You'll Say Yes (2 page)

I went home exhausted; exhausted from work and from the stupid engagement thing. I flopped down on my couch in my apartment and exhaled. I removed my shoes and turned the TV on. A cheesy sitcom appeared on the screen and for a moment I tried to adjust my brain to understand the story, although it failed miserably. Suddenly, my BlackBerry vibrated and with slow motion I picked it up.

"Hello."

"Hi, Abby."

I smiled. "Hi, Stella. How are you, girl?"

I heard Stella giggle. "Oh, I'm fine. Hey, guess who called me this morning?"

I yawned. "Who? Evan?"

"Duh, of course not, Abby. If he called, why should I tell you?"

Hmm…good point there.

I rolled my eyes. "Then, who was it, Stella?"

"Joshua Walsh."

I nearly dropped the phone. "What?"

"I know. Isn’t that strange? Suddenly he called and asked me if I could come back to Long Beach this weekend."

A shiver ran down my spine. I remembered my mother also asking me to come home to Long Beach this weekend. What was that guy planning anyway? "And what was your answer?"

"I haven't given him my answer yet, but he really expected me to come. He called Evan too by the way."

Damn! What the hell did he want? "So...you called me to ask if he called me too. Is that right?"

Stella laughed. "Ditto!" And then her tone became serious. "Did he call you, Abby?"

I played with my fingers. "No, he didn't. But, he called my Mom."

"What?"

I rolled my eyes. "Geez...Stella. It's not a big deal. Perhaps he didn't know where I am."

"Oh, please, Abby. Don't play smart with me. He could see your Facebook profile or ask your parents or maybe track you with Google Earth. Speaking of Facebook profiles, I looked at his’ this morning. Wow, he's still gorgeous. If I didn't have a relationship with Evan, I’d probably stalk him around."

I burst out laughing. "Careful there, Stella. Evan will kill Joshua if you really did that." Honestly, I didn't mind.

Stella laughed. "Just kidding, Abby. There's no man that can compare to Evan."

I smiled hearing her words. I knew Stella and Evan loved each other deeply, even after all these years. I just wished I could have the same bond with my other half someday.

"So...are you going to Long Beach this weekend?" Stella asked, cutting my daydreaming.

"Um...I haven't decided yet. It's still Monday, though, so I'll call you on Thursday to let you know either way." I paused. "Hey, Stella. Do you remember a boy with reddish hair that used to play with us when we were kids?"

Stella didn't answer for a moment and then I heard her gasped. "Hell, no!"

"Yup, that was Joshua."

Stella sighed. "How come I don't remember him?"

"Trust me, girl, you're not the only one who asked the same question."

Stella scoffed. "So, all of my time in high school, I didn't recognize him."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What do you mean? Did Joshua ever move from Long Beach?"

"I don't really remember, Abby. All I know is Dr. Walsh moved to Long Beach in my junior year. Perhaps they lived in another town before moving back."

I sighed. "What about Evan? And I also remember the blond girl, what was her name?"

Stella chuckled. "Evan was moving out of Long Beach, too; when he was in elementary school. I guess, I was lucky when his parents decided to return. That town is holding a lot of interest. The blond girl is Kimberly Miles. She moved to New York when I started high school. That's why you didn't see Kimberly at school."

"I see."

"Hey, Abby, do you know that Kimberly was jealous of you?"

"Huh?"

Stella giggled. "She was jealous of you because Joshua paid more attention to you than her."

I grimaced. "Seriously, Stella?"

"Uh-huh, but I think she already passed that phase. I heard she was dating a football player, Kevin Morgan, in New York."

"Hmm...a lot of things have changed." I yawned again. "Sorry to cut this conversation short, Stel, but I’ve had a long day and I’m exhausted. I'll call you back on Thursday. Ok?"

"Ok. Well, I better get going. I still have a lot of work to do. Take care, Abby."

"You too. Bye, Stella!" I pressed the end button.

I walked to my apartment window; the busy streets of Seattle created a lonely feeling for me. What was exactly happening here?

~0~

The next day I woke up early. I didn't sleep very well last night, still trying to figure out what Joshua was planning for all of us. I knew he was smart; he won't make a hasty decision. But, he was also a very determined person. I remembered when he followed me around for a week just to ask me some stupid questions.

I prepared for the day, and packed my bag. I stopped when a note with my phone calls from yesterday slipped into my finger.

I'll visit you tomorrow at your office.

I gulped. It meant I have to meet him today. I rubbed my temples. What was I going to do? I couldn't call in sick. I had important meetings today with my authors...or perhaps I could ask the front office to say I was not in the office if he really came. I slumped in my seat. Well, I guess that was the best way...for now.

