— Do we all agreed on the new articles? asked Sibylline, pulling on her pencil skirt.

Everyone nodded, except Gerard, as usual.

— A problem? Sibylline asked, arching her right eyebrow.

He stammered incoherently.

— Gerard, stop talking like a three-year-old and articulate properly.
— I said that I think it's unfair that I should come across the basic news update.
— How is that unfair? It's your turn this week.

Visibly displeased, he rose from his chair.

— But I had a brilliant idea about the physical changes that pregnant women go through!
— Don't be childish, Gerard.
— But Siby...
— Stop it! You're being childish for some reason. Look, your behaviour last week was atrocious, you don't perform sexual acts during a meeting. I could have reported you but I didn't because I've got other things to do, but if you continue to defy my authority, believe me, it's going to happen. Besides, everyone does the basic news update every week, everyone respects that and no one has ever refused. So now you stop or it's going to seriously start to piss me off.

Mouths agape. We were all speechless. Firstly, because we had never heard Sibylline raise her voice, but more importantly because no one had ever dared to challenge Sibylline. A few seconds passed, and Gerard sat back down, stammering what seemed to be an apology. Sibylline, for her part, put on her smiling face again and said a collective goodbye before clicking her heels out of the room.

— Wow, says Eve. Amazing.

The team was turning towards the latter when Gerard, quite angry, noisily put his things away. He ended up striding out of the conference room after a few seconds.

— Wow... continued Eve. Ok, Sibylline scores a point, and Gerard minus twelve.

Her comment earned a laugh from the crowd. As for me, I simply shook my head. She was never shy about making comments like that. I thought it was brave, as I'd never dare speak like that.

After a few exchanges between colleagues, we finally left the building.

— So, what are you going to do with the rest of your afternoon?

I smile.

— Library, and you?
— I'm going to go and meet Pauline at a café.
— Your childhood friend?

She glanced at her watch.

— Yes, I'd better get going if I don't want to be late.
— Love you Eve, I say, giving her a hug before she turns around and walks away.

I took two buses to get to the library, Six Years in hand.

With a light step, I went back and forth between thrillers and romances, having already put Six Years back in its spot. Browsing through the books, I saw a beige Post-it with white stripes between two books. I noticed that it belonged to the mysterious man with the notes.

If that's the girl who answers my notes, I put some in Before I Ever Met You by Karina Halle. It's an English novel, so let's see if your literature and language skills extend further to English literature.

He had gone to check the novels. But how did he know I'd find his note? Especially as it was tucked away between two novels. It made me smile though, knowing that someone as cultured and intriguing as him had noticed me gave me an enormous feeling of joy. I noticed that my heart was beating much faster than usual. Keeping the note in my hand, I looked for the novel in question and in a few seconds located it several shelves away in the English literature section.

I didn't know the author Karina Halle, but I had to say that the summary was interesting.
I first met William McAlister when I was just a teenager.
He was handsome, had a beautiful wife and was on the verge of success, having just joined my father as his business partner. Mr. McAlister was full of smooth charm, but back then he was barely a blip on my radar. Just a family friend.
Fast forward ten years: I'm 25 years old and a single mom trying to make things right for her seven—year old son. I've made some mistakes, grappled with my demons and now I'm back in the city of Vancouver, getting a second chance at a better life.
I've started by working for my father's production company as an executive assistant. My first day on the job and I already know I could have a promising career there.
That is until I see Will McAlister for the first time in a decade.
Now recently divorced and as sophisticated as always, Will has gone from being my father's friend and business partner to something so much more.
We're both older, for one thing, and he just oozes this worldly confidence and stark sexuality. Combined with his tall, muscular build and sharp suits, strong jaw and bedroom eyes, Will has turned into one hell of a distraction.
A distraction I'm having a hard time staying away from, considering his office is right across from my desk and I work with him in such close proximity.
But it's just a harmless crush, right?
It's just an innocent fantasy of screwing him on his desk, right?
It can't ever be more because he's my father's best friend, business partner, and my boss.
Right ?
Wrong.

His tastes were so similar to mine that it was strange. As I flipped through the pages, I noticed that the Post-it notes were no longer beige but blue, which made me wonder. Was it really him again?

Just as I was about to close the book, I noticed a Post-it with his handwriting on the first page, right next to the title.

Yes, I changed my Post-it notes because I ran out of beige ones, but it's still me.

When I left the library, I was smiling for some reason. Perhaps because part of me already sensed that this was going to be a long adventure towards love? Or perhaps because I anticipated that my soul would unite with his to form a single entity?