The One She Needed

TWO

RAQUEL

It's just cold feet that grips the reigns of doubt in my mind.

He's perfect...

Successful.

Handsome.

He's nice – well when he's not too busy having a staring contest with his phone...

I'm content, content...

Content!

The rose pink diamond necklace that Terrance gave me sat on my neck feeling more like a chain.

I didn't even like pink to begin with.

I stared at the city skyline, wondering if my past transgressions had led me here. Terrance and I had a rhythm that felt right, but doubts now clouded my mind. Despite the perfect picture my parents and others painted of us, something felt off.

Finding a man who wasn't intimidated by my success had been tough. But Terrance cheered me on, making me believe in us. Yet, as I sat in my office, shadows from the city creeping in, I questioned our future. My mother would be furious if she knew about my hesitations. To her, Terrance was the ideal man.

When I introduced him to her, her joy eclipsed even my graduation day or the news of my upcoming award for my fashion line in a few weeks. But my uncertainty would result in her attempting to shake some sense into me to be grateful he noticed me at all. To her, being single without a child was a sin. Not everyone can be like Morgan.

She definitely won't be a contender for the Mother of the Year award. Still she could be worse so I'll take what I get.

A beep from my phone pulled me back only for the message to deepen the pit in my stomach:

Can't make it tonight. Work came up - T

I swallowed my disappointment, the bitterness of his vague dismissal cutting deep. Our one-year anniversary deserved more and I could hear the voices ringing in my head of the things I'd noticed lately...

Whispers in late-night calls

Faint hints of perfume haunted my thoughts.

I do love him but love isn't the only thing that can fuel a relationship.

"Hey the team in Paris needs confirmation on those samples," said my assistant and long-time friend, Angie who sauntered into my office.

"Knocking is one of the few things in this world that never goes out of style or common courtesy, Angela."

She stopped in front of my desk seemingly amused by my serious tone given the way her lips quirked. I never addressed her by her full name.

"Okay, what did he do this time?" she asked, taking a seat in front of me.

"What makes you think he did something?" I questioned eyeing her profile.

Angie may be a lot of things but she sure as hell wasn't buying my attempt to not delve into the subject of Terrance.

"Please spare me the crap and save it for your mother. Now what did the guy do?" Releasing a small sigh, I knew Angie would not leave me alone. Her persistence levels were one of the qualities that never withered away from our college days together.

"He cancelled dinner plans. Said work came up."

"So the jackass doesn't even bother to take a break from lying to make an effort for your anniversary? I swear if murdering wasn't illegal..." Angie scoffed, balling her hands into fists. She can be rather violent sometimes.

"I know Angie," I groaned rolling my eyes at the words I had heard before, "I know if murdering wasn't illegal that dude would be six feet under. You always say that when someone ticks you off."

"He's playing around with your feelings, Rocky. Of course he ticks me off."

"Maybe work really did come up," I mumbled, shrugging my shoulders weakly as my gaze dropped to my desk.

"Bitch! Do not defend him. It's bad enough he's cheating," she frowned, shaking her head in disapproval.

"Cheating seems a bit far-fetched... maybe I'm just being delusional."

"Always listen to your intuition. If he's cheating, which I know he is," she stressed, "you kick his ass."

I couldn't help but laugh at her blunt choice of words. She was always the fiery one between us two but I loved her for it.

"You have never liked him," I pointed out and she lifted her hands in mock surrender giggling lightly, "And can you blame me. I mean the guy wore a damn suit to a barbecue."

We both wound up laughing, easing the tense air between us. No matter the storms we faced, the serenity was always bound to outweigh it.

***

Tightening the trench coat I wore, I knew it was crazy to attempt this.

But it's our anniversary so why not just throw caution to the wind. Stepping into the building I had hardly been to his office before, so no doubt it'll be a nice surprise when he sees what I have under my coat.

There's nothing wrong with getting a little freaky now and then.

The good girl image I built can only bring me so far. Besides, the only other time I was gutsy was when I got a tattoo in college. And doing this will help stop this sour spill in our relationship, an effort has to be made.

The elevator ride served as a perfect time to calm my thoughts and get my nerves under control. The tequila shots I had taken weren't enough to calm my heart's rapid beating and I was growing convinced it would burst of my chest.

Once I reached his floor I was relieved to see there was no one in sight and with a pep in my step I moved towards his office. Or at least where I assumed his office would be.

Getting closer I caught sight of an individual moving through the office cubicles.

Thought there would be no one else here.

They had headphones on and were shuffling papers on a desk. Seeing no other option I went towards the guy and tapped him on his shoulder hoping to get directions on where his office was.