Hate at First Sight (14 page)

Megan was furious. The moment she entered my office, I thought she would kill me. She locked the door, which made me smile mentally, and crossed her arms, looking at me angrily.

“What the hell do you think you are doing?”

“It’s nice to see you again, Miss Brawley. To what do I owe the honor?”

“Stop Miss-Brawleying me, Aiden! I’m sick and tired of your games. Why did you want me to change my office?”

“Because I thought it would be less exhausting than running up two floors, every time I need you.”

“And how often exactly are you planning on calling me here?” She stood with her palms on my table, and I couldn’t but admit that the view of her cleavage was simply breathtaking.

I cleared my throat and sat back in my chair, enjoying her fury.

“As often as I want to,” I said, meeting her eyes. Today they were outlined with the dark-brown and golden eye shadows, making her look even more mysterious and sexy.

“You are not going to make it easy, are you?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about, Megan. It’s just about work, nothing else. Would you prefer to stay in your old office?”

She didn’t reply immediately, and I knew why. If she said she didn’t want to move into a new office it would mean that she wasn’t strong enough to handle me, and we both knew that she would never admit it.

“Fine, I will move upstairs. But it doesn’t mean that you will be staying in my office more than in yours.”

“Of course not. As I have already said, it’s just about work.” I rose and went to the door that opened into the office joined to mine. “Would you like to see it?”

Megan blessed me with a fake smile and followed me into the room. It was very spacious, almost as big as my own office. I asked to bring a few flowers and pictures there, as I knew how much Megan liked coziness.

“It has a big table, a lot of bookshelves, a TV and a sofa of course. I made sure this one would be more comfortable than the one you have downstairs.” Maybe I shouldn’t have said that last thing, but I couldn’t help myself.

To my surprise, Megan didn’t say a word in response. Instead, she went to a huge window and opened it wider. “I like the office.”

“Good. I really hoped you would.”

She seemed to get lost in her thoughts for a moment, because when I called her, she didn’t reply.

“Megan? Is everything all right?”

“Sorry, I didn’t hear what you said before.”

“It’s okay. I wanted to know if you need any help with your stuff?”

“No, thanks. There are not many things I need to bring with me.”

I nodded silently, and went back to my office giving her some time to look around.

The sudden change of her mood surprised me. A minute ago she was furious, and now she looked so fragile and helpless. Was she that unhappy because of moving closer to me? Or was I missing something?

“There’s only one door here.”

“What?” I turned around and saw her standing right behind me.

“There’s only one entrance into my office. And it’s through yours.”

“Um … yes. I didn’t think it would be a problem, since we have one secretary and one receiving room for the two of us.”

“No, it’s not a problem at all. I’ll see you later, Aiden.”

She left, closing the door quietly behind her.

Something was wrong. With me, with Megan, with everything happening between us. The only thing I still couldn’t understand was her behavior after the return to London. She didn’t seem like she was missing Jeff. I even looked through the list of the calls she made last week, and there weren’t any calls to Axbridge. Maybe she called him only from her cell phone, I didn’t know. But somehow the fact still seemed weird. When I was at her apartment yesterday I didn’t see anything that would mean her being into a relationship: no smiling pictures of her and Jeff together, no small love gifts, nothing at all. Did it mean that their kiss was nothing but a weak moment? And how could Jeff live so far away from his love?

I’m going out of my mind, I thought, pushing my hands through my hair. The whole situation was frustrating, and no matter how much I tried to convince myself that everything was going to be okay, I doubted it would be so. Well, maybe time could give the answers to my questions. For now I wasn’t going to rush things. I wanted Megan to get used to being with me. And even if I had to take a cold shower ten times a day, I wasn’t going to push my luck, and try the limits of her patience. I was going to be the best boss ever.

Crap, even for my own mind the idea seemed ridiculous….

It was about lunch time when Megan came, holding a box and a laptop in her arms.

“Let me help you,” I said, taking the box. “Is that all you need to bring here?”

“Yes.”

“I thought … maybe you would like to have lunch with me?”

“Like eating and.…”

“Talking?”

“Right. Well, I need to finish something first, but if you order it here, I will gladly join you.” She smiled briefly and went to unpack her things.

I called the restaurant and made an order. It was supposed to be delivered in thirty minutes, so I had some time to catch my breath. As my moving to London was a spontaneous decision, I needed to find an apartment to live in; I hated hotels. Megan’s place wasn’t far away from our office, and I liked the area. I also wondered if she could recommend something in her neighborhood.

