The Space Between Love And Hell

Chapter 2

I greeted Sarah, the girl who worked at the front desk, with a smile and a wave. She smiled back and took a sip of her coffee. It was then I remembered I hadn't eaten at all this morning.

I had been so busy and caught up thinking about him.

I made my way to the elavator but was stopped by someone calling my name.

"Evelyn! Sweetheart!" I heard the clicking of boots and I knew that it had to be Sam. Now, Sam was my best friend. I'd known her for three years. She just got to be . . . a little much somtimes. She threw her arm around me and I almost fell. She started walking towards the elavator, dragging me with her.

"How was your weekend?" she asked, pressing the 3rd floor button. I sighed and looked at her. Her curly afro fell nicely around her face, and her bright blue eyeshadow really made her chocolate eyes pop. I debated telling her about the dream. She would probably make a scene if I did.

"It was fine. Not too busy or anything." Why mention him? I was supposed to forget about him anyway. We reached the third floor and Sam let go of me, wandering away to go flirt with someone.

I made my way to my desk, where a basket was waitng for me. I tilted my head, trying to figure out what it was. It was wrapped up with a big red bow. It's not my birthday. Suddenly, my boss appeared. And she was . . . smiling? She never, ever smiled. It was then I realized my coworkers were all gathering around me.

They were all murmuring, and I heard one of them exclaim, "She won!?"

But what exactly did I win?

As I inched forward, my boss stuck out her hand, pressumably to shake. I took it hesitantly and she gave me a firm shake.

"You've won the free ticket to a cruise in the Caribbean!" she said happily. This looked like more than a ticket.

As I unwrapped the bow the plastic fell to the side. It was a gift basket of sorts. I pulled out a envelope, a brochure, a really tiny bikini (that I would most certainly not be wearing), a bottle of wine, and a small velvet case. The wine was very expensive. It read Chateau Mouton Rothschild Pauillac 2006 on the front, and the price tag on the side said 699.99 dollars.

I almost dropped it right then and there.

I turned to my boss, eyes wide and mouth hanging open.

"They fucking gave me a 700 dollar bottle of wine!" I sighed and leaned on my desk, utterly confused.

"And?" Katlyn, one of my coworkers said.

I whipped around to face her.

"And I'm kinda broke. I don't have anything to wear!" I said, still in shock.

"This might help." I turned to see Claire, my other best friend, waving a check in the air. "I found it at the bottom of the basket." 

I walked up to her and snatched it out of her hand.

I read the number on the paper and almost died.

$10,000.

"I think they really want you on this trip," Claire said, twirling her wavy blonde hair and smiling. "And who wouldn't want to go on a trip with that hottie?" That girl sometimes, I swear.

I glanced down at the brochure she was staring at. I gasped, quickly moving forward to take a closer look at him. He looked almost exactly like the man from my dream. But his hair was longer and had dark streaks in it. He smiled up at me from the brochure, and I felt my heart speed up.

I cleared my throat, smiling at the people around me.

"Well, uh, I won. Hurrah! You can all get back to your work now. If you want." Gosh, what was I saying? People nodded and moved back to their desks. I exhaled and slumped into my chair. Sam and Claire were still with me, smirking.

"You should totally open the letter!" Claire exclaimed, more excited than I was.

"Mhm, mhm," Sam nodded enthusiastically with approval.

I sighed and picked up the letter. I glanced up at my friends, who were still staring at me. I started opening the letter slowly, trying to make it as suspenseful as possible. I became unpatient at the end and just tore it open. Inside was a ticket with a picture of a cruise and the word Limbo printed in an elegant cursive across the front. There was also a folded slip of paper with my name spelled on it, also in that perfect cursive. I unfolded it slowly, opening it to find the same cursive writing from the front.

My dearest Eveyln . . .

I stopped reading right there. I turned to my friends, who were looking at me with raised eyebrows.

"Isn't that kinda creepy?" I questioned, raising my eyebrow. "Like, the letter starts with 'My dearest Evelyn.' And I don't even know the guy!"

Claire sighed and shook her head.

"Just keep reading Eve."

I huffed out a breath of reluctancy and continued reading, aloud this time.

"My dearest Evelyn . . . Congratulations on winning the free ticket!  We hope that the basket was to your liking. After all, we want only the best for the best. The wine was specifically selected from our finest winery and we would love to share it with you, should you chose to join us on our cruise. Please take the money that we've given you as a gift and treat yourself to something nice. In case you were wondering, you've won an all-expenses-paid trip for a  two week-long cruise in the Caribbean. We really do hope to see you there. Best wishes, Vance and Collin Limb."

My eyes lingered on the name Collin for just a minute. For some reason, it sounded familar. I wonder if he could be the guy . . . No. No way. There's absolutely no way he could be the same person. I would've known.

My train of thought was interrupted by Sam.

"Oh my God! An all-expenses-paid trip?! Girl, you need this."

I bit my lip, contemplating.

"Isn't this the last thing I need? How am I supposed to get work done on a cruise?"

"It's a break, Eve. For relaxation." Sam dragged out the word relaxation, smiling.

"Come on!" Claire squealed, hopping up and hugging me.

"You know that you want to!" Sam said in a sing song tone.

I inhaled and exhaled deeply, slowly nodding my head. Relaxation. I'm great at relaxing. Yeah. Relaxing.

"Alright. What the fuck." I said, looking up to meet their eyes. "I'll go."