Chapter 2
Richard
Gary is an asshole. Marketing is supposed to be under his command, and yet, we can’t find him anywhere. He’s probably passed out drunk in a suite somewhere, surrounded by booze and half-naked women. That promiscuous, lazy idiot is ruining my life.
I don’t know why dad stuck me with him. Sure, I understand that we’re the young ones, and he’s hesitant to hand us bigger responsibilities before we’re ready for them, but how could he even think that I’d be able to work with Gary and not go crazy?
That guy wouldn’t recognize hard work if it hit him in the face.
Since we started working together, I can’t remember the number of times I’ve had to take up his responsibilities to keep things going.
I’m so jealous of my older brothers. They get to work on fast-moving businesses in medical and software, while I’m stuck with a company that has been in my family for a hundred years.
It’s so stable and immovable that things would probably go well even if I wasn’t here now.
I was still ranting in my mind when I heard a knock on my door. It must be Joyce. Bless her heart. She runs so much interference between me and my brother and she’s the only reason he’s still alive, metaphorically speaking.
I took a deep breath before calling out, “Come in”, fully prepared for another mind-numbing meeting. But when I saw who walked in behind Joyce, every cell in my body just froze.
I couldn’t move. I couldn’t talk. I could only stare.
What’s going on? When did? How? Wait, what is Katie Moore doing here? I thought I was having a meeting with a web design company’s CEO.
How long has it been? 5 years? Oh my God!
Where has she been all this while? My emotions are all over the place right now.
It’s been so many years since I saw her, but she looks just as radiant as ever, if not more.
Her blond hair still shines like gold. Her blue eyes can look right into your soul.
They give new meaning to the word mesmerizing.
And her curves, man. They’re more pronounced than ever.
I could get lost in them for days and never want for anything else.
Oh, how I’ve missed her. Breaking up with her was the biggest mistake of my life.
I was young and impulsive, and I just panicked. Everything got too real too fast.
It wasn’t like Katie asked for a ring or anything, but…
I just couldn’t handle everything I was feeling, I guess.
And so, I broke up with her. I lost her.
And I lost myself. Leaving her was the biggest mistake of my life, and I didn’t realize that until I lost her because of my foolishness.
Nothing has been the same since I left her.
I tried to find her later, but I couldn’t. Where has she been all these years?
My thoughts were all over the place, and then it hit me.
Wait a minute. Katie is here? Does that mean she owns the business we’ll be contracting for our website redesign project?
How did that happen? Last I remember, she could barely hold a decent job together for more than a few months. How did this growth happen?
I didn’t know she had it in her. She comes from humble beginnings, and to build a company that made millions in turnover in just 5 years, she must have worked her ass off.
I wonder why she never showed me this side of herself when we were together.
I guess I was more of an asshole than I’d realized if I never noticed such a big part of who she was.
I don’t know why she’s here, but I’d be an idiot to not use this opportunity to talk to her, and to hear her honey-like voice again. I’ve been waiting to meet her for a long time.
“Thank you Ms. Grant. I can take it from here”, I gave Joyce a pointed look. She gave me a confused look back, a very brief one before she left. Joyce is too professional to contradict me in front of someone else. She can roll with my punches. That’s what I love about her.
Before long, the door closed behind Joyce, and it was just me and Katie in the room. It’s been 5 years since I last saw her, and I want her all to myself, at least for a few minutes.
She looks frozen in place, the poor thing. I guess meeting me was more of a shock for her than it was for me. I was at least looking for her all these years. She probably didn’t want to see my mug after the cruel way I dumped her.
I still remember that day like it was yesterday.
5 years ago
We’d been dating for over 2 years, and we’d just had the most amazing night together. I woke up to find Katie beside me.
I usually wake up earlier than her. I like to get some exercise done before I shower and make breakfast. Whenever Katie stays over, I insist on making her breakfast. She loves my cooking, and I rarely get to cook for her, so I never miss a chance when I get one.
I don’t know how long I was staring at her, frozen in place. Katie was sleeping with a smile on her face, her golden hair framing her face like an angel.
