CHAPTER 20
GEORGIA
After an exhausting but exciting orientation day, I found Tim waiting for me at the lobby of the medical research building. He was busy reading the paper.
As I approached him, I couldn’t help admiring his good looks and nice physique. But then, I silently reprimanded myself for even thinking such thoughts. I wasn’t even over Drake yet, and I surely didn’t want to get involved with someone else just yet. Maybe I was just lonely.
He looked up and smiled at me. As he lowered the paper, my eyes caught something on it—a photo of football players in very familiar uniforms. I grabbed the paper without thinking, to Tim’s astonishment, and checked the picture. It was a small feature on the charity football game of the Windfield Warriors, and of all the players, it had to be Drake on that photo.
I shook my head in disbelief, tears springing in my eyes. I held them back, of course, pretending that nothing was wrong. “Let’s go now, Tim. I want to go home.”
He gave me a quizzical look, but said nothing. On the way home, he was as chatty and friendly as ever, delivering interesting anecdotes on the stores and landmarks we passed. It was definitely entertaining, but somehow I just could not shake off the memory of that last football game I’d gone to. Seeing Drake’s face even just on paper made me want to get into the next plane back home and just rush into his arms.
That evening, I spent an hour chatting with Lauren. “Jordan hasn’t heard from him either,” she told me. “So I’m not really sure if he knows that you’re there, or perhaps—”
“Perhaps he doesn’t care,” I cut in, feeling anxious and pathetic.
“Of course not,” Lauren said.
“It’s my fault,” I said. “I shouldn’t have left without at least giving us another chance to straighten things. I mean, now that we’re miles apart, even oceans apart, I’m realizing how much he means to me… that we had something great going there, you know…”
“Well, I can’t say no to that,” Lauren answered. “I really thought you two were going along great. Of course, you have your differences, but hey, which couple doesn’t, right? To be honest, I feel you should’ve really talked first and given the relationship a fair chance to recover.”
I sighed, feeling my heart constricting hard. “We had a pretty big fight, and it made me see how greatly different our worlds and visions are, so I figured that maybe we’re better off without each other. Besides, we had both said some awful things to each other, and I don’t know if he somehow meant it, you know.”
“I am so sure he didn’t mean it. Maybe it occurred to him, yes, but he must know deep inside that it wasn’t your intention, that you truly cared for him those months you were dating… And yeah, for now your visions for the future may be different, but you didn’t give yourselves a chance yet to adjust to each other much. It always starts that way, but the best couples eventually meet halfway and most of the time develop new visions together.”
“Oh, my gosh,” I breathed. “You are so right, and I am so wrong. But you can’t blame me! I haven’t been in a serious relationship for like… for like… forever!”
I threw up my free hand in frustration and plopped down my bed while I held my phone in my ear.
“The question is…” Lauren continued. “Do you think you’re going to be happy fulfilling your dreams without Drake in your life?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I mean, I never needed anyone else. I’ve always imagined myself meeting someone who’d support me all the way.”
“He does support you, Georgia,” Lauren said. “He was just surprised about this whole London thing, and maybe even concerned about you being used by his dad or something. Plus of course, you can’t blame him too for not wanting you to go and be away from him for an entire year!”
I sighed again, not knowing what to say. I didn’t know what to do.
“Look,” Lauren started. “Just send him a chat message or email him or something. If he doesn’t contact you within the week or he doesn’t respond, then that’s it. He doesn’t deserve you at all.”
“Okay,” I said.
Talking to my best friend always lightened the load I carried. But this time, it wasn’t significant. I felt like there were tons of bricks weighing me down, even as I fell asleep.
The following morning, I told Tim not to drive me to the research center. I decided to get up early and walk going there. The twentyminute walk would do me a lot of good.
As I was sauntering down the street heading toward the building, someone across caught my attention. A man who looked a lot like Drake had just left the front door. He had the same color of hair and had the same built too. I didn’t quite see the face, but I could swear it was him. Or was I seeing things now?
I hurried over, but was too late. He’d already rounded the corner.
This is silly and stupid, Georgia, I told myself. And it’s downright pathetic, too.
I straightened my shoulders as I rode the elevator, trying to clear my head and control my chaotic emotions.
When I went to the temporary work station I’d been assigned, I was shocked to find a single rose on top of my desk. There was also a cup of coffee waiting—my favorite blend, too. There was no note, though.
Maybe Tim sent it, I thought immediately. It couldn’t possibly be Drake. Or could it? He could certainly afford to come all the way here, but would he have enough reason to do so?
I asked the receptionist on that floor if she had seen anyone sneak in or if I’d had any visitors.
She shook her head. “Sorry, sweetheart. No visitors or handsome strangers so early this morning.”
One of the scientists working there suddenly passed by and overheard us. “Oh, do you mean the one who put the coffee on your table?” he said.
My eyes widened as I turned to him. “Yes! Did you see who it was?”
