to him; if he had only gone along with their so-called friendship for sport, just to play with her mind and make her fall in love with him to appease his ego.
Naomi told herself that he wasn’t that cruel or selfish, but the doubt in her mind lingered and deep down she wasn’t completely certain that he wasn’t that selfish or cruel. He had been with so many women who worked for him that she thought perhaps he had needed to change his game up a little bit just to make it more interesting to himself.
She thought that perhaps that might be why he had been so “cat and mouse” with her, and there she had been the whole time, thinking that she was making headway in a friendship with him, thinking that she was earning his respect and that he thought of her as at least an equal person to himself, even though she was his employee.
Then he waited until she had been tortured with the sight of him with his serious relationship, Susan, and the realization that she was nothing to him. He had perhaps waited until she was broken and miserable and her only option was to pull away from him. Then he could conquer her and take what he wanted because she would not have the strength or willpower to fight him any longer, and she would succumb and give in to him.
All of those scenarios and thoughts plagued her mind over and over again, from the first night after he kissed her, into the next day when she did not go to work, and on into that night, and the following day.
She tried to sleep, but her thoughts and her broken heart would not let her. Her imagination took her mind to places that her heart could not stand to go, and the longer she was alone, the more heartache she dragged herself through until she could not take it any longer, and she felt that her only option was to call a friend.
She called Andrea, and begged her to come over to talk it through with her. She was desperate to get out of her own mind and to try to see it from someone else’s point of view.
Andrea came over that morning, and as soon as Naomi opened the door, Andrea’s arms were around her in a hug, holding her tight and consoling her.
“Now, I know you aren’t sick. Do you want to tell me what you’re doing home two days in a row? What’s going on with you?” she asked worriedly as she took Naomi’s face into her hands and held it there carefully, looking into her eyes as if she might find the answer there.
Naomi’s eyes flooded with tears and Andrea nodded. “I knew it! I knew there was something else going on. You haven’t been sick since I met you in college. Now, you just come right in here with me,” Andrea said, taking Naomi by the hand and leading her back into the living room, “and tell me what’s going on. Here, sit on the sofa. Here’s a blanket.” she said, nestling Naomi in as if they were sitting in Andrea’s house instead of Naomi’s apartment.
“Now, you tell me what’s going on. What’s causing you so much pain that you’re here instead of at work?” Andrea’s eyes continued to search Naomi’s and she took her friend’s hand into hers and held it.
Naomi bit her lower lip, and Harold hopped up onto the couch and padded over them both to curl up in Naomi’s lap. He had snuggled her through all of her crying and sadness for two days, and he was ready for more comfort duty.
Naomi covered her mouth with her hand and looked at Andrea. “I screwed up.” She said quietly in a choked voice.
Andrea’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean you screwed up?” She asked in confusion. “You never screw up. What did you do?”
“Oh, I don’t screw up very often, but I think I saved it all up for this one big screw up and did them all at once.” She said with a sigh as she closed her eyes and willed her tears not to fall again.
Andrea rubbed her hand over Naomi’s. “Well, what did you do?”
Naomi sighed and shook her head slowly. “I fell in love.”
Andrea’s hand stopped moving over Naomi’s and she blinked in
Naomi told herself that he wasn’t that cruel or selfish, but the doubt in her mind lingered and deep down she wasn’t completely certain that he wasn’t that selfish or cruel. He had been with so many women who worked for him that she thought perhaps he had needed to change his game up a little bit just to make it more interesting to himself.
She thought that perhaps that might be why he had been so “cat and mouse” with her, and there she had been the whole time, thinking that she was making headway in a friendship with him, thinking that she was earning his respect and that he thought of her as at least an equal person to himself, even though she was his employee.
Then he waited until she had been tortured with the sight of him with his serious relationship, Susan, and the realization that she was nothing to him. He had perhaps waited until she was broken and miserable and her only option was to pull away from him. Then he could conquer her and take what he wanted because she would not have the strength or willpower to fight him any longer, and she would succumb and give in to him.
All of those scenarios and thoughts plagued her mind over and over again, from the first night after he kissed her, into the next day when she did not go to work, and on into that night, and the following day.
She tried to sleep, but her thoughts and her broken heart would not let her. Her imagination took her mind to places that her heart could not stand to go, and the longer she was alone, the more heartache she dragged herself through until she could not take it any longer, and she felt that her only option was to call a friend.
She called Andrea, and begged her to come over to talk it through with her. She was desperate to get out of her own mind and to try to see it from someone else’s point of view.
Andrea came over that morning, and as soon as Naomi opened the door, Andrea’s arms were around her in a hug, holding her tight and consoling her.
“Now, I know you aren’t sick. Do you want to tell me what you’re doing home two days in a row? What’s going on with you?” she asked worriedly as she took Naomi’s face into her hands and held it there carefully, looking into her eyes as if she might find the answer there.
Naomi’s eyes flooded with tears and Andrea nodded. “I knew it! I knew there was something else going on. You haven’t been sick since I met you in college. Now, you just come right in here with me,” Andrea said, taking Naomi by the hand and leading her back into the living room, “and tell me what’s going on. Here, sit on the sofa. Here’s a blanket.” she said, nestling Naomi in as if they were sitting in Andrea’s house instead of Naomi’s apartment.
“Now, you tell me what’s going on. What’s causing you so much pain that you’re here instead of at work?” Andrea’s eyes continued to search Naomi’s and she took her friend’s hand into hers and held it.
Naomi bit her lower lip, and Harold hopped up onto the couch and padded over them both to curl up in Naomi’s lap. He had snuggled her through all of her crying and sadness for two days, and he was ready for more comfort duty.
Naomi covered her mouth with her hand and looked at Andrea. “I screwed up.” She said quietly in a choked voice.
Andrea’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean you screwed up?” She asked in confusion. “You never screw up. What did you do?”
“Oh, I don’t screw up very often, but I think I saved it all up for this one big screw up and did them all at once.” She said with a sigh as she closed her eyes and willed her tears not to fall again.
Andrea rubbed her hand over Naomi’s. “Well, what did you do?”
Naomi sighed and shook her head slowly. “I fell in love.”
Andrea’s hand stopped moving over Naomi’s and she blinked in
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