God, I love her, I thought. I don’t know where that thought came from, but that was all it took to fire every single panic center in my brain.
Love? I’m too young for love and commitment. No no no no no. I can’t do this. What the hell was I doing in a relationship anyway? I have so much left to do.
I still haven’t started working. I asked for a few years of ‘me’ time from my dad, but my dad will expect me to join the family business soon. Then what would I do? I’ll be working long hours, and Katie…God, Katie doesn’t even know who I am, or how rich my family really is.
How would she take it? I know she’s not a gold digger, but do I really know her enough to be sure?
Would my dad approve? Forget that! Do I want my very first real relationship to be my only one?
No, I can’t do this. This is getting too real. This woman has wormed her way into my heart, and if I let her, she’ll stay there permanently, and I can’t let that happen. I’ll regret it. I’m sure I will.
I need to break up with her. Yes, that’s what I need to do. Probably not today. She’ll not take it well. I’ll meet her at a public space to do the deed.
That’s right. I’ll make a reservation at a nice restaurant, get her a pretty piece of jewelry to soften the hit, and finally break up with her.
The next day
“Hey!”, a melodious voice called out, and I looked up from the menu. She’s here, and she’s more beautiful than ever.
God, am I making a mistake? So what if she’s the only real relationship I ever have? A lot of people end up marrying their high school sweethearts, for God’s sake.
But no…that’s not me. I want to live. I want to travel. I have barely 6 months before my dad expects me to start taking responsibility for one of his companies, and I want to spend that time doing what I want to do. I’ve been too distracted by this girl to do the things I really wanted to do.
So, I took a deep breath and hardened my resolve for what I was about to do. This needs to be done, I convinced myself.
“Hey”, I responded, trying not to let my somber mood show yet. I wanted us to have one last meal together before I ruined it all. But my Katie has always been more perceptive than anyone I’ve ever met, and she immediately gauged my mood.
“Hey, what’s wrong”, she asked in concern, as she took the seat the waiter pulled out for her. She didn’t forget to briefly look back at him and thank him, even though her eyes were immediately back to me, concern palpable in her baby blues.
She’s such a good person, and I’m going to hurt her. God, I’m such an asshole. But I need to do this for myself. I need to do this.
“Nothing, don’t worry. So, what are you in the mood for?”, I tried to show fake cheer, but there’s no fooling Katie.
“We can eat later. Something’s bothering you, I can see it. What is it? Come on, you can tell me”, she insisted, taking my hand in hers, her kind eyes trained on me. I could barely meet her gaze. I averted my eyes in guilt.
“I don’t want to ruin dinner…”, I started to protest, but she cut me off.
“Don’t be an idiot. Why would sharing your feelings ruin dinner? Do you think I’m just here for a good time?”, she replied with a scoff.
I know she wasn’t. I know she wasn’t here for the money, or the parties (which we never go to anymore) or the booze. She was here for me. She was here for the long haul. That’s the kind of girl Katie is, and that’s what scares me the most.
I really wanted to have one last dinner with her. I really wanted to let her fill the silence with her stories. She has an amazing talent for turning mundane everyday events into the most interesting stories. I really wanted that, one last time, but I guess I didn’t deserve that, after all.
So, I took a deep breath and let it all out.
“I’m sorry Katie”, I started, and the kind concern in her face shifted to confusion.
But before she could talk again, I started talking.
I wanted to finish this before I changed my mind.
And if she kept looking at me like she is right now, I would change my mind, and I can’t…
I can’t do that. I shouldn’t. “I can’t keep doing this.
I tried, believe me, I did, but we’re both too young.
We have our entire life ahead of us, and it’s not fair to not give us a chance to live it.
I want to travel, see the world, experience new things, and if I stay here any longer, I’m scared I won’t be able to do any of that”.
There was a pause. She was looking down, so I couldn’t see her face anymore.
I couldn’t see her reaction. But I could see her hand shaking in mine.
She slowly withdrew her hand from mine, and I felt that loss like the loss of a limb.
I steeled myself again. I brought this upon myself.
This was my decision. She finally looked up, and the confusion in her eyes was replaced by so much pain that my breath caught in my throat.