Second Chances

Justin.

           "It's over! Let it be that way!" she says and heads past me. No. I'm not gonna let you go again. I go after her and grab her by her shoulders. Her touch is just that amazing that I just drew her closer to me. I don't know why I did that but I just wanted to feel her again. I press my lips on hers. God, I missed how she felt. She doesn't even resist. Does she still love me? She pushes me away and we just stare into each other's eyes. I want to smile and tell her how good it felt but her eyes let me know that I shouldn't have done that. She slaps me so hard that my jaw hurts and leaves past me, our shoulders brushing together. I hold my lower jaw and move it sideways and then run after her. "Rachel! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do such a thing!" I say as she runs away from me towards her car. I catch up to her and hold her hand but she jerks it away. "Rachel!" I yell after her but she goes into her car so fast that I think she doesn't hear me. She gets out of her parking spot so fast but I try to stop her again. I put my hands on the passenger door but she doesn't stop. "Rach!" I whisper as she drives her car out of the parking. "Ugh!" I shoot my leg on the parking floor, "AHHHHHH!" I scream, my voice echoing through the parking. I push my hair back and head to my car but I find something on the ground and sparkly. I go to pick it up, it's a leather friendship bracelet, written on it 'Always remember that you're absolutely unique,'.I look at it and smile.

            It hasn't been that long since I've known Rachel. She is the goofiest person that I've ever known but I don't know why I like it. I invited most of the office to come to my place so we could work a little more on the project. They start coming at 5 but I'm distracted. "So, we were thinking of doing it this way instead of that way," Michael says. "Great," I tell him and take a sip from my coffee cup. The door rings, "I'll get it." I tell Frank and signal for him to sit down. I open the door to find her standing in the doorway and suddenly there was a sudden relief. She's wearing a grey tank top, blue jeans, and a black and white plaid shirt. It looks perfect with her light skin tone and her raspberry brown curly hair, where the curls are loose but not too loose. She is looking at me with those grey-blue eyes. "Uh...." I clear my throat and scratch the back of my neck, "Come in!" she steps inside and in her hand, a plastic bag with something in it like a plate. "My mom made these for you," she says, handing me the plate, I take it and turn around to go into the kitchen, "Come," I smile and she nods following me. I take the plate out of the plastic bag and there is the plate covered with foil. I softly take the foil off to be shown upon me a plate full of pies. "What are those?" I say, taking one to taste it. I take a bite, "It's patty." She says as I acknowledge the taste. "Oh my god! Those are amazing!" I moan and take another bite. "Tell your mother that they are amazing, really thank you." She blushes, "You're not gonna have the plate back tonight. I won't let it be finished that quick! Don't tell the guys out there about it!" I put the foil back on it and put it into the fridge. She laughs and pours herself a cup of water. "Mister Justin? Can you come for one second?" Frank asks, "Yeah sure," I nod at him and when he leaves, I turn back to Rachel and say, "I'm gonna go now but I'll be back for those." She nods and smiles at me, and I smile back leaving her. I find everyone has gotten inside and Frank is sitting on the couch that is facing the fireplace. "Tell me," I say to him as I hop on the couch beside him putting my arm behind his neck, stretching it out and the other arm on the arm of the couch. "We were thinking about this," he hands me the laptop as he speaks. "It's great but... how about we switch these up. It would be more realistic," he nods and I give him back the computer. 

                           I go to the minibar that is on the other end of the living room on a small counter where there are some snacks like mini sandwiches and crackers, some drinks and wine, and water. I pour myself a glass of water when she comes in. "Would anyone want something to drink?" They all shake their head except Michael, who asks "I would love to have a cup of coffee, please?" "Sure," she nods. "Me too actually," I tell her smiling and she smiles back, leaving us and heading to the kitchen. I look at everyone's work and comment on some of them. After a few minutes of work and making sure that everything is in place, "Okay guys. All we need now is a slogan." She comes in with the coffee and hands it to Michael and me and takes hers. She holds the tray and starts to drink her coffee slowly so she doesn't burn herself. "Okay! Let's have these ideas." I tell them and sit down. "Okay, so the campaign is talking about how everyone is concentrating on the trendy stuff and not at themselves, right?" Hardin says and I nod, playing with a pen "Well, we wanted to let them know that we should fuck the trends and stay natural, right?" I nod again. "So...I present to you the slogan, 'You are beautiful as you are.' What do you think?" "Let us consider it. Any other ideas?" Other people start giving ideas and they are kind of good but they are not the best. Michael even gives him but it's not that good and I think it was more of a joke about something that happened with us a few years ago. When everyone says their ideas except Rachel, I look at her and see her, still holding the tray in her hands, moving her hands playfully and looking everywhere, all around her. "Rachel?" I direct my words at Rachel. "Hmm?" she looks up with her beautiful eyes and her gaze was as if she didn't know how she ended up here. "Is there any idea you want to share with us?" I ask her. "No thank you," she says and then takes the tray with her, heading to the kitchen. "No, you must have something in mind. Please share it with us," I tell her and when she turns around, I look her straight in the eyes. She looks at me for a second or two, but then focuses her gaze on everything else but me. "Okay. So as Hardin said, the idea of the campaign is about how people shouldn't concentrate on the trends but themselves. So, we are telling them to 'Always remember that you're absolutely unique,' and for the video and photoshoot, it should be on the beach." When she finishes, I'm amazed by how she just made me love the idea without going into details.

                           Amazing! I love it!" I tell her, with a pen in my hand. "I love it too! Good job Rachel!" Michael says to her and she laughs that her face turns red. She leaves the room but I don't know where she is headed. "Okay then. We finally have a slogan," everyone cheers "Great job you guys!" I smile at them and then put my hands on the table to stand up. I head to the kitchen but I don't find her. I go to the living room and find her by the bookshelves, sitting on the lazy boy and reading one of the books, giving me her back. I move slowly and then whisper into her ears, "What are you reading?" I ask quietly in her ear with a hoarse voice. She jumps and spins the chair to look at me. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to jump you like that." I almost choke on my laugh. "I'm sorry if I wasn't supposed to take a book but I just love that book so much." I look at the book. "The Fault in Our Stars. Interesting." She closes the book and puts it on the table. I sit across her and gesture for her to sit as well. "I always see that book  so cliché." "How come is that?" she asks. "How come when she loves someone, it's the guy who could die at any time. Spoiler alert: he dies." She laughs and blushes. "Love is love. He loved her till his last breath. He said ' And I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we're all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust,' He loved her from the first time they met at the cancer center," she says. "Of course you know the words by heart." I chuckle and she puts a strand of her hair behind her ear. "You're beautiful," I murmur quietly. "Hmm?" she looks up at me. "No nothing. I really liked your idea. I actually expected the best idea from you." "Why?" she crunches her eyebrows. "I don't know. I just expected it to happen. Hey, why don't you come and work as a designer for us?" She blushed and chuckled. "Wh- What? I don't know." "Your work is really amazing and I don't want this talent of yours to go to waste." she plays with her hair, "Look, you don't have to make a decision right now. Take your time but I really hope that you say yes." she nods. 

                          Quietness fills the room and we both sit there staring at the floor. "So....have you thought about it?" she laughs and I just can't imagine how someone could be that gorgeous. What is happening to me?