Girlfriend

I walked into the cafe with Jordan on my heels.

The cool air-conditioned air enveloped my body like a blanket of relief.

The Manhattan sun was not being kind to us mere mortals today. Sweat trickled down my temples and I wiped it away on the back of my sleeve.

I hadn't spoken a word to Jordan ever since we stepped out of the elevator. We had been standing in the long line, outstretched for about half a mile outside the Cafe Connect, and neither of us bothered to converse. I think the heat was excruciating enough for the both of us to engage in another mindless banter.

The way that Jordan's behavior changed from day to night was spooky. I had not been able to wrap my mind around his new docile approach towards me.

"Why don't you get us a table and I'll place our orders?" Jordan said.

I scouted the semi-crowded cafe. "Um, I'll have an iced tea and a chicken sandwich," I said and Jordan moved away to join the line at the counter. "And oh, wait!" I grabbed his jacket sleeve to stop him and withdrew my hand the very next second.

His eyes traveled from where I touched him to my face, "Yeah?"

"Um. Extra cheese, please," I hesitated.

A ghost of a smile appeared on his face. He nodded once and joined the line.

"Dammit, Sky," I cursed myself.

I had to get my nerves under control. With Jordan around, I couldn't think let alone restrain my mind from wandering off to last night's events.

I quickly found an empty table at the corner of the cafe and sat down. The rush seemed to be dying down with the lunch break almost nearing its end. I had a clear view of the counter from this table and I saw Jordan as he approached the counter and placed our orders.

Jordan was pretty much irresistible at an arm's length but as I watched him standing in the line, his shoulders erect and his stance dripping with confidence that allowed him to capture all eyes in any room he walked into, I was even more enamored than I cared to admit.

After a few more minutes he exited the line. His eyes scoured the cafe and landed on me. He walked over with a tray of our orders and settled down in the chair opposite mine.

"Here you go," he said as he slid the tray in my direction and placed his plate in front of him.

"Thanks..." I said uncomfortably.

For the next (what felt like an eternity) few minutes, we ate in awkward silence. I refrained from lifting my eyes off my plate to peek a glance at Jordan. The commotion around us eventually died down as the afternoon rush cleared out from the cafe. I picked at the remnants of my sandwich, mindlessly, waiting for Jordan to initiate a conversation, anything at all, to end this excruciating lunch hour.

At the same time, my mind was going crazy thinking about all the possible reasons Jordan might have to turn docile after his vibrant display of hostility and vileness last night.

"Okay," I finally breathed out loud. "What is happening here?" I looked at Jordan's distracted face.

He shot his green orbs in my direction. "What?" he frowned appearing clueless.

"Do you seriously think I'm blind to this charade of yours?"

His eyes danced calculatedly, trying to discern the meaning behind my words.

"Last night you tricked me into a deal which has my job on the line and now you're being... nice?" I scrunched my nose in incredulity.

"I did not trick you into anything. I had no idea that my mother would show up that night," Jordan inched forward and clenched his jaw.

"Whatever, Jordan. Why are you being weirder than usual?"

"I am not," he lied.

I let out an exasperated sigh. "You are! You have been perfectly decent since morning, no snide comments, you're being cooperative, and you came to lunch with me!"

"And that makes you suspect my intentions? Has no one showed you kindness your whole life?"

"There!" I pointed a finger at his face. "That's the Jordan I know and detest. This sweet and docile version of yours is making my head spin!"

Jordan cleared his throat and shifted a little in his seat. "I just wanted to... I mean, last night when I said that... I mean—"

As I watched him struggle with words, it hit me.

"You're playing good so that I agree to your cause, aren't you?" my tone was accusatory.

"No," Jordan's lips formed a straight line.

"Exactly. What else could explain this?" I stared at him in incredulity.

"No," he repeated in a deeper voice.

"You're being all goody-goody right now so that I agree to pretend to be your—"

"Lower your voice, Rose," Jordan looked around.

"You're being all goody-goody right now so that I agree to pretend to be your girlfriend!" I repeated in a hushed manner.

"Are you done yet?" his eyebrows jumped up in question. His fists curled into balls on the top of the table and he looked as though he was restraining himself from blowing up like a grenade.

"For now, yes," I pushed my chair back and began to stand up but Jordan's fingers curled around my wrist in a swift move.

"Please, sit back down," he spoke. His jaw clenched.

