~Joan~
The month passed quickly, and I still hadn’t reached out to Aaron. Somehow, though, he managed to stay in touch, sending me texts on how his day went and made it a duty to deliver flowers to my door, making it so goddamn hard to get over him.
I never replied to any of them but I still found myself falling deeper. It was infuriating.
He made sure to stay out of sight-I didn’t even see him at the office. Rumor had it he’d put Noah in charge of running the company and reporting back to him.
What were the chances he’d pick someone exactly like him? Cold and handsome? None, right?
But he did anyway.
I stared at the message on my phone, my lips tugging into a slight smile.
Unknown: Hectic day. I’m so fucking tired. Wish I could see you, talk to you, hold you. I miss you, kitten.
“Unknown?” I jumped, startled, nearly dropping my phone. Brielle straightened up with a smirk on her face.
I shot her a glare and slammed my phone face-down on the table. Her grin slowly faded.
“Come on, Jo. Don’t tell me you’re still pissed-it’s been weeks,” she purred, leaning back in her chair.
“I’m not pissed. I just don’t want to talk to you right now,” I muttered, licking my lips. She sighed, hopping onto my desk like she owned the place.
“I’ve apologized a million times, haven’t I? He was just desperate that night, and I couldn’t say no,” she said softly, grabbing my hand.
“Pretty please?” she pouted dramatically.
I huffed. “Goddamn it… I said I’ve forgiven you.”
And I had. I really had. But I just didn’t want company these days. I didn’t enjoy it anymore, which said a lot, considering I used to be a social butterfly.
“You’re sure?” she asked, tilting her head.
I rolled my eyes, a small smile creeping onto my lips despite myself.
She gave my hair an affectionate pat before jumping off the desk.
“Hey! Do you know how long it took me to get my hair to look this nice?” I snapped, swatting at her hand. She winked and sauntered back to her seat.
Frustrating. That’s what she was.
Right then, Alessia walked in, her lips pressed into a tight line. Not surprising-she’d been in a mood for weeks now. Ever since Noah technically became her boss.
They clashed constantly. Whether it was the hallway, elevator, or meeting room, they always found a reason to argue. Everyone was sick of it.
“Mama, en que piensas venir a Nueva York? Te dije que volveria a casa el proximo verano,” she said, pacing the office with her phone pressed to her ear. Brielle and I exchanged a glance.
I’d never heard Alessia go full Spanish before-just the occasional phrase. This? This was intense.
“No te pido que dejes a mama, pero estoy en el trabajo… Que? Vendrias a mi lugar de trabajo? Por el amor de Dios, mama!” She rubbed her temples, pacing faster.
I raised an eyebrow. Okay… it was bad.
She muttered something under her breath before hanging up, letting out a frustrated huff.
“Que jodidamente molesto,” she grumbled, dropping into her chair.
Brielle cleared her throat dramatically. “Hi. We speak English here, just so you know,” she teased with a grin. “But you sound hot when you speak Spanish. Can you teach me?”
Alessia ignored her, staring blankly at her desk.
“My mom’s coming here,” she muttered finally.
Brielle’s head snapped up. “Your mom? Why?”
Alessia groaned, burying her face in her hands. “I haven’t been home in four years.”
I gasped. “Four years? That’s a long time.”
She peeked at me, her expression softening. “It’s not. Not when you were a bride who got dumped at the altar and now everyone expects you to show up at your ex’s wedding.”
My jaw dropped. Brielle stood, walking over to comfort her like this was old news. Maybe it was. Maybe she already knew.
Not in a million years did I imagine Alessia as someone who’d been left at the altar. It sounded… awful.
“Oh my God, that’s horrible,” I whispered.
She let out a bitter laugh. “I told my mom I’d come home after his wedding. They all think I haven’t gotten over him.”
She squeezed her eyes shut like she was trying to block out the memory. “I lied. I told them I have a boyfriend.”
I raised an eyebrow. Interesting.
“Why would you lie?” I asked gently.
“I didn’t want to look pathetic. I mean, the douchebag’s getting married, and my love life is a dumpster fire. My mom’s coming today, and she’s going to find out everything was a lie!”
“Or not.”
We all turned. Noah was leaning casually in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. I groaned inwardly.
What was his deal with showing up uninvited?
Alessia’s face darkened. “What are you doing here?”
He shrugged. “Here to help you, apparently.”
She looked away, muttering under her breath, “Justo cuando mi vida se esta desmoronando, aparece el. Imbecil!”
Noah straightened up slightly. “Calling me a jerk won’t solve your problem.”
Her eyes snapped wide. Oh boy.
“How did… how did you know what I said?”
He smirked. “I have my ways. Meet me in my office if you want to talk.”
And just like that, he turned and left. Alessia groaned, dropping her head onto her desk.
“He understood you?” I asked, glancing at Brielle. Alessia groaned again, her ears turning bright red.
I’ll take that as a yes.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. A woman stood behind the receptionist-a middle-aged woman with kind eyes and hair the exact same color as mine.
The receptionist cleared her throat. “Um, this woman says she’s here for Alessia.”
Silence fell over the room.
Alessia lifted her head slowly, her eyes darting to the door. The woman lit up when she saw her daughter and rushed in.
She had Alessia’s brown eyes but none of her dark hair. In fact, her hair was my color.
I sat up straighter, my heart skipping a beat.
After an awkward round of greetings with her reluctant daughter, the woman turned to Brielle like they’d met before. Then her gaze settled on me.
“Hi. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Luna De Luca-Alessia’s mother.”
My blood ran cold.
What?