2.
I couldn't breathe. The tears brimming my eyes slowly slipped out and I could taste their saltiness enter my mouth as I continued laugh.
I don't know how long time had passed since Ophelia told me her great idea.
Clearly, it had gone beyond the time limit permissible to her when she pursed her lips threw herself on the couch with a loud sigh.
"Forget it.", she said lowly.
My laughter finally died down and I gazed at the side of her face as she continued to eat her popcorn.
I couldn't help but feel bad as I saw the twinkle in her eyes deflate.
If I could help bring that back and make her happy, shouldn't I?
If there was a way to help her out, I should. After all, she was always there for me.
"When are you leaving?", I asked.
"What?", she said so quickly as she nearly snapped her neck to look at me. "Are you serious, Charlie? You'll do it?"
She sat up slightly when she saw my smile and I gave her a little nod as confirmation.
Growing up, we always switched spots and no one ever noticed so I wasn't scared of getting caught.
From what Ophelia has told me in the past about her boss, he was a creature of habit and often secluded himself in his office.
All I would need to do was learn her routine with him. It shouldn't be too hard.
She quickly pulled me into a hug, chanting her thank you's to me.
"I'm only going to be gone for two months. He wants to leave in two weeks. He has business to conduct there."
In two weeks? I started to feel anxious as I thought over everything I would have to cram and all the assignments that were coming up.
I had another month before the semester was done and I wasn't sure if I would be able to go to school, work at the bar, study and work Ophelia's job.
My eyes anxiously floated back to my books and Ophelia's gaze followed.
Our eyes reconnected and something in my eyes made her shoulders drop.
"Don't worry, Charlie. I'll figure something out. You need to focus on school."
Without thinking, I reached forward and took her hands in mine placing them between us.
"I'll be okay. Don't worry about me. Go to Bali."
Her hands tightened around mine.
"Are you-"
"I promise.", I said with a light squeeze. "Now, I really need to study."
I got up and gathered all the books into my arms. Ophelia's soft voice stopped me in my tracks.
"I love you, Charlie."
I looked over my shoulder at her and I knew I made the right decision. I'd never seen her this happy and I was suddenly thankful to whoever this man was that made my sister's eyes lit up brighter than the moon.
Maybe one day, I would find someone that had that type of effect on me.
"I love you too, Ophi. Good night."
A week had passed since I agreed to stand in as Ophelia at her work. I could feel my hands shaking slightly as my thoughts started to overwork my brain. Trying to find something to do with them, I placed them around the warm cup of hot chocolate in front of me.
I was waiting for Ophelia to start her lunch break. She told me to meet her at this cafe near her work. It felt so warm and friendly in here and I knew immediately, I would most likely come get lunch here every day while I replaced Ophelia.
The bell above the door rang as someone came in. I lifted my gaze from my hot chocolate when someone pulled out the chair in front of me. Ophelia's eyes were bright and curls crazy from the wind outside. She slowly pulled off her gloves and jacket before plopping down on the chair.
"Okay, let's get down to business.", she said with a goofy smile as she rubbed her hands together leaning forward slightly.
"You don't wanna order first?", I asked.
Not even a second later, a hot cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin was placed in front of her.
My gaze snapped up to the friendly woman, gazing at my sister with a wide smile.
As if sensing my gaze, she turned towards me and her smile grew even larger if that was possible. I felt warm arms envelope me.
"You must be Charlotte! Oh my gosh, I have wanted to meet you for some time, now. You guys are two peas in a pod. I can't even tell the difference."
She was still hugging me and I slowly wrapped my arms around her.
She seemed so warm and kind. Being in her arms reminded me of being in my moms or my grandmas.
As Ophelia and mines eyes met over the woman's shoulder, I knew she felt the same way.
She gave me a sad smile before my attention was brought back to the woman.
"I'm Silva. I own the coffee shop. Would you like anything to eat, sweetie?"
"Charlie, you have to get the almond croissant. It's to die for. Silva makes the best in all of New York."
"Sure, then. I'll try one.", and before I could even finish my sentence, Silva was off.
Not even a few minutes later, Silva returned with the warmed pastry. I took a bite, feeling slightly awkward as they both stared at me with small smiles. When the sweet flakiness hit my tongue, I was a goner. I could eat this for every meal.
"Holy shit.", I said as my eyes widened. "Silva, this is amazing."
A soft laughter exploded from her mouth as her eyes lit up. "Thank you, sweetie. I have to get back to work, but stop by any time. It was nice to finally meet you."
When Silva left, I looked at my sister who was still staring at me with her small smile.
