Cold Feet (COMPLETED)

Geranium

Surprise update! I hear you, the previous chapter seemed bitin so we now get to the prologue moment. Please read this version because it is more complete, there are some elements here not included in the prologue. I know you may not agree with what happens at the end of this chapter but trust me, things will be explained in the future chapters. Have a little faith :)

You will be introduced to a stronger, rebooted Dei. She now knows what she wants and she's out to get it at all costs. This is her redemption from the undecided, insecure Dei, who did not think she was deserving of Richard's attention.

When we encounter hardships, we just need to make it work for us. There's always a positive side to every misfortune, we just have to change our mindsets and learn from our experiences. That's what Dei did. How 'bout you?  Share  your thoughts and opinions with us :)

Richard closed his eyes for a moment, rubbing his fingers against his eyelids to get a little moisture into his tired eyes. It's been a long day, and all he wanted to do was to go home and sleep. No dinner, no conversations with Shayne, just sleep. But he had one more meeting, an interview with an applicant, actually.

Since the past week, they placed an ad for a Digital Marketing Strategist. They haven't had the luck to find someone good enough, or maybe he was too particular in his search for the perfect candidate. It's just that having digital marketing experience was not enough, he needed someone whose knowledge was deep enough to be good at creating strategic campaigns for their clients, someone who had the creativity to match, if not overwhelm the competition. He knew of only one person who could do that, but of course, it would be impossible for her to come back.

Thoughts of her invade his mind and heart again. Three years and he still gets that jolt of pain. He should be over her by now after what she did to him; after the embarrassment, the awkward explanations he had to dish out as an aftermath of what she did. He was still angry and hurt, he refused to answer any of her calls or messages on any of his social media accounts. He totally wiped out her existence in his life. What she did to him was unforgivable.

He took the folder from his incoming tray to take a look at the last applicant that Celine, their HR Director, was so excited about. She said finally, their search might be over because she found someone who was an exact fit for the role. He opened the folder and looked at the name on the resume. Once. Twice. Unbelievable.

It was her. He wondered how much she knew about his agency and if she was willing to work with him again, considering how they parted ways three years ago. Or should he be asking himself that question? Was he even willing to see her again? Out of curiosity, he was, to be honest.

He stood up to go to the bathroom, his own installed inside his office. He splashed cold water on his face, checked himself in the mirror. Not bad, for someone who was working since six in the morning. He laughed ruefully at himself for his vanity, was how he looked to her really important?

He did a quick check of her resume and was impressed. She'd been busy these past three years, did well with her time away from him. But even before checking her resume, he already knew she was a perfect fit for the role. It was just a question of his readiness to work with her again. Steeling himself for their meeting, he goes out to meet her in their conference room.

-----

She dressed well for this interview. She knew he would be curious, that maybe he would still be angry with her but he would want to see her. She could read him like a book. She wore a simple black dress that showed a bit of her shoulders, his favorite part of her anatomy. She knew she was treading on dangerous ground, there was a risk of rejection but she would steel her heart to try.

He enters the room and finds her suddenly standing as the door opens, visibly taking a deep breath before she faces him. He wasn't looking at her, in fact he seemed to be looking everywhere, but he avoided her eyes.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Please sit down."

"How have you been, Jay?"

"Funny you should ask me that. Make a wild guess."

She flinched, her hands clasped together in her lap. There was no justice in this world. She looked good, damned good. She filled out in the right places, her figure still slim but with more curves. She still wore her hair long but now wavy, and it suited her. Her face was no longer schoolgirlish, it now had character, more angular.

"I deserved that. I'm really sorry for everything, Jay."

"Look, Dei, what are you doing here? You have your own agency, you've been doing well in Vietnam. Is this another impulsive decision you will regret later on? I need a commitment from whoever I will choose to hire. And honestly, your word doesn't hold much water anymore."

"I tried to contact you before, Jay. I tried to explain but---"

"Stop. We're not talking about the past. This is about the job. Let's keep the discussion on that because the past is a moot point."

"I want to work with you again."

"Why?"

"I want to make up for everything I've done. I want us to be friends again."

"Not possible, sorry."

"I sold my business in Vietnam, I have nowhere else to go."

"That's not my fault. See, yet again, you made another impulsive decision, not knowing what the outcome of working here might be."

"Look. You need my services. No problem on the compensation, I'll take whatever you offer me."

He stared at her, trying to gauge her motives. This was the woman he was supposed to marry, who backed out three days before their wedding, leaving him with the chaos and embarrassment of explaining to everybody why she left. This was the same woman he dropped everything for, followed in Vietnam, committed to come back with him but backed out once again when he was already in too deep.

"Jay......if you can't be friends with me, at least work with me. We were good as a team. Please?"

He almost gave in. Things haven't changed, she still had that power over him. He stood up, about to leave the room but she blocked his way, standing between him and the door. They were standing so close less than a foot apart. He could smell her subtle flowery fragrance, his eyes drawn to the softness of her parted lips.

"One day, you'll know what happened to me Jay. You'll listen and see that I never meant to hurt you. That I still love you. Nothing has changed, Jay. Nothing."

Her hands tentatively wrap around his middle, her head leans on his chest. There's a tightening in his chest as his hands involuntarily wrap around her. Hugging her still felt like coming home. The feeling comes flooding back like it never left, and his chin rests on top of her head. But even before their bodies warm up to the embrace, he disengages and gently pushes her away.

"I'm sorry Dei. Not this time."

She stands her ground, anyway, looking at him. And like a magnet, their lips are drawn to each other, meeting, getting reacquainted. Arms go around each other, tongues duel, bodies become one. But she remembers Shayne and reluctantly pulls away. She leaves him with his heart beating fast, a taste of her still lingering in his mouth.