More Issues Than Vogue | ✔️

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

There was only a week and a half remaining until the EPAA Gala and the countdown had officially begun.

Tension was high, anxiety was brewing, and sleep was non-existent.

Left and right, people were physically sprinting from department to department, getting the logistics for the Gala finalized while putting together the December issue simultaneously. There was a clear distinction between the newbies and the veterans; many of the new hires, including us interns, were frantic with our actions. My desk had never been messier and my bed at home had been untouched for the past several days since I couldn't walk further than my living room without passing out on the couch.

The veterans, like Sarah and Terry on the other hand, seemed as if they were privileged with a full eight hours of sleep and compared to the bags under my eyes, they came to work refreshed and calm. Obviously, they've had plenty of years of experience dealing with this insane time of year, but if I never have to go through this intense stress again, I'd die happy.

It didn't help that Nate had been bothering me nonstop, trying to get another date out of me. As much as a fancy dinner on a yacht sounded like heaven, for the next few days all I cared about was making sure that nothing ruined the decorations for the Gala and that my articles were as perfect as they've always been.

Did I have time to even think about my emotions or feelings towards him? Not the slightest. But on the days where I had a few minutes - and I do mean minutes - to think about something other than work, I found myself slowly accepting the reality that we're merely heading to a dead end.

I didn't want that to be the truth because I cared about him - more than I ever thought I would. But as much as Nate swept me off my feet and made me feel more of a woman than I've ever felt in my life, what good was it if no one knew? And clearly, Nate possessed toxic sides, both in business and personally, that he'd never dare to willingly show me. I didn't know what he was capable of, and frankly, I was terrified of finding out.

For now, anything with him had been put on hold. There was actually nothing to put on hold as far as I'm concerned, because in the public eye, we were merely co-workers, but I had to convince myself of something. I wasn't the same girl I used when we bumped into each other the first night I came here. I could no longer be impulsive or naive.

"Haley are you there?"

A hand waved in front of me and I realized I had been spacing out this entire time at my desk. I shook my head, letting the pieces of my surroundings fall back into place, and I found Kevin standing in front of my desk with a confused expression.

"Are you okay?" He asked further.

I cleared my throat. "Yeah, uh, sorry. It's been a long day."

He sighed and put both hands against my desk, leaning forward. His hair that hadn't seen a slick of gel fell in front of his eyes and his shoulders slumped within the polo he wore. "Tell me about it. It's been a long week. I can't remember the last time I went home and spent more than an hour in bed."

My sigh was equal to his. "My thoughts exactly. At least we set everything with our decorations on time. That takes a little bit of the pressure off."

"I have your organization skills to thank for that. Without you double checking to make sure everything arrived on time, we'd be like Tony who's only now ordering the champagne glasses."

"Are you serious? Terry must be pissed," I laughed.

"I don't know if you've been able to tell, but Tony hasn't taken this internship seriously at all. Since day one, he's been waiting for it to end," Kevin responded. "I'm sure the last thing he cares about is champagne glasses."