My ringing phone didn't help my throbbing head as I stirred awake. I turned my head in the direction of the ringtone, realizing someone was calling me. With a grunt, I rolled myself on the edge of my bed and reached for the phone I placed on the bedside table. I squinted my eyes and glared at the phone in front of my face, eyeing the name on the screen. I groaned once I saw who it was.

"Hello..." I greeted lazily, my voice rough from sleep as I clicked the answer button.

"Where are you? Are you busy? Is William in bed with you?" Sydney's disgruntled voice made me flinch as I pushed the phone away from my ear.

"I'm at home. What do you want with me? What time is it?" I replied, pausing as I turned my head on the digital clock near where I placed my phone.

"It's nine, and you need to come over for work. We need your help to finish some of the illustrations and layouts," she replied hurriedly, not bothering to lessen her volume.

"I thought I'm already finished with those. Can't you let someone else do it?" I whined slightly, not feeling the mood to get out of bed. I was back pretty late last night, and the alcohol was starting to set in.

"I can't. Most of them are being an ass, and besides, you'll be paid for the extra time," she muttered in reply and trailed off with an irresistible offer.

My eyes opened widely as my ears perked up in interest. "Is it really okay to have overtime?" I asked.

"Yes. Allison said I can ask anyone to help me out," she replied, sounding a little out of breath. "Now, please! Can you get here as fast as you can?" she added in desperation.

"Okay. I'm up. I'll be there in half an hour or so," I replied, getting out of bed with enthusiasm.

"Good. See you!" She ended the call quickly. Her voice had a hint of relief to them.

I made my way to the shower and cleaned up as fast as I could. When I was done, I grabbed something casual to wear since it's a weekend which was code for 'not wearing anything flashy' day. After putting on my acid wash jeans and navy shirt, I grabbed a comfortable pair of army boots to complete the look. I totally looked like I was ready to go hiking rather than to a magazine company.

When I exited my room, I heard a soft clinking of pots from the direction of the kitchen. I entered the main room and saw my father by the stove stirring something in a pot. I paused for a moment, absorbing the view. Then I cleared my throat as I walked towards him to gain his attention.

"Oh, good morning, peanut. How was your sleep? Did you have fun last night?" he greeted.

I gave him a small assuring smile as I sat down on one of the stools at the kitchen island counter. "I had a good rest, and as for last night, don't even ask," I replied, turning a little sour as I answered the second question.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he offered, eyeing me in worry.

I gave him another smile, turning my head from left to right. "It wasn't something dreadful, Dad... if going along with Terry's mischief is considered not dreadful," I replied with a chortle.

"Ah, I see," he lightly laughed in understanding. Then he glanced down at my outfit, gazing at it for a second. "Are you going somewhere today? I thought the date would be at night," he asked, raising his eyebrow in question.

"William and I wouldn't be meeting this weekend. He's busy with some business meetings," I explained quietly. "I'm heading out to work today. Sydney called me to help her out in the office."

"Oh, okay. Do you want to eat some breakfast before you go?" he asked, turning back his attention to the pot. I wouldn't dare guess what he was making in that pot.

"No, thank you. I think I should be heading out now. I promised her that I'd be there in half an hour. I will grab something to eat when I get there," I replied and stood up.

I walked towards him to give him a kiss on the cheeks as a goodbye. "I'll see you later this afternoon. I will make your favorite dish for dinner," I said as I broke away from our hug.

"Okay. Good luck at work and take care. Tell your friend hi for me," he said as he let me go.

I gave him one last kiss on the cheeks before turning around and getting out of the apartment. I felt happy to see my father up and moving around normally. The doctors might have finally given me the result I wanted to see for him. It made me hopeful that something tragic could get better with time and care.

On the bus ride to work, I got a text from Sydney asking me about my whereabouts. After assuring her that I was on my way, another message popped on my screen.

'Good morning. Did you have a good sleep?' William texted.

I mentally squealed reading the message. What was wrong with me? I was not a teenager experiencing first love, but it had been long since I've been in a relationship.

I quickly clicked reply and typed in my message. 'I had a good sleep, thank you very much. How about you?'