"Good, huh?"
"This is the best thing I have ever eaten in my entire life."
"Yeah, she's the best. She reminds me of grand-ma. I guess that's why I like coming here so much."
As if sensing the mood becoming sad, I cleared my throat and brought my hot chocolate up to my lips for a sip.
"So, how are we going to pull this off?", I asked.
"This is how."
Ophelia pulls a presentation folder from her purse and slides it to me.
"What the heck is this?"
"So, it's broken down into three sections. In the first section, you have everything I do. I included a checklist of things I do before and after work for Mr. Morrenti with specific times. You need to be on point with the timing. He's very particular about that."
My eyes floated across the pages as I flipped through them.
"8:50 greet Mr. Morrenti and give run down on meetings. 8:55 make his coffee and have it ready by 8:58?", I read aloud.
Tossing me a note pad with a pen, she said to write everything she was going to say down.
"Never miss the first coffee. If you do, he'll be in a horrible mood and trust me, you'll regret it.
After every meeting, have a copy of your notes typed and sent within 30 minutes of its ending.
Either make sure he has his lunch delivered or that he has a reservation.
Never let anyone inside his office without his confirmation.
", I continued writing down all the things she told me.
"And Charlie, no matter what happens he cannot know what we're doing. I can't loose this job."
At her serious tone, I looked up at her and felt the nerves come washing over me again.
"Do you have office attire?", she asked.
I simply shook my head. I worked at a bar and was still a student. I didn't have a need for office attire.
"Okay, I'll drop off a bag for you. Heels?"
"No way. Come on.", I exclaimed.
I was never good at walking heels. I always nearly dislocated my ankle.
"You need to. There's a dress code and I've never not worn heels. People will notice."
With a groan, I suddenly had the urge to slam my head on the table but I refrained from doing so.
"Fine."
Since it was exams period and the semester was nearly over, most teachers stopped doing lectures preferring to give students ample time to study. In my case, it gave me ample time to play PA for Ophelia.
Ophelia left last night and I could already feel myself becoming drained over the thought of what I signed myself up for the next two months.
I didn't want to quit my job at the bar because I would still need it for another semester to keep my head afloat.
So my current daily break down was to wake up at 5 am, study and get to Ophelia's job for 8.
She told me she normally finishes at 6 which left me a little window to study, take a nap and then head to the bar for 9:30.
Depending on how tired I'll be, I could maybe study more or go straight to sleep.
I knew I could possibly get burnt out, but two months would go by fast. Many people had two jobs and studied. If they could do it, I could do it.
I stood outside clutching the arm of my purse closer to me as I examined the glass building in front of me. It was beautiful and my visible amazement only grew when I stepped foot inside. The dark colors only made everything seem so much more elegant and expensive.
I continued to walk at a slow pace trying not to trip in these horrendous heels. It been about 30 minutes, and I already felt a blister coming on. I scanned my key card and tossed a quick good morning to the security agent who looked at me with a frown.
Oh, shit. I am so screwed. He knows it's not Ophelia. I'm so busted.
As I stood in front of the elevator, I could see him looking at me out of the corner of my eye. I reached the press the up button again and quickly put down my arms to my sides, not wanting him to see my visible shakiness.
"Ms. Mirella"
I hummed questioningly in response, only slightly turning towards him. He pointed towards the elevator he was standing next to. Damn, I completely forgot. Ophelia and her boss's office were located on a private floor and the only way to get there was through the private elevator.
The agent reached over and pressed the button. Thankfully, the elevator opened immediately and I turned fully, walking into the private elevator.
At the sight of the doors closing, I felt my body sag in relief but it was cut short by a hand blocking the shutting doors making them open wider. I stood up straighter at the sight of the agent looking at me intently.
He had his arms crossed over his chest with a frown still marring his face.
"Are you okay, Ms. Mirella?"
With what I hope was a normal chuckle, I lift my hands to throw my curls over my shoulder.
"Yeah, of course. Just feeling a little under the weather. I have to go! Bye.", and with that I pressed the button that would close the elevator doors.
When the doors reopened, my jaw nearly dropped.
If I thought the lobby was gorgeous, this was even better.
It was a mixture of modern and industrious, yet it still had a dark and sexy rustic feel to it.
Following the map Ophelia made me study with the countless other checklists and routines she made me memorize, I ended up at her desk.
Everything looked neat and in check. I looked towards my left and saw her boss's office door.
From the way Ophelia spoke about her boss, he expected nothing short of perfection. Fortunately for him, he hired the right twin.
My alarm tone rang from my phone indicating it was 8:30.