“Can I ask you something?” I said, standing at the threshold of her office.

“Sure,” she said without even looking at me.

“Do you think I could find an apartment somewhere nearby?”

“I thought you already had one.”

“No, I’m staying in a hotel.”

“Why don’t you call some real estate agency?”

“I thought you knew the area well enough to recommend something.”

“Oh … well, I have a friend, living a few blocks away from here. She’s leaving the country and selling her house. It’s a little too big for one person, but maybe you will like it.”

“I’d like to see it.”

“Okay, I’ll call her and let you know if it’s still available.”

“Thanks, Megs.” The use of her short name wasn’t intentional. It just happened. “Sorry,” I said, realizing my mistake. I wasn’t sure if we were still on friendly terms.

“It’s okay, Aiden,” she said rubbing the bridge of her nose. “No need to apologize.”

“Listen … I know that the situation is quite weird, but I think it would be better, if we acted….”

“Normally?”

“Exactly.”

“Fine by me.”

“The lunch will be here in fifteen.”

“Okay.”

Well, not that the conversation was friendly, but still better than shouting at each other, or tearing off our clothes.

The lunch went almost in silence. Megan and I shared a few meaningless phrases, and got back to our work.

Some time later I heard her talking to her brother.

“I know, Owen. I’m sorry I didn’t answer your calls. Yes, I’ll call Mom later. Aiden? Yes, he’s here. Wait a second.”

Megan came to my office, and turned the speaker on.

“Hey, Owen,” I said. “How are you and your wife doing?”

“Definitely better than you and my sister.”

“She’s here, you know?”

“I know and that’s why I asked her to switch to the speaker. I wanted to talk to both of you.”

Megan and I shared a puzzled glance.

“I care about you two, and I hope you will behave and won’t try to kill each other by the end of this week, because I’m not going to justify any of your actions. And if you have decided to work together, please don’t turn each other’s lives into a living hell.”

I laughed quietly, and Megan rolled her eyes.

“We promise to behave,” she said.

“Speak for yourself,” I added, smiling.

“Okay guys. All I wanted was to make sure that you know what you are doing,” Owen said. “Do not upset me, or I will come and kick your smart asses.”

“Uh, please, Owen, stop with the big-brother lecture. I’m a big girl, I don’t need a baby-sitter.”

“And I’m old enough to babysit her,” I added, for which I received another meaningful glance from Megan.

“I’m serious guys. No more fights, okay?”

“Yes, Daddy,” she and I sang in unison.

“Good, now pass the phone to Aiden, Megs. I need to tell him a few more things.”

Megan looked at me, hesitating.

“Don’t worry; I can handle him,” I assured her.

“I want to know every word he says to you,” she said, giving me the cell.

“Even if it’s something … not for the ladies’ ears?”

“Stop pushing your luck, Aiden. My patience is far from being infinite.”

I rolled my eyes, took the cell, and Megan left. “Hey, Owen. What did you want to talk about?”

“I have only one question, Aiden. What did you do to make Megan leave right after the wedding? We all thought she would change her mind, and stay at home for at least a little longer.”

“I didn’t do anything!” I looked at the closed door of Megan’s office, and added quietly, “Why don’t you ask your sister about what she did to make me leave without saying good-bye?”

“What do you mean?”

“Ask her, Owen. Maybe she will be able to explain things. By the way, do you know how her school friend, Jeff is doing?” I wasn’t going to ask that question, but somehow my curiosity won.

“I don’t know, why?”

“Just wanted to know when he was going to come to see Megan.”

“Why would he do that? As far as I know he’s engaged to one of Mary’s bridesmaids.”

“He’s what?” Now, that was interesting.

“Yes, Mary told me her friend got a proposal from him on our wedding day.”

“No way….”

“Aiden, what’s going on?”

“I wish I knew,” I muttered. “Anyway, if that’s all you wanted to talk about, I’d better get back to my work. I have a meeting later today that I need to get ready for.”

“Okay. Remember what I said, and tell Megan I will call her later.”

“I will.” I hung up the phone and stared blankly at the door of Megan’s office. What the hell happened the night I left to Bristol?...

The conversation with my brother was more than weird. And Aiden’s participation in it didn’t help a thing. If only he knew how much I wanted to tell Owen what had happened. Apparently he didn’t even know that his best friend could be such a jerk.

