Once His Wife

We Meet Again

"Just when you think it can't get any worse, it can. And just when you think it can't get any better, it can."

-Nicholas Sparks, At first sight

Chassie George

I tug down the hem of the sharp cut navy blue dress, annoyed at the way it makes me feel uncomfortable by the minute. The heels aren't helping either. "Mom, I thought we're just going to meet dad's business partner. Why did you want me to dress up like the King of England is coming for a visit?"

She pulls a leather chair beside dad who sits on the end of the conference table. "Trust me, honeybunch. You'll thank me later," she answers, her eyes glued on the screen of her tablet. She's playing candy crush. Thank God it's not Pokemon Go. It drives her nuts.

Even with the little frown between her brows to focus on the game, she look poised in her beige origami wool-blend dress.

"Stop complaining. Be grateful that dad's business partner is too kind to shoulder the responsibilities for a while." Kathie walks around the conference table and sat on the other end.

I pursed my lips at how she said it so casually. "What am I suppose to do?"

She shrugs, her light brown eyes glisten almost like a pair of amber. "Dad has plans."

Am I about to be an apprentice?

I narrowed my eyes on what she was wearing. A simple white sleeveless blouse underneath a symmetric casual coat open grey knit cardigan and she's wearing jeans that really looks good on her as if it was sewed just for her legs. "Why are you wearing jeans?" It's not fair. She gets to wear jeans whilst I'm not.

Kathie's lips curve to smile a cryptic one. "I don't know. For meek mockery perhaps?" She mumbles innocently with a grin.

"Sir? Mr. Forester is here." Lea - dad's secretary cutted off our escalating banter. I look over my shoulder to give her a glance since I have my back on the slightly opened door.

Something in my chest just took a huge leap, making my insides quiver in anticipation.

Dad lifted his eyes from the kraft folders he was perusing. "Usher him in."

A humongous lump clogged my throat upon hearing that name. My hands are ice cold and I feel like the conference room just narrowed around me that walls started to squash me out of my breath.

Lea closes the door with a nod.

I reel my head back to the floor to ceiling glass windows to nail my gaze at the scenery of skyscrapers reflecting the morning sun. It should have taken my mind off it for a little while but it didn't.

Maybe it's Sebastian Forester. He is dad's business partner for a really long time. Why would I think that it might be his son? This is just so ludicrous of me.

I look down to my hands on the table, calming my battling nerves. My heart is pounding like I just ran a marathon three times.

The door screaked opened.

I almost squeak when I thought I just slipped off my seat. I hear footsteps but still refuses to twirl the chair around as if it will burn me.

Crap. I feel like I'm in the middle of a school debate and I'm about to barf. It's just Mr. Sebastian Forester for Christ's sake! I gulped hard but the lump just comes back up.

"Nathaniel," Kathie giggles and slid herself off the chair.

My hand clasped on the arm rest as his name sauntered smoothly through my ears in a red grand carpet.

"Hi, Kathie."

My nails dig deeply on where I'm holding on for dear life. If the chair can speak, it would probably yell at me to get my hands off.

"It's nice to see you again, Nathaniel. It's been a really long time." I hear my mom gets off her seat and walks over to him.

Mustering all the courage I have in my body, I pivoted the chair towards the door to see to myself if I was hearing it right. I managed to get to my feet despite my wonky legs and was immediately engulfed in an arctic blue gaze. My heart possibly stopped beating.

Everything just feel like the first time I saw him when I was twelve... Only that it have gotten more intense.

Seeing him on the cover of that magazine took my breath away but now that he's just a few steps away, my lungs are figuratively incapacitated.

Nathan looks so pristine in his black business suit, barren of a single fleck of imperfection. The sooty black hair highlighted the most beguiling feature of his face - his eyes. I can't believe I'm staring at a pair of never ending blues he used to hide behind his glasses. I was the only fortunate wife who's able to see right through it but now he's showing it off to the world for the whole women population to drool upon.

"Chassie." His lips meandered exquisitely and form a smile.

I blinked, praying my knees won't give up from underneath me.

Nathan took paces over me. It's funny how I'm seeing him do so in a slow motion. I scolded myself for daydreaming like an eighth grader who just had a crush on a new student.

