The Billionaire and His Intern (A Christian Romance)

Chapter 3: Awkardness and Jealousy

The sun had not begun to rise just yet as Arielle's alarm clock blared throughout her room. Instead of groaning or complaining, she had already felt joy stir within her. It was 5 in the morning and her room had been blanketed by the deep blue hues from the early morning sky. Although her bed was a tempting place to remain, she knew that she must wake to begin her routine.

Ari wiped her groggy eyes and stretched at the edge of her bed. She enjoyed the quietness that was all around her. This was the time she dedicated to be with God each morning and it blessed her to do so.

She drew back her curtains and stared out at the adjusting sky as it became a gradient of various shades of dark blue. The small flower lamp beside her bed quickly illuminated the small bedroom and so she began to pray. To avoid touching her phone, she turned on her app which wouldn't allow her to use it without willingly ending the timer. It helped her to remain accountable.

"Dear God," she began.

The only sounds that could be heard throughout the tiny home were the low whispers of Arielle's prayer and the soft breaths of her mother breathing in the room next to hers. Arielle prayed for her mother every day and her mother did the same for her. They didn't always talk about it, but the love they had for one another was stronger than the average mother-daughter bond.

"Amen," Arielle said at the very end of her prayer.

This morning Ari prayed longer than her usual hour, leaving her with about twenty minutes for her morning Bible reading.

After the twenty minutes, her phone dinged as a text came through. Julia's contact name popped up, earning a grin from her best friend. Julia knew when Arielle was available every morning. She respected her quiet time and Arielle appreciated that about their friendship.

"Hey, girly. How was work?" Julia's text read. Arielle sat on her bed, throwing herself back against the pillow. How was work? She wondered how to place it into words. It was nice, but not exactly what she expected.

"I made some new friends and found out who I'll be working with. So I'd say it's pretty good!" She replied adding a smiley face and a celebration emoji.

"Spill the tea. Now." Julia replied faster than Arielle expected with a silky emoji of her own attached. Arielle shook her head.

"I can't talk right and I don't have tea to spill. I'm sorry." She answered as she propped herself back up.

Her phone dinged again, drawing her attention to it. "Boo. Are you free on Saturday? I want to try that new restaurant on Fifth Street." Arielle felt bad. She wasn't free, but hopefully, she could say otherwise soon.

'Sorry no," she began, trying to think of when they could make time to hang out. "I'm free after church on Sunday. We can do it then if you'd prefer!"

Julia replied almost instantly, causing Arielle to laugh quietly to herself. Her best friend never missed a beat. As she came to a stand, she briefly read the text. "Yay! See you then." She had written with a jovial-looking emoji.

Arielle smiled at her phone and shook her head. Julia was nearly the complete opposite of her. The only thing that they had in common was that they both believed in God, although Julia had openly admitted that Arielle was more active in her faith, Ari never boasted. Instead, she encouraged her friend to join her at church or to read the Bible with her.

Julia on the other hand helped encourage Arielle to focus on her studies when she would rather be getting lost in the great outdoors. Their friendship allowed them to help one another and Ari always prayed for Julia and has seen her grow because of it.