bonjour, comment ça va?

i park in the same spot tuesday afternoon.

after dropping by the office to check in with mr. ward, to do a few hours of paperwork and, to ignore vivian's piercing glares (even though i still bring her coffee each day when i technically don't have to), i headed out to start work again on the gala space. i need everything to be absolutely perfect and there's still so much to do. not as much as yesterday but still quite a bit.

sitting in my car, i look across the street to check for the audi. it's not quite yet the time he usually leaves the office in the afternoons but part of me was still wondering if he would be here. i decide to scroll through social media and check my text messages while i'm in here. you know, just in case anything important happens.

thirty minutes later, i hear the soft hum of an engines and i look up to my left, seeing the sleek black car with wide eyes. he's actually here? i didn't think i had actually figured it out.

guilt begins to settle in my chest as he steps out of the car, crossing his arms over his chest to stay warm, before walking through the entrance back to where the light ended last night. i quickly look away, ashamed. what happened to leaving him be? why do i have to be so nosy? it's none of my business.

with a frustrated sigh, i give mr. ward once last glance, seeing him stand way off into the distance with his hands in his pockets and his face downcast. a frown places itself on my lips. i wonder silently who he lost. then i wonder if it's possible that all along the hard exterior he holds up is to hide the pain of losing something that once gave him strength. i wish there was something i could do or say but all i can do is stand hundreds of feet away, my hands tucked into my coat pockets and watch him stand.

i turn my gaze away, feeling as if i'm intruding, before walking quickly against the chill wind, the cold biting my exposed skin as if it knows i deserve it.

as soon as i step inside, i shiver and rub my arms, happy to be in the heated building. i breathe on my hands, rubbing them together to warm them up. it feels as if it could snow any day. soon autumn will be over and winter will begin.

"good afternoon." i smile at a custodian and he simply gives me a half hearted wave before continuing his work.

"let's get to work." i say aloud to myself, pulling off my coat.

☆☆☆

my eyes droop as i fix the last of the napkins for the tables. i have spent hours folding each one into origami lotus flowers and i feel as if my fingers are going to fall off. i honestly can't tell you what i've been doing all day because i hardly know. i never knew so many tiny odd jobs needed to be done when planning these parties. my mother was always the one who made sure this stuff was done. the big things like the caterer and the ideas are easy but executing even the smallest idea can take forever when it's on such a large scale and for so many guests.

when i've set the last flower into the table, it's just past four o'clock and i decide to call it a day, tired of getting home past seven and eight simply because i get caught in the five o' clock traffic. i hardly have a life outside of work and it sucks.

so i decide to text dakota and lillian to ask if they want to go out and have a glass of wine with me. i don't think i've gone out and just sat and talked over a drink since i turned twenty one and even then it was with a few of my college friends, not with my best friends. they both agree, telling me that all of the wedding stuff i've been having them do while i'm at work is wearing them out and the need a break. i let them know i'll be back at my house in an hour and to meet me at the location i sent them at six.

i try not to speed home but i can practically feel the traffic creeping up on me as it gets closer to five and i'm also looking forward to putting on a dress and going out with my friends for the first time in forever. obviously i don't plan on staying out insanely late but i need a way to loosen up and be young. i'm only twenty one, i'm too young to throw my social life out the window.

pulling into my driveway, i set an alarm on my phone for when i need to leave and step out of the car. i'm greeted by silence as soon as i enter my home and i sigh at the warmth. i kept my car chilly on the way home to help keep me awake and alert. i've been feeling tired no matter how much sleep i get and i get the feeling that it's just apart of my new lifestyle. hopefully i learn a few things on how to feel rested because it's becoming a little too much.

i toss my shoes onto my bed in my room, throwing open my closet doors to choose from the tens of dresses i own from past dinners and short lived dates. after a moments hesitation, i choose an emerald green sweater dress with of the shoulder sleeves and a hemline than reaches about three inches above my knees. checking out the front and back in the mirror, i take my hair down from the clip it was in today and rub some product in my hands, bunching the hair up in my fists and running the product through it to give it some life. then i simply let the long blonde locks fall down my back and frame my face.

