent myself from responding to his comment.
In the fleeting moments when I had a few minutes to myself, he always crossed my mind.
I thought of him every day. In a way, everything seemed to remind me of him.
When I would stop at Silva's cafe, the smell of coffee would make me wonder which cup of coffee he was at that day.
Or, how I couldn't order pizza without thinking of that time we ate on the sidewalk together.
The yearning I felt for him never lessened but it was easier to ignore the empty feeling when I kept myself occupied. He hasn't tried to contact me so taking the loss, I pulled my purse closer and nodded at him. He watched me, his eyes catching every little movement I made.
"I will. Thank you. Have a good night," I whispered, as my eyes trailed every detail of his beautiful, stoic face.
Not wanting to embarrass myself further, I turned and faced the street.
Fuck the light. I waited and almost got hit so might as well cross before dying of embarrassment.
I glanced both ways and made a move to step forward before his voice stopped me.
"Wait."
"Yes?" I asked, turning to face him.
"What do I get?"
"What?"
"I just saved your life. I think that merits something."
"You want something in return for saving me from getting hit by a car?"
"Well, it's not like I'm asking for an award. A slice of pizza from Fernando's will do."
I eyed him warily, trying to figure out what his end game was. Did he finally want to talk about what happened or was this all for a slice of pizza? Unfortunately, I wasn't going to find out.
Over the time I spent away from them, I realized a few things.
Not to play the victim game but I was put in a very shitty spot.
I had to lie and manipulate a man so my sister could go on a trip and not get fired.
I should have never gotten involved with Mason, but she should have never implicated me in this plan.
We weren't little girls swapping places because we didn't like the course subject anymore.
People were hurt and I was one of them too.
While I felt bad for my hand in the situation, I had the right to be mad and hurt at the situation too.
Despite my feelings, I wanted to speak to Mason. I wanted to hear how he was doing and how this whole fucked up fiasco hurt him, how I hurt him. It wasn't going to happen. At least, not today. Not when I had a shift at the bar in 2 hours.
"I have a shift tonight."
"After you're done, then."
"It'll be late."
"I'll wait for you," His lips pulled softly upwards, his left dimple deepening. I felt a blush rise to my cheeks as I inwardly tried to tamp down the stampede of butterflies exploding in my chest. "See you later."
I watched as he calmly walked down the street, his massive building towering over the passersby. Shaking my head, I turned and made my way across the street, trying my best to push thoughts of him seeing him later to the back of my mind.