'I didn't get much sleep, though. I was busy thinking about you,' he replied a few seconds later.

I hurriedly typed in a reply, knowing that he had little time to keep this short messaging chat with me. 'You need to sleep, too. What are you doing right now?'

'I couldn't really help myself. I'm sitting down in the boardroom right now, trying to listen to them discuss stuff while I pretend to understand an important message.'

I gasped at his reply. Although I feel flattered with what he was doing, I couldn't allow him to slack off because of me. 'Stop texting me right now. Didn't I made it clear last night to not text me during work?!'

'Are you working right now?' he replied a few moments later, giving me enough time to glance up at the street view and assess how many minutes I have left before I reach my destination.

'As a matter of fact, I'm heading to work now. Sydney asked me for some help, so we need to stop texting for now. Text me back when the meeting is done.'

'Why didn't you tell me you have work today? I should have brought you home earlier. How are you feeling?' I smiled at the worry evident in his message.

'I'm fine. Don't worry too much. I didn't know I'm working today. She called me about it this morning.'

'Don't overdo it, okay? I need to stop this now. One of the members of the board glared at me. Good thing my sister is not here.'

I chuckled at his message. I locked my phone screen and placed it back in my purse, trying hard to keep myself from replying back. If I did, it would take another few minutes before we could fully end our conversation. A minute later, I reached my stop which gave me more reason to not text him a reply.

On the way to the company building, I stopped by the coffee shop to get myself a coffee and sandwich for breakfast. When I had my food, I sprinted as I made my way to work. By the time I reached the elevator, It was already forty-five minutes after Sydney called me. As I reached my floor, I quickly made my way to my cubicle and found my friend flustered as she eyed her computer screen.

"I'm here," I said in greeting as I placed my coffee and sandwich on my desk. I grabbed the other cup on my coffee holder and handed it to her. "Here, drink this before you pass out," I added when she finally tore her eyes away from the screen.

"Andy! You came!" she shouted in relief, taking the coffee from my hand. "You even got me coffee. I don't know what to say. You should dump your boyfriend and live with me instead," she added jokingly as she took a sip from her coffee.

"Glad to know your enthusiasm wasn't dented with the work you are doing," I smirked and sat down on my chair. "So, what can I do?" I asked, turning serious as I turned on my business mode.

Sydney turned towards her computer screen again and studied it knowingly. "I'll send you the files that need to be layout," she replied seriously, her right hand feverishly clicked on her mouse as I turned to my computer, starting it up.

"Roger that."

After two hours of silence and extensive session with my computer, Sydney and I finally relaxed as we took a short break for lunch. She slouched in her chair, looking drain and sleepy.

"I thought I couldn't finish these by today. Thank you so much for the help, Andy," Sydney said graciously, her eyes gleaming as she looked grateful.

"No worries." I gave her a smile in reply.

"So, any stories you want to tell me today? Are you going somewhere remote for your date with William tonight?" she asked in enthusiasm, quickly changing the topic towards me.

"William and I aren't going to meet this weekend. He's busy with work and meetings. He might be flying somewhere, too..." I replied a little discontented than I wanted to be.

"What? No romantic date?" she asked in surprise, gasping in exaggeration.

I rolled my eyes playfully at her reply. "It's okay. I need the distance anyway before I meet his..." I started but trailed off as I realized what I was going to say.

Sydney's eyes blazed in interest as she rolled her chair closer to me. "Is he going to introduce you to his family? When?" she asked, already knowing what I was about to say.

With a defeated sigh, I looked up at her and replied wearily. "Next week."

"Oh my goodness, gracious! He's getting serious with this. I've never heard William Maxwell introducing a girlfriend to his family since he was in college," Sydney almost squealed in delight.

"What? William introduced who to his family in college?" I asked, my curiosity sharpened at the newfound information.

I already knew about William's reputation before I decided to give him a shot, but why did this make me feel a little uneasy? I mean, at some point in his life, he should have introduced one of his past girlfriends to his family.

"Ah... Yeah, what was the question again?" Sydney trailed off and tried to look oblivious at what she just said.

