A Taboo Rendezvous

Ch 8: Pining & Penitence

The past six weeks seemed to go by painfully slow.

Nini's new position as a singing coach and personal assistant at another competing record label had been overall okay. It paid less than her former job despite being two different positions, but at least she didn't have to stare at the man who she's in love with every day anymore.

She hated that she had to leave so abruptly, but it was for the best. He didn't have to feel guilty about not loving her back, and she didn't have to feel her heart break every time she saw him. It's technically a win-win, but it definitely didn't feel like it.

When she's not working, she does find herself wondering if he found someone to fulfill her spot. Knowing him, he probably hasn't since his hiring process is so broad and ridiculous.

She hears a faint knock on her office door. "Come in."

In came Antoine with that award winning smile. "Hey Nini! You busy?" He says with his thick French accent.

"Not at all."

"Great, because Jonah is ready for his session. Come on in."

Nini had to force herself to smile and held back the need to roll her eyes. Jonah was her least favorite client since he was a total flirt. Dude could not take a hint to save his life, or maybe he could but just didn't care that she rejected him.

Jonah walks in with a smug look after Antoine left them alone. "Nini, always a pleasure to see you."

"I told you to call me Nina."

"Ah, you're no fun."

"Well I'm sorry, but we gotta keep it professional."

He sits on the desk to be closer to her. "Oh come on, don't tell me you've never had a little fling with someone at work. Almost everyone has in the music industry."

Nini blushes. Oh you have no idea. And it's best if he never knows.

"I've never done such a thing, and I'm definitely not starting it with you of all people."

He pretends to be wounded. "Ouch, playing hard to get I see. Alright, I can do the long game."

"Well you're gonna be the only one playing that game." She shoved his body off of her desk. "Now are we gonna actually get some work done, or are you gonna bother me until your hour is up like last time?"

He held his hands up in surrender and walked to his chair. She gave him some notes she made on his music and told him to glance over it to see if he liked it. She purposely made a lot of notes so he'd focus more on that than her.

While he was busy with that, she stared outside her window and saw the café she used to get Ricky's coffee from. She began reminiscing on all the earlier days of her being his secretary where she'd stress about being there on time and not getting fired.

It all made her giggle looking back because now she was aware that he wouldn't dare terminate her even if she were late or messed up his order. She kinda missed those beginning days where things weren't so complicated, and they were just two people with a lot of pent up sexual tension and witty banter.

Even though he didn't share the same feelings, she knew she meant something to him. After all, he did go out of his way to help her when she called him intoxicated and offered her a ride to a bar when he found out she was going alone.

She pulls out her phone and sees all the missed calls, voicemails, and texts from him. She refuses to ever block him and told herself she'd never read or listen to any of the messages he has left since it'd make her wanna crawl back to him. It takes all of her strength to not read the latest text from him. She accidentally read the first two words earlier when she misread his name for someone else's, and she wondered what the rest said.