Love Beyond The Past

"Jessie... Jessie! Wake up!" Rose's voice pierced my ears. I rolled over and pulled my blanket over my head to reduce the sound. "You have an important meeting today."

My eyes snapped open at the mention of the meeting. Oh, shit! I shouldn't have overslept. Or at least I should've woken up when Rose first came to me. She had been trying to wake me up for about fifteen minutes.

Ditching my comfortable blanket, I quickly got down from my bed. The moment my feet touched the cold marble floor, my head spun and I fell back on the mattress.

"Jessica!" Rose gasped as she approached me. My eyes closed again and I shook my head before making them open wide. Rose's panicked face was hovering over my drowsy one. I gave her a thumbs up, gesturing that everything was okay.

The frown on her face told me she didn't buy it. "How many sleeping pills did you take last night?" she questioned. There we go. She switched to mom mode.

I squinted my eyes as they adjusted to the daylight. "Three or four," I replied lazily. "I don't really remember."

"See?" She pointed a finger at me. "No wonder you can't even stand on your feet. If you're going to take those pills-which you know I'm against-at least only take one."

I ignored her as usual and rushed to the bathroom so that I could get ready.

"You're going to get addicted to them and you don't even realize it!" she shouted from the other side of the bathroom door.

I knew that Rose was worried about me. Because she was the only one who saw me in my darkest moments. She was the only friend who I could rely on in any situation. She even let me move into her apartment when I had left my house three years ago.

However, no matter how much she was there for me, she didn't understand why I couldn't stop taking those pills. I was scared of the nightmares that had started to haunt me every night after that incident, and sleeping pills were the only things that could make me sleep at night.

After a quick shower, I put on a black suit, a light-pink collared shirt beneath it. On normal days, I preferred a feminine blouse and a pencil skirt but today's meeting was big. Not for me but for my boss, Mr. Michael Thompson. I needed to look my best as his secretary.

I was about to grab a sandwich from the dining table before leaving when a note under a tablespoon caught my attention.

"I'm late for work because of you, so I left first. Don't forget to eat breakfast before leaving. Have a nice day :)"

~Rose

My lips curved into a smile. Rose's mom mode included caring, too. I dug into my bacon and eggs like a hungry beast then left for work.

I took out the spare key from my shoulder bag and opened the main door of Mr. Thompson's house. Yes, house. I needed to start my day as a cook and end it like a secretary.

As I entered, an expensive living room with sky-blue walls welcomed me like always. Everyone at least once in a lifetime would wish to live here. I couldn't imagine living here, though. I was happy with my small, two-bedroom apartment and the view from my balcony. Who would clean such a big house every weekend, anyway?

I walked into the kitchen and put my bag in a corner. My boss was busy getting ready upstairs while I prepared breakfast for him.

My boss's footsteps reached my ears, and I scurried my way towards the stairs. I glanced at him to pick a tie. Today's shirt color was grey and hugged his rugged body perfectly underneath his black suit. Opening the cabinet next to the stairs, I grabbed a black tie to match his suit.

He stood in front of me like a statue in his six foot height. Thanks to my black pumps, I could reach his eye level and help him tie his tie.

It became my daily routine since I started working as his secretary. Come early to the house, cook breakfast, then help him with his tie. These are the extra benefits you get if you don't have a college degree and get a job with only a recommendation.

But I guess the main reason he told me that I had to come to his house every morning instead of the office was because of his tie. It was still incredulous to me that my hard-working boss didn't know how to tie a simple tie.

He walked past me towards the dining table once I finished tying his tie. I had already set his breakfast on the dining table, so he started eating with an iPhone in his other hand. He always checked his emails while having breakfast.

"Ms. Williams?"

"Yes, Mr. Thompson?" I answered, standing next to him.

"When's today's meeting scheduled?"

I checked the schedule on my phone. "At ten-thirty A.M., sir."

He nodded, finished his breakfast, and stood up. Grabbing his plate, he headed towards the kitchen to place it in the sink. It was one of the many things I liked about him. He always puts back his used plates and coffee mugs by himself.

I grabbed my bag and his car keys before following him towards his car.

"So, we're heading to the client's office?" he asked, glancing back at me.