When Aiden came to give me back my phone, he looked and acted strange.

“Is everything all right?” I asked, meeting his thoughtful stare.

“You tell me.”

I frowned, puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“Can I ask you something personal?”

“If it won’t make me slap you in the face, go ahead.” I crossed my arms, waiting for his question.

“Are you in love with anyone?”

I smirked. “Why do you care?”

“I’m trying to understand something, but I don’t think I can do that without your help.”

“And what does my personal life have to do with your problem?”

“Your personal life is exactly what I’m trying to figure out.”

“Okay, Aiden. I don’t know what game you are playing this time, but don’t count on me. All I want is….

“Do you love Jeff?”

“What?”

“You heard me, Megan.”

Now I was really pissed off. “Who the hell told you that?” I asked, coming up to Aiden.

He didn’t step back. Instead he leaned even closer. “Do you?”

“I would gladly say that it’s none of your business, but since I know you won’t let it go, I will answer your question. No, I don’t love Jeff. Happy now?”

“Not exactly. Answer one more question, please.”

“Do you promise to leave me alone after that?”

“I do.”

“Fine. What else do you want to know?”

“Why did you kiss Jeff if you didn’t feel anything for him?”

And that was the moment when I burst out laughing. “Are you out of your mind? I never kissed Jeff!”

“But I saw you two kissing!”

“What? When?”

“On the day of the wedding. I followed you to your parents’ house, and saw you and Jeff kissing in the kitchen.”

For a second I thought I was in a madhouse, where everyone was a little crazy, including me. “Okay, let’s start from the very beginning. That night I told you I needed to get changed, right?”

“Right.”

“I went home, and yes, there was Jeff. But all he wanted was to talk to me.”

“About what?”

“He wanted to apologize for something that happened years ago.”

“Was it his fault that you ran away?”

“Yes. And that’s exactly why he came to my house the other night. But he also came to meet someone there.”

“One of Mary’s bridesmaids?”

“Yes, Zoe. The two of them had been dating for two years already, but he didn’t know if she was ready to marry him. That’s why he asked me to talk to her, because she was with me at the moment, and he knew it.”

“Wait a second.” Aiden inhaled deeply, rubbing his forehead. “Was Zoe wearing your dress that night?”

“She needed something to get changed into, because her own dress was ruined, and I gave her the one that I was originally supposed to wear that day.”

“Oh, God.…”

“Wait, why did you ask about the dress?”

“Because I saw Zoe and Jeff kissing, and I thought he was kissing you, because she was wearing your dress!”

“Oh….”

“I was so freaking angry, Megan! I got into my car and sped away from your house, and when I stopped, I was in Bristol.”

I didn’t know what to say. I was shocked, and confused, and….

“Did you really think I would be kissing someone else after the night we spent together?” My voice cracked on the last word, because I couldn’t believe that Aiden had such a low opinion of me.

“What was I supposed to think?”

“Couldn’t you at least turn the lights on to see what was actually going on there?” I think I missed the moment when my words turned to screaming, but I hardly cared. All I wanted now was to kill Aiden with my bare hands.

“I’m sorry, Megan. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t touch me!” I snapped, flinching. “You … I can’t even find the right words to describe how angry I am!” I took my bag and headed for the door. “And don’t follow me!” I shut the door behind me and ran downstairs, not even bothering to explain our fight to the people waiting in the receiving room. I needed to get out of there, and the sooner the better.

This time I took a taxi and went home. I turned off all the phones, cursing Aiden and everything I ever loved about him. Now I hated him even more than the day we met, and I didn’t know how much I would have to pay for quitting, but there was no way I would go back to work.

Once again I wanted to thank Mary for the dress. Not that I blamed her for what happened, but somehow the damn piece of fabric managed to ruin my life.

I didn’t know what to do next. Obviously I was out-of-work, and it felt like my whole life was crashing down. I always promised myself I wouldn’t let any man ruin my future, and here we go — I’ve lost everything because of love….

I hid my face in my palms and let the tears flow. There was no point in pretending, I was hurt, and I didn’t know how much time it would take to heal the wounds.

The next morning started with a call to Owen. He was rather surprised to hear from me at five in the morning, but I couldn’t wait any longer.

“Sorry about the early call, but I’m desperate, and I need your help.”

“What happened?” he asked, yawning.

