Cameron didn't come to pick her up that evening. It took Sharon one hour to finally accept that. And one silent cry in the train for her to get over that. Once she got back home, she changed and threw herself into the gym and sweated her tears away.

No more crying over some men. No more crying over some relationship that was only in her head. She couldn't believe she did this again. She came here specifically to get away from it. Not get into the same delusion with another guy. There were no words to describe the anger directed at herself.

Making a resolve to herself, to forget about men and romance, she threw herself into work and exercise. There was no time to think when she had so many things to read, understand and cram into her head. Most days, she barely had enough energy to eat, much less think about Cameron.

But on the rare days when she had a free moment or Cameron was mentioned within earshot, her only recourse was the gym. Running and sweating until her legs were jelly and her mind was focused on putting one step in front of the other without falling. It was only then that she had a blissful night sleep.

With that, two months breezed past. She was slowly settling into her new role as an agent. Taking on more work with regards to Logan. Being more independent. Being more hands. Slowly, slowly, her mentor was letting her do her own things. Slowly, slowly, she was getting into a routine. Slowly, slowly getting over her delusion.

Until one day, she had to see him again.

"Tell me you're kidding,"she gaped at Matt after a meeting with him. This was part of a series of meetings where Matt was informed of her progress via her mentor. She was usually part of said meetings so they were quite comfortable with each other.

"This was your initial responsibility. I mean before getting wrapped up in training and the new job."

"Well, I am still wrapped up in learning about the job. And I have newer responsibilities now. I-I, I don't time for this." Hoping she gave the right impression, she tried her best to calm down her heart. Her heart which had begun beating fast the moment Cameron was mentioned.

Was it just her or did the room feel small? It was like it was closing in on her. Exiting the room wasn't enough. Feeling like all the air in the room wasn't enough, she wanted to leave. Escape from this conversation. This conversation involving Cameron and possibly his girlfriend.

His girlfriend.

Something she strived to forget.

Something that had been confirmed within a week without any news from him

The week where he had apparently moved out but hadn't informed her.

She couldn't believe how worried she had been. He hadn't called her or texted her. She'd thought he was dying in some alley in the city. She had been worried enough one day to repeatedly bug the only other football player she knew. But she shouldn't have had to bother because a picture came out mere hours later explained everything.

Pictured leaving Starbucks somewhere in New York, it was clear he was still alive. And obviously enjoying himself as he had his arm around the itty-bitty waist of a beautiful, gorgeous woman. He was dressed down, clad in a simple gray top and blue jean, but they didn't detract from his good looks. They just accentuated his rugged good looks and lean form.

The woman was a perfect contrast to him, clad in a top and jeans that looked like they were painted on her. Her curves were a perfect fit against his hard edges. And her face. Her face. Feeling like a bitch, Sharon wanted to nitpick everything but she couldn't. Her face was devoid of all makeup and it was far from flawless. But the blemishes and redness served to highlight her confidence in herself and Cameron.

Her boyfriend.

The image devastated her. Luckily, she was at home when she saw it. Having heard about it in the office, it had taken all of her self-restraint to wait until she was alone. She was glad that she had. Doubling into herself, she forced herself to read the article that came with it.

And had been dealt the finishing blow. Containing a quote from him, she could barely read through the tears in her eyes. Cameron had responded to the shouts from the paparazzi, confirming their speculation. The woman was, indeed, his girlfriend.

She had had to take the next day off. That was when she had strengthened her resolve to forget about this humiliating delusion. It had taken this photo to realise she still had a little nugget of hope. But no ore. There was only going to be work in her life. Work and exercise.

And now, this.

She had been doing so well, too.

Gripping the files in her arms tightly, she followed Matt as he headed towards his office, telling herself that it was nothing. Even though this had come from the left field, she could handle this. Handle this so she wouldn't see him. She just had to play her cards right.

"Aren't there other people willing to do this? I mean, it's Cameron we're talking about. From the talk in the office, his girlfriend only made him all the more attractive." At Matt's stern look, she heaved a sigh of resignation. Of course he couldn't have that. As an agent, he was as much a protector of his virtue as he was the one to call him out on his bs. "Not even the guys, huh? Fine. I'll do it. When do I have to go?"

"Look, I know you have some feelings for him-"

"Wha- Who said that? I don't,"she denied vehemently. Her face heating up, she could just imagine how red she was becoming.

"I've seen you guys together. I know there was something going on-"

"Maybe from my side,"she muttered glumly, dropping into the chair across him.

"So you're not denying it?"

"What do you mean? Should I even bother? You've already seen through me,"she responded gloomily. It wasn't exactly a surprise that Matt noticed the changes in her. He hadn't been upfront about it but his questions during the review meetings were indicative that he was worried about her. And feeling his concern, she couldn't help but open up. Not about Cameron but other parts of the job. Somethings she might have kept back to not look bad in front of her boss. "If you know this already, can't you just get someone else to do it?"

"You just said you'll do it,"he cried in exasperation.

"I know that but you can't blame a girl for hoping. I mean, I'm sure you know that I don't want to see him,"she returned heatedly. She was still peeved. He knew her state of mind. Yet, he kept pushing her. Did he want her to spiral out of control? "Honestly, why does it have to be me? There's already so much on my plate and-"

"So does everybody else,"Matt interjected firmly. Unable to deny the veracity of his words, Sharon shut her mouth. Now that she was an agent-in-training, she knew how much work there was. Honestly, she was glad she had started where she had or the workload would have overwhelmed her. This was the workload on top of studying. Tapping her fingers nervously on the files on her lap, she waited for him to speak. "Fine. I can understand not wanting to face your crush. I mean, not everything works out in life, right? If I can guarantee that he won't be there, will you go without a fuss?"