"Yes, sir." I planned the schedule so that we could be on time for the meeting. I knew how important it was to him that everything was perfect. He fired an employee last month because he was an hour late to a meeting trying to finish a report. Everyone in the office gave their all because no one knew when our boss would find something to be a slip-up and fire us.

A few hours later, we were waiting for Mr. Daniel Nelson in his office. The meeting had gone smoothly and we just needed to get the contract signed.

I watched as Mr. Thompson drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair impatiently. I glanced back for any signs of Mr. Nelson but there were none. Where the hell was he? He may have been the CEO of Nelson Inc., an American fashion house, but I wasn't ready to face my boss's temper again because of him.

The office door swung open and Mr. Nelson walked towards us as he said, "I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, Mr. Thompson."

Finally! I sighed internally. Mr. Nelson had aged more from the last time I saw him at an official party. The wrinkles on his face had increased and his black hair had almost turned into a grey.

My boss stood from his chair. "It's okay. I understand how busy your schedule is."

He was right. Nelson Inc. was a popular brand known for its fashionable clothes. Mr. Nelson was quite a busy person, just like my boss.

Well, my boss was definitely busier than Mr. Nelson.

The Thompson & Smith Group had been just a start-up advertising company when I'd joined two years ago. But Mr. Thompson and his partner John Smith's hard work helped to build and grow the company into the success it was now.

The two men shook hands before taking their seats.

"I'm throwing a party tonight to celebrate our collaboration." Mr. Nelson was known for throwing a party whenever he got the chance to. "I hope you don't have any plans because I have a surprise announcement that I'm sharing tonight," he continued. "And besides, it would feel wrong to celebrate our partnership without you being there."

"I'll check my calendar to see if I'm free." Mr. Thompson glanced at me. I quickly unlocked my phone and checked his schedule before nodding at him. He looked back at Mr. Nelson and smiled. "I'll be there."

"You can bring a plus one if you'd like." Mr. Nelson winked.

"Well, I can't promise you that."

The mysterious thing about my boss was that he didn't have a girlfriend. The girls in our office would ogle at him every morning when we entered the office, but he hardly noticed them.

I still remember my interview day. It was the first time I had seen him and I had to admit that he was the most handsome man that I had ever seen-excluding celebrities. I had hardly been able to introduce myself when my eyes had locked with his hazel ones. It wasn't because I had been scared of the interview but because of his looks and his intent gaze.

"You're young and successful yet you don't have a girlfriend? Surely there's a line of girls waiting outside your office every day."

Mr. Thompson shifted in his chair. I sensed his discomfort in regard to Mr. Nelson's questions, so I decided to change the topic.

"Well, I'm really sorry, Mr. Nelson. Mr. Thompson has another meeting scheduled in an hour, so if you wouldn't mind..."

"Sure." Mr. Nelson gave me a warm smile. They discussed the details of the project for a while before Mr. Nelson signed the contract.

The moment we stepped out of the client's office, Mr. Thompson said, "I don't remember any meeting that was scheduled in an hour."

Damn! I wished he wouldn't have brought it up. "I wanted to change the subject," I muttered, dodging eye contact.

"I don't need you to speak for me, Ms. Williams," he snapped, making me flinch at his sudden outburst.

"I was just trying to help," I mumbled.

He didn't say anything else and walked towards his car. I followed him.

"Wait!" he said when I was about to get into the driver's seat. "Take a cab and go home." My brows furrowed. "Go and get ready for the party," he added, staring at me. He must've noticed the confusion on my face, which I failed to mask.

One of the most important tips for work: you have to learn to hide your emotions in front of your boss. I still suck at it, though.

I always accompanied him for official parties as his secretary but this was an unofficial one.

"You want me to accompany you to the party?" I asked, pointing my index finger at my chest.

"Yes," he replied in a lazy tone. Oh no! Lazy doesn't fit in his dictionary. Slow. He had replied slowly.

"But-"

"As my friend."

Friend? My eyebrows shot up. I couldn't recall when we became friends.

"Go home," he ordered.

"Yes, sir." I held back a sigh and turned on my heels to leave.

"It's Mike." His words halted me in my tracks.

I turned around to face him.

