Chapter 6

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The entire ride home, Amanda smiled. "I'm finally in," she thought to herself. She did a little jig, still flowing with excitement. A song of glee filled her ears. Her smile seemed stuck on her face. That was until she opened the door to her apartment.

In the kitchen was Dayne, holding a bouquet of flowers. Amanda blinked and rubbed her eyes, making sure this wasn't a dream. The vision didn't go away. Dayne was still there. "You didn't answer my texts," he said offering the flowers. Amanda took them, her nose taking in rose, tulip, and orchid. "I looked at flower meanings," Dayne said. "They mean 'sorry'. And I am so sorry."

Amanda looked at him, her eyes welled up with tears. "And I forgive you." Dayne picked her up, allowing her head to rest in his neck. She missed his smell, his warmth. She forgot why she wanted to leave him. And she made sure she showed that when she kissed him. He kissed back doing the same exact thing. They made their way to the bedroom, showing their love for each other.

The next day, Amanda left home. She felt much better knowing she had Dayne back, but another part of her regretted falling for him. "It's nothing," she thought. But she knew better.

When she made it to Atlantis, it looked even more beautiful. Everything seemed to stop. Her breath hitched in her throat. "Wonderful, isn't it?" She turned around to see Basil behind her.

His hair was swept back neatly. He looked even more dapper than he usually did. "You scared me," Amanda said, her hand resting on her heart. Basil chuckled. "Sorry, didn't mean to." They walked in together, heading towards the development department. Everyone greeted them. Some already called them "boss". Amanda wasn't sure she was going to get used to the name, but Basil seemed to love it.

An office was in the back of the floor. The names "Pierce" and "Cox" were on plates on the wall. Inside the room were two desks on either side. A screen was on the middle wall. The words "Congratulations" flashed across it. In other words, beyond their imagination.

Basil immediately chose the desk closest to the fridge and coffee machine. Amanda was left with the one closest to the window. The view was incredible. It overlooked the city and all of its inhabitants.

Over the course of the day, the two gave out tasks and did some if their own. They seemed to be a perfect match; Amanda tended to Basil's laziness while he worked on her uptight demeanor.

After a couple of hours a man knocked on the door. "Mail delivery," he smiled as he put the envelopes on the table. "Thanks," Basil said from behind his coffee mug. "Wait," Amanda said, stopping the man. "Do you happen to know when Ms. Delucci will come by?"

The man shrugged his shoulders. "Ms. Delucci is very distant. She usually doesn't come by these departments unless there's an emergency. But since you two are our new supervisors, she might come within the week." Amanda nodded sadly. The man took that as his cue to leave.

1:30. It was finally their lunch break. Amanda and Basil shut down the office and left. "Have any suggestions for lunch," Amanda asked, pressing the button for the ground floor. "I know a coffee shop down the street," Basil suggested. Amanda chuckled. "You love coffee don't you?" Basil grinned. "We're not going for that."

The coffee shop was gorgeous. The area inside looked like a scrapbook. Pictures of employees and owners were neatly scattered around the walls. Each table had its own personality; they were different colors and had different decorations on them.

Amanda was beyond amazed. How could she have missed this? Basil had to push her further into the shop. "You're blocking the door." "This is-" "Amazing," Basil finished. "I know."

He ordered a chicken wrap and soda. Amanda got a salad and water. When they sat and ate, a man walked through the doors. His jeans and hoodie seemed to be stuck to his body. He immediately caught Basil's eye. "Do you see that tall piece of candy over there?"

Amanda turned around. The man was extremely handsome. His chiseled chin could break more than hearts and his full beard made his eyes sparkle. "What about him," Amanda asked taking a long sip from her drink. Basil was shocked. "You don't want to go try him out?" "I have a boyfriend." "More for me," Basil grinned. He rose from his seat and went over.

Amanda watched from afar. "If only I was single," she sighed to herself. She had finished her food by the time Basil came back. "Got a number," he showed off. "Hope he's your type," Amanda laughed. He smirked. "He's tall, and handsome, and a lawyer. That is definitely my type."

Basil finished eating and they left to go back to the office. Two notes sat on their desk. It was an invitation to a party. "Let's go," Basil said gleefully. Amanda shook her head. "I don't think my boyfriend will like that." Basil rolled his eyes. "Who said you have to tell him anything. Just go. It'll be fun." She was still hesitant. "Tell me this," Basil said, putting down the card. "When was the last time your boyfriend went somewhere late at night without telling you?"

Amanda stayed quiet. She already knew the answer to that question. Basil knew too. "Just go to this party. Your boyfriend doesn't need to know anything." She nodded, and decided to go.

The party was on their floor. Amanda snuck home and changed into a burgundy dress that showed off her curves. Even though the party was lively, she didn't enjoy herself. She still worried about what Dayne would do. Would he be mad? Angry? Will this be the final straw?

"Hey, what's wrong," a familiar voice asked. Basil came over to her, offering a cup. "My boyfriend," she sighed, taking a gulp. "Don't worry about him," Basil told her. "This is your life. You have the same freedom he does." Amanda nodded, taking in a new confidence.

She looked at the crowd of people. Everyone looked great. She saw a drunk Harper talking to a drunk Max. "If I didn't know any better, I would have thought they were still together," Amanda chuckled. Basil looked over and nodded. "Yeah. But after that huge breakup, no one knows." "Do you know what happened?"

Basil's face changed. "It was a lot. They were together for 2 years. And you can see how much they loved each other." "I thought they were together for 5 months," Amanda asked confused. Basil shook his head. "They were dating for 2 years, but we're engaged for 5 months." "They were engaged?" "And everyone thought they made it. But then Max's brother passed away. He was the first one to accept her. Losing him hurt her so much that she took it out on Harper. That's when Harper made the decision. Max woke up one day alone with a ring next to her. That was about a year ago."

Amanda looked back at the two. They still loved each other. She knew it. Now she wasn't sure if they could even get back together.

A few minutes became an hour, and Amanda enjoyed every minute. She got to know everyone better and listened in on casual office gossip. Then her phone buzzed. Her smile fell off her face. Her heart stopped.

Where the hell are you?

She knew Dayne would be mad. She knew she wasn't supposed to be at the party. "Maybe if I ignore it, it will go away right?"

Amanda!

"Just ignore it. You can go to parties. You can do what you want. He does it all the time."

AMANDA!

She knew she couldn't ignore it anymore. She had to answer him before it was too late. But she didn't know how late she was. Dayne started call her. "No. No." Amanda ran and hid in the supply closet. Maybe he wouldn't notice.

Dayne's face appeared on the screen. "Hey, babe," Amanda said sheepishly. "WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?" "At work," Amanda gulped. She heard the faint noises of the party through the door. "What is going on," Dayne asked, obviously hearing the noise too. "Nothing. We are-" "Get home now!"

Amanda folded. She hated it when he was mad. Dayne hung up and she left the closet. The ride home seemed longer than usual. She knew the argument was going to be brutal.

Before she could put the key in the slot, Dayne opened the door. "Hey-" "Get in," Dayne sneered between his teeth. Amanda walked in, her head hung low. This was going to be a long night.

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