I sat down in the big comfy cream chair and opened the computer.
I quickly entered the password and pulled up her calendar and printed the meetings and events for the day.
One of Ophelia's tasks was to keep a summary of each prior meeting and update it consistently so I printed a copy of that to attach to his daily agenda.
Thankfully, she had already organized everything for the time she would be gone so all I had to do was print things or edit them.
I glanced towards my left biting my cheek while staring at his door. I was so nervous I actually felt like throwing up. The soft ding from the elevators caught my attention and I felt myself still as I looked at the man stepping out.
He wore a black on black suit that hung perfectly to every dimension of his body. The top of his dress shirt was slightly unbuttoned giving me a little glimpse of his muscular chest. Then my eyes settled on his face and a weird sensation fluttered throughout me.
He was tall and powerful. I had been in his presence for not even 30 seconds and I felt like I was the size of an ant. His strides were confident and even with what I assume to be a displeased expression on his face, he was the most handsome man I had ever seen.
As he walked past, the scent of his cologne only made whatever weird sensation going on in my body only worse.
"Good mor-", I called out after him only to have his office door slammed as my greeting back.
Well, that's not good. I glanced at the clock on the computer screen.
8:50
Well, I guess I did technically greet him. So, I mentally checked that box off and proceeded to stand in front of his office. At 8:54:45, I knocked on his door.
"Yes?", his deep voiced out, clearly annoyed with me.
I opened the door and walked into his office. My heart nearly stopped beating as I caught sight of him leaning back on his chair glaring at me. I hesitantly walk forward and place his agenda on his desk, before I turn back around and walk towards the door.
"Aren't you going to read it to me?", he grumbled out.
I internally winced at having to be in his presence any longer. He was so handsome, but he clearly was in a bad mood and I didn't want to make that worse.
I turned around and slowly walked back towards him. I picked the sheet up and cleared my throat before reading. My hands shook slightly as my gaze flickered between the sheet and my sister's boss.
After I was done reading, he dismissed with a wave of his hand. Is this how he usually was? How did Ophelia work for this man? I had been in his presence for a few minutes and I already wanted to go lock myself in the bathroom and cry.
I closed his office door on my way out and made my way to the kitchen.
Next on the checklist was to make his first coffee of the day.
Ophelia told me he likes it black. I wasn't a big coffee drinker so I estimated how much coffee I was supposed to put.
The coffee started to slowly drip into the pot before a steady stream started to appear.
I tapped the screen of my phone and felt my anxiety skyrocket as I saw the time. 8:57.
The coffee wasn't done yet, but I didn't have a choice. I poured in the coffee from the pot and it filled the cup until about a quarter was missing. With steady hands, I speed walked the cup to his office. I knocked gently and when I heard a deep hum, I pushed the door open.
"First coffee of the day, sir!", I said as I neared his desk.
My face broke out in a big smile when I saw his glare had turned into a neutral expression.
He reached out at the same time I put the cup down.
I quickly pulled back my hand as our hands nearly touched.
He looked at me questioningly as I simply returned a small smile.
His expression never wavered as he looked between my eyes and my smile.
The heat from my ears was slowly spreading to my cheeks and I slowly stepped backwards while clapping my hands in front of me.
"Well, I'll leave you to it. Busy day ahead, I bet. Well, I know actually cause I'm your assistant."
What was I even saying? I was having this out of body experience looking between myself and him and I could feel the second hand embarrassment hitting me in waves.
To make it worse, I tripped over myself and stumbled awkwardly.
As soon as I caught my footing, I quickly made my way out of his office.
I sat down in Ophelia's chair with a sigh. I am such an idiot and I need to get my act together if I'm going to pull this off for another 2 months.
Everything was going to be fine. She made me lists. I could follow lists.
It would have just been appreciated had she told me that her boss was a walking Roman God. His black hair hung effortlessly in front of his sharp amber eyes. His dark eyebrows just made his eyes pop even more. Everything about him was controlled. From the way he spoke to the way he walked.
Ringing from Ophelia's desk phone caught my attention. The display told me it was Mr. Moretti calling.
"Yes?", I asked quietly.
"What did you put in the coffee?", his gruff voice slowly demanded.
"N-nothing, Mr. Moretti."
"It taste different.", and he hung up.
Now, I was confused. Ophelia told me that all I had to was make a batch of coffee with the grains in the kitchen. She, even, bought extra bags in case I ran out. I took a post it note and reminded myself to text her asking for a step by step explanation on how to make his coffee.
I didn't have anything to do. All his emails seemed to have been answered. So, I took out my notebooks and got to studying.