"My friends call me Mike," he said with an awkward smile.

So now he wants me to call him by his first name. Not even a first name, but a nickname. Wait! Did he smile, too? Was I seeing things? Was he feeling sick? Because he was being strange today. What's going on in his mind?

"Looks like someone has plans tonight."

My gaze followed the voice. Rose was leaning against the door frame of my room with a smile on her face. Just like her name, her rosy skin-tone was flawless. The curls of her long brunette hair were a little messy. It looked like she came to me directly without even changing out of her work clothes.

"I'm going to a party." I leaned closer to the mirror as I applied a bright red lipstick on my lips.

"Party!" she exclaimed. "Can I come?"

"No." I shook my head.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm going with..." I trailed off, a strange feeling stirring within me. I was about to say his nickname.

"With...?"

"My boss," I stated, dismissing the unsettling feeling. "So, how do I look?"

She scrunched her face. "You look gross."

"Do I look that bad?" I glanced back at the mirror, slightly disappointed by her response.

She approached me and placed the back of her hand on my forehead. "Are you okay?"

A deep frown tugged between my brows at her chuckle and I brushed her hand away. "Seriously, I don't want to look bad."

"Why's that?" She raised a brow.

Why is that? I didn't know. I'd never cared about how I looked when I went to official parties, yet a part of me wanted to look good tonight. Maybe it was because it was an unofficial party, or maybe...

"Jessie." Rose snapped her fingers in front of my face, bringing me back from my thoughts.

"It's an unofficial party, so I want-"

"Unofficial?" Her bushy eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

I told her everything, starting from Mr. Nelson's invitation to my boss's weird behavior, not forgetting to mention the nickname.

"Sounds sexy." She beamed. "Well, you should change into something elegant."

I watched her head towards my closet and open it. "Oh my God! Jessie, your closet needs an upgrade," she said, shuffling through my clothes.

My closet had dresses and work outfits that I had bought a long time ago. It had been ages since I'd bought a new outfit.

Rose sighed and rushed out of my room. I heard her twisting a door knob and then her steps faded. She might have gone into her room. A few seconds later, she came back to me with a dress. It was a maroon dress with a sweetheart neck.

"Go and change into this," she ordered. Rose and I had the same slim figure, so we didn't have any problem sharing clothes.

I smiled and took it before going inside the bathroom. Once I got changed into Rose's dress, I looked down at myself. It felt comfortable except for the length of the skirt. Being an inch taller than Rose made the skirt only reach above my knees. I tried to pull it down, but the attempt was futile.

I walked out of the bathroom and sat back in front of the mirror. When I tried to fix my lipstick, Rose demanded for me to close my eyes so she could work on my face. I hesitantly did as told. Rose tended to do far more dramatic makeup than I did, so I was scared as to what she'd do to me.

"It's done," she said after ten minutes. I opened my eyes to see my reflection in the mirror. The combination of peach and copper eyeshadow highlighted my blue eyes while the blush on my cheeks brought attention to my smile. I couldn't help but be mesmerized by my reflection. It was like looking at a completely different person.

She looked at me for a second before pulling the rubber band from my ponytail, letting the loose curls of my honey-blonde hair fall on my shoulders.

"Okay, now you're ready." I grinned, feeling good. I couldn't even recall when was the last time I'd felt good about myself.

The doorbell rang, catching our attention. Rose walked towards the front door to open it. By the time I made it to the living room, John was already inside. His black suit that matched his hair had wrinkles after a long day of work. He stopped in his tracks when his brown eyes fell on me. "Oh my goodness! Is that Jessie?"

"She looks hot, right?" Rose asked.

"Can't say. Boyfriend rules prevent me from complimenting any other girl's appearance but my girlfriend's." He wrapped his arm around Rose's waist and planted a kiss on her forehead.

John had light skin that was a bit similar to Rose's complexion but his brown eyes were darker than hers. Though they were still in their work clothes, they looked gorgeous together. They were a perfect pair.

"Oh, come on, at least say I did a good job." Rose frowned.

John chuckled. "Of course you did, baby."

"I definitely worked my magic on her," Rose praised herself. They both laughed and walked towards me.

