Drowning

Chapter Twenty-Nine

I did a few errands before going to the office, and have been working ever since. I haven't exactly told Mariana what my plan for the Millers were, because they can either go really badly or amazingly. But I hope that the Millers arent stupid enough to let it be the ladder. Alice had taken care of everything while I was gone and I've prepared to have Mariana's engagement party next week, and my trip to Italy three days after and to Spain a couple of days later where Mariana will join me, if everything goes smoothly my life is going to be back in track to how it was before all this went down. But I did have the thought that it was before the time I made my friendship with Aiden. He hasn't called or texted me since the night of the envent, which I don't know is a disappearing act or if he is just giving me space, but still I needed it. I shake my head trying to clear any thoughts about the green eyed tall man that can't seem to leave my thoughts lately when there's a knock at my office door.

"Come in," I said while still typing on my computer.

"I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch?" a deep voice says, and I immediately stop typing and look up. So I assume he was giving me time, because someone who wants to ignore me wouldn't show up to my office asking to go grab lunch.

"Umm," I started hesitantly, "yeah, sure." I say finishing my sentence on the computer and closing it. "Do you have take-out or do you want to go out?"

"I didn't know if you were going to say yes, so I didn't order food. We can go out though, I know a really good Mexican place near here," he says, opening the door for me.

"Ok," I say, unsure of how to act right now.

                                                                                ----------------

We had lunch and were on our way back to the office. We haven't spoken more than a few words. At first this was normal for us, neither of us used to speak but now is different because the air seems tense. I don't like this, not even a bit.

As soon as he puts the car in park outside the office building I say thanks and open the door to see if I can get out of the awkwardness. And I do, I get to my office, and let out a much needed heavy breath, when I hear my office door slam behind me.

"What the hell?" I say turning around, and see Aiden again walking towards me.

"I don't like this," he says in a serious expression, pointing between the two of us.

"What?" I ask, not knowing exactly what he's referring to.

"This, whatever shifted between us," he runs his fingers through his hair. "You know I'm sorry, and I tried giving you your space since you weren't coming to the office. I don't know how else to fix this, I thought about sending you flowers but my mother always said that throwing gifts at problems is never the solution, so tell me what to do so that we can get the friendship or whatever it was that we had back." I smiled first at the mention of his mother and then at him admitting we were friends but then the rest of his sentence started to rack through my brain. He thought I wasn't coming to the office because of him? Was he even checking that I wasn't here?

"Black, I wasnt coming to the office because I had a fresh cut on my face that I couldn't put makeup on and didn't exactly feel like showing off," I tell him, and he lets go of a sigh. "And I already told you I forgave you, it's just going to take some time to move forward I guess," Not knowing how exactly to answer the rest of his question.

"You weren't avoiding me?" he says, his face still serious.

"No,"

"You do know I am sorry, if my mother would have heard me I wouldnt have a head from all the smacks she would have given me," that makes me smile again, since he told me about his mother the other day, now he doesn't seem to bring her up. He seems more let go.

"I know you are sorry," I say with a small nod.

"And you know that won't happen again,"

"I don't know that," I reply truthfully, "but I hope it doesn't because if you do it again I will m-"

"Make me your new boxing dummy I know," he cuts me off, faltering the seriousness and a smirk getting to his face.

"Exactly," I say, mirroring his smirk.

"So, I received an interesting call this morning," he says, taking a seat in one of the chairs in front of my desk.

"Yeah, anything I should know about?" I tell him while I sit down, I think this has to do with my little visit to Albert this morning.

"Well, it was the Millers lawyer, saying he wanted to make a conference call tomorrow. Now tell me what you do."

"Me? Absolutely nothing," I say, not being able to hold back my smirk.

"Valentina" he starts in a warning tone.

"I just paid him a little visit this morning and told him to back off, Black," I say, turning on my computer.

"Why did you do that? What if he would've hit you again?"

"We were somewhere public where people could see easily what was happening, and I made sure I kept my distance," I say and see him nod in approval, not that I needed it.

"Now what did you tell him?" he asks, still prying, and I just shrug my shoulders and continue to work.