Page 223 of Now and Forever

Chapter 78

T

he next day, back in the office, I was stunned to find an elaborate flower arrangement sitting on my desk with a note enclosed in a cream envelope. Naturally, I was more curious at the note than the beautiful blooms before me, so with a shaky hand, I began to open it, holding my breath as I did so.

Forgive me for wanting something I gravely wish was mine.

There was no name, no signature anywhere, so I wasn’t sure where it had come from. Was it from Cruz? Archer maybe? Jesus, who would send something this pretty and not say whom it came from? It doubled the frustration and stress.

Mind you, I didn’t want to spend the rest of my working hours wondering whom it came from. After my tumultuous exchange with Cruz last night, I barely thought of Archer to be honest. I was drowned by my own misery too much to even think about if the guy had waited for me or not. Well, even if I had, it didn’t matter. I was in no way, shape, or form ready to be good company after I had scrambled to get away from Cruz.

Taking a deep breath, I was telling myself there were bigger things to worry about when my phone rang, alarming me. Getting ahold of my bearings, I cleared my throat before taking the call.

“Mr. Cruz Elliot’s office. This is Serena; how may I assist you?”

“Serena,” the man said from the other line. There was no doubt in my mind who it was. There was only one man in the world who said my name the way he did.

Nervously biting my lip, I tried to calm the fuck down before breathing out, “Yes?”

“I need you in my office if you have a moment.” He commanded.

Nodding, I immediately told him that I would be in right away before placing the phone back on its cradle.

For a moment, I contemplated if I should head to the bathroom to make sure I looked presentable. Then I realized there was no point. Being self-conscious around him after last night … Well, it was useless. Therefore, I simply shrugged and made my way towards Cruz’s office.

I had barely even begun to knock when I was surprised to find Cruz opening the door for me.

“Serena,” he said in a tone that seemed a little on edge, which was odd.

Not wanting to dwell on his bizarre attitude, I carefully glanced at him, keeping myself at a safe distance. The tension between us was even more apparent than before, and it was disconcerting and slightly intimidating because I had no idea what would happen next.

“You needed me for something?” I breathed out, anxious to immediately leave, yet I couldn’t help staring at him as if I was a starved, lovesick puppy.

He studied me a while, lingering on my face, eyes, then my lips before he snapped back to reality.

“How’s your day going so far?” he casually asked, as if we were the best of friends.

His bizarre attitude left me on eggshells, but since he was my boss, I knew I had to answer him in a respectful manner.

“It’s been … well.”

“That’s brilliant.” He nodded, still staring at me, as if he had something to get off his chest. “Are you doing something tonight?” he questioned, catching me off guard.

“Why do you ask?” I treaded carefully, knowing very well this could get messy yet again. After last night, the last thing I needed was to engage in another heated argument with him.

“I was hoping I could take you out for dinner …”

Damn, he was willing to go there. Did we need to have this type of discussion on a daily basis? It was fucking exhausting. Fuck. I was ready to wave the white flag and just surrender, but I couldn’t shake the thought of Ivy away. Besides, I wasn’t that woman. It was all or nothing for me, not some half-ass anything. Not even for Cruz, the man who starred nightly in my dreams … and nightmares.

“Cruz, whatever this is you’re trying to do—”

“I can’t get you out of my mind, Serena. You’re all I think about. I’m truly going mental.” He ran a hand through his thick, wavy hair before blowing out a breath, seeming tortured as his metallic eyes penetrated into my heart, into the very depths of my soul.

No … NO! He couldn’t. He just fucking couldn’t!

“Cruz—”

“I’ve never felt this way before. I’m beyond confounded. I need to figure this out without any guilt. I’m thinking of breaking things off with Ivy. I can’t keep lying to her, least of all to myself,” he confessed, giving me a glimpse of the troubled man underneath the cool, collected, and calm persona he projected to the rest of the world.

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