pillowtalk.

thirty four | starting fresh

Stephen bit his fingernails as he anxiously waited for Heart to get out of her last class for the day. After this, she would be heading back to work after taking some days off for herself. He wanted to make sure he stopped by to check on her and make sure she had a good first day back at work.

He took notice of people pouring out of their classrooms and onto the streets, so he stood and fixed himself. He grabbed the bouquet off of the table and held it in his hands, hoping to see Heart's face in the crowd. Sooner or later, he caught a glimpse of her, simply from her smile and the dimples that dented her cheeks.

She giggled as he came closer to her with open arms, fully embracing her as she accepted the hug and held him tightly.

"Hey beautiful! How was class?" He smiled and handed her the bouquet.

"Good. My professors really enjoyed my midterm work." She smiled from ear to ear.

"Hey, that's great! I'm proud of you."

"Are you?" She twirled around and giggled, making Steph pull her close.

"Yes. Give me some love, please." He puckered his lips, patiently waiting for his girlfriend to return the favor. She bit onto her bottom lip before tip-toeing and resting her hands on his cheeks to pull him in for a kiss. "Mm, thank you."

"You didn't have to come here after practice, silly."

"Ah, but I wanted to. Do you want to grab something to eat at the cafe before you head to work?"

"Yeah, I'm starving."

"That's not good. Let's get some food in that belly of yours." He grabbed her hand and took the lead to the cafe. Heart grabbed some iced coffee and a chicken caesar wrap, while Steph grabbed himself a sandwich and chips. Getting settled on a table outside in the nice weather, Stephen immediately began to chow down on his chips. Heart giggled, knowing Stephen was the type to eat his sides first before his main course.

"Wardell, chew your food."

"Hungry, baby." Was the only thing she made out with his mouth being full of chips.

"So I've been thinking of getting a place on my own, or something. Starting fresh and all that."

"Or, you could stay with me." He smiled, making her blush.

"I don't know, Wardell. I just don't wanna move too quick with that."

"I know, but I'm just putting the option out there." He proceeded to stuff his sandwich into his mouth.

"Thank you." She smiled as she leaned over to wipe the mustard off of the side of his lip. "What are you doing for the rest of the day?"

"Relax. Maybe see Klay and Draymond for a bit." Heart slightly scrunched her lips at the sound of Klay's name. She was flattered by the fact that he was being awfully nice and complimented her, but she's hoping he at least knows better than to flirt with his bestfriend's girlfriend. And besides, he caused a lot of issues between her and Steph. It took a lot to forgive, but she hasn't forgotten.

Heart would never understand how she became so nice after everything that's happened to her. But, she feels like holding grudges and all that negative energy is so toxic. She would never be in this position if she held her head up in that matter.

"Hmm, sounds like an enjoyable afternoon."

"Yeah." He stuffed the remaining piece of his sandwich into his mouth. "How are you feeling about your first day back at work?"

"Excited, to be honest. It's fun to do what you love, yaknow?" He nodded. "Plus it feels great to get back on your feet."

"That is the damn truth, babygirl. There's no lie in that." He sipped his water. "I'm glad you're excited though. That's all I wanted."

"You seriously could've gone home to rest." She chuckled.

"It's fine, baby. I had to make sure you were going to have a good day at work." Heart looked down at her flowers and gave them a quick whiff.

"Oh, I'll definitely have a good day at work. Thank you." She leaned over to kiss him on the lips once more. Sooner or later, it was time for Heart and Stephen to part ways for the majority of the afternoon. He planted a kiss on her forehead before leaving her to get going with the rest of her day. It was a beautiful day out and although she wishes she could spend it outside with Steph, she was still excited and happy to be back at Allure.

She hasn't spoken to Christen since the day she left early, so she's glad she took the past couple of days to get herself together & come back refreshed.

After a somewhat long 20 minute drive into the city, nothing seemed unusual. She parked her car in her usual spot, bringing her belongings and her flowers to place on her desktop. She was immediately greeted by the smiles and waves of some coworkers, some stopping her quickly to check on how she was doing. Or, to simply tell her that they were glad to see her back in the office. 

She felt the love all around and she couldn't ask for a better feeling.

Settling into her office, she put her stuff aside and instantly sat in front of the computer to check her emails.

From: cperkins@allure.com

Hi Heart! Welcome back. :) When you're settled, please come into my office. I'd like to speak to you about something.

See you soon,
Christen

Heart smiled to herself as she clicked out of the email and made her way to Christen's office. Knocking on the door, she heard another voice on the other side, along with Christen's.

"Come in!" Heart gracefully opened the door, only to stop in her tracks, surprised at what she was seeing in front of her.

"Logan?" She covered her mouth in disbelief as he looked up from his toys and smiled.

"Heart!"