Two Broken Hearts

Chapter 1

"Skye? There is no time to be zoned out! You need to be prepared to give a damn speech!" That definitely snapped me out of my thoughts. Faith was more stressed out about this event than me. Does stress also have Bluetooth connection? I doubt it.

The big event was finally here. The one I've been preparing for so long. I lost count of how many sleepless nights and caffeine I had to work on this damn project.
If I messed this up, I've already asked Faith to use me as a punching bag.

"Woman! Snap out of your thoughts and focus!" I only chuckled at her.

"Why are you so stressed?" She glared at me like I asked something disrespectful or like I'm her child and she's, my mom.

"Gee, I don't know." She learned sarcasm from me. I deserve the credit for that. "Maybe it's because my best friend has been working her ass off on this project for so long that I've seen her cry over her work!" She had a point, crying over work was dumb. After that I felt even more stupid than usual.
But everyone has a breaking point, I thought that was mine but turns out it was just my mood swings.

"I know, I know." She rolled her eyes at me, and it made me chuckle again.

"Plus, I can't punch properly." That was also true, she wouldn't hurt a fly.

This event was possibly the largest one at the moment. Many companies were present here, showcasing their success of the year. I have never been more nervous in my life than I am right now. It's like I'm waiting for the right moment to lose my balance and fall on my face. I was stood behind the stage, watching my boss delivering his speech in front of hundreds of people and I have to do the same. Why did he pick me? right, because he recently promoted me to project manager.

..........

"You did great! nailed it!" I let out the breath I was holding in for God knows how long. Faith hugged me firmly, hard enough to make me feel her bones. She's the best.

"I wouldn't have done this without your support, girl. I owe you one." I heard her giggle at my words.

"Don't flatter me. Now let's enjoy." She linked arms with me and pulled me away, leading me towards the bar. I was starving. Some people eat when they are stressed but I forget food exists when I'm stressed. Now that I had given the speech and it all went smoothly, I can eat as much as I like.

So many things to choose from! but one thing that caught my eye was lasagna. It's not common to see foods like this at such formal events but it happened today because my boss was Italian food lover. After marriage, his wife brought flavor in his life and food. I thank her, or else instead of lasagna, there would be boiled green beans without salt and pepper with plain rice.

"You said you owe me one..." I look at Faith when she spoke. Her eyes sparkled with mischief. She definitely has something in mind.

"Yeah...?" She grins as she hears the hesitation in my voice.

"You see that man over there, in navy blue suit?" I look at where her eyes were pointing at. The man was way too sophisticated for her taste.

"I want you to set me up with him. I saw him staring at me, when you were giving speech."

"Isn't your type someone badass tatted biker?"

"Yeah, but this man caught my attention. Come on! Just help me!" She's whining now, great.

"But how can I set you up? Why don't you just introduce yourself to him?" She groans. God, I hope she doesn't start stomping her feet now. "Besides, you said he was staring at you, so he should make the first move." I never liked the idea of girls chasing guys. It makes them seem desperate. A simple conversation is always good though, and if the man is not interested then turn around and leave, and don't look back.

"Maybe he's shy? Come on, help me, girl!" Before she starts stomping like a child, I should just leave. I glared at her before walking up to that man.

"Excuse me, Hi. I'm Skye Turner. Project Manager of GoldPin and you are?" I passed a smile as I introduced myself.

The man smiled and bows his head a little. What a royalty, you don't get to see that every day.

"I'm Austin Young. Senior Executive manager of LondonStyle. I hope you've heard of it?" Now that he spoke, his tone had a bit of arrogance to it which reminds me of my boss.

"Of course, I've heard of it. It's a leading fashion brand currently. It's a pleasure to meet you." LondonStyle was way ahead in fashion while GoldPin was right behind it. Our focus was the shoes and jewelry while they focused on suits and dresses.

"Pleasure to meet you too. I really liked your speech." I broke into a smile. Feels good to be appreciated.

"Thank you, although, I think you were distracted." With a hint of tease in my tone, I stated, turning the conversation right where I wanted to. He chuckled. Even his chuckle was very rich and expensive.

"You got me there. I suppose that's your friend." I nodded my head. "Her energy and support for you caught my attention."

"Yeah, she's the best. I wouldn't lie, I came here to set you up with her, if you're okay with that." He chuckled again.

"I was going to approach her when the time was right." This is exactly why I didn't want to do this but that woman is so impatient.

"I'll let you make your move then." With that, I walked away, giving a signal to Faith, I made my way to my seat. Finally, I can enjoy my meal.

I saw him striking a conversation with her. She smiled shyly. The way I wanna gag right now. Brother, you don't know the devil behind that shy smile. Only her best friend knows her true crazy side.

My mind wandered off to my parents. I had invited them today for my big event but they were busy. I wonder what they were doing. I didn't bother to ask them.

The food was delicious.

I suddenly thought of Aaron. I used to think about him a lot back when he left, but then life got busier. He rarely crosses my mind now. We last met at high school graduation. That was the day he left... We lost contact after that. His phone number changed, he was not on social media either. It was disappointing that we lost our friendship, or maybe our friendship cracked like a fragile glass but until one day, I got a call during work hours. He was the one who reached out to me. The disappointment faded, only a little because I had questions.

Why did he leave without informing me first? Weren't we best friends? Why did we plan so many things to do in college if he had to leave without saying a proper goodbye? And if everything happened too quickly, then he could've informed me.

But we need to meet up to have that serious conversation. We didn't get time to do that. He's a CEO of his father's company after his father got sick. We occasionally text. I wouldn't say it's disappointing but I'm glad he remembered me and reached out to me.

I was partially mad at myself for not being a better supportive friend. I should've tried harder to reach out to him. What if he was going through some rough time and I didn't bother to look for him? Or maybe he didn't need me or my help?

So many questions and in the end I say to myself  'you're so dramatic, Skye'.

"You come here often?"

The voice that came from right behind me left me shook. I froze in my place, spoon in my mouth and my eyes widened. I even forgot about food. The tone had a bit of tease to it. The same tone that I heard years ago. Even the words were the same, the words that I used to laugh and roll my eyes at. Those cheesy words from movies.

Am I tripping?

Am I hearing things?

If this is a dream then it's sick and twisted and I would rather be awake!

<~>

Hello everyone!
I'm back with a new book, as you can see it's not a fanfic. The story and the characters are entirely my idea. It's a business genre and I will definitely struggle with this because of many reasons! Wish me luck and I hope you enjoy the book!
<3