Between Gasps and Glances

Chapter Ten - GET AWAY

Noelle's POV

Of course, I shook hands on Brielle's request to be friends. I had lost Jace, he wasn't taking my calls and I had been locked out of my apartment, so I had nowhere else to go, but the mansion.

Finding this job was hard enough for me already, I couldn't imagine going back to nothing.

I woke up every morning for the past three days excitedly making all their meals, because it at least gave me a sense of fulfilment.

“You're a very good chef,” I heard a voice from behind me as I chopped the veggies for lunch.

“Thank you sir,” I said, trying to suppress the excited shout I wanted to let out. It was the first time Damian said anything nice to me since I came and the first sentence at all in three days.

“Kind of seems like a waste for a private chef,” he commented under his breath, but I could still hear him.

“The plan is to own a big restaurant as well as culinary school, sir,” I responded.

“I didn't ask,” he fired at me. I felt a light wave of diffidence wash over me.

‘And it was over,’ I rolled my eyes and continued with the veggies. I was foolish to have thought he came to actually speak with me.

I tried to take my mind off his presence, but he was hovering over me, it was impossible to act like he wasn't there. I cleared my throat a couple of times, but it didn't make a difference.

“Do you need something, sir?” I probed,

“Yes,” he responded quickly. I folded a bit. It wasn't quite the response I was expecting. I just wanted him to leave.

“Pack your bags for a three day trip.” He said, throwing me into immediate panic, “I have a business conference to attend and I think you'd be useful in entertaining the guests.”

I gulped in a large amount of saliva.

“Entertaining…”

“Make our meals, dummy,” he snapped at me, rolled his eyes and then walked out.

“When do we leave sir?” I asked in a loud voice so he could hear as he walked away.

“Tomorrow!”

It was the second time I was unprepared for the answer to a question I asked. When I first took this job, I did not foresee trips and yet, here we were. It was both terrifying and exciting.

I picked up my phone and dialed Jace's number, but the call went straight to voicemail.

“Jace, buddy, I know you're still upset, but this might just be the biggest opportunity I have to rebuild myself.” I said, filled with so much excitement.

“If my craft can get to states where I'm not known, it will be the first thing to speak for me and I might finally be able to bury the past in the past.”

“I want to thank you for this opportunity, but more than that, I want to discuss every high and low with my friend,” my enthusiasm decreased drastically, “please call me back, Jace. I miss you.”

I took a deep breath as I put the phone down and hoped that Jace was going to put my actions behind him and finally see the bigger picture.

I spent all afternoon and all evening looking at my phone and Jace did not call back.

Early the next morning, I jumped out of bed and reached for my phone. My heart broke into a thousand pieces when I saw that Jace did not try to reach me back.

“Alright, guess I'm doing this alone,” I said in a weak tone and pulled myself sluggishly to the bathroom.

I couldn't stop imagining what it was going to be like, making meals for people of Damian's class. I went over every business strategy I could think of.

“Noelle!” I heard a loud call from outside my door as I struggled to put the last of my things in my box.

“Damian is downstairs, waiting for you,” Theo reported.

“I'm ready,” I pulled my luggage outside and found Theo in shorts, but I didn't give it a lot of thought.

“Breakfast,” I said,

“You'll be served on the plane. Now, go!” Theo helped me with my bag.

Damian did not say a word to me, as soon as he set eyes on me, he got into the vehicle.

Theo and I stared at each other, and I could only take a deep breath and join him in the car. Theo loaded my vehicle into the car and got behind the wheel.

“Noelle, have you been to Zurich before?” Theo probed, trying to raise small talk, because the first few minutes of the drive were extremely quiet.

“Uhm…I haven't,” I responded.

I was born and raised in Boston and I hadn't seen outside of Boston before, but I wasn't about to say that, because I couldn't have Damian looking at me like I was any less than him.

“I haven't traveled much,” I said, “or at all,” I said in a very thin voice that was inaudible to them both.

“Okay, you're here. You both have fun,” Theo turned to both of us.

“I'm sorry?” The words flew right out of my mouth.

All the while, I was under the impression that Theo was a part of the trip. Learning in that last minute that it was just Damian and I made me extremely uncomfortable.

Before I got the chance to say another word, two men in black suits brought out our luggage from the trunk of the car and one opened the door.

“This way ma'am,” the guard said.

I kept turning back and watching Theo drive away felt like I was being led to prison.

The thought of it scared me and I wasn't sure what to expect, all I knew was that for the next three days it was just me and Damian across the world.

“Phew!”