"Alec, we need to talk." She mumbled as she made her way to their couch.
Lily felt like there was a hot wrought iron in her throat. This was the last thing that she wanted, but she had had enough, and there was no end to this in sight. How many times had she asked him to change? How many chances had she given him? Too many to count, that was for sure.
Her sister had told her so many times to respect herself, and she felt that by staying with Alec, she would be doing the exact opposite. She looked into Alec's deep eyes.
They had had so many wonderful years together. Alec took a deep breath as he realized what was happening.
"Alec, I can't do this anymore." Said Lily said as she looked down at her hands that were a sweaty mess.
"Lil, don't."
"Alec, I've given you so many chances. You keep disappointing me." Lily bit at her lip. "I just don't think that we go together anymore."
Alec was taken aback, but still kept his cool demeanor.
"What in the hell is this about Lil?" Alec asked, his voice raw.
"Ambition, Alec. You have none."
"Lil, you assume that just because I don't have every moment of my day sorted and spoken for that I don't have a future. That's not true Lily "
"There's no going with it when it comes to the future Alec! You have to mold it, make it happen!" Lily heard the harshness, but didn't mind it.
"You're way is not the only way Lily."
There was a strange emotion in Alec's eyes, one that Lily ignored, no matter how much they begged her not to.
"I've made up my mind, Alec. I'm done."
"There has to be something I can do Lil," Alec said, choking back his emotions as he spoke.
"You already had the chance. I'm going to Holly's, I want all your things gone by the time I get back." Lily said heartlessly as she stood and left the house, feeling both relief and regret.
"Fine Lil, if that's the way you want it. The only thing you give a damn about is that book store any way!" Alec yelled in anger behind her as she left the apartment.
Lily sat with a knot in her stomach as she watched the clock tick by. It was agony to sit and wait. She was more than uncomfortable, sitting there helplessly as her world was endangered.
Blue Technologies was the world's largest technological companies, and Holly had managed to set Lily up with a secretary position with the CEO. It was just another thing to add to her list of reasons why she would never be able to repay her sister.
It had been a couple of years since Lily had been to a job interview, and she was suddenly reminded as to why she was so intent on being her own boss. She hated the feelings of inadequacy that came along with begging for a job.
She couldn't help but to compare her to all of the other women that had appeared for the interview. They were all beautiful women. All dressed in suits and dresses that she wasn't able to pronounce the designers of. She gnawed at her lip, wishing that she had dressed better. She wore the same old skirt that she had worn to apply for her business license, with a fitted white shirt, again a couple of years old.
"Brandi Goss," A woman that sat at a round desk called in her valley girl accent.
A tall blonde followed the woman back. She strutted with a stride that asserted strength. She looked like a woman that showed up on covers of New York Magazines with the title, "How Does She Do It?" Lily couldn't even imagine the confidence that she would have radiated during her interview.
Less than ten minutes passed before Brandi came pouring out of the back office. She wore a mask of aggravation and harsh disappointment. She slammed her Jimmy Choo heels on the tile with loud clicks that made a point. A point that she was done with whatever she had left behind her. It made Lily even more nervous for what lay behind the doors to that office.
"Lily Day," the valley girl accent called like a demon calling Satan's next subject.
Lily stood and followed the woman to an office that screamed prestige. Glass and stainless steel sat all around her, intimidating her with their gleam. Respected awards lined the walls, along with the company logo, letting Lily know that she was lucky to be sitting where she was. She thought about leaving the office, about running from the intimidation that she felt, but she shook it off and focused by counting the clicks on the clock.
After a few uncomfortable moments alone, she began to wonder if the CEO had simply given up on finding a secretary. She wondered if they had found someone already? She imagined her bookshop going up for sale.
As the thought passed through her mind, so did some designer cologne that she couldn't quite put her finger on. It was vaguely familiar, but there was something different about it. It was familiar in the way that flowers are in the spring.
Lily listened as heels came clacking onto the tile that lined the office. Lily turned to look over her shoulder.
He stood about six foot three and had a muscular build. His skin was a deep brown, and looked bronze in the strong daylight that the office windows let in. His eyes were what sparked the memory the quickest in Lily's mind. They were a light smoked topaz, and were unlike any Lily had seen before. He had strong facial features that were hard to ignore. The word that came to her mind the fastest was handsome. And then the rush of memories that were still blurry.
Even being familiar with the features, Lily had to take a few moments to place the face. When she had last seen it, it had been younger. She saw the same emotion of trying to figure it out, on his face.
The man that stood in front of her had once been a boy, a boy that she had known inside and out, in the most intimate of ways. The name came creeping up to her mouth, where it lingered for more than a moment. It had been years since the name had left her lips, or traced her mind.
"Alec Cross?" She asked, her voice sounding unfamiliar to her own ears.
"Lily?" He asked, his voice imitating hers as he looked down to the paper that he held in his hand.
A part of her wanted to stand and to hug the person whom had been her first love. Another part wanted to recoil away from the awkward situation. The two parts pulled at her, making her freeze and stay still, unwilling to move or to say a word.
She was thankful that Alec had taken the first move. He stepped to her and embraced her.
His scent rushed her. His muscles encompassed her, and his voice lulled her. She was brought back all those years ago when a young girl had loved a young boy. Where the two of them spent every waking moment in each other's arms.
Lily was overcome with too many emotions to count, embarrassment being the most prominent. She was guilt to have broken up with him.
Here she stood, interviewing her ex for a job. The same ex that she had insisted wouldn't become anything. She felt her face flush, but she doubted that Alec had noticed the betrayal.
"It's been a long time," he said excitedly as he pulled away from her arms and took his seat at his desk.
Lily followed suit.
"Yes, I would say that it has." Lily contributed.
An awkward silence hung between the two of them. Lily swallowed hard, wondering why this was happening to her. It all felt very unnecessary. Did they need to cross paths now, after 15 years of keeping no contact with each other?
Lily looked at the man that she had made the decision to leave. He was a vision of power, confidence and sex appeal, and she was a heap of regret.
The cocktail of emotions and thoughts that ran through Lily's mind confused her. Jealousy and embarrassment hit her hard. She also couldn't deny the fact that she was still attracted to Alec in a very special way. Unlike the other men she had dated and been with in all these years.
Alec, unsure of what else to say and with a head full of tasks he had to get to, went straight to business. "So, you're applying to the secretary job?" he asked coolly.
"Yes, I am." Lily tried to say with confidence, but failed.
" That's great. Hey, I am in desperate need. Its been crazy here for the last few months and I need someone to manage my schedule and make sure I get my shit done" he said smiling.
" Alec, its so great to see you. And look at this you're the owner of XYZ. I am so happy for you. How did all this happen?"
" Thanks Lily. Well, it's been an interesting journey, but I would not want to bore you, plus it will take a long time." Alec wanted to keep the interview professional.
"Is there a particular reason you are interested in this job, Lily?" Alec asked, as he politely remodeled his usual interview question why do you want this job?
"Yes. It's primarily to save my life's dream and its kind of a desperate situation" Lily felt there was no reason to lie. It had been more than 15 years since they broke up.
For a moment, her emotions were taken over by thoughts of the bookshop.
Alec looked at Lily for a minute and then nodded.
"Are you talking about the book shop, Lily?"
"Yes."
" Are things not ok over there" Alec inquired.
" Not really, we need cash to stay open and the books are not really selling. So I need to get work until we figure it all out"