Anastasia

Chapter (9): Persistence

"So, what do you think?" asked Adrienne once again to the woman in front of her.

"We," She pointed back and forth between them both as she continued. "don't know each other."

"I know and that's the point. We go out... and we get to know each other. That's how it usually works." She shrugged with a smile.

Sage looked at her hands for a second then looked up at Adrienne. "It's late and I have to go home."

Deep down, she wanted to hang out with the stranger but with her night job, she knew she would humiliate herself if she put high expectations of what this could possibly mean for her and Adrienne.

She turned around to walk but stopped when Adrienne called out her name. "It's Sage, right? I like it and if my memories serve me correctly I drove you back to my home a few nights ago. So you kinda owe me." She joked a little and waited to Sage's response.

She looked over her shoulder as fear dominated her if Adrienne was asking her for a hook-up.

"I'm seeing someone and I can't go out with you, so goodnight." She said as her defense mechanism stroke quickly. She finally called a cab and went away without looking back. Adrienne ran a hand through her hair and pressed her lips together in frustration.

"Way to go, Aid." she said to herself. "Smooth." she said sarcastically to herself then walked to her car and drove away.

............................................

Sage went up to her apartment with a racing heart, threating to burst out of its cage since Adrienne asked her to go out with her. Before her cab drove off, she stole a glance at Adrienne when she was frustrated in the street and she cursed herself for not saying 'yes' but she thought it was best for both of them and going out with someone as rich as Adrienne could affect their positions.

She collapsed on the bed, ran her hand along the bedsheets, letting herself relax as she took a deep breath then released it slowly to pacify her pulsing heart.

"I'm seeing someone." She mimicked herself sarcastically with a childish voice. "What the hell? Ugh!" She groaned and rolled over on her side and grabbed a pillow to let out another loud groan.

Sage's hand dangled from the side of the bed and reached the drawer to open it and when she did, she grabbed her sketch and looked over her artwork of Adrienne that she kept.

"Stupid me..."

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Adrienne was inside her office, sitting on her rolling chair, tapping with the pen lightly on her temple as she stared at the door across from her. She was drowning in her own thoughts concerning the woman who rejected her last night. She was baffling whether what she did was right or wrong, asking someone on a date when she was not ready. She was sure she was ready until the rejection.

The way Sage looked at her made her regret her question and feel ambivalent about herself. Sage made her confused. Sage lowered her self-esteem. Sage dismissed her and yet couldn't dismiss Adrienne's persistence on going out with her or giving her a second chance.

Damien knocked on the door twice and turned the door knob, letting himself enter with a folder in his hand but Adrienne was paying him no attention when he spoke again, so he sighed and placed the folder on her desk.

"Aid!"

"What?" She said leaning towards the desk and setting the pen that she was playing with on the desk.

"You're getting me worried about you. Again." He put his hands on his waist. "Is it about your mom again?"

"No... it's, uh..." She looked at him and rubbed her temple. "I'm kind of... sorta... into someone?" She chuckled nervously.