35 - dates & promises

Amina

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I had returned to work reluctantly, with hopes that the gossip at the office had gone down. When I entered the office, it didn't seem like I was the topic of conversation anymore. Just like HR had predicted there was a new office gossip being discussed.

Allegedly Nancy tried to make a move on the marketing director, despite the company's no dating policy. Now it's being looked into by HR as harassment and everyone's talking about it.

It was so crazy how gossip could spread so quickly and feel like the most important thing at the time. But then be irrelevant by the end of the week like it never happened.

"Hello Ami, welcome back. I'm sorry last week was so tough on you." Felix said as he approached my desk.

I shrug, "Thanks it's fine. I'm just glad it's over."

He chuckles, "As long as you can stay out of the tabloids."

"You really think they'll care that much about me to post another article?"

"You're dating a future company heir, yes they will." He says with a whisper.

"We're not dating." I whisper back.

He chuckles, placing some folders on my desk. "Right. Get on these tasks for today for me."

I nod, "Yes sir."

I continued my work in peace this time having little disturbances from my coworkers that weren't work-related. By the time my lunch break came around, I went down to the communal cafeteria in the basement for lunch. Because I failed to pack a lunch, I made my way down there to pick something up. I normally avoided it to keep from running into Aaron but today I skipped breakfast and felt extra hungry.

I pick up a turkey sandwich and a bag of chips before paying and heading back up to my desk. As I'm in the elevator I notice Aaron at the bottom floor walking across the lobby. I duck, hoping I can't be seen in the slightly transparent elevators.

He disappears down a corridor making me sigh in relief. When I got to my floor I got off, eager to get to my desk and devour my meal. Just as I'm about to take out of my sandwich my computer screen lights up with a Microsoft Teams message from Veronica.

Veronica M: Mr. Taylor is requesting you in his office.

I sigh, placing my sandwich down reluctantly.

Amina B: Coming

I get up from my desk, abandoning my sandwich to head to the CEO's office on the top floor.

What could he possibly want now?

I get off on the top floor, giving Natalie a quick wave as Veronica points me to his office. I gulp before entering, afraid of what this meeting could be about.

"Amina." He says greeting me with a warm smile.

"Good afternoon sir."

"I wanted to speak to you last week but I wasn't aware that you were going to be working from home. I hope you enjoyed the gala?"

"My apologies sir. And yes I did, it was a great experience." I reply politely despite the animosity I feel toward him after the events of the gala.

He smiles, "Good, I'm happy to hear that. Last week seemed to be challenging for you, I apologize for that."

"No need to apologize, sir, not to me."

He raises a brow at my comment but ignores it as he pulls out a Manila folder, "I'm afraid the worst is yet to come."

I quirk a brow, "Sorry?"

He slides the folder to me to open its contents. My eyes widened as a photocopy of me and Dominic kissing in front of the apartment after he gave me my Valentine's Day gift was taken from different angles.

"What is this?" I ask cautiously.

"A disaster waiting to happen." He says with a sigh taking the photos back, "These photos were sold to the Gossip Gazette. Thankfully I was able to stop them from being posted. But whoever sent this in may know you apparently, because they gave them information. They know that you're interning here, they know your full name, and now they have proof that you're dating Dominic. I just wanted to let you know so you can be wary. But this won't be getting posted."

I groan tiredly, "Why would anyone do this? Why do they even care?"

He chuckles, "That's life sweetie, especially our life."

"Dominic wouldn't have to deal with this if you didn't expose him at the gala." I say without thinking.

Mr. Taylor chuckles at me, amused by my accusation."Expose him? He's been destined for this for a long time. I'm merely pushing him toward his calling. As his father I think that's my responsibility don't you think?"

"But is that what he wants?"

He chuckles again, "Amina, you're a sweet girl. I think you're perfect for my son. But you gotta think bigger."

I frown, my brows knotted in confusion. "I don't understand sir."

"Dominic is still young, still learning what he wants to do in life. He's smart and incredibly talented. As his girlfriend shouldn't you push him to be the best he can be? And what's better than being a CEO? Heir to my fortune. Imagine the lives you'd have for yourselves in the future."

"I'm not his girlfriend." I correct, making Mr. Taylor laugh.

"My apologies. His lady friend if you will." He says with a smirk before continuing. "What I'm getting at is Dominic needs you to help give him that push in the right direction. There's a business conference coming up, I think you two should attend. It could be potentially beneficial for him, and maybe you too."

"Thank you sir but I don't think it's my place to push Dominic to attend these things. I appreciate your approval of me for your son but this is between the two of you."

