The second chance love

What did you get us into?

Riley

When Macy called me, I didn't stop to look at the man she was with, only ran for the cup of coffee he dropped. But when I looks up and saw his face, my heart nearly stopped. This is the man I see nearly every time I close my eyes, but he looks a bit older now. My breath catches when his eyes meet mine and what sends another shock to my system, is the utter disbelief in his eyes. He looks like he has seen a ghost.

"Carley?" The name falls from his lips like his breath was knocked out and he can't seem to get air back into his lungs. The name is enough to snap me out of my shock. I quickly shake my head, but realize that I will have to say something. For some reason, I don't want him to know me, because something about seeing the man of my dreams, literally, scares the living s**t out of me.

"Um, no. I am Riley." I reply stupidly. He stares at me for another moment and then seems to get his thoughts together and shake off the shock.

"Right, Carley is dead. There is no way she survived." He says, straightening his back and pushing back his shoulders. "Come, we are going to be late for your first day." He says, but that is utter s**t because we are an hour early. Macy was too damn excited about working at an American Marine tech company, too damn curious for her own good to see how things work here to sleep or let me and Corbin get some rest. I try my best to ignore the comment about Carley, whoever she might be, and follow the man as he pushes past us and makes his way to the door.

"Are you alright?" Corbin asks me, placing a hand on my back in comfort. He starts rubbing small circles, his body pressing closer to mine. It is at that moment that dream guy turns around to say something, but his mouth shuts and his eyes glare at the contact between me and Corbin. For some reason, I feel like I am doing something wrong, but I refuse to step away from Corbin like I am guilty. Who the heel does this guy think he is? Even though there has never happened anything between me and Corbin, and there never will, seeing as we see each other like family and he is one of the guys who helped save me. But dream guy here doesn't have to know it. Maybe if he thinks there is something going on between me and Corbin, he might stop looking at me like I belong to him.

Again, dream guy turns around, punching in a code and a second later, the door swings open. As we walk into the building, Macy and I both suck in a breath. The place is massive, all glass windows that are one sided, seeing as we couldn't see a single thing from the outside, but I guess that is to draw people in with a bit of mystery. The space is open, the roof high, different designs of rare or extinct fish, hanging from it. There is history on the walls, some odd but fascinating facts along with it. On the far side of the wall, there is a built in fishtank, large enough that if it were to break, the entire place would be flooded. My eyes can't take in all the color fast enough, but I can definitely see myself working here happily.

Dream guy is talking in front of us, explaining something about the company, but I miss the entire speech, too busy looking around with my mouth probably hanging open. "If you will follow me, I will show you to where the real work is actually taking place." My ears catch that part and I quickly turn to follow him to an elevator. When we walk into the elevator, I move to stand between Macy and Corbin. Being in such a small space with dream guy has my nerves on high alert again and I feel the need for some form of barrier.

"You know, this is the third time we have met, and still you haven't given us your name." Macy says, clearly not as much of a nerve wreck as I am.

"After stalking me halfway across the world, I would've thought you knew it by now." Dream guy says and Corbin tenses up, ready to protect his sister at all costs, but dream guy has a small smile on his lips, making me relax when I realize he is only teasing her. "My name is Tristan Grey." She says and it triggers something, a memory that I didn't know I possessed. “Are you going to stand there all day, Mr. Grey?” I don't remember his face, I just remember feeling happy in that moment, at peace. I shake my head, trying to focus on what they are saying. By the time I get my eyes focused, the elevator stops and the door slides open. Tristan is looking at me, his eyes questioning, but he steps out and waits for us to join him, holding a hand out to show where we should be heading. I am the last one to walk off the elevator, chills breaking out over my skin as I walk past Tristan. I can feel his eyes on me, but I am not quite sure what he is looking for. Whatever it is, I hope he doesn't find it. "For today, you will each get your own technician. You will be tasked with cleaning up after them, help them where they need assistance and running errands to spare them some time. Around twelve, you will get an hour lunch and then you will be expected back at your post at one and not a minute later." Tristan says, not even sparing us a glance as he walks past labs and offices. We all agree softly, trying to bend our heads to look into every lab and see what they are working on, but that is hard to do when you have no clue what any of the mechanicals on the tables are. For the past five years, we have been working part time at aquariums and doing some watering jobs. This will be so far out of my comfort zone that I am sweating, just thinking about the delicate work these people are doing. This whole thing was a terrible idea and I am more than ready to run out of here and just tell Macy that we can find a job anywhere else but here. "Macy, you will be working with Tanner. Corbin, you will be with Michael and Riley, you are with me." He says and the dread in my stomach turns to cement. I wonder if I can just ask him to swap me with Macy, but I have a feeling that he might take offense to that. f**k Macy, what the hell did you get us into?