i'm already wearing a small amount of foundation so i gel my eyebrows and run a little more mascara over my lashes before popping on some highlighter and some lipgloss. throwing the lipgloss, my phone, and my wallet into a fossil brown leather clutch, i slip on some white strapped heels and grab a cute dress coat to go over the outfit so i don't freeze to death.

my timer goes off as i walk down the stairs and i quickly dig through the small purse to turn it off, trying to focus on not tripping and falling down the stairs as i go.

the restaurant i chose for us is a quiet place in town where my parents always go to dinner simply because it's the nicest place you can find in our small town without driving thirty-plus minutes to to city. they serve italian food and carry the one wine i've ever actually liked so it's really my only option.

i get to the restaurant before lillian and dakota so, as i sit there, i make notes for myself on things to do tomorrow and things i absolutely cannot forget to do. when they don't arrive after five minutes i decide to go on inside and get us a table so we won't have to wait. unfortunately, as soon a step inside, my mouth drops open.

the place is packed. when i say packed i mean every seat is filled and it's ten degrees hotter in here than usual due to all the people and the hustle and bustle of the staff.

"excuse me?" i ask the stressed out hostess, her face slightly red from the rush.

"we're full." she replies quickly, grabbing an armful of menus.

"full? i'm sorry i don't understand. how long is the wait?" i ask her with furrowed brows.

she sighs, frustrated. "i'm so sorry, ma'am, but we have reservations booked up to closing."

"i see." i frown, "it's okay." i force a smile, wracking my brain for an ulterior option. pulling out my phone, i dial lillian's number and she answered almost immediately.

"i'm sorry! we're pulling in now." she laughs.

"well, you see, we have a little problem." i sigh, looking back at the sign i so blatantly missed on the door advertising a sale for buy-one-get-one pasta platters. no wonder it's packed.

"oh no, what is it?" she asks me just as i spot dakota's white jeep pulling into the spot next to mine.

"they're booked up solid." i groan, "what do we do? should we just get a bottle of wine and go back to my place and hang out?"

"no." she responds, "you need to go out into the world and have some friendly fun . let's just drive to the city." the suggestion has my nose curling.

"the closest decent restaurant is forty minutes away." my fingers rub the bridge of my nose as i stand in the cold, frustrated and hungry.

walking to my car, i pull my keys from my coat pocket and hop inside, starting the car just so i can blast the heat. "well it's only six." she snorts, "have you already grown into an old woman at the ripened age of twenty one?"

i roll my eyes, "alright fine but i'm riding with you guys so we don't have to waste gas money in both cars. you can just drop me here afterwards."

"alrighty then." she chirps, hanging up.

turning the car off and locking the car, i shove my keys into my coat pocket. as soon as i'm inside the jeep with my seatbelt buckled, we hit the road. dakota blasts alec benjamin and the two of them sing together with grins on their faces. a small smile pricks my lips at the sight, feeling a little tug of jealousy in my heart. i quickly look out the window.

forty minutes of listening to dakota say absurd things and lillian turning the volume up and down to listen to him, we pull into the parking lot of a small french restaurant.

"this looks nice." i admit, stepping out of the car and tugging the hem of my dress down, my breath fanning out in a cloud in the cold air.

dakota nods, "yeah lillian and i came here once for dinner on our way back from the city. it's really nice and the food the great."

"sounds perfect." i smile, linking arms with lillian as we make our way to the entrance.

dakota pulls the door open for the two of us and i thank him before stepping inside of the establishment, warmth enveloping me. blood rushes to my cheeks to compensate for the lack of heat in my face, the tip of my nose still chilled to the touch.

the restaurant has a dark ambiance, low light spread throughout. a glass topped bar sits in an oval in the middle of the space, tables with white table cloths and chairs surrounding it. slow music plays as a young man with a black pocketed apron tied around his waist and a few sleek black menus in hand, gives us a smile.

"hi, welcome to maverick's, how many?"

