I make sure to twist the handle on the door to the auditorium as quietly and slowly as possible. The last thing that I need to do is cause a scene in front of all these industry professionals; not to mention, get dad fired his second week of work.
I spot an empty seat in the audience, one that requires me to walk past a few people.
When I finally sit down, I look at the stage to see the spotlight on Brooks. He's wearing a microphone headpiece and dressed in a navy, fitted suit. He looks so professional, so composed, and I honestly couldn't be prouder of him.
The way that he speaks is smooth and convincing, and you can tell that he's extremely knowledgeable in the publishing field. He commands the stage and I look at a few audience members to find them watching Brooks in awe. They're not the only ones. I'm in awe, too.
The presentation lasts for another 45 minutes, and afterwards, Brooks announces that a follow-up lunch will be held in one of the meeting rooms.
Damn, how big is this building?
I let the auditorium empty out before approaching Brooks, but he's still on stage, talking to someone. So, I decide to follow a group of people to the meeting room instead, which consists of a buffet and waiters walking around serving people drinks.
What are you doing here, Remi? I ask myself.
It takes Brooks 10 minutes to walk in, but when he does, he enters with his dad by his side. The room goes quiet, and then everyone starts clapping, acknowledging how amazing of a job Brooks just did. I clap with them.
Brooks smiles and nods his head, welcoming their admiration when, suddenly, he finds me in the crowd; his eyes locking onto mine.
His smile quickly turns into shock, but I can tell that he's masking it so that everyone in the room doesn't question his expression.
I see him make his way in my direction, passing through a crowd of people, who shakes his hand and pats him on the back, and then he finally reaches me.
"Remi," he says, stunned.
"Hi," I nervously smile. "You did a great job in there."
He slips his hands into his pockets. "Couldn't tell that I was nervous the entire time?"
"Nervous?" my mouth gapes. "No way."
He brushes his forehead with his hand, like he's wiping away sweat. "Phew. Good."
I look at him with a faint smile. "You're probably wondering what I'm doing here."
"Just a little," he says in a cute tone.
"Thought my dad could use some lunch," I tell him. "By the way, that's some office you gave him."
"He deserves it. I know he's going to be a great addition to the team."
"Thank you," I say. "For helping him. For helping my family."
"I told you, Rem. I'm not going anywhere."
I nod, looking at him intently.
"It was nice of you to drop him off lunch," Brooks says, but I know that he knows that there's more to my reasoning for coming here than just that.
"I didn't come here just for that," I confess. "I wanted to talk to you. And I know that I could've stopped by your house or called you, but this couldn't wait. And I needed to do it in person."
"Do what?" he asks.
"Apologize. Tell you how sorry I am for pushing you away when you didn't want to move. When I didn't want you to move."
"Rem, you don't have to apologize."
"No, I do. Because...you see...I'm in love with you. And the last thing that I want is for you to not know that. Not to feel it. I just, I get so in my-"
"Hold up, hold up, hold up," Brooks interrupts, wagging a finger in the air. "You can't just say that you're in love with me, Red..."
"I know. I know that this isn't the right time, but I need you to kn-"
"No," he cuts me off again. "What I mean, Red, is that you can't just say that you're in love with me and expect me to do nothing about it."
Not knowing what he means, he takes steps closer to me with a look that I know too well. He wants to kiss me.
"Brooks," I chuckle, stopping him with my hand. "Not here. Plus, I want to finish what I was saying."
"Okay," he gives in, almost breathless. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."
"No, it's okay. I just want you to know that, even though I have a hard time trusting people, letting my guard down, being vulnerable, I want to work on that. For you."
"Rem, it's okay to have faults. We all do. It doesn't make them wrong. I just want you to believe in what we have. In the person that you make me want to be."
"I do," I tell him.
"You know that I won't walk away unless you ask me to, right?"
"That's the thing, I don't think I'll ever ask you to walk away."
"Good," he smiles. "Because I don't want you to."
He reaches his arms under my shoulders, bringing me in for a kiss. It's slow, soft, and a clear indication that we've both missed each other over the last couple of weeks.
"Should we be doing that here?" I chuckle once we've both pulled away.
"I don't know, should we?" he asks, his eyes searching mine, a grin forming on his face.
"Maybe not," I admit.
He shrugs his shoulders at me in his confident Brooks-like way, bringing his lips closer to mine.
"Try and stop me," he grins.
I shake my head and give him a cool, calm and collected Remi Baker smile.
"Never," I tell him.
The End!!!!
Thank you to all the readers who supported Across the Pond and gave me the motivation to tell Remi and Brooks' story in this sequel. I really hope you enjoyed it and welcome any feedback that you may have!
YOU ARE READING
Under the Stars (Sequel to Across the Pond)
Romance*The sequel to Across the Pond* Brooks Caldwell is the bane of my existence. Has been ever since I've known him. And, of course, luck would have it that I'm forced to spend my entire summer in his presence when I'm offered a job at the posh country...
