For A Reason

Chapter 29: To Newfound Freedom

I try to close the door behind me as fast as I can, but Halle catches a view inside before I do so.

I can only imagine what she's seeing: Vanessa's desk cluttered and disorganized, nothing like how she would have it.

Halle raises an eyebrow at Vanessa and I, but doesn't say anything.

I clear my throat, and Vanessa looks down, embarrassed.

"Uh, I'd better go find Aaron. We haven't seen much of each other tonight," I explain, motioning to leave.

"I wonder why that is," Halle inserts sarcastically.

I roll my eyes, but don't say anything before making my escape.

Vanessa looks up at me with beautiful, wide, caramel eyes, and I almost instinctively kiss her again.

"I'll talk to you later?" She asks quietly.

"Of course," I respond with a smile.

In my peripheral vision, I can see Halle grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh my god, just kiss already. Nobody's looking," Halle orders, still smiling.

Vanessa snickers, and I wink at her before heading back to the party to find Aaron.

After looking for about ten minutes, and being sidetracked several times by greetings and handshakes from Blue Sky employees, I finally find him at the bar.

"Oh hey, haven't seen you all night. I thought maybe you left with Vanessa," Aaron says upon seeing me.

He takes a gulp from his whiskey glass and smirks at me.

"Don't say that too loud," I say with a chuckle, not entirely joking.

He raises his eyebrows in surprise, while taking another drink of his whiskey.

"Oh, that bad huh?" He questions.

I laugh uncomfortably as I shake my head.

"There's no policy against it or anything, but it's not exactly encouraged," I explain as I signal the bartender for a drink. "A scotch and soda, please."

Aaron scoffs.

"Pfft, pussy." He looks at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Not everyone has a girlfriend to drive them home, my friend," I say as I give him a slap on the back.

"Oh, so no more Dawn? She finally told you the truth, huh?" Aaron says.

I knit my eyebrows together.

"Wait, you knew?" I ask, astonished.

He contorts his face into a grimace.

"Shit. I don't think I was supposed to say that."

"No, it's fine. I'm just surprised, that's all," I say, thinking back on the past five years. "How long have you known?"

He lets out a huff.

"Oh god, I don't know. A couple months now?" He sounds a little unsure. "Cole told me randomly one day. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, man. I wanted to, but Cole told me that he would tell you when the right time came along. Guess that never happened."

My scotch arrives, and Aaron nods at the bartender for another. He pours his glass full in front of him.

I savor the scotch and soda, and lean against the bar.

"Honestly, I dodged a bullet. With both of them," I disclose to him.

"To your newfound freedom, then." Aaron taps his glass against mine before taking another swallow.

I raise my glass in the air briefly, and do the same.

"To newfound freedom, indeed."

I eye Vanessa's full figure in that sexy-ass dress she's wearing, as she strides across the room with one of her friends.

She peeks at me quite often while speaking to them, a naughty grin playing around the edge of her lips.

The corner of my mouth lifts in amusement as I take a sip of my drink.

"So, are you and Vanessa gonna start dating? You seem to be pretty infatuated with her," Aaron shares, chuckling into his glass as he downs the rest of his drink yet again.

"I don't know," I tell him honestly. "We'll see."

***

The rest of the night drags on, but I pass the time by flirting with Vanessa from afar.

It's actually quite thrilling that no one knows about our 'relationship' but us.

Well, us and Halle.

Since we've had sex twice already, I wonder what thoughts are going through Vanessa's mind.

Does she want to be in a relationship with me, or is it just purely physical?

I guess I couldn't be mad if it is just physical attraction; I mean, that's more than I'd hoped for.

Vanessa lingers past me again, grazing her fingers down my palm discretely as she strolls toward her office with her coat in hand. She looks over her shoulder at me and raises her eyebrows; an invitation to follow.

I finish my last drink, and set the glass on a cocktail table as I pass it by.

"Goodnight, Christopher! Have a great weekend!" Mr. Kingsley, Carla's husband, says to me as they step onto the elevator.

Carla nods at me, and I smile in return.

"Goodnight Carla, Mr. Kingsley," I respond dismissively as the doors close, my focus on the woman waiting for me.

Everyone has left the office already; Halle and Aaron were one of the first few to leave. They hugged me and told me how much of a great time they had, and then Aaron slapped me on the back while cackling knowingly. Halle rolled her eyes at Aaron's adolescent behavior, but winked at me behind his back.

They're both characters, that's for sure.

I reach Vanessa, and her face lights up. She really is the most gorgeous woman in the world.

"Hey," she says.

"Hey," I repeat back.

We stand there in silence for a few beats, just enjoying each other's company.

"Would you like to spend the day with me tomorrow?" I ask. I'm not sure what her answer will be, but for once, I'm hopeful that she'll say yes.

She smiles at me, and nods her head.

"I'd love to," she replies.

It's crazy how impactful three small words are when they come from the right person.

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