I let out a nervous chuckle as I adjusted my short skirt. It was my first time wearing such a short skirt because all of my skirts covered my knees completely. At least it covered my thighs or I would have changed back into my previous outfit.

The footsteps creaked against the wooden floor, making us look back for the source of the sound. My boss was standing at the entrance of the front door.

"Mike!" John said as he walked towards him. Rose followed John.

John Smith was Michael Thompson's business partner. They were childhood friends and had started their advertising agency Thompson & Smith Group together three years back.

"Hi, Mike! Come inside," Rose invited him.

"No, it's okay. I came to drop John off and thought that I could take Jessica with me if she was ready."

"Well, she is definitely ready." Rose stretched her hand dramatically in my direction.

Drama queen.

The moment he looked at me, his dark brows rose a little and his hazel eyes grew wide. His eyes trailed from my eyes down to my feet and back up to my eyes.

"Hi! Mi-Mr. Mike."

Damn!

I stuttered the same way I had on the day of my interview. I couldn't help it because he looked damn handsome in his dark charcoal suit with a red tie. John must have helped him with his tie-I assumed he'd done it before I started working for Mr. Thompson.

Both Rose and John cleared their throats, which broke our intense eye contact. They both stifled a laugh and the atmosphere grew awkward. I took a step back and turned my head away sheepishly.

"I'll be in the car," Mike told me. He turned on his heel and exited the apartment.

Rose and John chuckled, earning a glare from me. Grabbing my handbag, I followed Mike.

He was waiting for me in his car, just as promised. I was shocked to see him in the driver's seat because I was the one who usually drove him around.

I didn't intend to ask any questions and took the passenger seat next to him. He started driving without sparing me a glance.

Why isn't he saying anything? Should I start the conversation?

It was the most awkward drive we had ever shared. Before this, I had been comfortable around him since we always kept it professional. We never discussed our personal life or any other topic that wasn't work-related. I knew that I was only uncomfortable now since he had referred to me as his friend.

God! What's going on? This is so awkward.

"We're here," Mike said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Huh?" I looked at him before checking my surroundings. I was so lost in my own head that I didn't realize we had already arrived at the party.

We both walked to the front door together. I stopped a few steps away as a surge of nervousness settled in my stomach.

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking at me.

"Nothing. I'm just a little nervous," I admitted before adjusting my dress.

"No need to be. You look great."

I looked into his eyes. It was the first he had ever complimented me.

"Just be confident." He grabbed my hand before placing it around his arm.

A smile crept on my lips but I bit it back when he looked at me.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yes, Mr. Mike."

"Just Mike."

I bobbed my head like a kid.

A beautiful view welcomed us as we entered the backyard of Mr. Nelson's house. Trees were decorated with string lights, illuminating the backyard. Some guests were already standing near their tables, which were decorated with navy-blue cloth. The large table at the other end glowing with the candles and lots of food.

We grabbed our wine glasses from a passing waiter and started talking to some of our regular clients that were also attending the party. I started to feel comfortable after seeing more familiar faces. A few sips of wine and conversations with familiar faces relaxed me.

Mr. Nelson clinked his glass with a spoon to get everyone's attention. He smiled once it grew quiet and said, "Welcome, everyone! Thank you for being here. As you know, I planned to announce a surprise tonight."

Hushed whispers filled the air as people tried to figure out what the surprise could be. "I would like to invite the famous model and actress, Ms. Katherine Douglas, to our company! She is the brand ambassador for our new product."

I heard some gasps and some claps. I knew that our new project was to advertise their shoe product, so I figured a model or a small celebrity would be the ambassador. I didn't think Katherine Douglas, one of the most popular celebrities in the nation, would agree to be the brand ambassador, though. It was, as promised, a big surprise.

Everyone shifted their eyes to see Katherine Douglas walking towards Mr. Nelson. Her dark green dress reached her foot with a slit that exposed her leg and her red hair was settled on her right shoulder, revealing her bare back. She looked more beautiful in real life. People stared in awe at her beauty.

I shifted my gaze to Mike to see his expression. The wine glass in his hand stopped in mid-air near his mouth. His lips were slightly parted and he wasn't blinking as he continued to stare at Katherine.

