7. You're just a client

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Stephen

During the duration of our relationship, Krystina and I developed an almost sixth sense for one another. When she would walk into the room, I'd feel a change in energy. A pulse or a charge of some sort.

I wasn't stunned at all to realize that 5 years apart hasn't diminished that effect at all.

I had to physically stop myself for staring at her when I entered her office earlier today.

She's always looked a few years younger than her age. People would mistake her for 17 and 18 years old, even when were juniors in college. These past few years have been especially good to her. Her once routinely straightened hair, is now perched on top of her head in a bun full of her natural curls. She's still wearing the same plum lipstick she wore on almost all of our dates. She's familiar, yet strange all at the same time. The sarcastic tilt of her lips tells me she hasn't changed a bit, yet the hard look in her eyes tells me different. The innocent aura she used to emit is gone. She seems hardened in a way.

Why I thought I could march into her office and force her to work with me directly, I'll never know. The liquid courage I possessed moments ago, dissipated the moment our eyes met.

She's still just as feisty as I remember. I'd been a brat before I met her. Surrounded by money, leeches, shallow company and "yes men". Everyone would bend to my will. If I said jump, they asked how high. Everyone but her. She humbled me. Knocked me down a few pegs, back to earth. She never let me get away with anything. It was after her relieving me of my egotistical nature, that I began to make friends for the first time in my life. Real friends.

Sitting across from her now, it's like our breakup never happened. It's almost as if we haven't gone a day without seeing each other. Almost as if she didn't commit such an act of betrayal. Almost.

I'm out of the Paramount office less than forty five minutes later, with a satisfied smile on my face. Everything has a price Ms. Green.

I pull out my phone on the way to the car, dialing Fernando's number.

"What's up my man?" He answers on the second ring.

"Hey, do you have plans tonight?"

"Not really. Why? Who's party are we crashing?" He asks.

"No one's. I just need a little breather. How 'bout it? You, me, and the guys. We can hit up some of the clubs. Just like old times." I offer.

"Yeah sure man. We're game!" He says excitedly.

Even I have to admit that I'm excited for tonight. Not in a giddy fangirl way, but in an I-Haven't-Gone-Out-Socially-In-Months-Damn-I-Need-This-Night-Off type of way.

I head home to change my clothes, and then I'm out door a few minutes later.

After getting drinks at the first club, Vice, we decide that tonight is a perfect night for club hopping.

We're at the second club for not even a full 40 seconds before I feel that distantly familiar pulse in the air. I turn my head to the side and spot her and a friend on the dance floor, looking straight at me.

The guys, who've just come through the door, look in the direction I'm staring in to see what has me to captivated, and all hell breaks loose.

I hear a chorus of "No fucking way", "Look what the cat dragged in", and "Is that who I think it is?" as the guys happily make they're way over to Krys and her friend.

It's only when we reach them that I realize who the friend is.

"Savannah!" I shout out joyously, moving through the sea of bodies to get to her. I throw out one arm, going in for a hug, but the glare she sends my way stops me cold.

"Stephen." She says blandly.

I'm shoved out of the way a second later when Nando spots her as well.

I'm immediately confused when I see her face light up, and her arms open wide, bracing herself for his impact. They hug for almost a while before releasing each other.

"Hey, why don't we all go get a table" Brandon suggests when he and the guys finally finishing greeting and hugging the girls.

Krystina and I immediately look at each other. Both probably realizing just how awkward this might be. Before I can protest however, she sends me a challenging glare, almost daring me to complain.

"Yeah. Sounds great." I reply smiling as I notice the smug look slowly slip off her face.

With an eye roll, she turns to follow the rest of the gang thought the crowd and towards the table they picked.

We order a round of shots for old times sakes as conversation starts up. Everyone's smart enough to know not to ask anything too personal. The topics stay safe, focusing on current jobs, significant others, and new hobbies.

As if fate hadn't intervened enough in the past few days, Michael Jackson's The Lady In My Life starts playing during a lapse in conversation.

Maybe I have big balls, or maybe it was the vodka that had me walking up to Krys.

"This is our song." I say into her ear.

She glances at me briefly, before averting her attention elsewhere.

"You wanna dance? For old time's sake?" I ask her, playfully serious.

Playfully serious? Who am I kidding.

She looks at me again with that dead stare. "No, Mr. Sims. I don't want to dance. In fact, Sav and I actually need to head out in a bit." She says.

"Ahh. Curfew, huh? You got someone at home waiting for you or something?" I counter.

Her lips tilt upward in that sarcastic smile "As a matter of fact, I do." She says catching me completely off guard. "Not that's it's any of your concern, seeing as how our relationship is strictly professional. You wanted to work with me, and you got what you paid, I mean, asked for. Our relationship before today does not exist. You are nothing more than a client. You'd do well to remember that." She says before walking back to table.

When I get there, her and Sav are saying their goodbyes to everyone.

Savannah, once again, makes it a point not to hug me. Something everyone notices.

When they leave, I quickly turn back to the guys. "Um, was that weird for anyone else, or just me?"

"What do you mean?" Jacobi, another one of our friends from College, says.

"I mean Savannah and I used to be really good friends, and she didn't even say a proper hello to me." I tell them.

"It's probably just girl code." Brandon adds in, getting murmurs of agreement afterwards.

"I mean, Krys is her best friend. I think it's in the rule book somewhere that she has to hate you." He says, making it seems as though this is common knowledge.

"I don't know."

"Don't sweat it man. We'll all hang out again and get reacquainted with each other. She won't be giving you the cold shoulder for long." He pats me on the head in a 'poor baby' motion.

I shake him off, and nod in agreement, but the whole ordeal still bugs me.

That wasn't a You-and-my-best-friend-broke-up-and-I-have-to-hate-you-now glare, she sent my way earlier.

That was a You-are-the-scum-of-the-fucking-earth-I-want-you-dead-yesterday type of glare.

Which honestly makes no sense.

Not to me at least.

Krys probably made up some sob story to tell her, so she wouldn't find out the truth about her and our breakup. She'd probably convinced Sav that I was the bad guy in this situation.

It's crazy. 5 years ago, I would've never thought she was capable of such a thing.

Shows how well I knew her.

____________________________________________________________________

I'm shit, I know. :'(

I'm FINALLY done with this semester tho!!

In between all the homework, quizzes, tests, job hunting and near mental breakdowns, I've been busy.

But the semesters over, so (as long I don't decide to take summer classes) updates should be coming in a lot faster.

It's one a.m. and I'm falling asleep, so I'm not sure how well this was Proofread. Feel free to point out any way mistakes I might've too made.

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