Mina
Mina
M ina was heartbroken. Eli made good on his promise to have someone come over to their hotel room and pack up all his things. She had asked the guy to tell her where Eli was staying, but he refused. Apparently, Eli was staying in town, and that was all the guy was allowed to tell her. Mina knew that she had hurt his feelings by questioning if his marriage proposal was too soon, but she had a right to be skeptical. They had only been together for a week, and sure she had fallen in love with him, but what if it was all a fluke? She just needed time to think, but she never meant to push Eli out of her life altogether.
She got up before the sun and packed her things, wanting to get to the jet before Eli. If she could beat him there, she’d give herself a few extra minutes to work up the courage to say what she should have said yesterday—that she’d marry him. It was what she wanted, and Mina was finally ready to do something for herself and to hell with what anyone else thought about her and Eli together.
Eli had sent the car for her and when she slipped into the empty back seat, she felt a new wave of disappointment. She thought that he’d be sitting in the back of the SUV, waiting for her, but he wasn’t. The driver told her that he was instructed to pick her up and deliver her to the jet when she asked him where Eli was. No one gave her any answers.
When she stepped onto the plane, the captain handed her an envelope with her name on it. “We’ll be taking off in about fifteen minutes,” he said. “Please make yourself comfortable.” Mina thanked him and he nodded, walking up to the cockpit. Mina sat down and ripped the envelope open, finding a letter from Eli. She’d know his chicken scratch anywhere. Mina took a deep breath as if preparing herself for what his letter was going to say, reading it out loud.
“Mina,” she whispered, clearing her throat. “I had to stay on here for a few extra days. I should be in the office early next week. I’ll see you then.” He signed it simply, “Eli” and she didn’t hold back the sob that escaped her parted lips. She put the letter on the seat next to her and buckled in. Mina was going to pray for a smooth flight and once she got home, she was going to have a good cry while soaking in a bath. Eli’s letter spoke volumes in the words that he didn’t say. It was cold and bland, leaving her lost. The one thing she was certain of was that he was done with her. She told him that she needed time, and now, it was her biggest regret.
Mina pulled her cell phone out of her purse and called Ben. “Hey, you,” she croaked when he answered the phone.
“Oh, honey,” he said. “What’s happened?”
“I think that Eli and I are over,” she sobbed.
“Over,” he repeated, “but, you two just started. When you texted me at the beginning of the week, you said that you were staying with him, and he was finally admitting that he had feelings for you.”
“Yeah, that part was true. He did have feelings for me, but I have a feeling that he doesn’t anymore,” she said.
“What happened?” he asked.
“Our week was great,” she said. “Then, last night, he asked me to marry him.”
“Oh my fucking God,” Ben breathed. “He asked you to marry him?”
“Yep,” Mina said, “he had a ring and everything. He said that he loves me.”
“And you don’t feel the same way about him?” Ben asked.
“No, I do feel the same way. I know that it sounds crazy, but I’ve fallen in love with him.” Mina wasn’t sure how she was ever going to get past her feelings for Eli.
“It doesn’t sound crazy at all,” Ben insisted. “I’ve fallen hard and fast before. I know how that feels. I’m guessing that you told him, no,” Ben said. “Given your state of distress.”
“I didn’t tell him no,” she insisted. “I told him that I needed to think about his proposal. I asked him to give me some time, and instead, he gave me space. He took off and left me alone at the hotel last night. And now, he’s ditched me to fly home on my own.”
“You’re terrified of flying,” Ben reminded.
“Yeah, I’m aware,” she grumbled.
“How long before you get home?” he asked.
“Four hours,” Mina said, “why?”
“I’ll meet you at the airport and pick you up. You can cry on my shoulder all you want,” Ben offered.
“Thanks,” she said. “I was going to tell him that I want to marry him,” she whispered.
“You were?” Ben asked.
“Yeah, I was coming to the hangar to tell Eli that I wanted to marry him, but he’s not here.” The captain came over the speaker and announced that they were ready for takeoff. He reminded Mina to buckle in and turn off all devices.
“I’m sorry, but I have to go, Ben,” she said. “We’re taking off.”
“Safe flight, honey. When you get home, text me and I’ll come to get you. We’ll figure this out together,” he promised.
“Thanks, Ben,” she said. “I know that I can always count on you.”
“Of course, baby girl,” he agreed. “Talk soon.” Mina ended the call and shoved her phone into her purse. She leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. With some luck, her nerves would take a back seat to her exhaustion, and she’d sleep all the way home.