"Oh God, Mike!" I gasped when he spilled his wine on his tie.

He looked at his tie and hissed, "Shit!"

"I always carry an extra one in my handbag. Let me go and grab it." I took his car keys as I had left my bag in his car.

My mind spun as I sprinted away from him, filled with thoughts. How could he spill his wine on his own tie? Was he just as mesmerized by Katherine's beauty as everyone else? In the office he behaved like he didn't care about girls like that...

Whatever.

I took the spare tie and went back to the party. My eyes scanned the area for Mike. My shoulders tensed when I found him. He was talking with Katherine Douglas. I could tell by the look on his face that he was upset. Maybe he was not pleased with being in front of a celebrity with a ruined tie on. I better hurry and change his tie before he loses his temper.

"Excuse me, I need to borrow Mike for a second." I grabbed Mike's hand before walking away, leaving the beautiful woman by herself.

"What are you doing?" He frowned.

"Sorry... I have your tie. Let me change it." My words were hasty as my hands were already removing his tie. I replaced his spoiled tie with the new one and let out a sigh.

When I looked back at him, a dangerous smirk landed on his lips. He grabbed my hand before walking back towards Katherine Douglas. His arm encircled my shoulder, startling me.

"Meet my girlfriend, Jessica Williams," Mike said.

Girlfriend?

"Wha-" He cut me off by placing his lips on mine. My eyes grew wide and my breath hitched. He pulled back the very next minute. Tongue-tied, I stared at him.

Did he just kiss me? Oh God! He introduced me as his girlfriend, too.

"Nice to meet you, Jessica Williams," Katherine said coldly and took a sip from her wine glass. I couldn't react as Mike's hand trailed from my shoulder to my waist, sending shivers through my body. He pressed my waist gently, shifting his gaze from me to Katherine.

"Ni-Nice to meet you," I finally said.

"Hey, babe, can we talk?" Mike said, looking at me.

Babe?

Before I could reply, he turned to Katherine and said, "Excuse us. We need to talk about something privately."

"Sure." She gave me a tight smile.

I watched her leave, confused by her reaction. I didn't even offend her, so why did she look pissed? I removed Mike's hand from my waist the second Katherine was out of our sight.

"What...what are you doing?" I stammered. He placed his finger on his lips to shush me. My lips trembled beneath his small touch and I pressed my lips together to stop it. I couldn't get affected by him. Even if I did, I couldn't let it show.

"Look," his hand reached to the back of his neck as he continued, "I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend."

"What?"

"Just for the night. I can't explain why, but please..." I couldn't believe my ears. Please... that word from Mike's lips sounded new but I couldn't ignore the desperation in his voice.

I sighed. "Just for tonight."

"Thanks." He gave me a small smile.

Turning around, I tried to walk into the crowd but froze when Mike's hand rested on my back. He was standing close to me. I tilted my head and glanced up at him. He looked at me and said, "We have to look realistic."

I nodded. His eyes darted around at our surroundings then fixed back on my face. My breathing grew uneven when his face came closer to mine. "What are you..." I trailed off when his lips brushed my earlobe.

"Smile," he whispered.

"I can't smile when you're this close." He didn't move back an inch. He instead whispered, "Just try to laugh like I was telling you a joke."

"How can I do that when you aren't telling any jokes?" His hand that was on my back slowly moved to the side of my torso near my waist area. He started to tickle me. A helpless giggle escaped my lips.

"That's good." He stopped tickling and rested his hand on the small area of my back. I gave him an incredulous look before we walked back to the clients and talked with them. The whole time, he didn't remove his hand.

And when I was enjoying my chicken slider later that evening, Mike brought his right hand to my face. I stopped eating and stared into his eyes. His thumb wiped the cheese off the corner of my lip, making me gulp hard.

Katherine stared at us the entire time. Whenever I felt her eyes on me, I turned to look at her, causing her eyes to instantly avert. What's wrong with her?

The rest of the party went well without any awkward situations. Afterwards, Mike dropped me off at home. He didn't even utter a word on our way back. I didn't force him to explain to me what happened at the party since he didn't seem to be in the mood for questions.