“Oh, I was the one who placed the coffee there,” he told me. “You should taste it. My wife’s selling these organic coffee beans so she’d forced to give away samples today.”
“Oh,” I said, feeling a little disappointed. “Including the rose?”
“What rose?” he said.
I felt my heart jump. He didn’t put the rose there. Who could it possibly be? I shook my head, not wanting to think about Drake anymore.
The whole morning I had a hard time concentrating, but I managed to survive. Some of my new-found colleagues and friends invited me to join them for lunch. I figured it was time to mingle and focus on my new life here. Sooner or later, I’d forget about Drake. He’d be a mere whisper from the past.
We were at the cafe out front, having fun and enjoying our lunch, when the waiter suddenly approached us. He was holding a long white box with a ribbon and a card. “Excuse me,” he said. “Is there anyone here named Dr. Georgia Hill?”
They all turned to look at me. I smiled awkwardly. “Yes?” I asked.
“This is for you,” the waiter said, handing me the box.
I looked at the card but there was nothing written on it except my name in print. “Who is it from?” I asked.
“We don’t know, Madam. It was left by the door with a note that said it was to be delivered to the person whose name appears on the card.”
Everyone in the table began talking at once. Some started teasing me about this mysterious “secret admirer.” Others began questioning me on who I thought it could possibly be.
By the end of the day, I was beginning to feel annoyed. If it was Drake, why couldn’t he just show himself and talk to me straight? I hated this game.
I decided to walk home again. When I was nearing my apartment building, I saw Tim handing something to the doorman.
“Hey, Tim!” I called as I hurried toward him.
He didn’t turn around. I don’t know if he just didn’t hear me or if he was avoiding me on purpose.
As I went inside, the doorman handed me a white envelope. Inside was a piece of paper with a beautiful sketch of me, surrounded by roses. It definitely came from the same person who’d been giving me roses all day.
“Tim,” I whispered. I didn’t know what to make of it. Was it really him who’d been sending me all this stuff?
The next morning, I asked him to pick me up and drive for me. That was when I confronted him.
“Tim, have you been sending me stuff?” I asked directly.
He looked uneasy for a while. “What kind of stuff?” he asked.
“Uh, flowers…” I said awkwardly, suddenly unsure.
“Flowers,” he repeated with an odd look on his face. “I’m not the type, Dr. Hill. Nope, it wasn’t me. You must have a secret admirer. And to think you’ve only been here for a few days!”
“Yeah,” I said, not knowing whether to believe him or not. I was bound to catch him one of these days.
That morning, I got another rose on my table. And during lunch, I was sent chocolates shaped like roses. And when I got back to my apartment building, I went to grill the doorman about Tim. He looked very uncomfortable, denying that my assistant had ever approached him or handed him anything. He was obviously lying about it. However, he looked so nervous that I didn’t push him further.
Upon entering my apartment, I was astonished to find it filled with bouquets of roses in yellow, pink, and red. My jaw dropped as I stared at the scene before me. Who else would have had access to my apartment, right? It made sense now. It must be Tim, since he was the one who’d secured this apartment for me in the first place. I couldn’t understand why he was denying it if he really was going to all this trouble.
But then, an image from months ago flashed back to me in an instant. I remembered opening the door to my cabin during the convention and finding it filled with flowers! It had been Drake’s way of saying sorry. Perhaps it was still him behind all this. What if he was asking Tim to do these things for me?
That’s quite likely, a voice inside my head said.
“Oh, I’m so confused!” I muttered in frustration, throwing myself onto the bed and hugging my pillow tight. “Oh, Drake, please just talk to me if this is your doing… We really, really need to talk…”
I felt so depressed that night that I just fell asleep amid all the roses without even eating dinner.
That whole week, every single day I continued to receive roses in various forms and ways. I began to just ignore them. I had heeded Lauren’s advice and just sent an email to Drake. There was no response, though.
I was making fast progress with the research I was working on. It was very rewarding, especially when my more experienced colleagues and mentors would show appreciation and tell me how impressed they were. I was starting to live my dream.
I must be happy, I thought. But the truth was that I wasn’t. I wanted to hear from Drake, to at least have closure and to know for sure that there was no more chance between us.
To cope, I ended up working late nights in the research center. I kept myself super busy.
After hours of working on the computer, I dozed off on the keyboard. I’m not sure how long, but I woke up with a start when I heard a scuttling noise. Slowly I raised my head. I knew I was all alone on that floor already, except for the guard who was roaming around.
Suddenly, my heart began to beat fast. I checked my watch and saw that it was almost midnight! This was the latest I’d stayed here. I stood up sluggishly, and that was when I found the gift-wrapped box at the edge of my desk. It had my name on it.
Cautiously, I unwrapped it while looking over my shoulders every now and then. I would also lift myself on my toes to also peek over the dividers around my work station, checking if there was anyone around or anything suspicious.
Seeing the gift inside, I gasped. It was an old football that had been painted with a red rose. I couldn’t help it. Tears began falling down my eyes. It had been Drake all along.
