The Love Assignment

Chapter 26

Taylor Swift: wildest dreams. Listen to this while you read. Helps you connect with Vallerie s current state of mind.

Vallerie POV.

Driving to office was of those options that I wished I had never taken. The heavy traffic of New York roads made my impatient soul more restless. I wished I could go back to my normal life. Being always under the glare, the flash lights those screams made me want to puke. I would never shy away from attention. In fact I loved it. But right now with the state of mind I was in, I wasn't ready for this kind of attention.

My every move was noticed. Right from the clothes I wore, to the way my hair was done, even to the nail polish I had painted on my nails, everything was noticed. I am a journalist and I knew why these tiny details were important to be noticed. But now that I was at the other end of the glare I understood the pressure the celebrities felt to make themselves look perfect.

All this attention was only momentary. Since we happened to be on too many shows and especially since most of them were run by women, we were called in to talk about the article and people started recognising us. Another one month and all this will be over I kept saying myself every time someone requested for a selfie or an autograph.

I always wanted this kind of success. I wanted to prove myself that I was more than just a general section writer and when that success came I wasn't happy. I wasn't with the one I hoped to share it with.

I wasn't with him. Daniel.

I made a sharp turn towards an empty street that leads to a dead end. I couldn't drive further with thoughts of Daniel raising in my head. The hands that were once holding onto the steering had now clutched on to my chest. I wished there was some medicine to stop the ache that I felt in my heart. Tears threatened to escape my eyes.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

I giggled when this thought ran in my head. Comparing my life with lemons made me look stupid. Life gave me lemons in the form of the article and love was my lemonade. But before I could fully taste it's sweetness, it was taken away from me, by the very person who showed me how to make the lemonade.

As I continued to laugh at my stupid comparison I felt water taste against my tongue. I was crying. Crying at my lost love. To lose yourself completely to some one only to be pulled back, hurt like hell. I felt as though a part of me was ripped apart. I felt cheated.

Many women wrote to us saying that they were at peace with their choices, some gained control over their broken life's and had moved forward, some had found the courage to love some one, and some to let go. Bouquets with words sounding as 'thank you', still kept arriving at the Angels office. My article gave hope to all but all it gave to me was a broken heart. To save all but destroy the writer. This must be karma.

I sighed softly. Tired of all the crying. I was exhausted and angry. Daniel said he felt used but all I had did was love him completely. The fact that he didn't even give the time or the space to explain myself hurt me even more. Was I not important enough for him to listen. Did somebody else's words mean more than the love I felt for him. I hated him. I hated the fact that he broke up with me. And broke my heart. I hated him truthfully but I loved him uncontrollably.

Shaking my head furiously, hoping that my thoughts would simply jump out of my head, I pulled my car in reverse, making my way towards the office.

After parking the car in the garage, I walked out making note of the photographer's hiding as Normal people ready to capture my photo. I knew by now they would have captured a minimum of fifty pics. I act as though I didn't notice them and walk towards the huge glass door barring the main entrance hall of the building.