Chapter 16
Belle
Belle was hunched over her keyboard, her fingers midway in the air. She had been trying to concentrate for some time now, but her mind was elsewhere. When she looked up at the screen, she saw the cursor blinking. She had forgotten what she was about to type.
“Hey, Belle. Do you have the report ready?” Jasmine stuck her head around the cubicle, and Belle looked up with her wide brown eyes.
“Umm…give me half an hour? Please? Sorry, I got slightly delayed,” she said and Jasmine licked her lips, before disappearing without saying anything.
Belle had been working in the Brooklyn office for a week now, and she didn’t think it was going very well. Jasmine was her mentor in this office, and she could sense that she had failed to impress her. She tried hard, she tried her best…but she couldn’t help but think about Devon all day. She hadn’t seen or spoken to him since that night in his office. It was obvious that he was keeping out of her way.
Susan had explained to her that she was needed more in the Brooklyn office and she would have more opportunity to learn there. It was true that she was closer to their apartment now, but the distance from Devon was only making her think about him more. Belle decided that she only needed to give it time. That with time the wound would heal. That she would be able to make amends with Jesse and move on, but it had been a week and she still couldn’t stop thinking about how Devon had made her feel.
Belle shook her head and tried to concentrate again. She forced herself to work on the new market survey, and completed it within half an hour.
She walked over to Jasmine’s desk, left it by her computer because Jasmine wasn’t at the table and then she walked out of the office. It was already a quarter past one and she knew Jesse would be waiting. They had planned on meeting for lunch.
Belle hurried, weaving through the crowds till she found Jesse sitting on the wall at the spot where they had decided to meet. They didn’t have the money to go to an actual cafe or restaurant, so they had planned that he would pack lunch for them and bring it along with him.
“Ham sandwiches!” he said with a grin and waved two foil wrapped sandwiches in the air as Belle hurried towards him.
“Sorry, I got caught up at work. I only have fifteen minutes,” she said and he leaned over to plant a kiss on her cheek.
“Don’t worry about it babe,” he said kindly and handed her one of the sandwiches. Belle unwrapped the foil and took one ravenous bite of the sandwich. Jesse jumped off the wall and she noticed that he had an unusual smile on his face.
“What’s up?” she asked, realizing that she wasn’t actually interested in what he had to say. She wanted to go back to the office, sit at her desk and day dream about Devon instead.
“I got a call back from the restaurant where I dropped in my CV yesterday,” Jesse said, beaming still. Belle forced a smile on her face and nodded her head.
“That’s great news, Jesse! When do you have to go back?” she asked.
“At three today. I think I’ll get the job, babe. I told you I’ll figure it out,” he said and Belle reached over to give him a kiss.
“I know, I’m happy for you,” she said and her muscles stiffened when Jesse reached for her hand.
“I’m happy for us. We can finally start living our lives,” he said and Belle agreed. She allowed him to squeeze her hand, but pulled it away instantly on the pretext of unwrapping her sandwich.
“I’m looking forward to it. They pay well. Enough to make rent anyway. But I’m sad that we’ll be seeing each other less often,” he said and Belle pursed her lips.
“That’s normal isn’t it? It’ll take some pressure off me,” she said and Jesse’s face darkened instantly.
“I didn’t realize that you felt so pressurized,” he said and Belle shook her head.
“No, I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant that we could live a more comfortable life from now on,” she said and Jesse looked away from her and concentrated on eating his sandwich instead.
“Well, yeah, whatever. I’ll not have to depend on you for subway money any more,” he said, a little bitterly and Belle reached out to touch his arm. He drew his arm away, and she took in a sharp breath.
“I didn’t mean to offend you, Jesse. I’m just glad that you finally found something, and I hope it makes you happy,” she said, trying to sound kind. Jesse said nothing and Belle remained silent too. In silence they finished their sandwiches and then Belle looked at her watch.
“I should head back. Best of luck with the interview. I know you’ll get the job,” she said and stared at him longingly. She wanted him to say something nice, to reassure her again that everything would be alright. She was anxious that she couldn’t rely on his mood.
“Bye, see you later,” he said instead and turned around and walked away from her. Belle gulped, unsure of what the future of their relationship was going to look like. She wished he could be in a good mood more often, that she wouldn’t have to walk around on eggshells all the time; afraid of upsetting him.
She shook her head as she watched him walking away from her, and when he was out of sight, she went back to the office and sat at her desk. Her only hope was that she could get past the next few weeks without having a breakdown, and then maybe, just maybe she could go on with her life without yearning to see Devon all the time.