"Why is this door open?" A voice inquired from the entrance of the quiet and dark room.
Ashley, who was too tired to get up, listened quietly as the pondering person moved closer to where she lay.

"Did someone break in?" The feminine voice asked again.

Ashley could hear the faint noise the carpet made whenever someone thudded over its softness.

"Whoever you are, you had better come out. I have a weapon that would crack your head open." The threatening voice faltered a bit and that amused Ashley.

After identifying the voice to be that of Tamara, the company's recent recruit, Ashley decided to get up and save the curious woman the trouble of racking her head and reaching for weapons. So, with support from the arm of her fine-looking office chair, she got up and startled Tamara who had just turned on the switch.

"Oh my God! Oh, you scared me!" Tamara moved closer, her hands clutched over her chest, a look of worry gracing her small, round face. "Boss, why... Why are you...?" Tamara swept her bangs to the side and looked behind the desk where Ashley had transformed into a mini-room. "Is everything okay?"

"Is everything okay...?" Ashley repeated to herself as she sat on the chair. "Tamara, is anything ever okay in this world?"

"Uh...." Tamara didn't know what to make of the scene she had just walked into. "What happened?"

"This place..." Ashley placed her hand on her chest. "It hurts a lot."

"What happened?" Tamara asked again while her worried expression overpowered her face.

Ashley wondered whether to tell Tamara her pitiful story. She wondered if her love story that was cut short was worth telling.

Love story?

Ashley could have scoffed at her thoughts if not for the heaviness in her throat.

"I am hurting, Tamara. This is like my divorce all over again. But this time, the pain is different. It is crazier. It is so bad that it makes me want to run back into his arms, but I can't."

"Is it that man you came with the other time?" Ashley nodded. "Did he cheat on you as your ex-husband did? That bastard..." Tamara fisted her hands and smeared her lips. It seemed as though she was ready to bust the balls of the person that hurt her.

Ashley found her reaction very amusing. Then, she thought about Tamara's question. If Dave had cheated on her, it would have been better. That way, she would know it was over between them. But... The situation was way complicated.

"I just found out that he is married but separated. He even has a kid. You know..." Ashley leaned into the chair. "But that is not the thing that hurts so much. The fact that I can't have him, that I can't be with him anymore… That hurts so much."

"Wow. What did he say about this?"

"He didn't want me to leave. And that makes me sadder because I want to be with him as well. But I don’t to be a homewrecker.”

Tamara gave a loud sigh and had her seat on the chair facing Ashley's. "Wow. That's... wow. But... Boss, why are you here?"

"I could not go to my house because he could look for me there and I don't fancy motels, so... I came here. Besides, the office is familiar and warm, so I don't feel lonely."

"What are you going to do about your man? He is going to look for you at some point."

Her man.

If only she could still call Dave Scott her man.

She actually never got to call him anything. She never got to tell him what he meant to her and how he made her feel. Damn, she never told him how she loved his goofiness that made her smile without thinking twice.

"Okay..." Tamara continued when she sensed Ashley's hesitation. "How about this? You can stay at my place for the time being. I don't mind. I will be in charge of making you feel better. I might even set you up on a blind date."

Ashley chuckled softly. "A blind date? So soon? I am still sad and all."

"Oh, don't get the wrong idea. You are not going on a blind date to move on from your man. You are going to use the date as a gauge to determine how much you love this man of yours."

"That would just make me burst into tears or something. And that will be like a very embarrassing thing to happen."

"Who cares if it is embarrassing? All that matters now are your emotions and how you want them to drive you. After the date, you can decide whether or not your man is someone you want to let go of easily. Or... If you want to fight for him some more."

"But he is married... well... separated to put it better."

"So? Are you going to deprive yourself of something good because he is separated from his wife?" Tamara waved her hand as though to erase what she had just said. "Okay... scratch what I just said. You said he didn't want you to leave right? Maybe, just maybe, he wants to be with you. If he says it is really over between him and his wife and that he wants you, will you not take that chance to be with him?"

"Uh... Maybe?"

"This is why the date is a good idea. It would help you find a bearing concerning this issue. And trust me, Boss, the man I will be setting you up with is quite a charmer, so brace yourself."

