SHARON'S POV
I woke up to the sound of my alarm blaring in my ear, signaling the start of a new day. I groggily reached over to turn it off, feeling a sense of dread over me as I remembered what had happened the night before. I had to face Ryan today, and I still wasn't sure what to say to him.
I got out of bed and began getting ready for work, my mind preoccupied with thoughts of Ryan and Ace. Maxie's words of advice kept echoing in my head ... "Tell Ryan he's just someone from your past." Easy for her to say, but what if he didn't believe me? What if he saw right through me?
I took a deep breath and tried to push aside my doubts. I could do this. I just had to be honest with Ryan and see where things went. I finished getting ready and headed out the door, feeling a sense of determination.
As I arrived at work, I spotted Ryan's sport car parked outside, and my heart skipped a beat. He was already here. I took a deep breath and steeled myself for the conversation ahead. Time to face the music...
I stood at the entrance of the office, listening to the conversation between my coworkers. They were all gathered around Ryan, teasing him about his sports car.
"Ryan, Ryan, you're so extra with that sports car," Ava said, rolling her eyes.
"Hey, someone's got to represent the speed demons around here," Ryan replied with a grin.
Liam chimed in, "I bet Emily's already got a crush on him because of that car."
Emily playfully hit Liam on the arm. "Shut up, Liam. I do not have a crush on him."
Samantha snorted. "Yeah, right. You're just jealous because your car is older than you are."
The group erupted into laughter, and Alex added, "I think Ryan's car is so cool. Can I drive it sometime?"
Ethan, who was sitting at his desk, looked up and said, "No way, Alex. You'll just scratch it and Ryan will cry."
The group laughed again, and I couldn't help but smile as I watched the banter between them. They were all having a good time, and Ryan was taking it all in stride.
I took a deep breath, feeling a bit more at ease, and walked into the office. "Good morning, everyone," I said, trying to sound cheerful.
The group turned to me, and Ryan's eyes met mine. "Morning, Sharon," he said with a smile, and I felt my heart skip a beat. Immediately Mrs Rachel came in from behind me too
"Who got a loan to get a sport car, or do we have a client?" A mischievous glint in her eyes
Mrs Rachel was a kind woman with a good sense of humor, and I could tell she was enjoying the teasing
Everybody burst out laughing, and Ava pointed to Ryan. "It's Ryan, I think he's put his whole fortune on getting that car."
Mrs Rachel laughed, a warm, throaty sound. "It's a nice car, though. I could borrow it sometimes to go see my son in school."
The group erupted into laughter again, and I couldn't help but chuckle along with them. Ryan was laughing, too, his face a bit red.
Mrs Rachel's expression turned serious, and she asked, "So, how was everyone's weekend?"
The responses were all variations of "fine" and "good," and Mrs Rachel nodded, smiling. "Great, great. Well, let's get to work, shall we?"
With that, she walked into her office, and the group began to disperse, chatting and laughing as they headed to their desks. I stood there for a moment, feeling a bit more at ease, before making my way to my own desk.
I walked up to Ryan, trying to seem nonchalant despite the butterflies in my stomach. "Ryan, are you good?" I asked, my voice low and casual.
Ryan turned to me, his expression neutral, but I caught a hint of curiosity in his eyes. He looked at me for a moment before responding, "Yeah, I'm good. I wanted to give you time to settle in but you beat me to it" he said smiling...
I just smiled too and when he was about to head back to his desk, I reached out and called out to him.
"When you're free, can we have like a little chat?" I asked, trying to sound casual despite my nervousness.
Ryan turned back to me, a questioning look on his face. "Yeah, I'm free now. What's up?" he asked, his eyes locked on mine.
I nodded, feeling a sense of relief. "Let's step outside for a minute," I suggested, gesturing towards the private corner outside the office.
Ryan raised an eyebrow but nodded, following me out of the office. We walked in silence to the corner, the tension between us palpable. Once we were out of earshot of the others, Ryan turned to me and asked, "What's going on, Sharon?"
I took a deep breath, steeling myself for the conversation ahead. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but I had to be honest with him. "I just wanted to talk to you about yesterday," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
I looked at Ryan, feeling a mix of emotions. He was being understanding and kind, and I felt a pang of gratitude towards him. "I can tell that you do not want to talk about it," Ryan said, his voice gentle.
"And I called several times, you didn't pick. I was just concerned if you were okay. But seeing that you are fine, then it's no problem. I don't care if we skip it, you know."
I felt a wave of relief wash over me as Ryan's words poured out. He wasn't pushing me to talk about something I wasn't ready to discuss. Instead, he was giving me an out, and I felt grateful for it.
"Ryan, I owe you one," I said, looking up at him with a sincere expression.
Ryan smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "You don't owe me anything, Sharon," he said, his voice light. "I'm just glad you're okay." His smile was warm and genuine, and I felt a flutter in my chest. For a moment, I forgot about Ace and the complicated emotions I was feeling. All I saw was Ryan, standing in front of me, being kind and understanding....
"Let's head back now before Ava..." Just as Ryan was about to complete his statement so we could head back into the office, Ava's voice called out to us from the entrance.
"Hey, you two love birds! It's too early to start loving up. Come into the office, we have a meeting!"
Ryan and I exchanged a glance, both of us curving our lips into a slight smile. I felt a flush rise to my cheeks, but Ryan just chuckled and gestured for me to go ahead of him.
"Guess we should get going," he said, his voice low and amused.
I nodded, and we both walked towards the office, Ava's teasing fading into the background as we joined the others. As we entered the office, the rest of the team was gathering around the conference table, chatting and laughing. Mrs. Rachel walked in, a stack of papers in her hand, and the room fell silent.
"Alright, everyone. Let's get started," she said, her voice clear and authoritative. The meeting was about to begin, and I took my seat, trying to focus on the agenda ahead.
"We have something big shooting up" I looked at Mrs Rachel's face and I sensed the seriousness...