"Oh?" He says looking up at me in surprise. "So you don't want to go to New York for the World Business Forum? I'm guest speaking and I think it would be truly beneficial for both you and Dominic."

My eyes widen, "The World Business Forum?" I ask in disbelief.

He smiles, "Yes of course. As young people, you need to be properly educated and obtain well-rounded experience to survive in corporate America. Do you not think this is a good opportunity for the both of you?"

God, I hated this man. It was like he was waving a juicy beef steak in front of me and I was a hungry dog chained to a post. I wanted to go to that forum so badly. But I snapped out of it, remembering that it would be at the expense of Dominic most likely. Remembering his terrified expression at the gala was enough to get me to think clearly.

I sigh, "Although it is a wonderful opportunity and I am grateful for the offer. I don't think Dominic and I will be attending."

"Why don't you talk to him about it? Get some time to think about it. Give me an answer by the end of the work week."

"Okay, but my answer won't change sir."

"Think about it." He repeats.

I nod, "May I go back to work now sir?"

He nods, "Carry on with your day. I'll give you a call on Friday for your answer."

"Okay." I get up from my seat to make my way out.

"And Amina." He says as I'm approaching the door.

"Yes?"

"Choose wisely." He says, his friendly tone replaced with a stern one. It sounded more like a command than anything else. I nod before making my way out of the office and back down to my department, finally getting to finish my lunch.

-

I felt more drained than usual when I got home but now had to get some work done so I could be ready for my date with Dominic tonight.

I was excited to go out with him but a bit nervous overall. After talking with Kendra yesterday, I felt more willing to give Dominic another chance. The potential of him being a good boyfriend was there, but I was hesitant about his intentions.

I spent a couple of hours doing some homework before starting to get ready for my date. I took a long shower, letting the aches of the workday wash away before getting dressed. I wore a black fitted short-sleeved dress and high-knee boots along with a denim jacket. The weather wasn't too bad today so I think I could get away with wearing a shorter dress.

I did my makeup and added some product to my hair to define my curl pattern. After a couple of hours mostly spent on my hair, I was ready to go. I grabbed my bag just as I heard a knock at the door. I opened it, greeting Dominic with a smile as his eyes met mine.

"You look beautiful." He compliments, giving me his hand to take.

I smile, "Thank you." Before taking his hand. He leads me down the stairs to the parking lot of the apartment complex. He opens the door of his car for me, making me smile as I get in. He follows suit, going to the other side to get into the driver's side.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going now?"

"It's not something I can tell you. You'll see when we get there."

I pout, sitting back against the seat as we make our way out. After a couple of minutes of driving, we arrived at the university campus, making me furrow my brows in confusion.

"What are we doing at school?" I ask.

He turns off the engine, not answering my question as he gets out to open the door for me.

"Come on." He says taking my hand in his.

I let him lead me through campus, climbing steps until we reached the top of what looked like an abandoned building. "Down this way." He instructs, leading me further down a path. Suddenly we were at a peak, overlooking the whole of the city. I looked around and there was a blanket set up on the grass, with a platter of tacos, snacks, and drinks for the both of us.

"What is this place?" I ask still looking around. I had never been to this part of campus before and given the only way to access it is through an abandoned lecture building I'm sure most people hadn't either.

"I come here a lot to think, or to blow off steam." He says leading me over to the picnic blanket. "I hope you're hungry."

I smile at him, "I didn't know you were such a romantic."

He smirks, "There's a lot you don't know about me." He brings my hand to his lips, kissing my knuckle softly making me giggle. "Let's eat."

I nod taking a seat beside him on the blanket. He hands me a napkin before picking up a taco from the plate. "How long have you been coming out here?" I ask before taking a bite of my taco.

He shrugs, "A while now. I wanna say since high school."

I furrow my brows in confusion, "You went to high school around here?"

He nods, "I was homeschooled though, hence why I needed to get away so often. One day when Andre and I came here for a campus tour, we wandered away from the group and found this place. I've been coming ever since."

I smile at him, "So this is you and Andres's special place?"

He shakes his head, "Andre doesn't come here that often. I usually come alone. But I wanted to show it to you."

"It's so tranquil and quiet compared to the rest of Los Angeles." I say as I look over at the view. The night sky illuminated the lights of the buildings and the streets, making the whole city look like it was glowing.

"Yeah, it's the only place I can think." He says quietly. "And in all my time coming here recently, I've just been thinking about you. So I decided to bring you here."

I smile widely, looking away as I feel my cheeks begin to burn up. "Shut up."

He chuckles, "I'm serious. I meant what I said the other day. You're constantly on my mind."

