Playing Pretend (5 page)
Long after the evening had ended, I lay in bed, and touched my lips, remembering what his had felt like. I had no idea it would be the last night I ever saw him, or that a week later my whole world, along with his, would come crumbling down.
THE MEMORY FLICKERED,
and played in my head like an old movie, bringing to the fore a rush of feelings I remembered feeling that night. I admonished myself for replaying it, trying desperately not to hope against all hopes that Caleb still remembered me. He’d said my name earlier, when we were outside, and had I not been so surprised to bump into him – literally – the possibility that he knew exactly who I was might have crossed my mind. But it was foolish.
I
was foolish.
I shook my head at my reflection, and started removing my blouse when the bathroom door swung open. Aaliyah appeared with some folded clothes, a pair of heels and a small make-up bag.
“Wow,” she giggled, coming to stand beside me. “Caleb wasn’t kidding when he said you looked like a hot mess.”
“He said that?” Hiding the disbelief from my voice wasn’t going to happen. It didn’t sound like something
this
Caleb would say. He seemed a little too professional for that.
“Not in so many words,” replied Aaliyah, “But I could read between the lines.”
I looked down. “I’m so embarrassed.”
With a snort, Aaliyah waved me off, and handed me the clothing in her hands. “Anthony and Julian send this with love,” she winked, “Now go change.”
I took the garments from her outstretched hand and stepped into the cubicle. Getting rid of my own clothes felt remarkably good, like I was getting a do-over on my perfectly disastrous start to the day. I dressed quickly, and when I opened the cubicle door, Aaliyah turned to face me, a wide grin on her face.
She whistled. “Well hello gorgeous.”
“Does it look okay?” I asked, running my fingers down the front of the silky top, and pleated slacks. It was a stunning outfit, and I shuddered just thinking about what it would cost to buy.
“You look ready to rule the world,” she mused. “It’s a good thing we don’t have many single men on our floor, because I think you could easily become a distraction around here.”
I rolled my eyes, and went about putting the heels on my feet, and fixing my hair. I used my fingers to comb it out, and then carefully braided it to the side. Aaliyah passed me some mascara, and a nude gloss to coat my lips.
When I was satisfied, I thanked Aaliyah for her help and went back into the office. She stopped me right before I headed towards my desk.
“So Annabelle and I are heading to a bar after work tonight, you’re coming with.”
“I am?”
I’d been in the city for a few weeks now, and had yet to spend a night out. I didn’t know anybody – not anymore at least – and the thought of getting to know some of my colleagues was appealing.
“Yes. I hope you like Mexican, and by that I mean Margarita’s.”
“Sounds like fun,” I replied with a laugh, and finally got back to work. I got caught up on all my emails, and after explaining to Macy what had happened, I started on the new list of tasks she had for me.
I was half way through the list when my email
dinged
with a new message, and when I saw who it had come from I looked twice to make sure I wasn’t imagining it.
From:
[email protected]
Subject: (none)
Ms. Kavanagh
I wanted to apologize for my brash behavior this morning. You caught me at a bad time. Also, thank you for your notes.
P.S Welcome to Callahan Industries
Kind Regards,
Caleb Callahan
C.E.O
I read the message three times, and then scowled at the screen; maybe not so much at the screen as the disappointment I felt. I squashed it quickly, and rather than respond to his message, I moved it to the “other” file in my mailbox and chose to forget about it. He would receive a notification that I’d read his email, and that would be response enough.
IT HAD BEEN a long day and Aaliyah, Annabelle and I were sitting at a tall table in a Mexican restaurant two blocks from our office. It was filled to the brim, people enjoying the increasing warmth of summer and delicious Mexican food outside, while the rest of us socialized by the bar. We were each on our second round of Margaritas, and I was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol. My limbs were warm, and relaxed, and I was thoroughly enjoying Aaliyah and Annabelle’s company.
“So what’s your story,” asked Annabelle, tipping her drink in my direction. In the last hour I’d learned she was engaged to her brother’s best friend, and so deliriously happy that she belonged in a Hallmark movie. But I also learned that she was kind, and loved her job, and for some reason, she’d taken a liking to me. I’d managed to avoid an inquisition, but now I guess I was shit out of luck.
“I don’t have one,” I replied, trying to evade her question. Sadly, the sloppy smile on my face only encouraged her.
“C’mon,” said Aaliyah. “You know all our dirty secrets, now it’s your turn. Spill.”
She wasn’t kidding. After the second round of drinks, Aaliyah and Annabelle started swapping stories about their sex lives. They were so open about it all, laughing at each other, that I couldn’t bring myself to feel embarrassed by the turn of conversation. If this is what it felt like to have real, honest-to-God girlfriends, I could get used to it.
“I don’t have dirty secrets,” I giggled, pushing my glass away. I’d had enough, and the last thing I wanted was to take the subway while tipsy.
“Then tell us the boring stuff,” replied Annabelle. “Like where you’re from, where you grew up, where you went to school, whether or not you have siblings. That kinda stuff.”
I sighed, and folded my arms on the table. “I was born and raised in Manhattan, and moved to London when I was seventeen. Then when I was twenty, I moved to Denver, and went to school there before coming back here. I have an older sister I don’t speak to, and that’s about it.”
