The Runaway Nerd | ✓

Chapter 37

"How many nights does it take to count the stars?

That's the time it would take to fix my heart..."

-One Direction, Infinity

Sadie's POV

I recognized him the moment he walked in.

And I couldn't believe it.

What was he doing here??? I quickly turned my head away from him and brainstormed on what to do.

At first, I thought about running away, but I had to abandon the idea when I realized that it would only bring more attention to me. Then I considered hiding underneath the desk only to decide against it at the end. It would just make me look more suspicious.

I made sure to keep my eyes down at the desk as the footsteps got louder and louder. I sucked in a deep breath and didn't move until I was absolutely sure that he was gone. Only then did I finally let out a sigh of relief.

"H-he didn't recognize me," I murmured. Was that a good or bad thing?

I wonder how he was doing these days? Did he forget me already? Was he dating someone else? Married even? I couldn't help but feel a twinge of heartbreak at the thought.

My heart hurt even more when I saw him walk out with a beautiful looking woman. She was much prettier than I could ever be. I looked away and wiped my moist eyes. It's going to be okay I told myself over and over again.

But deep inside it didn't feel like it was going to be okay. It's didn't feel like it was ever going to be okay.

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The next few days flew by like a breeze. I distracted myself with any work I could get my hands on at the front desk. If I wasn't working, I was searching online for more Korean dramas to watch. I purposely targeted melodramas so I could release my sadness while watching them. Even when it wasn't sad, I always found myself crying.

It began like an ordinary day at work. I was sitting at the front desk when the phone suddenly started to ring.

"Hello?"

"This is the secretary of the Ms. Queen, the Director. She would like to see you right now," the voice said.

"Do you know why?" I asked curiously.

"You will find out when you come," she said, not revealing a thing. "Please come up to the 15th floor."

I agreed and got up from my seat. I headed over to the elevators and pressed the button.

At the 15th floor, I stood at the entrance , completely lost. I had no idea where the Director's office was.

"Over here!" a familiar voice whispered.

I looked in the direction of the voice and saw a petite woman. She was waving her hand, signaling me to come over to her. My guess was that she was the secretary I spoke to on the phone. I hurried over to her and that's when she introduced herself as Mrs. Thompson, the secretary.

Then, she pointed me in the direction of the Director's office.

I knocked a couple times on the door and waited for permission to enter. As soon as I heard "come in", I turned the doorknob and slowly entered the room.

There was a large oak desk deep inside the room. A glass nameplate sat in the middle of the desk and it read "Emma Queen, Director". It was same woman I saw with him the other day. She was sitting on a big, black swivel chair. She looked powerful as if she was a queen on a throne. I couldn't help but feel a little nervous being in the same room as her.

"You asked for me Ms. Queen?" I asked.

"Yes I did," she confirmed. "Come closer." She pointed at the empty chairs in front of her desk.

I obeyed and sat down on one of the chairs.

We were now facing each other and her facial features were clearer than before. She looked beautiful close and from far away. She had nice cheekbones and brown eyes. Light make up covered her face. It was applied in a way that made it look as if she didn't have any on at all.

No wonder he was with her. They would look perfect together. The hot guy with the beautiful girl. The perfect couple.

"You see, Mrs. Thompson, who I'm sure you have already met, suddenly had an urgent appointment. Unfortunately it had to be on the day of my engagement party," she began to explain.

Engagement? With who? Perhaps... with him?

"No one else had enough experience to replace her... but then I stumbled upon your resume. It was pretty impressive. A business major at Cal Tech. I immediately decided that you would be the perfect replacement," she beamed proudly. "You'll be managing the staff at my engagement party that's in a few days, alright?"

I nodded gratefully. "Thank you for giving me a once in a lifetime opportunity."

Ms. Queen smiled in response. "You're dismissed now. I'll tell Maria to send you more info via email."