"A-are you sure? Don't you want me to get an update on his treatment and progress?"

"Yes. And you can't do that if his therapist is busy with him, right?"

"What if his girlfriend is there?"

"That's the best I can do for you."

She was still hesitant about it but there was nothing much he could do. Heaving a heavy sigh, she nodded.

"Fine."

--------@@@@--------

The dreaded day finally came. Sharon felt like she was getting ready for battle from the moment she agreed to do this. Spending the past few days picking and buying the right outfit. Girding her loins before asking the makeup artists for new makeup tips. Sleeping early everyday so that no blemishes appear.

And on that morning, she didn't have anything to wear. The outfit she thought was cute and all out women power, looked bland and disgusting in the morning. The makeup she had practised over and over again was practically impossible to do. And there was a zit in the middle of her forehead.

Why?!

Why, of all days, today? Why did her body and brain betray her today?

Screaming to herself, she hurriedly got ready and refused to look at herself when she left. She had woken up an hour earlier and was still late. Luckily, she had had the presence of mind to prepare her dinner last night. There was no way she was in the right frame of mind to get anything in the slow cooker this morning.

The only thing that was in her favour was the trip to the office. She was so, so fortunate to have hailed a cab. This was not the time and day to be trapped in the subway. That was only going to make her worse.

Heaving a sigh of relief, she was just left to fiddle her thumbs in the cab. Traffic was, as usual, horrendous. Honks and curses could be heard from every corner of the street. But she was deaf to all that.

Her mind was on the meeting taking place in the next hour. The meeting with Cameron's physical therapist. The moment it came into mind, her breath shortened and her heart began pounding. Her mind went haywire. How was she supposed to get through this meeting?

Screaming to herself, for the hundredth time this morning, she was barely prepared when the cab came to a stop. Taking a deep breath, she paid the driver, barely paying attention to the exorbitant amount, and stepped into the building.

Time to get the show on the road.

------@@@@-----

"Thank you for having me. It's great to know that Cameron is doing,"Sharon said brightly, shaking the hand of Cameron's physical therapist and the program manager. This was the end of the meeting and she couldn't wait to get out of there. "With him settling into his treatment, we expect great things from him. If there is any issue, do let me or Matt know. Otherwise, we will leave him to your hands."

"Thank you again for putting your trust with us. We hope he will be recovered enough for the next season. And it's a pleasure to finally meet you, Ms Ashwood,"the physical therapist, Bryan, said. Her hand still in grasp, she was stuck on one word.

"Finally?"she asked. He sounded like he had heard about her. In a different way as to the office informing them that she was stopping by. This sounded personal.

"Yeah. Cameron spoke of you a few times,"the manager, Mike, said, smiling widely at her.

"Really? I h-hope they were all good things." An awkward laugh escaped her. Realising she still had her hand in Bryan's, she tugged it away and pulled at her skirt. This was a good time as any to leave. She was about to bid her goodbyes when they continued.

"Yeah. Cameron always talks about you when he's going through a bad day or a bad session,"Bryan said in a nostalgic tone. Always? That sounded a lot more than what actually happened. Keeping her smile on her face, she nodded as if understanding what he was saying. But she didn't understand anything.

"I remember when you were worried about him,"Mike said, cutting in. "Worried that he was pushing himself too hard. But every time you tried to make him stop, he'd say that Sharon would be disappointed in him and then continue doing whatever he was doing."

"He's quite a stubborn fella,"Sharon remarked with a twist of her lips. The meeting had been all about him but it was entirely professional and questions were on the technical aspects. Nothing about how he was, personally. Now that they were revealing the personal aspects, she hadn't realised she was so hungry to know more about him. Realising she was unravelling, she tried to stop by introducing a painful topic. "But surely his girlfriend working here is another point of motivation." The silence between the men was nerve-wracking. "Is there something wrong?"

"Ah, I have something important to do,"Mike said woodenly, leaving abruptly. She was surprised and was about to turn to Bryan when he, too, made up an excuse and practically pushed her out of the door.

Looking back at the office, she wondered what was going on. Was there something they didn't want to tell her? Maybe they felt that it was bad to speak of their colleague's relationship with a stranger. Especially when her partner was someone famous.

And now, she was peeved. It had taken all her strength to mention his girlfriend and to be shooed away like this was galling. Gripping the straps of her bag tightly, she took a deep breath and swept this feeling to the corner of her mind.

There was no time to deal with that. She had to return to the office and submit her report. More things to learn. Apparently, she would be in charge of a project soon and her nerves were worked up enough with this whole Cameron thing.

"Sharon?"

Surprised to hear a familiar voice, she looked up and smiled.

"Cameron!"

AN: Hey guys. Hope you enjoy the chapter. What do you think about it? Have you ever been in the same situation? Let me know. Share with me your thoughts and what you did to get over this. I mean, my relationship experience is remarkably empty so I'll have to live vicariously through you guys.

Also, check out my ko-fi for the final installment of "Outing with the twins". It's a small side project I'm doing where I post small snippets of the character's lives. It's things I can't put into the stories or things to expand on. Like the development of Joan and Paul. They're going to be next series of mini one shots. I plan to go into how they came together and their lives after getting together. So check them out on ko-fi from next week onwards.

Anyways, please VOTE and COMMENT if you liked the chapter. Follow me on Wattpad, ko-fi or Twitter for.... updates, I guess. And, and I will have something special coming up for fans of Accidental Babies. I'll update soon.

THANKS!!!

P.S. I feel like I have a lot of things to share but not one way to do so. So I will start a book where I post announcement and stuff soon. More info in the near future.