I opened the front door with my spare key as I didn't want to disturb Rose and John. Heading straight to my room, I changed into my pajamas. My sleeping pills were missing from the last rack of my nightstand. I searched for them in the other racks but couldn't find them.

Rose...

It was definitely her. I kept changing my hiding spot for them but she still managed to find them and move them so I couldn't use them.

I checked everywhere. My room, the living room, the kitchen, everywhere except Rose's room. My hand raised to knock on her door but I dropped it. It wasn't the right time. They might have been sleeping as it was past twelve.

I gave up and sat on the couch in the living room. I turned on the television and turned the volume down to not disturb my friends.

Eventually, the heaviness of my eyelids became overwhelming but my mind was thinking about Mike. All day he had given me shock after shock. First, he wanted me to accompany him to an unofficial party as his friend. Next, he complimented me and then...

...He introduced me as his girlfriend to a famous actress and kissed me in front of her.

I shook my head to clear the memories but the kiss kept replaying in my mind.

Why was I behaving like a teenager who had just experienced her first kiss when I was twenty-three years old? And Mike was twenty-five. We should have been acting like adults but I couldn't stop the inkling feeling at the back of my mind. His touch hadn't felt weird nor scary. In fact, it had been arousing.

I threw my head back on the couch and closed my eyes.

***

"Wake up, Jessie." Rose nudged my shoulder to wake me up.

I groaned. "Can't you see that I'm sleeping? Go away."

I pushed her hand away and shifted to my side.

"You're smiling like an idiot in your sleep. Can I know why?"

My eyes fluttered open. "I was smiling in my sleep?"

She nodded, smiling. "What happened? Did you have any nightmares?"

Pulling myself to a sitting position, I leaned back against the couch. "No, I think I had a good dream."

"Really?" she squealed, pulling me into a hug. One day, she would definitely break my bones with her excitement.

John woke up and ran into the living room. His brows were furrowed with worry. "What happened?" he asked, his gaze shuffling between me and Rose in panic.

"She had a good dream," she squealed again and hugged John this time.

Confusion crossed over his face but he hugged her back. "So?"

"So?! She didn't have a nightmare. She can move on from her dark past."

I didn't think my nightmares would stop haunting me easily but a small hope rose inside me because at least I had a good dream.

"What was your dream about?" Rose asked, turning to me.

I couldn't tell her that I had been dreaming about Mike. She would have tried to set me up with him if I told her. I had to tell her about last night's incident, though.

"Rose... I need to tell you something." I shifted my eyes to John and added, "I want you here, too."

They both nodded and sat on the opposite couch.

I told them everything. Their widened eyes and dropped jaws were evidence that they were just as surprised and shocked as I was.

"Wait! Mike kissed you?!" Rose exclaimed.

"Yes, and he introduced me as his girlfriend to Katherine Douglas."

"Katherine Douglas? You met her in real life?" Rose's smile brightened. She had been a big fan of Katherine for years now.

"Yes, she's our project's brand ambassador. I'm so embarrassed... how can I face her again?"

"So, you're telling me that Katherine is our new project's brand ambassador?" John asked, frowning.

I nodded. His jaw clenched.

"I need to see Mike." He stood up.

"What happened?"

John ignored my question and stormed out of the house.

Rose and I exchanged suspicious glances before she started her interrogation about the kiss and last night. I ignored her, though, and went to my room to get ready for work.

I was standing at the main door of Mike's house and struggling with my thoughts. After last night's incident, an uneasy feeling stopped me from entering the house. Don't be so dramatic, I thought. It was more of a peck than a kiss, nothing more. I let out a heavy breath, comforted by the thought.

I took the spare keys to open the door but when I tried to open it, the door was unlocked. My brows furrowed in confusion.

I pushed the door open and my eyes grew wide at the sight of the living room. Broken flower vases were spread across the room and the coffee table was flipped on its side. The couch pillows were lying on the floor. The living room was a complete mess.

I was scared at the thought that a thief might have broken into the house. My heart raced against my ribcage at the very next thought of Mike being hurt. Is he okay?!

"Mike!" I screamed and ran upstairs to check on him. I knew where his room was since I always picked out his suits whenever we had emergency meetings, so I didn't waste a moment to reach his room.