Love’n’Lust

When both her sister and friend left, Belle sat in her corner and cried. She thought about what Brie said to her before leaving, then she remembered confessing her feelings to Ben and his response.

She would be angry at Ben but he had told her from the beginning that he couldn’t love her and she was okay with it till recently. She found herself wanting to hear him call her sweeter names, she wanted him to get her flowers, she wanted him to show the world that he was in love with her but that was not going to happen and she knew.

After crying, she wiped her tears. Maybe she needed a break from him, she needed to space herself from him because for all she knew, this could be a mere infatuation she felt towards him and nothing more, it had to be.

She asked herself how possible it was to develop feelings for someone who you know would never love you back, and so she decided that it was just infatuation.

She would stop spending the night with him, maybe return to her sister’s apartment. If it was Infatuation, staying away from him and avoiding seeing him every day would make it disappear.

A knock came and she made sure her eyes didn’t look like they were crying just moments ago before she answered the door. She saw a woman with a formal dress standing at the door when she opened it.

“Are you Ms Miller?” The woman asked.

“Uhm, yeah?”

“Mr Kidridge would like to see you I’m his office.” She informed her.

“Okay. Now?” Belle asked, she knew Mr Kidridge was the editor in chief.

“Yes, now.” The woman nodded and left.

Belle went back to her purse and look in the mirror to be sure her eyes weren’t red from her crying, then she arranged her hair and clothes before going to see him, she didn’t want to make a bad impression the first time she was meeting him.

Two knocks to his office and she heard a ‘come in’. She walked into the office and saw the MR KIDRIDGE. He wasn’t as old as she always imagined.

“You’re Ms Miller, Laura’s assistant?” He asked immediately she entered. Belle nodded.

“Sit,” he told her and went back to typing on his laptop. Belle sat there awkwardly for a minute till he was done with his laptop, he then closed it and gave his attention to her.

“You must know by now that your boss had given birth, true?” Belle nodded.”She won’t be active here for the next two to three months so you’ll be switched to a new editor till she returns.” He paused and expected a reaction from her but got none so he continued.”You’ll work with Editor Khan till Laura returns, he is also a senior editor. If you want you can speak to him now or tomorrow but either way, you continue your internship with him tommorow, we good?” He asked her and got a nod again.

“My assistant will show his office to you now. Have a good day.” He wished her and finally heard her say something since she entered his office.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Okay sir.”

After she was showed to the editor’s office, Belle returned to Mrs Johnson’s. Sitting without doing anything for some minutes, she sighed. The man looked friendly, so it should be okay working with him for the next few months.

She then started to pack some of her office properties, ready to move them to her new spot. While she was packing, she saw a torn sheet of paper, it was an article about Ben written by Laura Johnson. She had torn that page off of an old news magazine she found in Mrs Johnson’s office when she first got here.

She started to read it again and got to the part where it was written in italics;

“I am not one for love.”- to all the single ladies who dream of Mr Larkson.

A tear left her eyes before she could stop it. It wet the sheet she held but she still put it in the carton box and wiped her cheeks with the back of her hands.

***

Time had passed and it was almost evening. Belle had been less busy the whole day and had been waiting for the office hours to end so when it was time, she picked up her purse, ready to leave but when she opened the door, she almost bumped into Nathan.

He had timed his activities for the whole day waiting for office hours to be over so he could go to her. He didn’t want her to leave the office without him.

“We are still going to see Laura right?” Belle heard him. She had forgotten again about what she agreed to.

“Yeah.” She just said.

While she drove with Nathan to the hospital, she decided to text Ben so he didn’t bother coming to pick her up or even send someone. She didn’t call because she wasn’t in the mood to talk to him.

“Don’t cone pick me up today.” She texted and got a call from him after some seconds. It got Nathan’s attention when her ringtone disturbed the quietness in the car.

Belle picked the call and put the phone to her ears despite not wanting to speak to him.

“I didn’t expect you would see my text so soon.” She told Ben over the phone.

“Are you going to see your sister?” He asked her, wanting to know why he shouldn’t come get her after work because he was already on his way to the Crisp-tv media house.

“No.” Her reply was simple and he noticed how she didn’t add an explanation as usual.

” What’s the matter? Are you okay? Did anyone say or do anything to you?” He got worried.

“I’m okay. I’m just going to see Mrs. Johnson and her baby at the hospital.”

“I could have taken you there.” Belle heard him and sighed, she didn’t want to tell him she was going there with Nathan so she just went mute.

“Belle?” Ben called her name when he didn’t hear her for some seconds.

“I think I will go to my sister’s after seeing Mrs. Johnson,” she told him, having nothing else in mind.

“I’m gonna cut the call now,” Belle added before hanging up. She sighed after.

“You okay?” She heard Nathan ask and almost screamed at him but didn’t.

“Yeah,” she just said with a false smile.