The Unlikely Match

Autumn (CHAPTER 1)

My name is Autumn, and let's just say this isn't the conventional love story that you see in the movies, the poems, or any amazing rom-com starring Jeniffer Aniston because trust me, that's not what you're going to get. Roan broke my heart and left me here alone, and I moved on from it, so don't expect anything big or fancy. My life is different now better and I'm happy with or without Roan. I don't need a man to make me happy I never have. Anyway enough talk about him I live in New York as a PA for the most gorgeous man in all of Manhatten Lyle Richards his silky soft jet-black hair glistens when he walks and that tiny piece that just about covers a piece of his forehead. His bad boy energy bounces off him and don't even get me started at his amazing sharp jawline god knows how that man has the most perfect fashion sense with his slightly unbuttoned polo with his usual black suit and tie. Trust me that man isn't one for change. Oh, and I almost forgot that perfect six-pack of his that just glistens most perfectly as he emerges from the water. By the way, if you are wondering how I know that it's because he took me to the beach with him so I could make sure he always had a drink by his side. I don't think he likes me much I think I'm too loud for him I'm also way too funny for that serious soul. It was early 6 am because of course Roan demanded me to deliver his Latte at precisely 6:30 and I've never been late. I don't just mean to deliver his coffee I mean everything in my life. I've never been late and I've also never been an underachiever it can be draining don't get me wrong but people like me don't underachieve we overachieve and anything less than that we may as well stop living. Ok, that was a bit dramatic but you get the point. This morning however I'm running late and it's already 6:15 and the office is 20 minutes away from where Lyle likes to have his coffee. God that man is so annoying. I keep checking my phone to see if he has called or texted me yet telling me I'm fired and he never wants to see me in his office ever again as I have failed and will always be a failure but nothing thank god. Time just keeps sticking by and I know I'm officially going to be late for the first time in my life and it feels so scary my heart feels like it's about to jump out of my chest I can feel my palms sweating and I've gone all red. That happens btw when I get anxious or scared and now I feel like everyone's staring at me thinking I look like a tomato which is just great. I've checked my phone about a hundred times since it was 6:15 it's now 6:20 and I know there's not even a chance of me going through a few red lights and going a little over the speed limit to make it it's just impossible. I can feel the tears filling my eyes but I push them down because I'm not about to cry in front of everyone over a Latte. Finally, the barista calls my name and I grab the coffee so fast his eyes shoot down at me as if he's just seen a serial killer walk by. "Sorry, I'm in a rush thank you though!" I say hoping he doesn't think I'm as crazy as I know I look right now. My palm slams into the glass doors and I can't get out of the coffee shop fast enough, I put my car into the ignition and zoom to the office as fast as I can it's now 6:30 the exact time I'm supposed to deliver his coffee, and weirdly he hasn't phoned me yet. I mean he never phones me but I also never do anything wrong that he has to phone me about and as good as he looks he isn't that good on the inside trust me I've seen him nearly kill three grown men with his bare hands because they whistled at me. He doesn't have a very good temper. It's 6:45 and I finally pull up to the office knowing that this will be my last day here I've prepared my goodbyes to everyone and I've already thought of all the areas opening jobs that I can apply for. But for now, I have to prepare to be fired so I push the tears down that are still filling my eyes and get into the elevator and go up 5 floors and I can see his office doors as soon as the elevator opens. I walk for what feels like a decade to his office and knock three times on his door preparing to be screamed at and told to get out. "Come in" I open the doors and as he looks up at me I'm waiting for some sort of expression but there's nothing just a straight face he doesn't look angry or upset or even disappointed he just looks normal. "Autumn you know I like to have my coffee at 6:30 why are you late you're never late" The tears that I've been trying so desperately to hold back come spilling out like the Nile river. "I know I'm so sorry Lyle I'm never late I've never been late to anything in my life but it was so hectic and the barista took forever to give me your coffee and I drove as fast as I could but I knew that it wasn't going to be fat enough and I'm so so sorry and I understand if you want to fire me but I want you to know that I've enjoyed working with you and ill go get my things and say bye to everyone and again I'm just so so sorry I didn-" "Autumn stop" I wipe my tears and look up to see thatcher has got up from his seat and is now stood in front of me. "It's just a coffee im not going to fire you please stop crying in my office and don't speak about yourself like that again because I've been in this game for a while and you're the best damn assistant I've ever had now go get a tissue and stop making me feel sorry for you because it's pathetic" I nod shocked at everything he just said about me. Admittedly I've been working in his law firm and for him for about 4 years now and I've never cried once but Lyle is never nice like that I've only ever seen him smile once and that was when our co-worker Dan fell over and couldn't come to work for 3 weeks. Dan isn't very nice, to be honest, but still, it was kinda mean. I look up at him and it feels like he gradually got closer as I've been crying. "Thanks, Lyle I appreciate you uh uh I mean it I appreciate it the situation not you haha I just meant-" "Autumn it's fine now please leave and get back to work" I go to leave when he calls out "Oh, and by the way don't expect me to be nice to you again because that's not my thing" I chuckle and shout back "Dont worry serious soul we all know youre not like that!" He rolls his eyes and looks back to his computer. For a second I see a slight rise in the corner of his mouth and he looks like he's about to smile but it drops immediately. He says he hates it when I call him that but I know he secretly finds it funny he just doesn't show it but I'll get him one of these days I know I will. I go back to my little office on the 3rd floor and set up my things. I reapply my mascara and get to work however it's hard to work when all I'm thinking about is him. I've never thought about him like this Don't get me wrong I've always thought he was gorgeous but I've never romantically seen him. I need the kind of man who would roll around the mud if my kids wanted to and play in the rain with me like a big baby and laugh at all my jokes even when they're not that funny and Lyle just isn't that kind of guy so it would never work of course. I got back to my research but he's still just sat there in the back of my mind and I've never seen him like that with anyone let alone me maybe I like him a little more than I thought I did and who knows just because I don't want a life partner like that doesn't mean I can't have a small fling like that right? Right?...