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Chapter 6

-Jianna-

I left the office of Sebastian Cross more flustered than I did coming in.

"What was that all about?" I wondered.

"I would have to apologize on behalf of Mr. Cross. He can be a bit... intrusive at times. I hope he didn't make you uncomfortable." Morgan said as we waited for the elevators.

"Not at all," I answered, knowing that I was lying.

"Good." she smiled in relief.

ding, ding

The elevator doors opened, and I stepped in.

"Again, thank you for the opportunity. It was very nice to meet you, Ms. Greene," I said sweetly.

As the elevator doors closed, I noticed Sebastian walking behind Morgan and staring at me intently. I shook my head and chuckled. "I guess he is as eccentric as they said."

I exited the elevator and took out my phone to see if any other potential employers contacted me. I didn't realize I was walking into a handful of people until I got in the middle of their way, and all of them decided to bump into me like I didn't exist. "Figures," I muttered to myself.

Just as I was getting my composure and bending down to grab my phone from the floor, a man stepped into the light and was blocking me.

"Excuse me. You're in my light." I said, exasperated.

"Didn't realize you owned it." responded a familiar voice.

I looked up, and standing in front of me was James.

He's looking down at me with a fragment of a smile. The last person I wanted to see right now.

"James!" I said, struggling to keep my voice steady and my face composed.

"Wha--What are you doing here?" I asked, bewildered. It had to be here out of all the places we can cross paths again.

He shrugged, the smile on his face growing more confident.

"Just grabbing a quick bite to eat before my next meeting. And you?"

"I just had an interview," I replied, still struggling to keep my surprise. "Trying to find a job." I shrugged.

James raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? So how'd it go?"

I hesitated for a moment, remembering the uncomfortable encounter with Sebastian.

"Ummm...It was fine," I said finally. "Nothing special. I probably wouldn't get it anyway."

Leaning closer, he looked around, seeing that he was not heard, and whispered, "Well, if they don't hire you, I will. I have a couple of things I can think of that you can do for me."

I felt my heart rate quickened. James stood back up and chuckled.

"Wow! He's kind of an ass." I thought. I gave him a slight laugh.

"Well, I gotta get going," he said without even helping me.

"Oh. Ok." getting up from the floor. "I guess I'll see you around."

"See you around." he waved as he walked away.

He's as cold as I remembered. I thought to myself as I watched James' retreating figure disappear. I shook my head to eliminate the strange feeling that James always made me feel. It was a combination of annoyance, attraction, and anger that I never knew how to deal with.

I walked out of the building into the bright sunlight, shielding my eyes as I looked around. The crisp air hits my face, and I take a deep breath.

"What an exciting day," I murmured to myself.

I start walking towards the nearest subway entrance to head home. I thought about the interview. I thought about Sebastian. I thought about James.

As I walked down the steps to the subway platform, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. James's sudden appearance had caught me off-guard, and the memory of our previous interaction was still fresh in my mind. But as I waited for the train, I tried to push those thoughts aside and focus on the present. I needed to find a job, and I wouldn't let anyone, especially James or Sebastian, distract me from that goal.

The train arrived, and I stepped on, finding an empty seat and settling in for the ride home. I took out my book and flipped to the page where I had it bookmarked. But as the train began to move, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see James standing before me with a grin.

"We gotta stop meeting like this," he remarked.

"Mind if I sit?" he asked, sliding into the seat next to me before I could answer.

I gave him a phony smile and continued reading. I tried to ignore him, focusing on the sentences in my book. But James was persistent, and he continued to make small talk.

"Good book?" he asked awkwardly.

"Mmmhmm," I grunted without looking up.

"I've been reading the same sentence 25 times. What the hell!" I thought. I tried my hardest to push away my feelings, but I couldn't help but still feel something for him. Something familiar. Something deep.

Even though I knew he wasn't good for me, I felt a pull towards him that I couldn't deflect.

We sat in silence for a while until my stop came up and I had to get off.

"Excuse me." I stood up, and so did James to let me through.

"It's great to see you again, James. Have a great day." I said emotionlessly

He mumbled something I didn't catch under his breath, and I stepped off the train before he could follow me.

I stood on the platform and saw him standing up and staring at me. I looked at him, and our gaze locked until the train left.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" I screamed in my head.

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