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Chapter Nineteen

The next morning, I woke to such a sweet text from Rhys.

I may not be there, but I'm still falling for you over here xxxxx

With a thoughtful smile, I had eagerly replied back.

Ditto xxxxxx

His text stayed with me during the whole time I was on my way to work—the hurried walk to the subway, sat on the tube, weaving my way through all of the other hurried hoards of people in the morning rush hour, the brisk walk towards The Docklands, slowing down for the revolving door and standing still in the very crowded lift—his text stayed with me.

Sitting at my desk, it looked different. It hadn't changed, I just think I had.
Written down messages are still on my right.
Mobile phone is still on my left.
All the pens in my pot are in correct and present order.
Everything is just as it should be, except me.

"Clara, my office." Dex taps my desk, wanting to get my very faraway attention.

Standing up, I know I have to haul myself from out of the doldrums. I can't keep moping around, people will get suspicious. No, I have to try and shake off the missing of Rhys that seems to have glued itself to me. With a quick tap on Dex's glass door, I walk right in. "Morning." My polite greeting comes out forced, overly cheery.

"Sit down, Clara." Is Dex's glum instruction. No smile. No polite "Morning" back. Just a glum instruction for me to sit down.

"Is there something wrong with the interview?" I had tweaked a few of the questions, in order for Dex to believe Rhys's request of needing to check over some of them before returning to LA. With the tweaks done and Rhys gone, I had emailed the adjustments over to Dex last night.

Leaning back in his big leather chair with his fingers pressed thoughtfully together like a steeple, he shakes his head. "The interview is fine."

Relieved, I smile, feeling able to breathe normally now. "Oh, that's really good to hear." I say with a small gasp of joy.

Dex's unmoving eyes seem to really study me; quietly and carefully. "Is something going on between you and Rhys Ryan?"

Defensively straightening up my back, I decide to be just as straight with Dex as he is currently being with me. "Would it be a problem if there is?" I confidently ask.

"Bloody hell, Clara! There was a reason why I chose you to front the Rhys Ryan interview, and that reason was because I thought you had the intelligence and the common sense to not get involved with him." Dex slumps back in his chair, angrily twisting it from left to right. "I thought better of you, I really did."

The deep disappointment in his strong voice actually stings. There has always been an unrivalled respect between us and to know that I have let him down on some professional level makes me feel awful. But I also have to stand my ground. My personal life is my personal life. As long as my being with Rhys doesn't interfere with my work, I really don't see what the problem is. I don't intend on being disrespectful to Dex, but he needs to hear things from my point of view. Determined to not back down, I articulate how I feel. "Dex, you know I value your opinion on most things, but your opinion of Rhys isn't justified. As quick and as crazy as things have happened, he really does care about me and I care about him." The gaze on my disgruntled boss remains alert and purposeful.

Dex leans forward, resting his forearms on his desk as he slowly sucks in a heavy breath. His green eyes wrinkle up and his voice becomes less confrontational. "I hope you know what you're doing, Clara?"