"Why? She?What the hell?" Her eyes widened as she witnessed an unimaginable thing, "Wait! Why am I... Why're there two me?" She blinked. As far as she remembered, she didn't have a twin sister then who was the girl at her desk?
"Am I hallucinating?" She rubbed her eyes to see again, just then someone tapped on her shoulder, she yelped. She then turned to see a girl trying to get her attention, "Are you okay?" The girl asked with concern, her Id card hung down her neck, displaying her name, 'Susanne Cruz'
"I don't know," she shook her head, "Oh wait, do you see me there? Am I sitting there?" Arielle asked the girl, "What are you talking about?" The girl frowned adjusting her horn-rimmed glasses. "Why would you be there when you're standing right in front of me?"
"No?" She gave a nervous smile, with her eyes closed she slowly turned her head and she looked with one eye closed, her other eye shot open when she didn't see anyone there. "huh?" She tilted her head in confusion.
Soon other girls stopped by them, "Hey, let's go."
"Yes." Susanne nodded at her colleagues as she gave a last long stare at Arielle who was rubbing her eyes and muttering things, she only wanted to invite Arielle for lunch with them but she sighed shaking her head and went after her friends.
"What now? Am I seeing things?" Arielle rubbed her eyes and looked back at her desk, "Pull your self together, Elle." She slapped her cheeks and nodded, "Forget everything, Let's go have a lunch date with Reece." She said with a gleeful smile.
She went to her desk and looked at the note once again, it didn't say where they'll meet for lunch so she decided to wait there, after few minutes of waiting she glanced at his chair through the glass, he wasn't inside. Where did he go? She looked around, her stomach grumbled with hunger. "I'm hungry!" She pouted as she patted her stomach.
She then searched for her phone which was provided to her by the company this morning, it wasn't there. "Why is this happening to me?" She leaned back on her chair and looked up complaining to almighty.
She then noticed Mr. temporary secretary and called out to him, "Tom!" She waved as she ran to him, "Yes, Miss Smith." He looked at her with a plastic smile on his face."Have you seen Reece?" She asked catching up to him. He gave her a disapproving look hearing her call her boss by his name.
"He's gone out for lunch," He replied.
"Heh?" She frowned at his words."But he..." She scratched her head.
"Well, Miss Smith, I've got some work to do, now, excuse me." saying this he walked away.
"He went out for lunch by himself? Why did he ask me then?" Arielle pouted sulkily as her stomach growled again. "Okay tummy, let's head to the cafeteria then," She rubbed her tummy but when she reached the cafeteria the food had finished and before she realized it, the lunch break was over.
She kept her head down covered with files as she groaned in frustration, "I'm hungry." She whined as she took out her frustration on the file. Her head shot up when she heard a rustle, she found a choco pie with a sticky note, "You managed the meeting smoothly, good work. -R" She looked inside his cabin, her eyes met his and he smiled at her. "Aww!" She smiled hugging the Chocopie.
But then something struck her mind, 'which meeting?'
"Who cares?" She shrugged as she gobbled up her Chocopie.
At the end of the day, she stretched her body, waiting for the bus home, "So much for the first day, I feel like I did work for the entire month in one day," She sighed. "Excuse me, this is a story and I'm the author, cut me some slack will you? Even in real life, I don't have this much work, can't it be like suddenly time skipped to a month, progress the story faster, at this rate when can I go back home?" She complained looking heavenward.
Just then a black Mercedes stopped in front of her, she looked around, she was the only one standing there, the window glass rolled down and it was Reece, her face lit up in an instant, "Get inside," He gestured.
"Me?" She blinked.
"You see anyone else? Just get inside," Tom glared at her from the passenger seat.
"Tom," Reece warned him.
She gladly took her seat next to Reece.
****
The door to the book store opened as he was about to put a spoonful of pasta in his mouth.
"Food!" Arielle shouted as she ran inside.
He dropped the fork on the plate as he leaned back, crossing his arms against his chest, "Statue." The word rolled from his lips and she froze instantly, he smiled victoriously.
"That's not fair." She muttered.
"You have the perfect timing, don't you? Always interrupting when I'm about to eat, that's unfair." He retorted. "This, I'm not sharing." He added.
When he savored the taste of the pasta, she licked her lips and gulped.
"Stop staring, don't eye my food, I'll get indigestion." He covered the dish with his hands.
"This is torture!" She complained.
"Why? Your "heartthrob, the sweetheart, the sweetest, kindest, and the most understanding new boss unlike your old rude boss" didn't feed you?" He mocked her.
"I'm sorry, Your majesty. Please forgive your lowly servant." She pleaded as her stomach grumbled.
He shook his head in resignation and fixed her plate, "over," He muttered and in an instant, Arielle sat there devouring the food.
"Easy," He muttered as he wiped the sauce stain at the tip of her nose.
She started to narrate the day's events to him, "And Reece was so cool at the meeting-"
"Eat or talk, one thing at a time." He scolded her.
"But-"
"Shh."
After they finished the food, Arielle continued, "and he even gifted me a bouquet," She smiled shyly, "He even invited me out for lunch but I couldn't go with him, I even lost my phone as soon as I got it.....he even dropped me here," She giggled.
"Remind me why am I listening to your love story?" He rolled his eyes.