"He introduced a girlfriend to his family before?" I questioned.

"Well, it was old news. The girl broke up with him before he could put a ring on it," she replied indifferently as she slowly rolled away from her chair back to her desk.

"Oh," I replied, unsure of how to respond to that information. When was he going to tell me about an ex-girlfriend who dumped him? I thought I was the first girl who rejected him.

"Don't feel so down, Andy. Maybe he doesn't want to talk about it yet," Sydney stated, pulling me out of my thoughts. I didn't realize I had zoned out.

"Yeah... We just got started with this. We aren't there just yet, I suppose," I agreed softly.

She gave me a reassuring nod. "That's the spirit!" she exclaimed with a beaming smile. "Ah! How about you visit him at work?" she stated and paused as she looked at me like it's the best idea ever.

"I shouldn't bother him," I refused softly, but my resolve sounded weak. Even if I denied it, I did want to see him.

"You can take the rest of the day off, now. You had done enough, and I could get by now. I did drag you into this, so I could tell you to go whenever I want," she stated confidently.

She suddenly stood up and grabbed my arm, pulling me up on my seat. I watched her with wide eyes as she dragged me towards the elevator. She didn't give me enough time to react, leaving me speechless as I gaped at her while watching the elevator door close between us.

"Wait!" I called a moment too late.

I groaned at her aggressiveness, but I didn't really mind. She gave me back my day off, which should have made me happy. After hearing those things from her, though, I felt a little insecure for some reason.

When I reached the lobby, I ghostly made my way out of the company building, not sure what to do next. I debated on whether I should take Sydney's offer and visit William or go home to my father. I had little time to decide as I reached the bus stop. I glanced down at my wristwatch, eying it in defeat. I had a few hours to spare before going home to cook dinner.

As a bus stopped right in front of me, it felt like fate was giving me a hint on what I should do next, so I got inside the bus which was heading in the opposite direction of my apartment.

When I reached my stop, I got out of the bus feeling a little nostalgic as I eyed the waiting shed. I beamed as I continued walking towards the coffee shop across the Maxwell building. For old times sake, I entered the shop and bought the usual coffee that I used to get from my last job.

As I entered the coffee shop, I studied the register, praying that it wasn't the same cashier from before. I let out a sigh when I saw that it wasn't him. I got the usual order and waited for it on the claiming counter.

After getting the coffee, I didn't waste my time and made my way across the street towards Maxwell Building. I felt a little confident as I strode inside the lobby, turning my attention to the reception area. I was about to call my friend's name but held my tongue when I saw that it wasn't her.

I stared at the new girl before walking towards her. How am I supposed to get in sneakily? Where was Danny?

"Hello. How can I help you?" the new receptionist asked, gaining my full attention.

"Ah, Uhm... Is Danny in?" I asked shyly, all my confidence gone.

"Are you an acquaintance of hers?" she replied.

I felt uneasy under her gaze. The new girl looked intimidating and beautiful as hell, and the longer she stared at me, the more I thought this was a bad idea.

"Andy? Is that you?" a familiar voice called from her right, breaking her eye contact with me.

I sighed in relief as I watched my friend walk up behind the reception desk. "Hi, Danny. I came by for a visit," I greeted softly, giving her a shy smile.

"Are you here to see...?" she asked but trailed off as she glanced at her co-worker. "Well, you may go up. I think he would be surprised you came by," she continued with a secret smile and wink.

"Right. Thank you, and here..." I said and paused as I placed the coffee I had on the reception desk, "a token of thanks and hello."

"Thank you. I would have given you something if you told me you were visiting," she replied with a grin.

"Sorry, this wasn't planned, but I will warn you next time." I gave her a brief wave as I made my way towards the elevator.

"Tell me how he reacted later!" she called as the elevator door opened.

"Sure!" I called back before entering.

She gave me a thumbs-up before the elevator doorclosed. I grinned at her words as I pressed the button to the top floor. As Iwaited for the lift to ascend, I leaned on the cold metal wall, trying to calm my rapid heartbeat. I couldn't believe Iwas going to do this.