MAYBE NEVER

CHAPTER ONE: I’ve never given much thought to how I would live the rest of my life. For the first twenty years the answer was simple; study, finish high school with an honours, get into a great university, become a successful woman by age thirty and then…. well….. the rest of the dream kinda died out there. Most girls my age back then would have found it quiet easy to fill up those slots with stuff like: a hotshot career path, fame, marriage or a life partnership… with or without kids but nope, not me, I couldn’t- no i have never attempted to think of anything else after that. Why? Well let’s just say marriage will perhaps never be part of my plans thanks to my parent’s very messy divorce. Yeah… well let’s just say it didn’t give me much of a great impression about marriage or love. Now at age twenty eight, I am one of New York’s most sought after interior designers and co-owner of Gaia Republic, a renowned up and coming interior design Company famed for its Eco-friendly and innovative workmanship tailored to our client’s tastes. Although it has taken me six years to get where I am today, my growing list of socialite and celebrity clientele is more than a girl could ask for. “Eva? Eva?” I snap out of my reverie with a start, instantly turning my head towards my very pregnant secretary, who casually leaned against the door frame of my office with a frown. “Yes Roslyn?” I asked smoothly as I somewhat causally turn back to the screen in front of me to continued typing as if I’d not been brooding over my life like a renascence poetess for the last hour. “Are you okay? I’ve been calling you for like a minute or so,” asked Roslyn as she proceeded into the room. I couldn’t help notice how the florescence light hit her pretty blonde hair as it bounced with each step she took. I would be lying if I didn’t say I was sometimes jealous of Roslyn irrespective of the fact that she is the closest thing I have to a female best friend. Sure I have the ten points for being her boss, but her blonde hair, baby blue eyes, earth shuttering confidence are some of the few things that I know I could never compete with because…well come on, blondes have always have a bonus point compared to the ordinary introverted brunette. It’s not that I am insecure of my physical attributes or anything, but I can’t help but feel like she could ask for the world and every man in a thousand mile radius would come running. “Sorry, I guess I wasn’t paying attention,” I replied as I picked up a file and began to scan through the contents, “so, is there something wrong?” “Well no, not really… it’s just that….” I instantly looked up, “what?” “You have a client.” A client? I mentally repeated the word as I inwardly frowned. The past few days have been unbelievably hectic for me ever since the company received a project form a wealthy and demanding client. The strange and sometimes ridiculous expectations have had me taking long ass international calls with the occasional travelling into the mix. I’ve been decentralising a majority of my new clients to my employees ever since because my client apparently hates sharing! “Client? Didn’t we already agree that all clients be directed to Dylan, Marcie or Tawny?” “Ummmm…. yes, but they’re actually demanding to see you in the conference room.” “What,” I shrieked in disbelief as I put down the file, “How did they even end up there? Did they even make a reservation?” I mumbled agitatedly as I quickly got up from my winged chair and walked off towards the door. Whatever sense of reasoning I might have had earlier during the day had already left the building hours ago. Am tired, moody, probably PMSing right now and some entitled prick wants to make a show in my office?!!! Roselyn automatically shrinks away from me as I rush past her. “Who are they, please don’t tell me it’s the Leuenberger brothers.” I past as I took a right turn. I really wasn’t in the disposition to deal with the rival Swiss interior design company, much less its antagonistic and egocentric owners, whom have made it tradition to stop by every now and then to you know….spice things up. “Nope,” Roselyn called after me. “Those fancy pants idiots are still effectively banned from the premises remember!!” Yes I remember and I remember slapping Peter after a very unfortunate entanglement. I normally would have shuddered at the thought but paused for a moment with my hand on the door handle when I realised that the large expanse of the glass cubicle/ conference room that was located in the middle of the firm was pitch black, and then I asked myself…. What kinda client comes to a firm at closing hour? I open my mouth to state my observations when the door suddenly wedges itself open and feel a pair of hands suddenly push me forward with so much force I actually lost my balance. I yelped in shock as I tilted forward into the black abyss when I somehow found myself tumbling into a strong pair of arms as the lights suddenly flicked on in the background. “HAPPY BIRTHDAYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!” screamed a chorus of voices as someone steadied me up to my wobbling feet. I looked around in bewilderment as a number of hands and familiar faces pushed their way into my personal space, fighting for my attention. I could tell that they were celebrating something since the crazy party hats and the colourful sparkling confetti gave it away. But when I caught sight of Roslyn coming towards me with a large birthday cake with my name on it did it all suddenly made sense. I know, how slow can a girl get? ************** Three hours and thirty minutes later, I find myself huddled under the thick duvet of my four poster bed in my Four Seasons apartment in Manhattan New York. I had just taken a shower thirty minutes earlier to remove the mild odour of cheap wine and awesome Chinese food off my body. In as much as I hate parties and crowded places, I had a great time. Sighing with contentment, I slowly turn over to my side only to find myself eyeing a box of my favourite red velvet cupcakes toppled with cream cheese which Roslyn happened to ‘get’ for me to take home since she had already called dibs on taking the rest of my birthday cake home. I remember laughing my head off at that one and knew it best not to challenge her. Trust me when I say that no one in their right mind should ever get in the way of a pregnant Roslyn and her cake, EVER. I shudder at the mental note as I remember what she did to that poor soul who had eaten her slice of angel food cake a day before. May his much needed self-esteem rest in peace. Restless, I swing my legs off the edge of my bed and head off to my home office. It was originally another room to my three bedroomed apartment when I moved in a year ago, but later decided I needed a room to handle most of my work since I hate being coped up in an office all week. I really appreciate my personal space. I groan with annoyance when I suddenly hear a familiar ring tone, thankfully I had left both my phones charging somewhere in the study, so I don’t bother checking the caller ID on my personal phone. “Hello?” I answered. “HEY BABE, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!” I rolled my eyes in mock annoyance. “Gary shut up, am not your babe, has it ever occurred to you that most people misunderstand our relationship?” I ask my best friend smirk. Honestly I know that I should be over it by now but I still can’t get my head around Gary’s flirtatious personality sometimes, mostly because the majority of his ‘flings’, both former, current and perspective often tend to see me as a threat. Gary calls me his plan B, after a number of past relationships broke off on the misunderstanding that he was secretly in love with me, and he has taken advantage of this misapprehension and I’ve been the villain’s sidekick in someone’s love story ever since. I know such an ass, and am the bigger one for letting this go one for so long. But we’ve have a great time together outside his dating life. Starting with my prize after beating him at a game of ‘so-called’ solitaire in college which eventually became our ‘thing’; he gets a tub of ice-cream, Oreo’s and pop-corn, I select three movies from our choice streaming service and a two crates of ginger beer, I never allow him to drink alcohol in my house, ever!! Either way we watch movies make prank calls to our family and friends or plan foodie trips around New York when we have time. But all that came to a halt the moment he got a promotion in another state and we have been apart since. Two years to be exact. “Relationship? WE HAVE a relationship!” “GARY!!” “Okay Okay, sorry!” he laughed at the other end of the phone. “So,” he cleared his voice when he finally pulled himself together, “How’s the office? I heard you forgot your birthday?” “Roselyn told you didn’t she?” I asked a little less smoothly as I had thought it out. Gary obviously caught on quickly because there was a sharp intake of air and a soft curse on the other side of the line. “Hahaha, you know Roslyn…..” he laughed nervously because he knew what he had just let slip out, “Ummmm but seriously am sorry that I’ve missed your birthday, you know how work is.” He said a little confidently, totally changing the subject. I let him, I really didn’t feel like getting into any arguments at the moment. “It’s okay, oh yeah I got your present.” I said a little awkwardly because I wasn’t sure if I could call it that. “How is it?” I heard he shout out excitedly and shook my head in amusement, wondering how I managed eight years of friendship with this weirdo. “Err are you sure it’s for me?” I asked suspiciously. “Uh yes, why?” “You bought me lingerie?” “Dah! Red looks good on you by the way.” I didn’t care about that, I have a pressing matter, “And you somehow knew my size?” “Roselyn” he says quickly, totally throwing her under the bus. “Creep” I shoot back. “Only for you babe!” he retorts in that annoying way of his and I cut the phone, only for him.