Dad clears his throat and I jolted awake from my reverie. I look down at Nathan's hand extended for mine.

"It's been four years... seems like yesterday to me though." Nathan kidded as he grins boyishly.

I choked inwardly, begging the floor beneath me to cleave open and swallow me whole. I took in a sharp breath and decided to get this handshake over with.

The moment his hand wrapped around mine, I immediately regretted I ever had the audacity to.

"Pfft." Kathie and our mischievous mother stifled a laugh, grabbing my attention by doing so. I surreptitiously give them a suspicious glance. What are they up to?

They put on a straight face. "Uhm. We need to use the powder for a retouch," Kathie mumbles and exited the conference room with mom as fast as the speed of light.

Retouch? She was not even wearing any make up.

"Pickles?" Dad mercifully interrupted. "I'll leave you two some time to catch up. Be in my office in fifteen minutes."

I was about to think dad just saved my life but the thought just got torn into tiny strips by a shredder when I realized he just fed me to the lion.

I watched him got up from the seat and took the folders with him.

'Dad, at least leave the door open!' I couldn't find my voice to say it out loud.

I heard the door being shut securely. It almost sounded like clicks and clacks of locks and metal chains.

I blinked hard and realized just now that Nathan and I are still holding each other's hand longer than the usual handshake. I tried to peel my hand off but he just squeeze my hand tighter in his.

With the hold he have on me, he tug me closer towards him until we're merely inches apart. My eyes bulges out from their sockets knowing I got nowhere to go. Where are the fire exits when you need them most? I seriously need any sort of exits right now.

His blue orbs delve deep into my hazel ones. "Shall we make this fifteen minutes last?"

I gulped, fighting the urge to blush. "Uhh. Hi." I forced a nonchalant smile.

God, why does he have to make this hard for me?

"Listen, I..." I struggled to rummage for an excuse. "I think I need a retouch, too." I'm pretty sure it wouldn't sound farfetched because I'm wearing a light make up.

He tilts his head to one side and skimmed my face. "I don't think so. You still look breathtaking."

My cheeks seared to an unconcealable tint of red. How can he be so casual about it? I tried to laugh it off as if he just cracked a joke. "It's nice to see you again. But I really need to go the comfort room right now." I wriggle my hand off his grip and took long quick strides to the door.

"Chassie."

My relief catapulted just when I thought I'm close to my freedom. My hand trembled as I reached for the knob but couldn't help myself out. I groaned. I can't even open a door around him.

I hear footfalls coming towards me. "Everything okay?"

I turn around to mumble a response but my back just got pressed against the door. My heart accelerated as I came nose to nose to an amused Nathan.

I clasped the knob so tightly I thought my fingers could break.

"You see, to open a door, you have to twist this knob..." his hand was over mine. "Next thing you have to do is push the door," Nathan mumbles like he was talking to a toddler.

The door opened behind me.

"Then you're free..." he shrugs, still clutching my hand that just got frozen on the knob. "Well, for now," Nathan mutters letting go of it.

I'm supposed to be relieved but still he was too close for my liking so how else am I going to let out an unrestrained breath?

As if to upsurge my discomfort, he leans further to my left ear and mumbles in a hushed tone, "Welcome back to my life, Chassie."

The words rolled out of his tongue and earned me an erratic heartbeat... a heartbeat that only a Nathaniel Forester can give me.

I coerced myself into speaking and thankfully my voice didn't betray me. "I'll see you in dad's office."

I turned my heels and shove myself out of his trap. I rushed down the corridors. How I got to the powder room seems like a mystery to me because my senses are all numb. I closed the door behind me with a light thud and rested my back on it.

Mirrors spread through out the walls of the comfort room to taunt me on how I look emotionally disheveled. I pluck a huge breath and close my eyes. "This is just a bad dream. If I open my eyes, my heart will beat back to normal," I whispered, my hand over my left chest.

I sighed then flutter my eyes open. My shoulder slumped with the weight that just made its nest on it. "Ugh. Crap." I facepalmed.

It's okay. I will get to my father's office then he would tell me that I'm going to be his apprentice and Nathan will be helping him with some other responsibilities. I won't see him again. It's just for today.