“That sucks.” Annabelle pouted, and squeezed my hand.
“And what about a guy?” asked Aaliyah. “You can’t tell me you’re single.”
I smiled wistfully, and then felt my stomach dip a little. “I was engaged, but he cheated. It was why I left London.” The half-lie fell from my lips far too easily, but it still felt good to be able to talk about it. I hadn’t made many friends when I was in college, simply because I didn’t have the time, but I’d hoped it would change once I settled in Manhattan. Looking across the table at my two colleagues, I knew I’d chosen wisely.
“Honey,” Annabelle lifted her brows, “A man who cheats isn’t a man, and look at this way, he did you a favor. It saved you from marrying the prick.”
“She’s right,” added Aaliyah, giving me a serious look. “Men like that aren’t worth it. That’s why I like my sex with no strings.”
Annabelle coughed, and almost choked on her drink. “Please, your newest friends-with-benefits arrangement has been ongoing. I’d say you’re
dating
.”
“Oh no,” retorted Aaliyah, “Devon knows how it is. I call him when I need an itch scratched, and vice versa. Just because it’s been ongoing doesn’t mean we’re
dating.
”
I begged to differ, but didn’t say anything because I wasn’t exactly an expert. I met Baxter shortly after I’d moved to London, and started studying at Brunel University. He was the epitome of an English rich kid from an influential political family, and my father latched onto that within the first ten minutes of meeting him. I was nineteen when we got engaged, and thought I loved him, but he proved me wrong in the worst way possible.
“I’m not going to argue with you.” Annabelle smiled sweetly at her friend, as if to indulge her disillusionment, and was about to say something to me when someone else caught her attention.
“Honey!” she squealed, all but dropping her glass onto the table and running to whoever had elicited her excited response. She jumped into the arms of a taller guy who caught her easily, and smiled before she kissed him amorously. The exchange garnered a few catcalls, and whistles from several other patrons.
Annabelle dropped to her feet, and greeted another man, and then turned to lead them to our table.
“Brian, this is Kadence, the newest addition at Callahan Industries. Kadence, this is my fiancé, Brian, and the ass behind him is my big brother, Landon.”
Brian stuck out his hand, and I shook it with a grin. He was good looking, and Annabelle’s complete opposite in terms of stature. Where her hair was black, his was blond, and where she was short and petite, he was tall and very well built. I took Annabelle’s brother’s hand and shook it too, surprised when he scooped Aaliyah up in an animated hug. They looked familiar with each other, and when Annabelle caught me watching them with open curiosity, she explained, “They’ve been best friends since Aaliyah and I were roommates in college. It still weirds me out a little.”
“I heard that,” said Landon, still holding a smirking Aaliyah. Annabelle mumbled something under her breath, causing Brian to chuckle.
“I hope we’re not interrupting something,” he said, flagging down a waiter. He ordered some drinks for him and Landon and then settled down with Annabelle in his lap.
She filled him in on her day, while Aaliyah and Landon caught up, and I couldn’t help but feel like an outsider, like the proverbial fifth wheel. It was a feeling I knew well though, having spent most of my life on the outside looking in, only this time I wanted to change it. I wanted to feel like I belonged here, like this was my
home
, like these people could be my real friends.
As if reading my mind, Aaliyah and Annabelle pulled me into their conversation, and we stayed at the bar until the manager had no choice but to ask us to leave so that they could close for the night. Annabelle and Brian insisted on paying for a cab to take me home, rather than let me take the subway so late, and when I finally fell onto my crappy air mattress, I smiled at the feeling that washed over me.
Progress.
“I HAVE THE PERFECT
dress for you.” Aaliyah disappeared into her closet while I wandered around her SoHo apartment. It was beautiful, with light wooden floors, and big bay windows overlooking a bustling street.
The last week had been a blur, and there had been an excited hum amongst the executives on our floor as we prepared to host the first of many events on Callahan Industries’ extensive social calendar. I’d had no plans to attend the event myself, but Macy thought it would be a good experience to ‘rub shoulders’ with the Board of Directors, and other influential investors who would be in attendance at the annual Shareholders Gala.
When I’d told Aaliyah I had nothing appropriate to wear, she offered one of her gowns, and no matter how many times I’d refused her generosity, she wouldn’t take no for an answer. That’s how I ended up at her place, only hours before I had to be ready for the Gala.
Aaliyah reappeared holding an ivory tulle lace mermaid dress; the bodice had a sheer effect with lace appliques on the front and back. It was exquisite.
“Wow,” I sighed. “I can’t wear that.”
“Of course you can. It’s never been worn, and I think it deserves a night out.”
I took it from Aaliyah’s hands. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” she groaned dramatically, “It’s perfect for you. You’ll wear it way better than I ever could.”
“Thank you.”
JUST OVER AND HOUR later, I left Aaliyah’s apartment to get ready at mine, and fetch my car. I wanted to drive home after the event rather than take the subway. I spent an hour drying and curling my hair, and applied some mascara and a light pink lipstick. I had a clear complexion, so spending exorbitant amounts of money on make-up wasn’t necessary. My mother was a natural beauty, and I was blessed with those same genes; something my sister had always been envious of.