You'll Say Yes (14 page)

He smirked. "No, my dear. This is reality. And the reality says we'll be moving in our new apartment in two weeks."

My eyes widened. "What?"

~O~

If you thought that nightmares only happened in the night, well, then you are wrong. Because what happened to me was the proof. I looked at Joshua with a horror expression. "Why did you do that?" I hissed.

He shrugged. "We really need time to get to know each other, Abby, and the only way to achieve that is by living together."

"I'm not going to live with you!" I spat at him. My whole body vibrated with hate and anger. Why can’t this man see this thing won't work between us?

"We can discuss it all later in Seattle. You should pack your bags. We'll be leaving in one hour."

I rolled my eyes and cursed under my breath. I rose from the chair and stomped to my room, ignoring our parents in the living room. I packed my bags hastily, still feeling angry. I sat on my bed for a moment to calm my breathing. I covered my face with my hands. I wanted to cry, but somehow I didn't have the energy to do that.

"Abby?"

I pulled my hands away from my face and raised my head. Farah popped her head into my room. I smiled weakly.

"Can I come in?"

"Sure," I said, hoarsely.

Farah stepped into my room and sat next to me on my bed. She wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "How are you, my dear?"

I shrugged and looked at her. "Did Joshua send you in here?"

Farah chuckled. "No, he's talking with his dad and your parents about his job in Seattle. I volunteered to come in here."

I nodded and looked at my hands. "I'm sorry about what happened at lunch earlier. I really didn't mean it. You are really a good host. Too bad it had to be ruined because I couldn't control my temper."

She smiled and kissed my head. "There's nothing to forgive, Abby. What Kimberly did earlier was inappropriate. It was a good thing you stood up for yourself. She felt embarrassed and excused herself not long after you went home." She sighed. "What is wrong with you and Joshua?"

I exhaled. "I can't do this, Farah. He’s never honest with me. He never truly tells me about himself."

Farah rubbed my shoulder. "Just give him time, Abby. Joshua is new to this. You might have remembered him as a player or whatever when you were in high school, but the truth is he never really had a relationship. He still needs to learn himself and I hope you both can understand each other better by living together."

I shook my head and ran a hand through my hair. "I still doubt it."

Farah smiled. "You are an amazing girl, Abby. I'm sure you can handle it. Just pretend that Joshua is a final draft that you need to edit."

I raised my eyebrows and we both laughed.

"See...I can make you laugh," Farah smiled at me.

"Thank you, Farah," I said, smiling.

Farah nodded and kissed my temple. "Come on, get your bags. You don't want to arrive in Seattle at midnight, right?"

I smiled grimly and checked my belongings. After making sure everything was packed, I headed downstairs with Farah. I said goodbye to both sets of parents with a promise to call them after we’ve moved into our new place. I rolled my eyes internally. Like that could happen. I could make thousands of excuses not to move in with Joshua.

The black car drove swiftly from the driveway and we headed back to Seattle to a future I was unsure about.

Our journey back to Seattle was quieter than the trip to Long Beach.

I enjoyed the calm melody coming from the speakers once Josh decided to put on a classic CD. I looked outside my window, never glancing in his direction. Sometimes, from the corner of my eyes, I could see his hand switch.

I lost track of time because a while later he asked me if I were hungry. I shook my head and answered him that I shall have my dinner in Seattle. Joshua nodded as he said he'll take me somewhere to eat when we get there.

We arrived in Seattle by nightfall and he stopped at a cafe. I sighed happily. I was not in the mood to eat in a fancy restaurant.

We ate our dinner casually and didn't talk much. We finished one hour later and Josh drove me back to my apartment. I refused for him to walk me to my door. He looked hurt, but quickly composed himself and said good night.

I walked into my apartment, feeling exhausted. I opened the door and flicked on the light. I dropped my bags on the floor, locked my door and plopped myself on the couch. I turned on the TV, just to hear some noises to distract myself. I took my phone out of my bag and looked at the screen. I haven’t checked my phone since leaving the horrible lunch. Three missed calls from Stella, seven from Joshua, two text messages from Stella, and one from Josh. I deleted all the missed calls and opened the text messages from Stella.

Abby, are you ok? Please, call me back. I'm leaving for
New York after lunch. -S-

I opened the other message.

Abby, don't worry about Kimberly. I gave her some pointers. Miller’s style. Please, call me or text me before you go back to Seattle. -S-

I looked at the ceiling for a moment before opening the last message which was from Josh.

I'm sorry for everything. I never meant to hurt you, but please understand I can't lose you, not for the second time. Please, give me a chance, Abby. I
’
ll
call you tomorrow. I love you. So much. -J-

I checked the time of the message. It appeared Joshua sent it when we just arrived at my apartment. He probably texted me after making sure I was safely inside. I closed my eyes and laid down on my couch. This year was going to be interesting.