“Damn you, Drake!” I shouted, getting out of my station and just speaking aloud, pouring my heart out. “Show yourself and talk to me! I deserve that much, don’t you think? I mean, why would you keep sending me these things without talking to me face to face?! If you’re going to be like this, then I’d rather you just get out of my life completely and leave me alone!”
I was crying now. That was when I felt arms gently wrapping around my waist. I felt a damp kiss on the top of my head.
I turned around and there he was, holding me, looking at me sweetly with an apologetic expression in his deep gray eyes. “I’m so sorry, Georgia,” he whispered, his handsome face looking troubled.
I yearned to just stay there in his arms, to never worry about a thing. But my emotions were moving around like a roller-coaster that had gotten out of control. I cursed him and shouted at him all the things I’ve been wanting to say. He seemed to be in pain but he took it all in.
“It’s okay, Georgia,” he said softly. “I’m here now. I want to be with you no matter what…”
“I hate you, Drake! I hate you for doing this to me, for affecting me like this!” I screamed at him.
He held me even tighter and I sort of melted in his embrace.
Suddenly, without warning, we both grabbed each other hungrily, our lips and tongues meeting in an explosive, desperate kiss. We stumbled in all directions, passionately kissing and exploring each other’s bodies. I felt like I was in a dream and everything was surreal.
He lifted me up onto a desk. I’m not sure whose it was. We didn’t care even as objects began toppling toward the ground. We ripped off each other’s clothes, eager to touch again, to be united in our erotic need for each other.
Soon I found myself naked, my legs wide apart, as the man I terribly missed and loved kissed my neck and breasts. His every touch was like an electric shock to my body. His lips traveled downward until they were sucking and caressing my damp folds of skin. His tongue pushed inside, teasing and turning around, making me squirm and moan with pleasure.
He didn’t stop until I was bursting with intense immeasurable pleasure. I could hardly contain my screams.
Quickly he straightened up and my eyes were able to feast on his amazing nakedness. I wasn’t even done admiring his body yet when he shoved inside of me. We kissed again, hungrier than ever for each other, as his hardness pushed deeper with every thrust.
All other thoughts flew from my mind as I was consumed by the intense heat of the moment. At one point, he pulled me down and turned me around, then entered me again from behind. I leaned over on the desk with my arms as I felt his hands stroking my breasts while he shoved into me over and over.
I could hear the familiar moans coming from him, which heightened my sexual desires even more. We were so stimulated that even after we both came, we dropped onto the floor and did it again the traditional way.
As we lay beside each other breathing raspily, a thought occurred to me. “CCTV?” was all I could gasp in panic.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “None in here, as far as I know.”
“Great,” I said. “What about the guard?”
“He went for a break somewhere,” he answered. “That was when I sneaked in.”
I actually laughed. “Wow, what would your father say!”
He laughed, too, hugging me closer to him. “I’ve missed you so much…” he whispered, then gave me a sweet peck on the cheek.
I didn’t reply. My mind was whirring so fast I could almost hear the “nuts and bolts” there moving. I could almost feel my brain neutrons going into wild mode.
We were both quiet as we got dressed. We left the place urgently and he led me to a limo waiting in front.
“Wow,” I said. “Whose limo is this?”
“I bought it with my savings…” he explained. I gave him a look of horror, to which he grinned. “I’m just kidding! I rented it, but it didn’t cost much. A friend of Dad owns it.”
“So your dad knows you’re here?” I asked in surprise. “How long have you been here, anyway? And why haven’t you showed up until today?”
“Hey, I’ve only been here a couple of days,” he said. “I’d asked Tim to start the rose thing even before I got here.”
“Well, that explains it,” I said. “I actually thought it was him for a while.”
“What? Did you want it to be him?” he said incredulously.
“Of course not,” I replied at once. “It’s just that I saw him once handing something to the doorman of my apartment.”
“Oh, yeah, I asked him to do some stuff,” he said. “But that doorman… He must have thought you were on to him and Tim! You made him so damn nervous, I heard!”
“What do you mean?” I asked, puzzled.
“He’s gay,” he said with a grin. “So no, he’s not into you. He’s into your doorman, which is probably why you sometimes see him outside your building even when he’s got no business there.”
“Yeah…” I said. It was all beginning to make sense. “Now I get it. Well, good for him!”
“You’re not disappointed at all?”
“Why would I be?”
“Never mind,” Drake said, shaking his head. Then he began kissing me again on the side of my face and then my neck, causing tingles to run down my spine. He had such a huge effect on me that I couldn’t think straight. I was just going with the flow, following my heart, not caring where it would lead me.
We actually had quick sex inside the limo since the driver couldn’t see or hear us, anyway. And because the elevator going up to my unit was deserted, we almost did it there, too. The door opened fast enough, though, which made us jump back, trying to catch our breaths. There was no one in the hallway when the elevator opened, thank God!
I made coffee for us and we finally sat down and talked until the wee hours of the morning.