Ashley chuckled at Tamara's dramatic words.

"I guess I need the distraction."

Tamara jabbed her fist into the air and celebrated her small victory. Then she got up and said, "It's getting late. We should get going."

"Yeah. Could you help me with those documents?" Ashley nodded at the files on her desk as she got up to gather her things. "I need to start doing my job."

"Sure." Tamara reached for the heap with a heartwarming smile that made Ashley appreciate her even more.

~

"I can't do this..." Ashley turned before they could get to the entrance of the restaurant where the blind date was slated to hold.

"Come on Boss, you already promised," Tamara urged.

It took a lot of bribes to get Ashley to come out after she spent three days in Tamara's house without leaving. And, most of the time, she had her head buried in work or some magazine about socks collections.

"Ughh... Okay. Let's do this," Ashley agreed and they both approached the spacious and barely filled restaurant.

"So his name is..."

"Is that him over there?" Ashley peered through the unshielded window, and when her sight landed on a groomed and suited man who sat busy with his phone, she asked her question.

"Yes. He is good-looking, isn't he?"

"Pfft..." Ashley scoffed. "Dave looks way better. Even his hair is..."

The smug look on Tamara's face stopped her unhidden comparison of the two men. Standing properly, her throat clearing, Ashley made for the entrance. "I should..."

"Yes." Tamara, who was yet to hide her smile, gestured toward the double glass doors. "Kevin is waiting for you."

"His name is Kevin?"

"Yes. Is there a problem?"

Ashley said nothing and went in.

While she chose to believe that Tamara didn't mean any harm by bringing her to a man that shared the same name as her ex-husband, Ashley decided that it would be discriminatory of her to judge the fine man waiting for her based on her ex-husband's actions.

"Good evening," she greeted the tanned man once she reached the only seat placed at the far left corner of the room.

"Oh…" The man had charming eyes, that was the first thing she saw as he got up to welcome her. "You are… Uh…"

"I apologise for my lateness," Ashley returned his smile and reminded herself to keep away from comparing the man to Dave.

Once she had her seat, she realised how warm the room felt. The setup of the restaurant also radiated homeliness. So, Ashley relaxed in a way she didn't expect to.

"Uh…" The man was strangely yet to say a full statement.

So, she asked, "Are you fine?"

"No... I mean, yes." His Adam's apple danced for a second as he cleared his throat and had his seat. "I mean, yes I am."

Ashley could not help but smile at his cuteness that contradicted his mature look. His cuteness reminded her of…

Ashley quickly erased that thought. "I am so sorry for keeping you waiting. I can be kind of slow."

"No, no. It is fine. Have your seat, please," he offered, a strand of his starched hair falling onto his temple.

"Uh…" Ashley was unsure how to react. "I am already seated."

"Oh. Oh. Yeah."

The man gave a short, nervous chuckle. Then she laughed. And after silently chastising himself, he laughed with her.

Seconds later, after the mirth died, Ashley reached for the menu on the netted table between them. But before she could raise the paper to her eye level, she felt a malfunction in her right knee. She almost kissed the ground with her legs and her face almost hit the table.

"Are you okay?" Kevin quickly reached her side to help her sit up.

"Yeah…" Ashley held onto his thick arms and stood up. "I think I need to use the restroom."

"Oh, I can walk you to the door."

"No. No. You don't have to-" The pain came again, and this time, it was intense. It overpowered both legs and they gave in.

Kevin caught her before she could meet the floor, but something else happened.

It was something she did not get a chance to decipher because she instantly felt drowsy. The next thing she knew, her eyes were closing, and her blind date was ruined.

~

"Oh good, you are awake." A rather jolly voice greeted Ashley.

Ashley eyed the blue-clothed man beside her after she fully opened her eyes. The man's uniform and the peculiar scent told her that she was in a hospital.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice coarse.

"You had a little breakdown. You must have felt dizzy because of a lack of proper nutrition. Tamara told me you have not been eating a lot for some time. You can't do that with a baby inside you. I guess you didn't have..."

Ashley could have jumped to her feet if she didn't feel tired.

"What do you mean by baby?"

The tall, lanky man adjusted his glasses and peered at her curiously.

"You don't know?"

"Know what?"

"You are four weeks pregnant."