Ours to Keep || Anakin Skywalker

6 - A Liar

(TW: Cheating)

2.6k words

•─────⋅☾ꨄ☽⋅─────•

I'm never going to have it, a baby of my own.

I know there are plenty of babies out there looking for parents and love, and I will love any child I choose to adopt as much as I would love one that comes from me. But I will never experience the joys of the pregnancy, nor will I have a little girl or boy that holds my smile, or has my eyes. I will never get to leave a piece of me out in the world, and it hurt.

Twenty minutes. That's how long it took me to stop crying, clean myself up, and return to my desk. It didn't seem like Skywalker noticed my absence, thankfully. The last thing I needed right now was him berating me over wasting company time with personal issues — which sounds like something he would say.

I took a deep breath and decided to start the day with emails, it seemed stress free enough. It was also time consuming and distracting, which I needed.

I glanced at the time on my computer screen mid-email and sighed to myself, in ten minutes this place is going to start being flooded with employees. I grew accustomed to the silence this past hour, I was starting to enjoy it. It made thinking easier and there were less distractions — namely Talia and Alex. Those two make working difficult, but they also make it bearable on the tough days.

I began typing again, until I was rudely interrupted by a loud slam. I jumped since it caught me off guard and I looked at my boss who had just tossed the manuscript I gave him onto my desk, "Why do you look like you've been crying?"

"Why are you asking as if you care?" I retaliated, without really thinking about it. I tend to get a little snippy when I'm upset.

He scoffed, "You're right, I don't. I finished enough of this, and although I'm still not entirely sold, I'll be taking your word for it."

Disbelief enveloped me, I considered handing him that manuscript a long shot. I never expected him to agree with me, especially since he dislikes me so much, "Why?" I was suspicious.

"Fred said you know what you're doing and to trust your judgement," He placed his hand on the edge of my desk and leaned down, "So find me the author, and you better hope this is a best seller or it's your ass on the line if it flops."

My ass.
Not his ass.
Not our ass.
My ass.

He's too afraid to take his first risk as editor, so it all is going to fall gracefully onto me when it doesn't flop, "Find, but I request your bonus when it becomes a hit."

He smiled, seeming to enjoy a challenge. Perhaps he's the competitive type, I also happen to be the competitive type, so this pairing is going to be interesting, "Okay, you have yourself a deal. Any bonus headed to me, will get passed to you. Off the book though."

I tilted my head, "So if the book flops, I take responsibility. If it doesn't and is a hit, then you will take responsibility?" I clarified, to which he nodded.

"You'll get the bonus though." He shrugged.

"But without the the glory, the recognition, or my name on the back of a book." I rolled my eyes. I do enjoy the challenge as I previously said, but I also want my talent to be noticed.