After Effects

Chapter 34 • After Effects

The Next Week...

I tapped my chin thoughtfully, brows crinkled in concentration. I wiggled the first, then the other, and then both of them.

"What do you think about this one-"

"Shhh!" I shushed Harper causing a clank behind me. I turned to see her rubbing her head with a glare as I had caused her to hit her head against the dress rack when I shushed her. I ignored this and turned away once more to massage my temples.

"Think... think!" I urged myself, and then, "I've got it!" I shrieked mercilessly causing another clank and also gaining the attention of everyone in the bridal store. I paid no attention to them however and turned to Harper instead who was now rubbing her arm frustratedly as she threw a dress at me. I grinned nevertheless and ran over.

"Harper," I breathed in deeply, "I finally figured it out."

A humongous grin formed on my face as I shook a little life into her.

"Calm down, will you?" she scolded me harshly, batting my hands away. "I don't want you touching me for the remainder of today, you have already given me more bruises than I've had in a lifetime in these three hours."

I scowled at her but remembered my purpose and was soon bubbling with energy. "I finally got it Harp, I finally got it! There is absolutely no other explanation for him being there, in that elevator, than... he was hiding from someone!"

I waited for her to join in on my excitement but was disappointed as she showed nothing. She turned to me with a blank face.

"What. On earth. Are you talking about!"

I rolled my eyes. "Riddian of course! That's why he was in the staff's elevator and not his own! That's like the only explanation. Think about it!" I turned away and tapped my chin again. "He never takes any other elevator in the building except his own so why did he take another on that specific day? The only explanation is simple, he was hiding from someone, and my guess is that it was either that touchy, flirty lady from one of our most frequent client companies, or his father's secretary who has been trying to see him for quite a while now. " I wondered why...

Smashing a fist into a palm, my face contorted into one of irritation. I didn't have a problem with the secretary really, but it was that other first girl that I never really liked. The little thing was always touching on my boss, flirting to no end as if she had no standards.

I heard a cough and looked up to see Harper grinning at me. I cast a questioning glance her way.

"So you do like him as well!"

Crap! Did I say that out loud...

"No Harp, of course not, and we're not playing that who likes or doesn't like who game again... Now where was I?" I tapped my chin once more and began brainstorming, but a great sigh interrupted my detective work.

"What?"

"I can't believe you're still thinking about that. It happened on Friday, which was last week! This is Tuesday, and there is new stuff to talk about, like the fact that we still haven't found a good dress for me and if we don't, the next time you shop it will be for my funeral!" she snapped dangerously, shutting me up for good.

I frowned at myself.

Harper was right. We had been searching since yesterday for a good turquoise dress to match the theme of the wedding, and we still hadn't found a candidate. Yesterday wasn't even really a shopping day since we couldn't shop until after work and we had both worked late, so by the time we got off, most of the good stores were closed. Now, we found out that that didn't even really matter since we were currently searching the 'good stores' and we still couldn't find anything. So not only was the problem that we didn't have enough free time during the working week to shop, we couldn't find a good store also, and weekend shopping was out of the picture since Harper had other plans during that time.