As soon as Mina got back to her place, she stowed her suitcase in the corner of her bedroom and fell into bed. Crying herself to sleep might seem pathetic, but she was just grateful to be in the privacy of her home to do it. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do about Eli, but the ride home with Ben had given her a few ideas.
Ben told her to get a good night’s sleep and then, he said that she should storm over to Eli’s place and tell him off. He hinted that she should keep the ring because it was gorgeous, but that wasn’t something she could do if she wasn’t going to be with Eli. Mina didn’t want the constant reminder of their breakup every time she looked at the ring Eli had given to her.
Ben’s ideas were valid, but she just wanted to find Eli, tell him how sorry she was, and beg him to take her back. She wanted to tell him that she considered his offer and wanted to marry him, but she had a feeling that he wasn’t going to ever talk to her again.
Then, there was the whole work thing. How was she supposed to deal with seeing Eli day in and day out? Maybe she could transfer to another floor, but she wasn’t sure that there would be any openings for her. She needed this job and would have to keep it until she could find another one. Not paying rent wasn’t an option for her. She’d need to find something fast because she was sure that her heart was going to break a little bit more every time she had to face Eli.
Her best option was to face him today and get this part over with. She was going to tell him that she was sorry for not following her heart and telling him yes. She’d tell him that she’d understand if he never wanted to see her again, even if that part would break her heart. Then, she was going to beg him not to fire her until she could find a new job.
Mina showered and pulled on a pair of sweats. She honestly didn’t care if she looked like a frumpy, hot mess. She was going to drive over to Eli’s, say her peace, and go back home to cry herself to sleep again. In fact, she planned on spending the weekend sulking in bed before heading back into the office on Monday morning.
She pulled her front door open and practically ran right into Eli standing on the other side. “Oh, hi,” she squeaked. “What are you doing here?”
“Hi,” Eli said, “may I come in?” he asked.
“Sure,” she said, stepping to the side so that he could enter her apartment. She followed him into the family room and sat down on her sofa. Eli chose to stand, pacing in front of her, and she could tell that he was going to say something that she didn’t want to hear.
“Just say what you need to say, Eli,” she insisted. He stopped pacing and took a deep breath.
“Fine,” he said, “I’m an idiot.” Well, that was something that they could both agree on. The way that he dismissed her when she asked for time to think over his proposal was a jerk move.
“Okay,” she agreed. He smiled and shook his head.
“You’re not even going to lie to me and tell me that I’m not an idiot,” he said. “You see, that’s why you need to marry me, Mina.” She started to say that she agreed with him on that point too, but he held up his hands to her, stopping her from saying anything.
“Just let me get this all out,” he insisted. She nodded and sat back, giving him the floor. “I was an idiot for turning my back on you when all you asked me for was some time. I’ve been able to do some thinking, and I didn’t handle things very well at all. I hope that you can forgive me,” he said.
“Forgiven,” she breathed.
“Oh, well, that was easier than I planned. I want you to work for me still, Mina, even if you don’t want to be with me romantically,” he said. God, he really was an idiot.
“I never said that I don’t want to be with you, romantically, Eli,” she reminded. “I just asked you for time to think over your proposal.”
“Right,” he said, clearing his throat. She could tell that he wanted to ask her if she had given his proposal any thought, but he refrained.
“I’ve been able to think about it,” she taunted.
“You have?” he asked.
“Yes, and I’ve made my decision,” she admitted.
Eli sunk into the sofa next to her and waited her out. He didn’t even look at her and Mina couldn’t help herself—she reached for his hand and pulled it into her own. “You’re wearing my ring,” he said. She had put it on last night when she got home. Mina decided that she wanted to marry him and not wearing his ring felt wrong.
“I am,” she agreed.
“Does that mean that you’ll marry me?” he asked.
“It does,” she said. “If your proposal still stands. When I got to the plane and you weren’t there, I realized that I didn’t want to live without you. I decided that I wanted to marry you as soon as the plane landed back here at home. I want my home to be with you, Eli, wherever that might be.”
Eli pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. “You’re my home too, honey,” he whispered against her neck. “I’m so sorry about how I handled things. If you can’t tell, I’m kind of a hothead.”
“Yeah, I picked up on that,” she teased.
“I can’t promise that I’ll never overreact again, but I’ll work on that,” he promised. “I just want a chance to prove that to you, Mina. If you marry me, I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make you happy, honey,” he said.
“I’d love to marry you, Eli,” she said, “and, I promise to make you happy too.” He pulled her in for a kiss and Mina felt as though she was finally home. Eli was that for her—her safe harbor, her home base, and she was going to finally have everything she ever wanted, all wrapped up in one sexy-as-hell businessman.
The End