“I think I need a lawyer.”

“Oh, my God. What did you do?”

“Don’t worry; I didn’t kill anyone. But I’m going to quit the job, and according to the contract I can only do that after six months of work.”

“I see … well, I guess you don’t need a lawyer, Sis. You need to call Aiden, and talk about what led you to such a stupid decision.”

“Hey, you were supposed to be on my side! What the hell, Owen?”

“Listen, Megs. I don’t know what happened between you two, but I’m sure it is not worth any legal disputes and unnecessary problems.”

“You don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Exactly! Don’t you think it’s time to explain what’s going on? ‘Cause it feels like I’m the only person here who doesn’t know anything!”

And then I told Owen about the wedding day, Aiden’s stupid conclusions, and our fight. He listened to me carefully and then … well, he started laughing.

“You can’t be serious, Megs! Is that what you guys have been doing during the last week? Behaving like kids?”

I rolled my eyes at his comment. “I shouldn’t have called you. I knew you would be supporting him!”

“I’m not supporting anyone. All I’m saying is that you really need to talk. Like to sit down and talk. Without accusing each other.”

“Talking is what you lawyers always do. We, normal people, prefer other methods of clearing up our issues.”

“Your methods suck, Sis, and you know it. Call Aiden.”

“Not in this life!”

“Well, then don’t call me when you need a lawyer. I’m not going to waste my time on kids’ fights.”

“Thank you, brother!” The conversation ended with my cell phone hitting the wall. Well, crap, I didn’t mean to break it, but at the moment it felt like the best I could do. And it did make me feel better; for a few seconds of course, but still….

When I heard the knock at my door, I didn’t even think that my guest would be the only person I didn’t want to see ever again.

“Hear me out, Megan,” Aiden said, holding the door so that I wouldn’t close it in front of his face.

I didn’t reply.

“I know you are angry, and I totally understand your reasons. But have you tried to imagine my reaction to what I saw that day?”

I stepped aside and let Aiden in wordlessly.

“Please, Megs, talk to me! Shout at me, hit me, do anything you want, just don’t try to seem so indifferent!”

“What do you want, Aiden? I can accept your apology; I can even understand the reasons for your behavior; but I don’t think we can work together anymore. I have already called Owen, and asked him to be my lawyer. I will pay the penalty or whatever you need to let me go, but I can’t stay at O’Brian’s, and I won’t.”

“Are you sure this is what you want?” Aiden’s question was barely audible, and I hated the way it made me feel. I knew I would lose my patience and start shouting again, and I silently prayed for Aiden to leave before that happened. I didn’t want to fight with him, but right now I didn’t think I was able to handle his presence.

“Fine,” he said. “You may leave the company whenever you want. I don’t need any financial compensation. Just think about what you do before it’s too late.”

And then he left, leaving me even angrier than I was before his visit.

So now it was up to me to decide what to do with the mess we got stuck into? Why?! Did he want me to be sorry? For what? I didn’t do anything to ruin his life!

“Screw you,” I muttered at the closed door. I rarely changed my mind, and this time wasn’t an exception.

Later that day I gathered up my courage and went to the office. I didn’t know if I would see Aiden again, but I needed to turn the page of our story and move on. If only it was that simple….

“Hello, Josseline,” I
greeted our secretary. “Did Mr. Murphy tell you anything about me?”

“Yes, he stopped by earlier today to sign some papers, and he said you were going to leave the company. He also left his permission for your resignation. Here.” She gave me a piece of paper that felt like the heaviest thing ever. I nodded wordlessly, and went to my soon-to-be-someone-else’s office.

My heart missed a beat when I stopped at Aiden’s table. There were a few pictures of his family and friends standing near the computer. One of them was of him and Owen somewhere in the mountains; another one was taken at the barbeque before my brother’s wedding, with him and Mary smiling happily into the camera. And the last photo I saw was a picture of Aiden and me, taken during our trip to Cheddar Gorge. My eyes were focused on the camera, but Aiden’s … they were looking at me with all the love and adoration I had always been dreaming of to see in the eyes of the man I loved.

Every part of me wanted to scream. I felt like I was falling apart, and the longer I stayed at the office, the more painful the decision to leave had become.

I looked one last time at the picture I was still holding in my hands, then I signed the papers that relieved me of my duties, and left them on Aiden’s table, right near the picture I was sure I would remember forever….