Two Sides of Us

Chapter 7: Emily

I stepped out of the shower, steam swirling around me as I tried to wash away the day's events. The rumors circulating about Andrew's scratched-up arms were probably true, and the guilt gnawed at me. Wrapping a towel around myself, I replayed the scene in my mind, cringing at how I'd panicked and unintentionally hurt him.

When I'd told Sydney about it, she burst out laughing, insisting that it was the universe's way of telling me to kiss Andrew. But I didn't see it that way. I felt horrible for making him bleed. The office had already been buzzing with gossip, and Rachel's over-the-top reaction had only made things worse. Maybe she had a right to be angry; after all, I had practically mauled her fiancé in a moment of panic.

But there was something else—those butterflies in my stomach. I couldn't tell if it was just the fear of heights that had made my heart race or something more. Why was I even thinking about this? I wasn't supposed to have feelings for Andrew, and I certainly wasn't supposed to care about how he made me feel. Still, those moments in the elevator kept creeping into my thoughts.

I shook my head, trying to clear my mind as I walked into the living room. Paulo had just shut the front door behind him, and when he turned around, he was holding my purse. My purse. I'd completely forgotten I'd left it behind.

"I left that on the elevator," I blurted out, suddenly realizing it. "Where did you find it?"

Paulo shrugged, handing it over. "Some guy named Andrew dropped it off."

My stomach dropped, and before I could react, Sydney, lounging on the couch in her pajamas with a face mask on, shot up like a rocket. Her eyes were wide with excitement.

"Andrew?!" Sydney practically screamed as she launched herself off the couch. "He likes you! He totally likes you, Emily!"

"Stop it, Sydney!" I shouted, rushing after her to tackle her before she could do something embarrassing. But I had to keep my towel up at the same time, and we ended up wrestling on the floor, Sydney laughing maniacally as I tried to pin her down.

She finally rolled over, still giggling uncontrollably. "Oh, come on, Em. You know you have feelings for him too!"

I sat up, my face burning with embarrassment. "Sydney, you're wrong," I mumbled, trying to brush it off. But the truth was, I wasn't so sure she was wrong. I wasn't sure what these feelings were. He's engaged, I told myself. He's happy with Rachel. I felt almost dirty for having these feelings. What was wrong with me?

Over the next month, things at work only got more awkward. You would think the office gossip would have moved on to something juicier, but no. It seemed like everyone had made it their mission to keep the rumor mill churning, and the talk about me trying to seduce Andrew was all anyone could discuss.

Only Zoe seemed to shut it down whenever she could, her sharp tongue cutting through the rumors with a fierce protectiveness that I didn't quite understand. Mark made attempts to defend me too, though he often masked his critiques with jokes, making it hard to tell if he was serious or just trying to lighten the mood. Everyone else took digs wherever they could, leaving me constantly walking on eggshells.

By the first week of December, I was desperate for a change of pace. That's when Andrew announced during a company meeting that we'd be taking a business morale trip to Florida right before Christmas. Families were welcome, though the company would only be footing the bill for employees. The news spread through the office like wildfire, temporarily eclipsing the gossip about me and Andrew.

Rachel, however, walked around as if she had personally funded the trip. She was insufferable, constantly bragging about how it would be the best company trip ever—because she was going, of course. Watching her flaunt her relationship with Andrew made my skin crawl, as if she needed to remind everyone, including me, that he was hers.