Page 134 of One Night

"Who's the intern you're working with?"

"Carrie. She just texted me. Said she's making copies. She should be back in a minute."

Just then a girl walks in. She's tall with a curvy figure, but not at all fat. She's wearing a dark blue dress that fits close to her body, and has long, dark, wavy hair. As she walks up to Dylan I smell her perfume. It smells expensive.

"Hey, Dylan." She smiles at him. "You just get here?"

"Yeah." He motions to me. "This is Amber. She's one of the other interns."

He doesn't mention I'm his girlfriend given the rule about co-workers not being allowed to date. But if we were, would he still leave off the girlfriend label? I guess technically I'm not his girlfriend if I've asked him for space.

"Hi, I'm Carrie." She shakes my hand then turns back to Dylan. "Ready to go in the conference room?"

"Yeah, just let me grab my stuff." He takes a folder from his desk and the two of them disappear in the room behind me.

Okay, this sucks. The guy I love is alone in a room with a girl who definitely wants him. She was totally flirting with him. And she's gorgeous. And just last night I told him we needed a break. So would he go out with her? Is my fear and uncertainty going to drive Dylan away from me?

I need to figure this out. And soon. Otherwise I'll lose Dylan for good.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Amber

For the next hour I can't concentrate on work, my mind fixated on what's going on in that conference room. Why have they been in there so long? Maybe they aren't talking about work but about other things, trying to get to know each other. What if Carrie asks Dylan out? Would he say yes?

The door finally opens and the two of them walk out.

"Yeah, totally," he says, laughing about whatever they were talking about. It doesn't sound like something work related.

"So lunch at eleven thirty?" she asks.

"Sounds good. I'll meet you in the parking garage."

She walks out the door and Dylan returns to his desk. Meanwhile I'm stewing with jealousy, wondering what went on in that room and what's going on at lunch. I'm generally not a jealous person. In fact, I've never felt this jealous in my life. But I'm finding that being in love makes me very jealous.

"Where'd she go?" I ask Dylan.

"She has class and then she'll be back."

"You guys are working through lunch?"

"We're not working. We're just having lunch."

"Oh." I feel like I just got punched in the gut. Dylan's going out with another girl. I think I'm going to be sick. "I'll be right back," I say, getting up to go to the restroom. It's way down the hall and when I get there, I stand at the sink taking deep breaths as I wonder, for the millionth time, what the hell is wrong with me. My parents' divorce should not be affecting my relationship with Dylan like this, and yet I'm letting it happen. Why am I so afraid of love? I've always known it could lead to heartbreak but I was willing to take the risk. Now I don't know if I am.

I leave the restroom and find Dylan waiting for me in the hall. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I just wasn't feeling well for a minute but I'm fine now."

"You sure?"

I nod. "We should get back to work."

As we walk back, he says, "So about tonight. I made plans to go out. I assumed you wanted to be alone."

Hearing him say that makes me want to cry. I wish I could just stop this and be with him, but I told both him and myself I needed to think this over so that's what I need to do. For Dylan and I to work, I need to get over my fear of a broken heart. I need to believe in love again. It's not fair for me to keep seeing him unless I can give him all my heart and commit to him the way he's committed to me.

"Yeah, okay," I say, my words rushed, my breathing shallow.

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