𝐁𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐒

FOURTEEN | THE REJECTION

Mateo Belmonte's 33rd birthday soon approached, and there was one individual in particular who was feeling quite festive.

The thin, blond woman placed her perfectly manicured hand on her boss' chest, guiding his body down into the black lounge chair that sat in the corner of her living room. Mateo stared emotionless at his receptionist as she pulled her silk robe open, fully exposing a new set of lacey, red lingerie.

Christine lowered her body down slowly, straddling his lap, and slung her arms gracefully around the back of his neck. She leaned forward, and began leaving a trail of kisses along his jawline, but was stopped shortly after.

The man sighed, "Christine, I didn't come over to have sex."

Christine stared at Mateo with hurt eyes before scoffing, and standing up angrily. She closed her robe and tied it shut before folding her arms tightly across her chest, "Then why did you ask to come over? It's your birthday."

Mateo took a deep breath, then pinched the bridge of his nose. He stood up, and stepped closer to Christine, "And why is the fact that it's my birthday important?"

Christine rolled her eyes, "Maybe because couples get intimate on birthdays to celebrate?"

Mateo narrowed his eyes at her, then sighed, "Christine, we're not exactly a couple. Do we need to go over the details of our arrangement again? We both agreed to casual sex, no strings attached."

"Well, what if I've changed my mind about those conditions?" she asked stubbornly, "What if I don't like them anymore?"

Mateo let out another sigh, so Christine looked at him with a serious face, "Mateo, why are you really here?"

He hesitated for a few seconds before looking at Christine with apologetic eyes, "I think we should take a break from this, or maybe just end it altogether."

Christine was visibly heartbroken, though she tried her best to hide the hurt. She stared down at the ground before asking, "Is there someone else?"

"No," Mateo objected quickly, "That's not it."

"There's got to be someone else! Why else would you suddenly be so uninterested in me?" she asked sadly.

"I just don't think this is a good idea anymore," he answered honestly, "It's clear that you want a lot more to come out of this than I do. We keep having the same conversation about where this is going, and I think things are getting too complicated."

Silence filled the room, and the entire atmosphere changed.

"There's nothing I can do to change your mind?" she finally asked with the slightest glimmer of hope in her voice.

"No, not this time, Christine," he said sadly, "I'm sorry."

"Please don't completely cut me out of your life, Mateo," she said with desperation in her voice.

"I'm not cutting you out, Christine. We just don't want the same thing."

Christine tried desperately to fight back the tears that threatened to spill, but had no luck when the love of her life approached her. She clasped her hands together over her heart, and Mateo gently tucked a loose strand of hair that had been covering her face behind her ear. She looked at the floor quickly, but he cupped her face gently with his hands before placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

Mateo placed his hands on top of hers, giving them a light squeeze, "Goodbye, Christine. I'll see you at work."

Mateo pulled away, and Christine gripped tightly onto his hand as the distance between them grew further and further until she was finally forced to let go of not only his hand, but also the man she fell in love with over three years ago.