Please enjoy this fanart of Kristina and Jo the talented void-dreams made for me 😭😭❤ you've seriously made my books come to life!!
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When I woke in the morning, I felt the tense muscles from the night before relax.

After I had spent half an hour in the jacuzzi, I had decided to take an hour-long shower.

I had spent a good deal of it reminiscing on how Hero and I had left things. There was an emptiness inside me that I couldn't seem to soothe. 

My meeting with Cole had confused me. I was still heartbroken over leaving Hero, but I couldn't deny that he had been flirting with me. Part of me thought that I had liked the transaction, but I didn't want to face the music. 

In the end, I had pleasured myself, picturing Hero in my mind.

I'd cried endlessly, feeling guilty over my wayward thoughts. It was a tough pill to swallow; I missed him and knew I had to distance myself, but at the same time didn't want to make myself available to anyone but him. 

I needed to distract myself.

As I dug into a muffin, I received a text from Tawnee asking if I could come in for training. Wanting to get out the door as fast as possible, I threw on a random ugly sweater with my bell bottoms, quickly curling my hair.

I knew I didn't look close to presentable, but I didn't have time to ponder over that.

Thank god, I had set an alarm. 

As I rushed down the many flights of stairs and through the main lobby, I saw Cole at the front desk speaking to the receptionist in a hushed tone.

When he saw me heading for the exit doors, he ran towards me.

The butterflies from last night had dissipated completely. Once I had reminded myself how much of a hold Hero had on me, he was drug out of my mind. 

"Kristina!" He shouted, forcing me to face him. 

I tightened my hold on my purse, trying to force a smile on my face. 

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Tawnee just faxed me. You need a ride?"

I blushed. "Oh- no. I was just about to text her for a ride-"

"Oh, she can't," Cole frowned, "She said it would be more convenient for me to bring you... You know?"

I could already tell this boy wasn't too good with confrontation of any kind.

How in the world was he with corporate?

I sighed, wondering if I could afford to order a Uber. No. I definitely could not. 

"Thank you." I finally agreed. 

Once out the doors, Cole led me to a glistening black mustang. It looked like he had just gone to the lotto to purchase it. He must have noticed the look on my face because he began boasting. 

"You like it?"

I gasped, taken aback by his sudden question. "Do I like it-? I mean... It's amazing. How much did it cost, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Just enough," Cole laughed as we got inside, "Feel free to turn the nozzle for the heat."

I turned the nozzle rubbing my hands together in an attempt to warm up faster. 

"So, you're the office's new assistant?" Cole asked as he started down the freeway. 

I nodded. "Yeah. I won a free trial at an auction. I decided that it was a good opportunity." 

"Indeed it is," Cole smiled, "there's always room for improvement and if we decide we want to continue with your employment, we have many other positions you can excel in." 

I sighed, already feeling exasperated at this fact. I'd heard everyone repeat the exact same thing. 

Cole must have sensed I was annoyed because he immediately apologized. 

"I'm sorry- I'm boring you. I always do this- I drone on until people can't stand it. I- ugh."

He nearly beat his head against the steering wheel, as if fighting himself on something.

"I'm sorry to do this, but... I was wondering if one of these afternoons I could take you out for lunch?" 

I jumped, surprised at the change in conversation. He wanted to take me out? Wasn't that against company protocol to mix pleasure with business? 

"Oh, I... I...." 

Oh, why couldn't I speak one intelligent sentence around this guy?
 
"I'm sorry." He apologized again. "I understand if I've made you uncomfortable. Or if you have a boyfriend-"

I shut my eyes, wishing this moment would end. 

"No, it's not that. I... I don't have a boyfriend. I just can't do anything like that right now. I just lost my place and I'm staying at the motel. Until I figure that out..." 

"Right," Cole breathed, "I see."

I didn't miss the subtle hint of disappointment in his voice.

We soon made it to the double doors of the enterprise. My heart leapt as we entered and saw all the employees littering the lobby. 

Cole lead me right through reception, guiding me into the office headquarters. Like he was expecting me, Brendan was waiting for me right behind the front desk. 

He straightened his glasses as he realized I was walking next with Cole. 
I saw that he was dressed just as fashionably as he did only days ago.

Sure, he was a boy, but I needed to take some notes. 

"Would your highness like some espresso?" He asked, making me look around in confusion. 

I didn't realize he was speaking to me until he snapped his fingers, demanding my attention.

He rested a hand on his hip looking offended. 

"Oh, me?" I stuttered. "No. You don't need to go out of your way for me-" 

Brendan let out a suppressed laugh. "I wouldn't be doing it for you. It's common courtesy to give everyone some energy. Now. Espresso?" 

I blinked, taken aback. "Um... sure."

Reaching behind his desk, he brandished a tall cup of brown liquid topped with what looked like a pound of whipped cream.