After feeding myself with the pep talk, I pace over the mirror to look closely at my reflection. My eyes look like they just seen a ghost and my cheeks are ruby red with the embarrassment I just went through earlier. I fingercombed my hair since I honestly don't have anything with me. Great, so much for the retouch excuse.

I took out another sigh then exited the room. Nathan was already there when I got to dad's office. Mom and Kathie are on the couch snapping selfies.

"Chassie." Mom announces my presence.

I smiled.

Dad smiles back and gestured me to sit on the other chair in front of his table. I did so, shunning any eye contact with the guy across me.

"Pickles, Nathan and I already agreed to my proposition." Dad started off and leans on his swivel chair. "I hope you will."

"Of course I will. You know I'm willing to help," I said abruptly. It's the least I can do.

Dad's smile got even wider. "Great. It's settled then."

Oh, wait. What did I just agreed to again?

"I'm going to take a break and Nathaniel will take over temporarily."

I gulped. "And how about me?" Oh, god. Please don't tell me I'm going to be his apprentice.

"You'll be his personal assistant."

My jaw dropped hard on the floor. "I'll be his what?"

Nathan clears throat, glomming my attention. I finally met his gaze. "He said you'll be my personal assistant."

I want to look up the sky and ask why. "But you already have secretaries."

"Sweetie." Mom chimes in. She trudged over to dad and put her hands on his shoulder from behind. "Nathaniel, will be working with your dad's secretary, too. That means they'll take care of the schedules and all that."

I shifted my eyes to hers, asking her to continue.

"You, baby will be in charge with the personal matters. Nathaniel here is already running an empire and adding one more is a herculean task. So, you make sure he eats three meals a day, make sure he's hydrated and you know what I mean. You'll be with him wherever he goes." She explains.

My mouth is gaping. What? I barely survived that fifteen minutes back in the conference room.

"Don't worry. It's okay with Nathaniel." She gives us both a warm smile.

Okay with him? Well, how about me? I bottled up my frustration and pasted a calm composure.

"It's just for four weeks, pickles."

I wanted to say no. But when I saw the weariness in my dad's crinkled eyes, I just considered the opposite. "Okay."

Their eyes glimmer. I know I'll be doomed.

After what felt like a century, dad finally let me leave. My mind is in a daze on my way out of the building. Kathie offered me a lift but I declined. I think I told France to wait in the parking lot. I'm just wishing he didn't age much like I did with what I just got through. I roamed my eyes around the parking lot in search for a tall pale skinned guy with the green eyes and the blonde locks.

"Chassie."

I was ceased mid tracks. I turned my head to face where the voice came from. I sighed inwardly.

"I'll drive you home." Authority dripped in his voice.

I peered up to his face since the heels are not a big help, reluctantly meeting his smoldering eyes once again. "No, thank you. I actually came here with someone."

"I insist." His voice have gone bossy this time.

I opened my mouth but was interrupted by the voice from behind me. "Babe, what took you so long? I've been here for hours."

France slings his arm over my shoulders and peck on the side of my head.

I gulped when I saw Nathan's eyes darken and his lips is now in a displeased hard line.

"Oh, hi. I'm Francesco. Chassie's boyfriend and she asked me to wait for her so she's going with me." He sticks his hand out for him.

Nathan give him a small smile and shook his hand. "Nathaniel. Chassie's ex husband and I never complained how long she makes me wait," he stated impassively.

Awkward silence reigned for a minute of two. "Uhm. We need to go, Nathan. Bye."

France is completely fazed. I couldn't blame him though.

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow and the days after that." He smirks, triumph dancing in his eyes.

I nodded. "Let's go," I mumbled to France who ushered me to his shadow black ford mustang.

We settled ourselves in and took off right away.

"Okay. Spill." France glances at me then retrieve his eyes back to the road.

I buried my face in my palms.

"Your ex intimidated the hell out of me. It's okay though because he shook my hand!" He squeals. "He's zillion times hotter in person. Tell me how many abs does he have?"

"France." I groaned and lift my face off my palms.

He laughs. "What happened to you?"

"All I know is that I'll be doomed for four weeks," I answered and raked my hair frustratedly.

Yep. I'm completely, totally, truly, madly doomed.