EXES AND OH'S

And The New Chapter 2.0

Four years later.

I woke up from a dream — that same, beautiful dream.

Green eyes bore through my dark browns, his hand holding mine as we strolled together by the beach. We stopped to kiss along the white sandy shore, the rolling waves gently touching our feet.

I didn't really see a face, it's just a pair of eyes. Weird, I know. But... I'm sure it's him —  his scent, his voice, how he cupped my cheeks, the way he held me, the feel of his lips on mine. It was all too... familiar.

I haven't dreamt of him in a long while, four years to be exact. And this is the only time since that it's happened again. Why? I don't know. 

The human mind is really funny. It was probably just a distant memory, and I haven't really thought that I'd still feel something even if it was just a dream. But no, I'm sure the feelings are long gone already. What I felt was probably just... nostalgia.

I stop the corners of my lips from curling up into a huge, involuntary smile. I decide to finally get up from bed and sit on the edge, closing my eyes and shaking my head as I try to get over all the giddiness and warmth that I'm feeling from the crevices of my chest.

I saunter towards the huge windows, pulling the blinds open to unveil the majestic view of the pristine, turquoise blue ocean waters of Mid-Beach. I squint a little as my pupils adjust to the morning light. 

I'll never get used waking up to this view — waking up in the morning and staring out on into the bright and sunny shores of Miami from my prime condo suite.

Thank you, dad. You've given me an entirely new chance at life. If you and Phil had not come into my life, I wouldn't be standing where I am today. I wouldn't be the smart, successful, strong, independent woman that I am now.

You might be wondering what happened in those four years. Well, here's a brief summary...

Shortly after Tim passed away, Phil returned to New York to sort legal matters. Turns out, Tim left me all of his life's worth of savings and investments, every cent of it. He specifically asked Phil to arrange everything, since he was a lawyer. They also made an arrangement to have the right to our Manhattan home transferred to under my name, since Phil wanted to move back permanently to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He had eventually retired from his law practice, and now spends most of his time going out into the Atlantic in his little boat he named Timothy.

And the inheritance I got from Tim? I used most of it to fund my start-up business with Kurt. I took a risk and quit Aperture while I was still on bed rest. And so, we founded our own little empire — a Social Media Management and Public Relations Firm. 

We got Carlos as our major connection since he worked all around Hollywood, and he knew everyone that could help us out with our start-up. And because I had years of experience working under Aperture's Artist and Repertoire, I knew and met some people too that was of big help to our venture. 

So the risk totally paid off. And not long after, we were already so in demand in LA because apparently, social media management is now a necessity in whatever kind of business. We found overwhelming success in less than a year. I am now handling famous influencers and celebrities, while Kurt and Carlos is in charge of the food industry. Kurt basically heads the social media management for most of the restaurants and hotel chains up on the West Coast. He himself, is a well-known food blogger.

I know, right? Kurt's a fricking celebrity.

Anyhoo, to strategize with locations and more importantly, to expand our market, Kurt and I decided to set up an East Coast office two years ago... here in Miami.