After I heated up my Honda's engine, I walked to my office in a gloomy mood. I asked the front office to tell someone by the name of Joshua Walsh that I was not in the office today. When I reached my floor, I went straight to the pantry and made myself a coffee. I walked to my desk carrying my cup of coffee, and stopped dead in my tracks when I saw a bouquet of lilies on my desk. Lilies were my favorite flower, and again not all of these people knew that.

"It came this morning," I heard Camila say. She looked kind of...annoyed.

Hmm...That was strange. I furrowed my eyebrows and opened the card. I could see an elegant handwriting in it.

I hope these flowers will brighten up your day.

Looking forward for meeting you today.

Yours,

Joshua Walsh.

I blinked several times. Wow, he was good. His training with girls in high school really gave him some justice. And I really did think he was looking at my Facebook profile.

"You said you were only friends," Camila said, again.

I could decipher her tone now. She was jealous.

I smirked. "We were."

"Then, why did he send you these flowers? And lilies? A normal man would give red roses or white roses. He's not normal."

Yeah, right. So I could dump him, so you could have a chance to attack him? No way! I might not like Joshua, but I wouldn't leave him to fall for Camila's attack. I still had a heart to prevent that.

"Lilies are beautiful," I answered shortly.

Camila rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She disappeared in her cubicle and my smile did too.

I looked at the flower, cautiously.

What was he planning? I felt like a girl with a stalker, and I couldn't escape. For a moment, I just sat in my chair, didn't know what to do until an e-mail appeared on my BlackBerry. One of my author's would like to come and meet me at 10:00 am this morning. I put the bouquet in the corner on my desk and started my work for today.

After my meeting with the author, it was almost lunch. I sighed and looked at the file on my desk. I won't be finished with my work if I went to lunch now. I shook my head and went to the snack machine in the hall to have some granola bars. I went back to my desk and put my hair into a ponytail. I wore my glasses and started to open the file. This was my normal style when I had a lot of work. I was just finished half of my files when I heard a soft voice behind me.

"You look sexy with those glasses."

I froze.

I recognized that voice. The voice I haven't heard in the last ten years, the voice that brought on nightmares when I was in high school. My heartbeat increased in tempo. How...I mean...What...How could he...Damn! Never mind.

I slowly spun my chair around, and there he was in all of his glory, Joshua Walsh. Honestly, he was more handsome in person rather than on his Facebook profile. He wore a dark coat with a deep blue shirt underneath and dark trousers. I almost raised my eyebrows.

He smiled. "Hi, Abby."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "How did you get in here? How did you know I worked here? And the most important thing is...what the hell are you doing here?"

He gave me his famous smile. "Well, firstly, it's nice to meet you again, Abby. Secondly, I didn't mention my name in the front office because I knew you'd be avoiding me, so I used Evan's. Thirdly, I checked your Facebook profile and I found out you work here. And fourthly, I'm here to talk to you. Am I answering all your questions?"

It took me a minute to process all of his answers. It looked like my brain stopped functioning when I stared into his eyes. I shook my head mentally. This was not good!

"O...kay...so, what do you want to talk about?"

Joshua just opened his mouth to answer my question when Camila interrupted. "Abby, did you see...Oh, sorry...I didn't know you had a visitor." She blushed and composed her face. "Hi, I'm Camila Stevenson. Abby's best friend here."

I choked on my granola bar. Joshua smirked, he knew Camila was lying. I always thought Joshua could understand what you were thinking, it was kind of creepy. I wondered if he ever understood me.

"Nice to meet you, Camila. I'm Joshua Walsh. Abby's fi...friend," Joshua replied and grimaced. I raised my eyebrows. Was it me or he really was about to call himself my fiancé?

"Oh, yes...Joshua Walsh. Abby told me so much about you. She said you guys were good friends." Camila gave him a-what was supposed to be sexy- smile.

Trust me; I tried so hard not to choke on my granola bar again.

Joshua smiled. "Really? Like what?"

Camila blushed. "Um...that you worked in the Seattle local hospital and you guys were good friends in high school."

Joshua pursed his lips. "I see. Well, I always wanted to be a doctor, even though my father disagreed. You know, being a lawyer is hard to understand a doctor."

I shook my head. It was a trap. Joshua just tested Camila. Damn! All these years, and he still knew how to figure out if someone was lying or not. Believe me; he could have a good career in the interrogation department. I felt bad for Camila, but I was curious myself to hear her answer.

Camila began to flirt. "Yeah, I know. Your father definitely doesn't know what is good for you. A handsome man like you becomes a lawyer? I don't think so."

Joshua smirked. His hazel eyes sparkled with humor. "Is that so?"

I rolled my eyes and rose from my seat. "Joshua, did you already have lunch? I'm hungry."

Joshua looked at me and smiled. "Abby, I was just about to ask you for lunch, but apparently your
best friend
here interrupted us."