"just the three of us." dakota speaks up. i wonder to myself why a french restaurant would be called maverick's rather than some random french word but hey, it's not my restaurant.

"alright, right this way then." oliver tells us, turning on his heel and guiding us to the back right hand corner of the restaurant. most of the tables are filled with couples and small groups yet it's almost completely silent in here besides the quiet music.

i tug my dress down a bit before taking a seat across from dakota and lillian, an empty seat beside me. a waitress with a tray loaded with drinks zips past us and i watch her go with a twinge of sympathy.

"wow this place seems popular." i comment.

"when you taste their beef bourguignon, you'll understand why." dakota licks his lips, opening the menu and running his eyes greedily over the options, "i am starving."

"you're so dramatic." lillian sighs, shaking her head.

after a waiter comes and takes our drink order, i tug my coat off, hanging it on the back of the chair.

"i really needed this, guys, thanks for coming with me." i smile softly, adjusting the straps of my dress and tucking my hair behind my ear.

lillian gives me a small smile in return, opening her mouth to respond, before her eyes catch something and she does a double take. her eyes widen and her mouth drops open, her hands wrapping around dakota's arm as she shakes it violently to get his attention, "oh my gosh, dakota!"

his nose curls with confusion as he follows her gaze, squinting. i turn around, trying to see what in the world she could be talking a lot but there's so many people in here that i can't tell. "what?" he hisses.

"it's - it's the guy!" lillian tells him, pointing.

"babe, what guy?" he laughs, clearly confused.

"the guy who closed books and bagels!" she hisses back, "jared ward."

i instantly freeze. ward. that's why the name sounded so familiar. i had never met him or seen him and...i guess i didn't put two and two together?

i feel my face go pale and i remain frozen, watching her stare at my boss with a look of shock. i feel absolutely horrible. i'm working for the guy who took something precious away from my best friend. granted, it was over two years ago but i still remember how hard she worked to save the place. should i quit? would she want me to quit? should i even tell her?

"symphony?" dakota notices my distressed expression before she does, "you good?"

i blink, trying to recover and calm my pounding heart in my chest, taking a sip of water as i nod, "yes i'm fine, why do you ask?" lillian doesn't even notice our conversation, her perfect brows pulled together as she keeps her laser focus locked on mr. ward whom i haven't even spotted myself. part of me would be horribly embarrassed if he saw me here outside of work. it would simply be odd.

dakota chuckles, throwing his arm over the back of his fiancé's chair and running his hand across her arm to gain her attention. "i don't know, you seem oddly distressed about something." lillian finally hears what we're saying and soon i have gained both of their attentions.

"what's going on?" she asked, "are you sick?"

i smile, thankful that they're so concerned for my wellbeing. "no, i'm not sick." i release a breath, placing my head in my hands for a moment before looking back up, tucking my hair behind my ears, "okay here's the thing," i begin, "i think that you guys should know something."

"what is it?" lillian begins to look slightly concerned as the waiter stops at our table, setting the pink rosè i ordered in front of me.

"thank you." i quickly smile at him before he walks away, turning back to my friends, "well...you know how jared ward is the guy who shut down books and bagels and almost ruined your life?"

"a little bit dramatic but yes, i remember." she chuckles, taking a sip of her own blackberry wine.

"well he might be kind of my boss." i wince, preparing for a terrible reaction.

"what." her mouth drops open, her hand covering it as she fights a laugh.

my brows furrow, "this isn't the reaction i was expecting."

"i'm not mad, sym." she chuckles, "i'm just...shocked. that's actually so funny! what a small world."

"i'm sorry...what? you're not mad that i'm working for the man who took your job away from you?" i clarify, feeling utterly baffled.

lillian raises her dark brows, "that was over two years ago. since then i've traveled the world, helped so many people, and gotten engaged. don't worry, i'm fully moved past it. sure, the guy is a douche but there's no bad blood between us." she shrugs.

dakota suddenly clears his throat before mumbling to us, "well that's good because he's coming this way."

that's when the real panic sets in.

"he's what?" lillian and i hiss at the same time.