Untitled Story

Chapter One

The light flowing into the room pierces my eyes and wakes me from my peaceful slumber. I roll over and bury my face in the empty pillow beside me in an attempt to find some sort of barrier from the protruding rays. I'm unsuccessful. With a groan, I sluggishly toss my legs over the side of the bed and attempt to wake up slightly.

I take in the room around me; the gentle glow surrounding me, the furniture I picked out mostly on my own, the empty bed beside me. My eyes linger on the bed longer than I'd like to admit. He's barely ever here anymore.

Pushing the thought of my absent husband from my mind, I brace myself for the chaotic day I know I have before me and take a shower, mentally running through my itinerary while I wash the sleep off of me. I know that my assistant should be concerned with my schedule, but I like to prepare myself for the day properly, so that I'm not incompetent in a meeting I didn't know was happening until the walk there.

Once I'm dressed and looking appropriate yet sophisticated, I make my way out to the kitchen to have my first of many coffees of the day. While the machine works its wonderful magic, I spot a note on the counter, which I pick up and inspect.

'Morning Ava,
I've got a meeting in Texas tomorrow, so I'll be back on Sunday. Have a good week.
Tony.'

I let out a sigh. It would have been nice for him to say goodbye in person, but I guess I should be used to this by now. Realising that my shoulders had slumped, I straighten my composure and continue making my coffee. Checking the time, I notice that I'm going to be at my office early because I had gotten up before my alarm went off, but it's pretty common for me to be the first there. Grabbing my bag and file, I head out the door and into the hustle and bustle that is New York city.

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"Ava, Gregory is here to see you."

I look up from the spread of photos across my desk and see Jenny standing in the doorway, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Alright, I'll be right there. Thanks Jen."

I gather up all the images and try to place them methodically back in the folder I had taken them from. Standing, I straighten out my skirt and make my way to the door. The office buzzes with excitement and movement as we near the next issue release. Spotting the infamously sharp looking Gregory, I take the few steps towards him and hold my arms up, inviting him for a hug, which he gladly accepts.

"Gregory, always great to see you!" We pull apart and his dazzling eyes meet mine.

"You look more gorgeous every time I see you. How are things?"

"All good, thank you." I lead him into my office and invite him to sit in the chair across from my desk. "How's that big new office of yours?" His face lights up at the question.

"Honey, it's amazing! Now I know how you always feel, with that incredible view and the peace of not being in a box all day! I couldn't be happier. But I couldn't have done it without you, so I just wanted to come by and say thank you."

"You did the work yourself; I simply made a point to tell the big dogs what you've been able to do." I display a soft smile, his own dazzling back to me.

"Well not a lot of people would have done that. A lot of guys here would actually have made a point to pass the work off as their own." He leans back in the chair gracefully.

I nod in agreement. "And that's why I put your name forward, so that none of those guys got the job. I don't want the people who actually do the work to ever feel that they never get the credit they deserve. And I'm talking about at any level, not just for the job you got. So, with that being said, I hope that you stay true to the work you and others are producing."

"Of course. Well, I should get back to it, and let the most incredible executive editor carry on with whatever I interrupted." He stands, so I join him and walk him to the door.

"If you need anything, you know where to find me. You're going to be great."

"Thank you again, see you later."

I watch the room as he walks away from my office. Both the ladies and some of the guys watch as he passes. Gregory has a presence that not many people I've met possess. He's able to hold a room and make people want to be around him. His looks definitely help, being tall, dark, handsome and with a killer sense of style; although the latter is necessary when you work for a fashion magazine.

The noise of a phone ringing brings me back from my daydream. Returning to my desk, I notice it's Lucia calling. I groan slightly and contemplate if I should answer or not. She's my best friend so I know she'll forgive me if I ignore her for a few hours, but I also know why she's calling. Deciding against my better judgement, I answer the call.

"Hey Luce, I'm a little busy right now, can we make this quick?"

"We absolutely cannot! We have exactly sixteen hours until your birthday and you have been dodging all of my questions about what you want to do to celebrate. This ends right now. Either you tell me exactly what you want, or I'm going to book something really lame... like a book reading. Now you tell me, do you want to do something fun or listen to a random person read some random pages from their book?"

"Well, actually I think a book reading could be quite fun, but it depends on the book, because if it's some kind of horror-" I'm interrupted by a loud groan on the other end of the phone, causing a satisfied grin to take over my expression.

"This is some kind of horror! Ava, please, I haven't seen you in almost a week! This is a desperate situation! And it isn't every day that you turn twenty-nine!"

I let out a frustrated sigh. "Okay, fine! Why don't we go to that new bar that's opened around the corner from you?"

"Yes! See, there's the wild Ava I know and love! I thought for a second there that Tony was turning you boring."

I can't stop the train of thought my mind jumped on, taking me back to Tony's note this morning, and all of the others before that.

"What's wrong?" Lucia asks, obviously noticing my silence.

"Nothing, why would anything be wrong?" I try to cover up the fact that having an absent husband isn't as relieving as people joke about.

"Maybe because I don't live under a rock. Has he gone out of town again?"

"Yeah."

"That dick! Let me guess, he won't be back until after your birthday?"

"You'd be correct." I support my head with my arm against my desk.

"I'd love to say I'm surprised, but honestly Ava, why did you marry him?" I roll my eyes at her question.

"Not this again Luce."

"I just don't understand it, you haven't seemed like the person I know and love since you guys got engaged."

I look up to my computer and see the emails piling up. "Lucia, I have a lot to do today."

"Okay, fine, I'll drop it. But we are definitely going to that bar tomorrow night, and we are getting absolutely trashed."

A soft smile plays on my lips. "Of course, I wouldn't dare disappoint you."

"Okay, I'll text you times tomorrow. Love you."

"Love you too."

"Oh, wear something sexy!" A laugh escapes my lips.

"Goodbye Luce!"

After hanging up, I take a sip of my coffee, enjoying the taste. I lay out the photo's I was working on back across my desk, trying to find the best way they'd look on the page.

The rest of my workday seems to be relatively successful. I breeze through a meeting with the creative director, finalising the last few details for the new issue, manage to burn through a few dozen emails and sort out a few issues that had been pointed out.

Once I'm in the comfort of my own home, I can't help but let the silence creep under my skin. Thoughts of Tony crawl to mind, bringing my mood down a few levels. I understand that his work requires him to travel, but even when he's here physically, he isn't always here.

Pouring a glass of wine, I settle in front of the tv for a few hours, trying to distract myself from the lack of messages on my phone.