A Taboo Rendezvous

Ch 9: Bleeding Love

Nini was trying her best to not let her emotions overcome her.

The past few weeks have been hectic with work, this Toronto job, and of course that talk with Ricky. It felt like she couldn't catch a break. She couldn't stop thinking about him more than usual, and the fact that he pecked her cheek wasn't helping.

She caught herself grazing that area a lot, fantasizing about his lips trailing across her jaw like he did when they snuck off to his office for a quick rendezvous. Her dream state was interrupted by the sound of her office door creaking open throughout the small room. In came Antoine with an awkward smile.

"Hey Nini, is this a good time?"

She smiles and nods at her boss. "Of course sir, I'll always make time for you."

"Glad to hear it because I need you to run an errand that you might not like."

She lifts a brow. "Why wouldn't I like it?"

Antoine slowly reveals a jacket from behind his back. Nini didn't understand why a piece of clothing would be an inconvenience.

"I need you to return this to its owner."

"Sure thing. Whose is it?"

"Yeah, here comes the part you won't like." He took out the little business card that was hidden in the jacket's pocket. "It belongs to Ricky Bowen."

Nini's smile falters. Just her luck; of course he left his jacket. "Is there anyone else in this building that could maybe take it instead?"

He gives her a sympathetic look. "If there were, I would've asked them already. Trust me, I wouldn't ask you unless no one else could. I'd do it myself, but I have a series of meetings that'll last for the rest of the day."

She sighs. "It's okay. I get it; I'll head out during my lunch."

Antoine gives her a sad smile. "Thanks Nini. Also, I really am sorry. I can tell there was quite some history between you two that's clearly never been resolved."

"Yeah, that's one way to put it."

"Good luck."

He hands her the jacket and gives her a fleeting smile and an encouraging thumbs up before exiting the room.

She looked down at the jacket and traced her thumb across the fabric. She tossed it over her shoulder and could smell the strong cologne on it that she adored so much. It smelt just like him and made her melt inside.

She wanted to get this out of the way so she could at least get her mind off of him faster. Her lunch was an hour from now, but business was slow at the moment, so she chose to take advantage of her free time.

She knew that if she left soon she wouldn't have to bump into him at all since he usually was at lunch at this hour unless of course he's changed times since she departed. She quickly grabbed her essentials before jotting out the door.

As she approached the building, her heartbeat got louder with every passing second. Her grip was so firm on the steering wheel that her knuckles turned white. She didn't even notice she was biting the dead skin off of her lips to somewhat soothe her nerves.

The thought of seeing him again really unnerved her. It wasn't particularly because she didn't want to see him, but because she had no idea what she'd do if she saw him. Would she slap him? Would she yell until she couldn't anymore? Would she push him against a wall and kiss him like she'd never see him again?

Who knows with these two?

She parked in her former designated parking spot and looked up at the building she hasn't seen in months. She held her head up high and strutted through the big doors she used to enter every day.