Tormented

9. Friends?

Lucy pov

I was blushing. Fudging blushing! I feel my face heat again for the past 854335909th time, since I got home.

I shift in my bed, sitting up and putting my face in my hands.

How did I let him get to me like that?

Just be mine.

His words repeat in my mind again.

Ugh, this is why I was avoiding him. I knew he would do something like this. Mess with my emotions.

The trip is only 2 days away. How am I going to keep him away from me when we go? For some reason, he has this idea that I'm different from his other girls. I bet that's what he says to all of them.

Still, it made my heart skip a beat, and face flush.

What does he really want from me? It's confusing being around him because I don't trust him. At all. Yet he manages to make me think about him all the time.

I sigh.

Shaking my head, I go to the bathroom and stand in front of the mirror.

What does he see in me?

I stare at my reflection.

Dull hazel eyes, pale skin, stringy black hair. I know I'm not ugly but I'm not the prettiest woman he could have. Which is almost every woman. With his money, looks and reputation, he could easily snatch a married woman from her husband. And yet he's after me...

Why?

Every time he looks at me, his eyes hold something meaningful and that's what confuses me.

That isn't it.

His words echo in my head and my heart starts racing again.

I can't do this. I can't lose this job, my parents need me more than ever now. After their savings ran out, they have been barely living, without my paychecks, they're going to be homeless and hungry.

I turn on the faucet and splash cold water in my face. The shock from it wakes me up. I feel refreshed.

If I can't avoid him, I should just deal with him, in other words, tolerate him. Help him understand we can be friends but nothing more than that.

James pov

Where's Lucy?

I sit at my desk, tapping my foot.

There are only a few more hours till we have to leave and she's missing. The plan was to come to work as usual and then leave at the end of the day. So where is she?

Could something have happened?

I get up from my desk and head towards her office.

I just want to see her face and-

My thoughts are cut off as the elevator opens and Lucy walks onto the floor.

Lucy...

I head towards her.

We come face to face and she stops just barely having space to leave the elevator. Being so close to her causes my heart to start beating harder. I step back to give her room, missing her presence being so close to mine.

Lord, I have a problem.

I clear my throat.

"Where were you?" I ask.

"Late."

"Why?"

"Caught in traffic."

"Next time call, I was worried." I say, realizing I actually was.

She looks into my eyes and I step forward. Her back gently touches the elevator door.

I lean in and her eyes flutter shut.

Finally.

My lips skim hers when the elevator opens and we nearly fall in. My secretary walks in with a look of victory. I knew I shouldn't have got with her.

I feel someone yank my hand and I turn to see Lucy holding my hand dragging me towards my office door. It warms my heart that she's holding my hand but why?

We enter my office and she goes to stand at the opposite side. She leans on the wall and sighs. We stand in silence. She looks out my view window, onto the city. Is she mad?

"We need to stop this." She finally says.

I feel dread in the pit of my stomach, we just got kind of close to something. I can't.

"What do you mean 'stop'?" I ask.

"I mean, I'm getting too into this and so are you, we can't be anything more than just friends. I'm not saying that we should just stop speaking to each other because we work together and that would be awkward, causing us to not be able to function at our best together, so let's just be friends." She says in one breath.

I feel a twinge of pain.

Friends?

I don't want to be friends with her.