Loving My Best Friend

Ch 7 - Hurt and Grief

Oliver stared as the shock in Emily’s eyes turned into a glare. Angrily, she pushed him away and stalked towards the bathroom, flipping him her middle finger on the way.

Shaking his head, he smirked and recalled the soft curves that he had just been pressing against. The feel of her body against his had ignited a carnal desire in him. At that moment, he wanted to do nothing else but press his mouth to hers and claim her like a beast.

But he had seen the indecision in her eyes. If she didn’t want him he wasn’t going to force her to. He didn’t want to lose his chance at his friendship with Emily for the sake of that unexplainable physical attraction.

~~~~~~~

Some hours later…

Emily got up from her bed and glanced at the ironed clothes she had put on the couch. Quickly, she did her makeup and hair and then got dressed in the conservative black dress that was placed on the couch.

She glanced at the clock and wondered when Oliver had left the room. She picked up her phone and messaged him before walking out of the room.

After messaging him, she went to the floor where the conference was organized and saw Oliver seated at the table already chatting with a gorgeous woman beside him. He was a magnet for women, always surrounded with them wherever he went. Emily hated how it always irritated her. She wanted to concentrate on work at the moment but Oliver was distracting her.

Emily followed him and almost reached the row when her shoulder collided with someone else’s and she stumbled.

The stranger’s arm secured her and she stood straight.

“I am sorry, I was in a hurry—” The man said, but stopped when their gazes met, their mouths fell open in surprise.

“Mr. Artair?” Emily asked in surprise.

He looked equally taken aback and smiled. “Emily? Nice to see you here.”

Emily smiled back and nodded. “Nice to see you too.”

“Where are you sitting?” He asked and Emily glanced at Oliver’s seat.

“Right there. Where’s yours?”

“Uh… I was looking but now I know where to sit, let’s have a seat,” he said and gestured for Emily to go towards her seat beside Oliver.

Nodding, Emily walked to her seat and saw Raymond Artair following behind. Emily took the seat beside Oliver and Raymond Artair sat beside Emily on the other side.

Taking a deep breath, Emily looked towards Oliver who was staring beside her at Raymond Artair in surprise and if she could see right, he was also angered. She wondered what was wrong with him? A minute ago, he was fine talking to that woman beside him.

“Oliver, I met Mr. Artair here. Isn’t it nice to see him?” Emily asked and saw Oliver nodding with a tight smile directed at Raymond Artair.

“Yes. Delighted to meet you, Mr. Artair,” Oliver said, and Raymond Artair nodded with a smile.

After the conference was finished, Emily was talking to Mr. Artair about the conference and her eyes suddenly went wide seeing Oliver leaving with the woman he was seated with. Wasn’t he supposed to stay by her side since he was her assistant, but no, his mind only worked in a single direction and that was sleeping with women.

Sighing in frustration, Emily shook her head. He was hopeless and Emily was foolish to expect anything from him.

“Would you like to have a cup of coffee with me?” Raymond Artair asked, interrupting her thoughts, and Emily looked back at him.

Grateful for the distraction, she glanced once more at Oliver’s back and then at Raymond Artair.

“Yeah, why not?” Emily smiled at him and he smiled back. She could sense that he was genuinely happy for having a cup of coffee with her and she wondered he was really that interested in her? He was a handsome man and surely women flocked around him as well. Why then, even after several subtle refusals from her, he was hoping to get to know her. Emily was intrigued.

They went to a nearby cafe and took seats at a table. The waiter came and took their orders.

“So, enough about business. Tell me about yourself,” Raymond Artair asked.

Emily shrugged. “There’s not much, Mr Artair. I am just a regular girl looking for a career and business growth and this is all my life is about right now.”

Raymond Artair chuckled. “Call me Raymond. Mr. Artair is too formal and I feel like an old man.”

Emily chuckled and nodded, feeling at ease with him. “If you say so, Mr. Art- Raymond.”

With a satisfied grin, Raymond Artair continued, “So how long has Oliver Hansen been working for you? I thought he belonged to a rich family.”

Emily’s smile died and it didn’t escape Raymond Artair’s notice.

“He does. His father is the key investor in my company and he requested that I train him for some time so that he can govern his own company sometime later… And he’s also my sort of best friend.”

At the last line, Raymond Artair’s eyes widened. “I sensed there was something more between you two than just a professional relationship. Now I have my answer.”

Emily sheepishly smiled and nodded at him, thinking about the complicated relationship she had with Oliver.

They continued to talk but when the waiter came with their coffees, Emily sat back a little and her eyes randomly scanned the cafe. Suddenly, her eyes fell on a pair and she squinted her eyes to focus. She hoped she was not hallucinating or that she was mistaken. But the more she stared, the clearer it became. There was no mistaking the man sitting in a corner with a woman almost in his lap.

It felt like the breath was knocked out of her lungs. Hurt and grief began to claw its way in her chest and she felt like it was yesterday when her trust had been betrayed by her loved one. She wanted to snatch him away from that woman but she knew better than to make a scene and she just kept staring.