Forbidden

Chapter 21

When Amanda walked across the bridge going into Atlantis, her mind still processed what Stella had said. She wanted to believe it was just drunk gibberish, but she spoke too clearly. She pushed to the back of her mind. She dismissed it as something she wanted to hear, a secret desire.

While everyone was working away, the intercoms wired up. This was a rare moment; only extremely special announcements were made on the coms.

"Good morning, everyone," Francine spoke, her voice sounding muffled because of the mic. "As some of you may know, the final touches are being placed on Olympus. To celebrate the finishing of the building and the placement of its CEO, a gala will be held tomorrow night. I would love for everyone to be there, including interns. Thank you and see you all tomorrow."

The coms went dead. The offices started to buzz with energy, everyone excited about the upcoming event. Some of the supervisors could barely work because they were too preoccupied with what they will wear.

Amanda met up with Harper, Max, and Basil at the coffee shop after work. "I can't wait for the gala," Harper said, her eyes seeming to wander off. "Everything is going to be so beautiful."

"Did you figure out your outfit," Amanda asked.

"Of course. Let me show you." Harper showed a picture of a silver gown. It was off the shoulder and had an elegance to it that matched Harper's energy. "I just found it today. Plus, I found a matching suit for Max."

"What?! You two are going as a couple?!" Basil made a show of gasps.

Max kicked him under the table, making him laugh. "Yes, we're going as a couple. We talked it out and decided to give this a go."

"What about you, Basil," Amanda questioned.

"Me? I'm wearing a dark red suit with gold trim. I might decide to wear a bow tie. It depends on how I feel."

"And a date?"

"Um...maybe." The tips of his ears went red.

Max was now laughing. "He must be special to make you blush like that. What did he do, touch your sweet spot?"

"Shut up!" Basil kicked her, covering his ears with embarrassment. Amanda chuckled. This was the first time she's seen Basil like this. It was cute.

"Well, I would love to meet him," Harper smiled, trying her best to comfort him. "What about you, Amanda? Figure anything out?"

Amanda showed them a picture of a simple white sheath dress. There was nothing else to it, literally nothing else.

"That's very-"

"Nice!" Harper smiled, cutting Basil off. She knew he was going to say simple, but she didn't want him to.

"I know it's simple, but I can't think of anything else."

Basil took a sip of tea. "At least you don't need to make a grand attempt to get Francine's attention if she's even there."

"Where would she be?"

"Usually, she's not present at these things. She's either with the press or trying to avoid them."

Amanda's heart sank. She knew that if they were with each other they would have to be secretive, but now there was no chance of them being together at all.

The left the shop, each on their way to get final things for their outfits. Amanda went straight home, rethinking whether or not she wanted to go at all.

The next day, everyone was gone. The offices were empty. Almost empty. Amanda, being the total nerd she was, decided it was best to go to work and finish a few things. She made up her mind to not go, she didn't see much of a point.