"It's not my love story, it's my character's love story." She shrugged. "And I don't have anyone here to share it with, you're the only one in this unfamiliar world whom I can talk to, share my things, with whom I can be myself." She said playing with her fingers, "you're my only friend here." She added.
"I don't remember being friends with you." He shook his head disapprovingly.
"Okay, just pretend I'm talking to myself then." She pouted sulkily.
"That sounds good, that sounds mad and perfect I don't want to associate myself with mad people." He picked up his dishes and moved it to the sink.
"OK, boss, sorry for even breathing," She pouted sulkily.
When she reached home, she threw her bag in one direction and got into the shower, getting changed she jumped into bed, as soon as he closed her eyes she dozed off.
"Oh my god!" Her eyes shot open when she heard someone scream, "What now?" She lazily got up from her bed and rubbed her eyes.
"What's wrong, Iva?" She heard a male voice. "Iva? Isn't that me?" She scratched her hair.
"Joe looks like someone broke in." She heard the girl panic.
"Joe? That's Iva's best friend," She muttered.
"Wait, let me check." Joe shielded Iva as he moved in.
"Let's call the police, what if the burglar's still here, I'm scared." Iva stopped the guy.
"What's going on?" Arielle opened the door and spotted the guy and the girl outside, she immediately shut the door, Iva and Joe were startled by the noise, "Some one's there." Iva gulped.
Arielle shut the door immediately when she spotted the girl who was a mirror image of hers, “What the hell?” Her brain tried to process the entire information, “She’s Iva? There’s a real Iva?” She panicked. She then heard the girl mutter, “Someone’s there,”“Let me check,” She heard the guy speak.“Wait, Joe, it’s dangerous, let’s call the police,” Iva suggested.
After few hours of drive, they reached the place, Reece got out walked to the other side and opened the door for her offering his hand, she held the offered hand and gently got out of the car minding her dress. "where?" She muttered as her eyes focused on the dazzling view of the hotel."Let's go," he gave her hand a gentle squeeze as they climbed the stairs.They moved further inside, entering a hall. Her breath hitched and she was suddenly very nervous as all eyes focused on them, remember when the female characters in the novels used to feel very uncomfortable and out of place at those high-class ball
"Got the reality check, Elle?" She sighed as she looked at the flat upstairs. She then made her way down the road carrying her heels in her hands, she walked barefoot, "Do I have to sleep on the streets now?" She sighed as she hung her head.After a few minutes of self discussion, she made her mind and then walked to the bookstore, "Who cares if he'd get angry? Who cares? this is the world I created, me Arielle, the damn author, everything in this world is basically mine, so is his bookstore." She nodded. "As long as I d
"Oh yes, now that there is real Ivana and I'm not the one so let me introduce myself again," She cleared her throat and extended her hand, "Hello boss, this is your part-timer, scrap that maybe full-timer, you can call me Elle.""Eiden," He shook her extended hand."Oh my god!" She exclaimed.
"God! I'm in trouble!" Arielle paced across the washroom, right now, she had two problems to deal with, First, she couldn't go out to attend the meeting, why? Cause Ivana must be there already. Second, Tom had been waiting for her outside. Damn him! She stared at her reflection in the mirror and sighed.She then slowly opened the door and leaning against the wall, she peeked at Tom, she then immediately got back inside and shut the door behind her, the man was still there, "Why did I even make this annoying character?" She cursed herself as she paced again trying to think her way out. She then stopped and looked heavenwards, "You put me inside this novel, help me, will you?" She complained.She again went out and peeked at him, "How persistent!" She clicked her tongue, just then his phone rang and he fished his phone out of his pocket, he turned his back to her as he answered the call, 'This is my chance!' She nodded to herself as she stared at the fire exi
Tired by the hide and seek for the entire day at the office, she finally reached home. Her stomach rumbled as she got inside, she hadn't had anything the entire day. Following the smell of the food, "Got some food for me too, boss?" She asked entering the kitchen."Take a seat," He told her fixing their plates."Hmm, I missed you," She stared at food as she took a fork full of spaghetti inside her mouth. She relished her first food of the day. Her patience snapped with the taste and she stuffed the food in her mouth faster. "Slow down," He wiped the food stain from her nose. "This is my first food of the day, eat yours faster or I'll steal that too," She told him stuffing the food.He just stared at her as she gobbled up, not even leaving a stain on her plate, he sighed shaking his head and shifted his plate to her, "boss," She looked at him with teary eyes. "Have it," He urged, "I'm sorry for all the mean things I've ever said to you, you're the bes
On their way home, Alexa carried the bag in her arms, with utmost care just as one would do while holding a baby, "Why would you spend that much money on the dress?" She shook her head. "Aren't you taking the 'godmother' role way too seriously? You even bought me the glass shoe," She turned her head to her side, looking at him she frowned."You wanted to be a Cinderella and now you're complaining?" He gave her an annoyed look. "Who was pestering me about wanting to go to the ball and not having a dress?"
Just as she got out of the washroom, her eyes caught the color of the fabric which was the same as hers, 'hmm?" She saw the dress was exactly the same as hers, she narrowed her eyes, "Wow! And they said it was the only piece in the whole country! Liers!" She clicked her tongue, "I knew we shouldn't have spent much on this dress," She said with a humph.She then made her way to the place where Reece had been but now he was gone, "Where did he go?" She ran her eyes through the crowd and immediately spotted him, "There he is," She smiled as she began to walk to him but she halted as she