I took a sip, already feeling the rush of sugar hit my head. I knew, without a doubt, Eloise would disapprove. 

Cole cleared his throat, straightening his tie.

"If you two would excuse me, I must speak with Tawnee."

As he made his way towards the end of the office, Brendan eyed him, fanning himself dramatically. 

"You're lucky that man has eyes for you. He's one tall glass of water."

I shook my head at this comment. There were so many things happening in this sentence. 

"Um..." 

Brendan chuckled. "Oh come on. You can't be that blind. He has the hots for you... Oh, do I wish it was the other way around," Brendan paused at the expression on my face.

"Oh, just so you know, I am one-hundred percent gay. I've had a thing for cole for an entire year."

I gasped, shocked at what I was hearing. I didn't have an issue with gays, though I'd never met one. 

I shook my head. "Oh, I'm so sorry. You have to know that I'm not interested at all."

Brendan shrugged. "It's really okay. I know for a fact that he will never play for my team. It's my duty to support you considering we'll be working closely for an entire year."

Did he mean that we were now considered friends? I wasn't sure if he was my cup of tea yet. He did come off a bit condescending. I simply nodded, not knowing what else to do. 

Within the next couple of seconds, Tawnee and Cole materialized side by side. They were laughing, clutching their chests. 

"Ah," Tawnee smiled, gesturing towards me, "Kristina. I see you've met my nephew, Cole."

My eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets. "Nephew?"

Tawnee slapped Cole's back. "Oh, yes. He was quite an unexpected child in the family. I hope you didn't mind me sending him to get you."

I did my best to avoid eye contact with him. I still remembered what he'd asked. 

"No," I managed to choke out in a rush, "I didn't mind."

As I raised my head, I saw that Cole was staring through what felt like my soul. 

"Alright," Tawnee smiled, "Well, Cole and I need to leave for a board meeting. Brendan, you'll be fine running the office?"

Brendan twirled a finger around his scarf. "You do know who you're talking to?"

Tawnee giggled. "You know I have to check! Alright, I'll return in an hour or so."

When Tawnee and Cole had disappeared, Brendan swiveled around. 

"Hold on to your coffee. It's going to be a busy morning."

As the day went by, I really had held on to my coffee and sipped on it the majority of the day.

Brendan ran me around the entirety of the office, showing me each and every cubicle, where all the cleaning supplies were, how to set up appointments, and many more things. 

At the end of it all, my head was spinning. In a way though, I quite enjoyed it. It kept me busy so I didn't feel like the day was dragging by as slow as it would have been, working at Starbucks. 

When I was finally able to sit at my desk, I leaned across my desk, feeling at home in my own space. 

"It's nice, isn't it?" Brendan asked. "At the end of the day when you have a few things to file, it's nice to be behind a door. You don't have to listen to banter on the outside."

"It's perfect." I grinned. "I finally feel like I'm headed in a good direction."

The peace in my office room was nice, but it didn't last long. Through the small crack on my door, we heard a commotion sound from the front of the office.

"Excuse me, sir!" A female voice shouted, sounding distressed. "I told you that you can't be back here! Employee's only!"

"Fucking watch me!" A deep growl ordered. "I know the owner!"

Before long, my office door was swung open with Hero, looking just as good as ever, but with a blazing look in his eyes. As his eyes latched on Brendan, who was lounging across one of my chairs, he rushed over, grabbing a fistful of his shirt.

"Who the fuck do you think you are!" Hero screamed, looking like he was ready to murder. 

"Hero, stop!" I ordered. "It's not what you think! He's gay- he's gay!"

Hero looked back at me, his eyes reddened from all his sudden anger.

"What?"

He then turned to look at Brendan, who didn't look fazed one bit. 

"Didn't my scarf give you a clue?" Brendan shrugged. 

Without much of an apology, Hero shoved him away, swiveling around to turn his attention to me once more. His expression softened when he saw me, cradling my face. 

I swatted his hand away. "Why are you doing this? This is my place of work!"

"I don't care what you might do," Hero snapped, "I'm not willing to let you go- you can either fight me on this or accept it but I'm not going anywhere."

I puffed out my chest. "Just because you want something at this very precise moment, doesn't mean you can have it! You can't make me do something I don't want to!" 

Hero looked determined. It terrified me for a moment.
 
"You can't ask me to stay away from you."

"Well, I am," I fought back, feeling mortified in front of Brendan, "I'm quite busy right now and was taking instructions from my co-worker. You can't go attacking people for no reason. Please just leave me alone."

Hero sighed. "I just wanted to show you I'm not giving up. You should know me better than that."

As Hero shoved his way out of my personal office, I already felt the need to collapse.

Idk about you but I love Brendan 😫

He's exactly the gay friend I always needed.

Ps. What about Cole though 🙄🙈

Don't forget to share your comments and vote ❤