I snatched my wrist out of his grip and gave him a skeptical stare.

"You're making a scene, Rose," he said.

I looked around and saw a few eyes looking in our direction. Blood rushed to my cheeks and I seated myself on the chair.

"I just wanted to let you know that you're off the hook," he said. The green in his eyes looked like an ocean at rest just before a storm.

"Off the hook?" I reiterated. "What does... what do you mean?"

Jordan's fingers danced lightly on the tabletop and his eyes followed its movement. "That you don't have to pretend to be my girlfriend."

I couldn't believe my ears. Was Jordan Parker backing out without a fight? I hardly knew the man personally but he didn't seem like someone who would back down that easy.

"You're saying that... that I don't have to... Are you firing me?" my eyes widened as the disconcerting thought crossed my mind.

"No," he said. "I am not firing you. You can keep your job. I've gotten used to you being around and God knows how long it'll take before I get used to the other writer they send."

I blinked blankly at his face. "I don't understand."

"You don't have to understand."

"Do you not need my help anymore?" I asked.

I know I should have pounced at the chance of getting out of this mess but all I could think about is what brought about this sudden change in Jordan.

"That's not your concern," he glanced at the watch on his wrist, "I think we should head back."

Jordan stood up from his seat and made his way out of the cafe.

I followed after him, almost mindlessly, as I tried to make sense of his words.

"Wait, I didn't pay for the food," I called after him and opened the zipper on the sling bag hanging from my shoulders.

"It's already taken care of," Jordan replied and continued to walk towards his office building.

Without stopping to contemplate much, I ran after him.

Jordan's long legs allowed him to walk faster than me and I struggled to keep up with him. I followed him into the building thinking how I should have been happy, elated, euphoric, after being let off the hook. My job was no longer being threatened and I didn't have to play pretend with Jordan anymore. I should have been happy.

I was happy.

I am happy.

This was a huge relief. I didn't have to lie to Maddy anymore and I could just tell her—

"Ow!" I shrieked when my body collided with a hard figure. A splash of lukewarm liquid spilled over my white blouse.

"What the fu— my coffee!" A loud voice exclaimed. A loud and extremely familiar voice.

I looked above from my coffee-stained blouse and at a face so familiar to me that I could draw it in my sleep.

The same face whose outlines I had spent many nights tracing with my fingertips. Two steel blue eyes and hair as dark as the star-less night. Standing 6 feet tall he shot his angry eyes at me.

"Sky?" the annoyance on his face visibly dissolved as he continued to stare at me in bewilderment.

"Max?" I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding.

It was him. The face I never hoped I would see again.

All the memories that I had stored in a locked chest in the deepest parts of my mind started to bang loudly against the doors that held them. They wanted out.

"Sky, I can't believe—" I felt my legs develop a mind of their own as I walked past him.

I did not know where I was going or what I was doing until my eyes landed on Jordan's retreating body. He was walking away from me and towards the elevator.

"Sky!" I heard Max yell but I kept walking in Jordan's direction.

All the other sounds around me drowned themselves out.

All I heard was the erratic sound of my heartbeat.

Lub-dub. Lub-dub.

Before I could comprehend what I was doing, I caught up to Jordan and grabbed him by the arm, bringing him to a halt. He turned around, perplexed, as I grabbed him by the collar and planted my lips over him.

Shock.

I could feel the shock spreading through his body as he failed to return my kiss. But I didn't care about that.

I didn't care about the reciprocation.

I didn't care about the consequences.

All I cared about was to prove Max wrong.

The very next second I felt Jordan's lips move over mine and relief surged through me. Apparently, I did care but wouldn't admit it. He opened his mouth for me and worked his soft lips over my lips. His palms closed around my waist and he leaned into the moment.

I broke away from him abruptly but his hands kept me steady.

I was breathing heavily and could feel the entire floor's eyes on us. On me.

The shock was easily displayed in Jordan's green eyes.

"What was that about?" Jordan asked in a raspy voice.

I realized that I was still clutching onto the collar on his shirt but I did not dare to move away. I could see Max's attention on me from the corner of my eyes. So, I inched closer to Jordan.

I swallowed hard. I was definitely going to regret this later but now was not the time to think about that. All that mattered at this moment was to see the shock on Max's face and revel in the satisfaction that it would give me.

"Well, didn't you want a girlfriend? Now you've got one, Jordan Parker."