I smile looking at him before looking away. My smile fades remembering the concerns I had over our relationship. "Halle and Andre are officially a couple now." I tell him trying to change the subject.

He seems to notice but doesn't pry. "Yeah, Andre won't shut up about it. It's annoying but kind of sweet." He says with a small laugh.

I chuckle, "Tell me about it. I didn't even know it was happening till they were standing together in my face."

"I only found out he was interested in her during Christmas."

"I'm happy for them though." I say with a genuine smile. "Andre says he wants to go on double dates with us."

Dominic chuckles again at the idea, "We can't do that if our relationship is a secret though."

"Is it even a relationship yet?"

Dominic's brows furrow in confusion before looking over at me, "What do you mean?"

I sigh, "Nothing."

He shakes his head, "Amina what's up? Something's definitely wrong." I shake my head, turning away from his gaze. Suddenly I can feel him moving closer to me. "Talk to me."

"I didn't want to talk about this now. It's our first date we should be having fun."

"Talk about what Amina?" He asks.

I sigh, "I just...I don't know I still feel a little on edge about this whole thing."

He nods in understanding, sitting up in his seat. "Alright, tell me everything you're feeling. All your doubts."

"Okay." I begin, "How do you know you like me? Like, how do you know it's not just lust? What if we sleep together and you realize that's all you really wanted?"

"Oh, wow." He replies, visibly offended but trying not to show it.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

He shakes his head, "No, it's good to know how you're feeling." He sighs, "To start, I know it's not lust. And the reason why I know that is because it was lust at first. At the very beginning." My eyes widen in surprise as he continues, "At the beginning I only had intentions of sleeping with you. But you cut things off and got a boyfriend. And I think around that time I started realizing I wanted more with you and it scared me. But it was too late anyway."

"Now that I have the chance again and I know what I really want. I'm at a place right now where I don't feel the need to have sex with you. Of course I want to have sex with you, but if you told me you were celibate or waiting for marriage, I wouldn't care as long as I could still be with you."

I smile up at him, "Really?"

"One hundred percent."

"I didn't know your feelings for me started so early."

"I think it really started when you broke my speaker." He says with a chuckle making me laugh.

He lets out a sigh, "I'm sorry that because of me you have all this doubt planted in your head."

"It's not all on you. I'm also a chronic overthinker."

He chuckles, "I guess we're the same in that way."

I smile softly at him, "So if you don't just want us to be friends, what's your end goal? What do you want?"

"For the first time in my life, I want a girlfriend. I want you to be my girlfriend."

I blush gently as I look away before turning back to him with a raised brow, "Wait, you've never had one?"

He shakes his head, "I don't like letting people get too close."

"Why me then?"

He chuckles, "You snuck your way in. Now I can't get enough of you."

I giggle lightly, "I guess I'm special."

"You are special Amina." He says with a smile making me blush. "Now let me ask you some questions." He proposes.

I nod, "Okay."

"What's the real reason why you want us to be a secret?"

My eyes widen slightly as I look away. "It's a precautionary measure. For if we don't work out." I admit.

I wasn't looking at him but in the corner of my eyes, I could see him nodding gently. "You're afraid because I made you unsure about me." I remain silent as I look down at the floor of the car knowing he was right. He holds my hand, bringing my knuckles to his lips to leave a soft kiss. "I'm sure about you this time though. I really do like you, Amina. I'm not going anywhere."

I smile, "I'll hold you to that."

"Remember rule 8 on the agreement? No breaking each other's hearts. I won't yours if you won't mine."

"Deal."

He smiles, "I'm glad we've worked that out."

I smile back genuinely, feeling much better about our situation. "Me too." I lay my head against his chest again as we looked out at the view of the city.

We continued the evening talking, cuddling, and looking out at the view until it reached the early hours of the morning.

"It's almost 2 am." I gasped, sitting up from our resting place.

"We should head back."

I nod in agreement remembering that I have my internship in the morning. We drive back to the apartment where Dominic walks me to my door to say goodnight.

"I'm sorry I messed up our first date."

He shakes his head, "You didn't mess anything up. I think we're better than when the date first started."

"I agree." I smile.

"So I guess it's time to say goodnight."

"I guess it is." I reply with a smirk.

He lovingly gazes down at me before leaning down, and pulling me into a sweet kiss. His hand cradled the back of my neck as he kissed me passionately, making my stomach erupt in butterflies.

"Goodnight." He says breaking away from the kiss.

"Goodnight." I reply with a smile.

———

Well isn't that sweet.

Do you think Amina is over her concerns and ready to be with Dominic?

Don't forget to comment and vote!

- AuggiePooh_