The Meaning of Us

Chapter Seven: The Mission.

The next day...

"I'm done with the first draft! Finally!" Amaia excitedly announced, after she presses the save button on her laptop.

It took her a gruelling time to finish the draft, but it went well in the end.

After she printed her article, she quickly brewed another fresh cup of coffee. As she's waiting for the coffee to boil, she hurriedly went to the bathroom to do a quick shower.

After a few minutes, she got dressed, poured herself a cup of coffee, and switched on the television to watch the morning show.

Amaia was drinking coffee when something flashed on the television screen. They showed some photos of a place which was strangely familiar to her.

After that, they zoomed in the photo, and it showed Nick Sorrento's face. And there was a woman with him, and the media decided to blur her face

Many people saw Nick Sorrento in this high-class restaurant with a mysterious woman. There is no doubt that the two were in the middle of a romantic evening date..." the female showbiz reporter spoke.

Amaia almost spit on her coffee when she finally realizes that it was her and Nick! And this photo was taken last night!

Amaia leaned back on her chair, while feeling frustrated.She suddenly thought of her privacy. The media will surely dig deeper into her life. And her normal and simple life will be greatly affected.

Her reverie was cut short when her mobile phone rang.

"Nick Sorrento. You called at the right time." she said, in a formal tone.

“And good morning to you, too. Based on your tone-- you must've watched the news about us." Nick replied on the other line.

"I want to keep my private life secured, Nick. What should we do now?" Amaia interrogated him.

"Relax, sweetheart. You're thinking too much. I’ll see what I can do, okay?" Nick tries to reassure her.

"Alright. I trust you." Amaia said, in a helpless manner.

After the call, Amaia fell into a deep thought. She suddenly feels regretful on accepting this undercover mission...

"Well, there's no turning back now." she said aloud.

Anyway, there's nothing that she can do now. And besides, she trusts Nick Sorrento, and she's quite sure he will do something to protect her privacy.

For now, she needs to finish her undercover mission, get the promotion that she's been dreaming about, end her "romantic relationship" with Nick Sorrento, and move on with her life...

At the same time, she feels a bit sad at the thought of ending her relationship with Nick.

He's such a nice man, and he's really different from his celebrity persona.

Oh, well. They both gained something from their pretend relationship, so she shouldn't be feeling sad about it...

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Another day in the office.

"This is all your fault, Boss Lina! The paparazzi and the reporters are lurking around my apartment building and I feel sorry for my landlady and the other tenants for all of the trouble!" Amaia complained, and afterwards, she drank her beer straight from the big beer mug .

"But it also gave you a chance to become closer to Nick Sorrento, and thus, it made your undercover mission much easier..." Boss Lina responded.

"That's not the point, Boss.This is not about me anymore. I've been causing a lots of problems to other people!" Amaia insisted.

"Tell me... Are you also worried about Nick Sorrento?" her Boss suddenly asks her.

“Please stop playing cupid, Boss Lina. It's just that--- I just feel so guilty, and because of my mission, many people got involved with this!" Amaia insisted.

"Are you really sure that's the only reason?" Boss Lina asks, while giving her a knowing look.

Amaia didn't say anything else, as she continues on drinking beer. She feels like she has two different personalities. The first persona is a woman who would do everything and anything to make her dream come true. Her second persona is a soft, gentle woman, who's already having special feelings with Nick Sorrento...

And now, she can no longer understand herself...

====================

After a few days...

Amaia is alone once again at the. "IT Magazine" office.

Her colleagues has already left, but she decided to stay and work on her third draft... Earlier, her co -workers left but she decided to stay in the office to work on her third and last draft ...

She is now busy typing on her laptop...

"--- I can’t help but to feel guilty towards Nick Sorrento since he’s been handling all the pressure by himself, while trying to protect his “girlfriend.” (which is me, by the way.)

Little did he know that I am betraying him, pretending that I am his ever faithful, kind and lovable girlfriend. I'm dreading the day that he will find out my true identity. But I know I won't be able to hide this forever. He will eventually know that I am an undercover journalist, writing all about his private life."

Amaia typed quickly on her laptop, while the idea continues to flow through her mind.

She was caught by surprise when she realized that tears starts falling from her eyes...

==================

Nick's currently driving on his way home.

He's actually dead worried about Amaia because he's been calling her since this morning, but she's not answering her phone.

He thought that Amaia might be overwhelmed with the media frenzy because of being his "girlfriend."

And he couldn't help himself but to feel sorry for her...

=======================

Amaia enters the "IT Magazine" Office with a heavy heart.

She's still affected by what was happening with her and Nick and the people around them.

Amaia finally decided to have a serious talk with Boss Lina, and she wants to tell her that she already made a decision regarding her undercover mission..."

While she's walking towards their department, she saw some of her co-workers reading the latest issue of their magazine...

"Good morning, Amaia!" one of her female colleagues her.

"Morning, Kate. Is Boss Lina already in her private office?" she asks her.

"Yes, she's already here. By the way, have you seen our new issue today? We read your article, and I must say that we're really impressed!" Kate continues to babble on.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Amaia inquired, while getting confused.

"Well, your article about dating a celebrity is finally published! By the way, you're really lucky because you had the chance to date one of the famous celebrity here in the country, none other than Nick Sorrento!" Kate gushes at her.

Amaia's eyes widened once she saw the article... She didn't expect that Boss Lina will include her article for this month's issue!

She quickly ran towards her Boss' private office. She didn't bother to knock, as she opens the door in a hurry. She saw Boss Lina talking to someone over the phone...

"---Is there any way for us to get all the magazines from the bookstores, convenience stores and everywhere else? I know that it sounds impossible, but please do everything that you can to pull the magazines out, okay? Please give me an update, ASAP. Yes, thank you... Bye." Boss Lina finally ended the call, she she looks so worn out.

"Boss Lina, do you have the time to talk?" Amaia asks, in a polite manner.

"Oh, Amaia. I'm so sorry about this. I know you told me that I shouldn't include your article for this month's issue, but I swear, I just accidentally includes your work on the lists! I wasn't able to double-check them because I've been to busy at work!" she hurriedly explains everything to Amaia, while looking apologetic.