The President has his needs
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Derek POV
Work.
Run.
Sleep.
Repeat. Although some nights I need some heavy scotch to help me sleep. I was used to think about Rachel during my idle time, not really just idle. Mostly, I thought about her all the time.
Now? She has to be off from my mind. I worked, everyday, all the time, because if I stop, it would be very tempting to have the secret service taking me to Rachel's house.
The President has his needs. But it can't always be fulfilled all the time.
The press has given up questioning the press secretary regarding the scandal. The White House crisis has died down a little. But of course, it won't be the last.
For a forty-five years old man, going through a relationship mid life crisis wasn't something I expected to happen. The Oval is something I earned, I worked up for it. I look at the chandelier, JFK's picture on the wall. Ironically, JFK history happens to me.
A click on the door gets my focus back on work. It's all work.
'Good morning, darling.' As usual, Grace came in without knocking. She was radiant. Her face was glowing as if she has won the vote.
'A knocking would not bruised your brittle hand, after all, you want to be a president, you gotta polish your mannerism, Grace.' I left my seat and head for the sofa where Grace is already sitting.
'You said it wasn't a fling for you, but for her, maybe you were?' Grace cross her leg after she lay a folder in front of me. I look at her with puzzlement. 'Go on, you'll thank me later.'
'It wouldn't hurt, I assumed.' I took the folders, peek at Grace briefly. When I open the file, it sure hurt as hell.
'Are you convinced now?' Grace speaks in a low voice, the kind where she is luring you to grab the forbidden apple from the Garden of Eden.
'You send the secret service to check on her?' I was infuriated, with both Grace and her.
'I wouldn't waste taxpayers money on such trivial, well, maybe it's not trivial for you, it's an awakening.'
'What were you expecting out of this, Grace?' I scoffed, but I'm sure as hell that my anger is threatening to unleash.
'What was I expecting?' Grace looks offended. 'I was expecting you to get on your feet and stop behaving like a dramatic teenager who couldn't get the girl from the cheerleader team.' She raised her voice.
'I take the matters in my own hand, and stop digging anything about Rachel, Grace. Did I make myself clear?' I looked into her eyes, stern, cold.
'As you wish.' Grace throws her hand in the air, said nothing, but maybe, deep down, she probably want to scream at me. Grace left the Oval office with a loud bang. And when she is gone, the entire room went silent.
Silent hits me. I opened the file again. Hundreds of thoughts gushing into my mind, half of it was induced by my negative thoughts.
Rachel is seeing another man, Tony Linton. While I was hiding in my office, seeking recovery, numbing the pain with work, she is out there with another man, not looking slightly hurt at all.
I throw the file back on the table, the photos scattered around, as if they were a constant reminder that Rachel has given up on me.
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Rachel POV
I have been taking deep breath, to make myself better whenever the hurt scorched me. Finally, today, I'm flying again, and after that, I will be going for a long holiday. Not exactly long, but anything more than two weeks is considered long.
I wasn't trying to be dramatic, but I realized my skirt has been kind of loose. I weigh myself on the scale, I have lost a pound. The cereals and milk kind of explain it. I have been having that for the past few days. I hope Dolores won't eye me like my high school counselor when she saw my dark eyes and un-radiant face.
Today, we are flying the Vice President to L.A. Tony is in charge of our flight today. He enters the cabin while I was replacing the serviettes at the kitchen area.
He stood next to me, 'I have asked for leaves as well.'
I turn to him, there's is an inner voice in me that says he did this for me. 'Uh-huh.' I said uncertainly, although in an usual circumstances, I would have said "so?".
'So, it means, well, maybe we'll have a chance to get to know each other.' He shrugged.
'Tony. Do you approach every girl this way?' I narrowed my eyes, but I made it sound like it is a joke.
'The girl that I like? Yes.' He said confidently. I am left speechless. 'I am straightforward, and if you get to know my friends, I am not the guy who target every girl I can find on the street, there is only a few on the list.'
'The list? So, when all this is over, I'll get crossed out?' I throw the rubbish to the bin. I was taken aback when he said about the list. I mean, Derek took me for a list, and I'm been marked "denied". I am not going to be anyone's list again.
'It depends, if you want to stay, Rachel, which is why we need to get to know each other, if you think I am a predator seeking for a prey, you are mistaken, and if I ever made you felt that way, I apologized.' He explained. I looked at his face, and instinct told me, he wasn't lying.
'Okay, honestly, you know my situation right now. I don't want to make any decision when I am going through this, it won't be fair to either of us. If you can take this as a normal colleague get-together, nothing heavy, I'm fine. I just don't want to put any of our hopes high.'
'Promise. Do you want any black and white because I can.' He said with a dead-pang face.
I laugh when I realized his jokes. 'Go away, captain, before I complain to Dolores.'
He left the kitchen with a joyful mood. When I was alone again, I start to question myself if I am doing the right thing. I might end up hurting Tony. Every time I came inside this plane, memories of Derek surges like Niagara Falls, it doesn't stop.
A/N
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