Pathways of Life

Sibling Advice

Victoria Pov

Work had been hard these last two months. Jin was avoiding me. I missed him. Celeste was putting up with my moodiness but I was getting sick of myself. I really needed to talk to Jin. We left things in such a weird place. He said he felt like he took advantage of me. That was totally not the case.

When we were in his office I didn't see him as my boss. I saw him as the man I had been falling for. The more time we had spent together, the more I liked him. I thought we really connected.

I saw him mingling with the guests and my eyes followed him. The smile he shone to each guest. The way he moved confidently around the room. I longed for him to smile at me. To share a joke we both laugh at. To look at me with warmth in his eyes. I sighed.

"Are you ok?" Asked Erika.

"I'm fine." I turned to her and plastered a smile on my face.

"Ok." She said and walked away. I greeted several customers and got them seated. Jin was nowhere to be found.

The next day I brought him the schedule. I knocked. "I have the finished schedule for you to approve."

Not looking up from what he was working on he said, "Thank you. Just leave it on the desk. He wouldn't even look at me. I turned and walked to the door. I looked back. "Jin?"

"Hmmm." He said absently.

I waited for him to look up. He didn't. "Nothing." I said and left. In the hallway tears threatened to fall. I rushed to the ladies room. I didn't dare let anyone see me cry. I splashed some water on my face and took some deep breaths. I don't know how much longer I could do this. I thought it would get easier with time but it wasn't. It hurt to see him every day. Maybe I should quit.

I decided to try one more time to get him to talk to me. I walked back to his office. I knocked. "Yes." He said.

"Can I talk to you?"

"About the schedule? I haven't had time to look at it yet."

"No. Not the schedule." I said and shut the door. I saw him stiffen. He slowly looked up at me. His eyes devoid of all emotion. "Can we please talk about what happened?"

"There is nothing to talk about." He said.

"I think there is. Did it mean nothing to you?"

"It shouldn't have happened. I am your boss. You are my employee. I am ashamed of my actions." He looked down.

"I didn't see you as my boss that day. Just a man I wanted to be with."

"That is my fault. I let lines be blurred. I should have been more professional." He said coldly.

"So you felt nothing?" I was getting angry.

"That's right. It was just a moment of weakness. Nothing more."

Tears burned behind my eyes. "Then I am officially giving you my two week notice."

His cold demeanor broke. "But you love this job."

"I can't be here around you. I can't see you every day and pretend that nothing happened. It meant something to me. Maybe that's just me being a girl. I care about you and it kills me that you don't talk to me. You act like I don't exist."

"Don't quit. I'll delegate and I won't be here that much so you can stay."

"But it's your restaurant. I can't let you do that. If you don't care about me then why would you do that?"

He sat silently. Looking down. My anger rose. "At least have the balls to be honest with me." I walked closer leaning on the desk. "Answer me." I yelled.