~O~

I woke up to the sound of knocking on my front door. I rubbed my eyes and rolled over before realizing that I fell asleep on the couch as I hit the floor with a loud bang.

"Ow."

I looked at my surroundings. I expected to see my room, but apparently I fell asleep on the couch. I groaned and tried to fix my nest-hair before I stood up to open the door.

"Abby? Are you there? Are you alright? I heard a loud crash," A soft voice came from the other side of the door. I could recognize that voice anywhere.

My hand froze on the door knob. What the hell was he doing at my apartment?

"Abby!" He began to knock frantically.

I opened the door to see a worried Joshua. He was dressed in a shirt and trousers, looked like he stopped by on his way to work. He frowned when he saw me.

"Are you alright? I heard something break," he said while checking my body with his eyes.

I felt like Lois Lane getting scanned by Clark Kent.

I scratched my head in an un-ladylike gesture. "Um...I think so. I fell off the couch."

His frown grew deeper. "Did you have enough sleep last night? You need rest, Abby."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm fine. So, what brings you here first thing this morning?"

He sighed and gave me a takeout bag. I looked inside and gaped at him. He brought me breakfast. I instantly felt awful for my rudeness. He was just trying to be a good man.

"Joshua, thank you. You know you reall-"

"I want to do this, Abby, and please don't thank me. You need a decent breakfast." He looked at his watch and smiled at me. "I better get going. I'll call you later, dear. I love you." He kissed my forehead and disappeared into the elevator before I had a chance to say anything.

I blinked several times and popped my head in the elevator’s direction. He grinned at me before the elevator doors closed. I raised my eyebrows and looked inside the bag once again. I pulled out a sandwich and took a bite. Not bad!

I prepared for the day in a hurry. I only had one hour to take a shower, prepare my bag, and walk to my office. I must thank Joshua later. If he didn't show up this morning, I would probably be late. I put my teacup on my desk and begun to work on my computer when Camila greeted me.

"Morning, Abby."

"Morning," I mumbled. I was amused for a moment that she already forgotten her rude behavior towards me last Friday.

"How was your weekend?"

How was my weekend? Well, I attended a horrible reunion, forced in living arrangements, being kissed without permission by my fiancé, and the most important thing was I had to meet with someone I didn't want to meet with. "It was...great." Honestly, that was the best I could come up with.

"So, have you heard the news?" She asked me excitedly.

I furrowed my eyebrows and turned to her. "What news?" Oh no, this was not about my twisted engagement thing, was it?

"Our office is going to open a branch in London and New York. I heard they will be choosing the best editors here to work in the new offices," She said in a hushed tone.

I assumed this news was still classified, for she feared our conversation could be overheard by someone else. Well, it was better than my engagement news.

"Are you sure? Where did you hear this stuff?" I asked in a hushed tone.

"I eavesdropped on Mrs. Bennington's conversation with Mr. Smith this morning. They will begin the evaluation for the candidates in a month."

"Huh, that’s cool," I said nonchalantly.

Mrs. Bennington and Mr. Smith are our bosses in this office. If Camila heard this news from them, the truth will be 99.99% true.

"So, London or New York?" I asked her. I knew she wanted this position badly.

Camila grinned. "I wouldn't mind being placed in either one of them. London and New York are the best places, Abby."

I sighed. "I know that."

"So, how about you? London or New York?" She asked.

I smiled. Reverse psychology, huh? No dice! "I'm not very interested about that, Cam. I just want to work in good quality, that's all."

"Is it because of Joshua?"

I narrowed my eyes on her. "What is that supposed to mean?"

She shrugged. "Maybe you don't want to move away from Seattle because of Joshua. Well, that does make sense."

Was it? I chuckled. "It's not like that, Cam. I'm still junior editor and I only worked here for nearly two years. Those two places seem too big for me. I'll pass."

"Suit yourself," She said, again and disappeared into her cubicle.

I shook my head and began my work of the day. I passed my lunch, only having a small take out from the Italian restaurant near my office. I managed to finish my work of the day at five-thirty. I took off my glasses and rubbed my eyes tiredly. I took deep breaths and began to collect my things. I stepped out and into the lobby when the sun was setting. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw Joshua sitting there. He smiled widely when he saw me. He rose from the chair and walked over to me. I blinked several times.

"Hello, dear," he kissed my forehead.

"Er...hi. What are you doing in here? Are you stalking me?" I asked, jokingly.

He chuckled. "No, Abby. I just finished my shift at the hospital. I was wondering if you were working late or not. I was planning to drag you home if you did work over time," his tone turned serious.

I laughed lightly. "I always work over time, Joshua. I was thinking of buying a laptop and bringing my work home so I don't have to stay late in the office."