| 8.1 | termination

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❝The air in my lungs is like thunder
and I can't fight what you've made of me.

Chapter Eight:
Termination

My return to Innovus marked cause for celebration. I had expected the early morning calls of congratulations to be the last of it which is why I was taken by complete, and utter surprise when I walked into my office the following week to a party. Everyone had crowded into my room with tiny gifts in their hand. Shouts of joy erupted around the room as I stepped in and nearly stumbled back out of my own office at the loud sound. Francesca, Tim, Jaden, James and all the others enveloped me into a rather stifling group hug, before stepping back and unanimously beaming at me.

It was a little too much to process, especially knowing that I shouldn't be the one they should be thanking for securing the deal with S'Con Venturas. After the first fifteen minutes spent thanking everyone for their generosity, I pulled Tim aside and told him everything. Well, not everything per se. I left out the truth about Jacob being my ex and rather worded it as 'my unprofessional tactics led to them rejecting the deal but Hans was the one to fix it'. I also left out how much Hans and I had cozied up to each other, which is probably why he reacted the way he did. Tim simply shrugged, and couldn't care less about my failure on the deal.

"I'm just happy you made it back in one piece."

I'd frowned at that. "So you're not even going to berate me about stealing Hans' thunder?"

Tim grinned, a twinkle in his eye. "Why would that upset me in anyway?" He laughed at the sour expression I shot him and after giving me a lingering kiss on my cheek, walked himself out my office to leave me to myself. I tried not to think too much about Tim and how obviously happy he was that I was back as I got to work. And work away, I did.

Following the closure of the deal with S'Con, there was a lot on our plate to deal with, especially for me. The days were spent rushing in and out of the office, off to meet our clients and corporate lawyers with Tim or Francesca, and facing the Board during the increasingly regular meetings they held.

There was no time for play, which translated to no time for Hans. My thoughts would go to him at random times, recounting all that we'd shared in Cincinatti, and the possibilities that it opened up for us as...something more. It was but a mere flutter as something else would pop up, demanding my whole attention.

I was loaded with enough work to keep me busy for the rest of the month, and through out it, the idea of contacting Hans had slipped my mind, deadlines taking the place of his name. It was on one of the rare, more relaxed days at work did it hit me that my work had nothing stopping him from contacting me. I was flicking through my emails when I chanced upon an old one from Hans, over a month ago. The sight of his name on my screen did strange things to my heart, and even stranger things to my brain. What was he doing so low in my inbox?

Scrolling upward, I read the names of several other colleagues flooding up my mails from that last email till today. This was certainly unusual. Hans would email me quite regularly; either about when to meet next, reminding me about an upcoming appointment or something on the naughtier side of what he planned to do to me, all in an effort to get me to think of him at work. Sure, he was playing with the borders of our very contract and the terms I had laid down of 'no office play' but that was Hans' way of teasing. And yet...he hadn't sent me one in 28 days. Come to think of it, he hadn't texted me either.

Tim walked in on me frowning at the screen with my hands balled up on my desk.

"Well, you don't look happy."

He stood with his arms crossed over his broad chest, leaning back against the glass door of my office with an eyebrow raised. From where I sat, the lighting was flattering on him, shining over his soft blond mop of unruly hair, bringing out the perfect arch of his nose that led down to his full, plump pink lips. From this angle, he looked almost as tempting as Hans did that time on my very first day. I blinked away the thought, forcing a small smile on my face.

"Yeah, I'm just tired of work. You know how things have been."

"Tired?" Tim tsked, and gave me a doubtful grin. "The Tris Henderson I know never gets tired of work, that's for sure." He walked over to my side of the room till he stood next to me on my rolling chair, leaning against the back of my desk. "You haven't given yourself a break in a while now. It could just be a build-up of stress."

I nodded quietly, deciding it better not to share the actual thoughts in my head. Those could be reserved for a private chat with Helena.

"What about," he said gently, taking my hand in his own and giving it a small squeeze, "I take you out for dinner tonight?" Tim watched my face closely, as if waiting for a reaction that I was yet to give before continuing. "It's been a while since you and I have done anything together."

That was true. Tim and I normally made it a point to meet up out of the office and spend time together. It was never planned for but it happened regularly, forming a sort of routine. I knew he was hoping for it to grow into something else, possibly blossom into a relationship but it always ended with me, making it clear that Tim is nothing more than a friend. I wasn't quite sure I was up for another night of hurting him like that, especially given my current situation.

Sensing this, Tim brushed a thumb over my hand and added gently, "No pressure."

There was more to those words than he let on. It was my green light. Besides, how could I say no to that face? Heaving an internal sigh, I nodded. Happiness instantly spread across his face. Squeezing my hand one last time, he stood up and let go with an enthusiastic, rejuvenated air about him.

"Excellent. Is 7:30 alright with you?"

"7:30's perfect."

Tim practically skipped out of my office after that confirmation. I would have chuckled to myself at his actions but the biting questions in my mind prevented me from doing so. Tim was my friend, yes, but there was another man in my life that corrupted my thoughts as he was doing now. My eyes flickered to the time on my computer screen. 5:34 P.M. Good. 

Jasper would still be in.

_____

Song: Out of the Blue by Prides

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