Awkward Meet Normal

Chapter Forty-Three:

Annabelle:

Going viral was my thing... apparently.

I groaned, rolling over after the best night of my life with Dash. We had fallen asleep in the living room with throw blankets and throw pillows as our source of comfort. At some point, he had carried me upstairs to bed.

"What?" He mumbled, pressing kisses to my naked shoulder. I wondered if he even packed my pajamas as I hardly wore them to bed anymore.

I had been awake a couple of minutes before him, and the cell phone he had charged for me on my side of the bed was once again lighting up like a Christmas tree.

I waited for him to sit up and for his eyes to look less sleepy.

"You mise as well see it...." I handed him the phone and watched as he watched last night's events play out. Was someone going around just waiting for me to fuck up again?

Isabelle was dressed in head-to-foot white. I was in a simple black jumpsuit with high heels. I suck at walking in heels. She had been seated first, and the male assistant she had brought with her pulled out my chair. But as he pulled out my chair, I spazzed and turned to go to the other chair by Isabelle. However, Isabelle was a regular comer to this restaurant, and they had a waitress to her with her favorite glass of red wine, three cups of water, and a craft of water.

It wasn't the water that crashed into Isabelle. It was the entire cup of red wine—all down the front side of her all-white outfit. I was the reason it had happened because I bumped the waitress, and that caused the tray to go sideways and the glass to go on Isabelle.

Isabelle did not react well to my apologizing. She snapped and yelled at me to leave and never come back. I had seen this outburst from her a couple of times. But when she snapped her fingers and pointed to the door, I listened.

I had waited at work for two hours at this point because she had pushed the meeting back twice.

Marcus called me twenty minutes later. I had yet to get in the town car to go back to Dash because I didn't know if I should go in and apologize to her again or not.

"Hi Marcus," I smiled as I answered the phone.

"What the hell is going on?" His stern voice was not something I was used to. Typically it was saved for the finance department. Not his creative department.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"First Roman's Sports and now Fancy Feast are pulling out? The only way I could get them to stay was if I gave them different leads."

I swallowed.

"I didn't know about Roman's Sport." It was all I could say. Isabella throwing a tantrum was expected, and he knew that. I was her fourth lead. I was the only one who lasted the longest.

Fucking red wine.

"You should have known about both. I enjoyed working with you, but you are fired. Stop by tomorrow and get a guest pass to clean your office."

I was going to argue to plead my case. But the line went dead.

And I was fired.

After the call, I finally got into the town car. I told the driver to take me to Dash's. And on the ride over, I was preparing to break up with him. How could I be in a relationship with a business typhoon Dash? When I was just let go on top of it as well.

And then I got to his home, and it changed everything.

He had my pieces from my apartment mixed in with his hand carven made for elites furniture. He had my IKEA end tables sitting next to his custom-made couch.

He didn't only want me to move in; he wanted me to be comfortable here. He wanted it to feel like my home.

And even though I lived in the last shitty apartment for years, I knew it right then. That this felt like home, it felt like home because of Dash.

And then I told him I was fired, and he didn't even cringe. He held me last night after we fooled around, and he told me I would get through it because I'm a fighter. He said he had the scratches to prove it. That comment earned him a rib in the side.

"Ouch," is all he said after he saw the video on repeat, and then he started to laugh.

"It's not funny," I proclaimed, and his laughter only boomed.

"Who the fuck wears all white head to toe?" And then I'm laughing with him—something I did not see happening.

I dressed to the nines and headed out with the town car. Dash said he didn't need it, and he felt better if I wasn't driving today. Especially if I saw my boss, Marcus or Isabelle; he did not want me to get road rage.

I received the day pass and walked up to my office. Security was already standing by my office door for me.

Amanda was standing in the hallway, eyes wide.

After security got my door open for me, she rushed over into my office.

"What the hell happened?"

I started packing up the three boxes I had brought with me. I had seen so many walks of shame, and now it was my turn.

"This can't be because of Fancy Feast. I saw your tagline was trending again."

"I have a tagline?" I paused and then decided to keep packing.

She winced. "It's nothing."

"Well, that and because Ryan's company dropped me."

Her mouth was hanging open, and then she walked over and started packing boxes with me.

"No shit?" She asked.

"No shit."

The packing went quickly. I handed her my coffee mug that said Marketing Guru on it.

"You love this thing," she said, looking down at it fondly.

"You need something to remind you of me."

She stepped forward before I could grab the boxes and hugged me.

"Drinks at least once a month. No arguing."

I hugged her back and agreed.

"Give them hell."

I don't know who she was talking about. But it was a nice gesture.

And then I texted Dash. He wanted the big and small things, and I knew a random text from me would make him happy—especially one he did not have to start.

Annabelle: here's a semi-medium thing. I cleaned out my office.

He responded in seconds.

Dash: here's a thing. Come and have lunch in my office with me.

Annabelle: Omw!