Unprofessional (Under editing)

Chapter 22: Crush

While freshening up in Valerie's luxurious bathroom, my nerves were on edge after dropping off Lovey at Isaac's place.

I hope he knows that if he hurts my daughter, he'll find himself in a ditch.

I then hear a knock at the door.

"Yes?" I call, startled out of my thoughts.

"Miss girl," she sings out, her voice playful.

"Yeah?" I answer, washing my hands.

"We need to go, so hurry up!"

"Got it!" Once I was finished, I stepped out of the bathroom, where Valerie was waiting in the hallway with an amused look on her face.

"Hi, stalker," I say, shifting my weight.

"Hey victim," she responds with a cheeky grin.

"Ready to go?" I ask with a small smile standing up right.

"Yep." Valerie said, grabbing her emerald green suitcase, topped with a duffel bag, and glides it across the marble floor. This time, instead of Isaac's private jet, we're headed to the airport with first-class tickets (out of the goodness of her heart Valerie paid for them, of course)

Once on the plane, Valerie and I settle in together, gossiping about office drama and chatting about our favorite shows and movies. It was refreshing.

Eventually, we start watching In Time on my laptop, when we both fall asleep halfway through. I wake up to find Valerie resting her head on my shoulder. As I look out the small airplane window, a familiar view comes into sight—Indiana, the place I grew up... And I feel my body shutter. Valerie starts to stir in her sleep so I sat still, not wanting her to wake.

___

6 years ago

I walked into my new job at the movie theater. Working there might not be something most people would be proud of, but I was thrilled—I finally had a place to go after school and to... escape everything.

As I walked inside, I headed over to the cashier and spotted a guy from my school.

Michael More.

Sixteen, two years older than me, he had a presence that was hard to ignore. He had light brown hair that fell tousled and looked effortlessly cool. His hazel eyes complemented his brown skin and held a natural warmth and a brightness, like he was always in on a secret, and they gave him a friendly, open expression. His face was a mix of soft features and strong lines, with a slightly rounded shape balanced by a defined, square jaw that hinted at a bit of maturity. He had this easygoing, golden retriever energy—friendly, approachable, and somehow always at ease with himself. He looked like someone who genuinely had no cares in the world, which only made him more magnetic.

Michael looked up, his hazel eyes lighting up in recognition. "Oh hey, your name is Rowan, right?"

"Yeah," I replied, surprised. I couldn't believe he knew my name. We've been in the same chemistry class for 3 months now and we've never spoken once. "So, are you the new employee?"

"Yes," I said, a little too quickly. I tried to calm down, telling myself he was just a boy, nothing to be nervous about, but then he smiled.

"Cool." He was so friendly and warm, almost too nice, like it couldn't be real. But it wasn't an act.

He was genuinely nice, and that, in some ways, felt a little strange to me.

___

Present-day