5. Jane

Three weeks had passed since I started working at William's office. In that time, I have fallen asleep at my desk twelve times.

Twelve times!

That meant almost every day since I started working there. I found it so embarrassing. I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me every time he caught me. Thankfully, he hadn't caught me with a drool dripping down the side of my mouth. Or maybe he had and he just didn't say anything…

I yelled into my pillow as mortification gripped me. Why was this happening to me? I got enough sleep every night but I still fell asleep at my desk every day. I'd never been like this before. I could easily blame things on William's boring job, but it was more than that. Something about his office just put me to sleep.

I'd never slept on the job when I worked at Bella's Elite. Mirabel typically closed earlier than William but still wasn't the point. There had been many nights when I'd had to spend the night at Bella's Elite because there was an emergency of some sort. I'd never fallen asleep on any of those nights.

After much deliberation, I came up with two possible answers for my recent drowsiness in the office.

First, there was the logical answer. I liked my job at Bella's Elite. It was normal to be more alert there because it was something I was passionate about. I certainly was not passionate about real estate. When I sat through meetings with Mirabel, I was giddy with excitement. It made me picture what I thought was my future. When I sat through meetings with William, I felt a deep gnawing urge to tear my hair out. It was always painfully boring.

The second possible answer was slightly less logical. William probably put some kind of sleeping pill in my coffee. I don't know when he'd be able to do that since I barely left my desk but he found a way. He wanted me to fall asleep so he could make fun of me. Even though he"d never actually made fun of me. I knew it was irrational, but I couldn't help wondering. Especially given our contentious relationship.

William was actually pretty nice about the whole sleeping thing but that didn't make it any less embarrassing. I groaned into my pillow again before forcing myself to stand up. I couldn't spend my entire weekend with my face in my pillow.

I wanted to hang out with Ryan or Skylar but they were both busy with work. It was a bit sad that they were my only friends but I didn't mind. It just sucked on days like this, where I had no one to spend time with.

I ended up aimlessly walking around town while trying to take my mind away from William. These days he was all I thought about. The day was slow but soon Saturday bled into Sunday and Sunday bled into Monday and it was time to go back to work.

"Good morning," I said as I placed William's coffee on his desk on Monday morning. He shifted back slightly and I sighed. "Are you going to keep doing that? It happened just one time."

"I know but I really like this shirt."

"You said the same thing throughout last week."

"I just have a lot of shirts that I love," he said. He grabbed the coffee and took a long sip. A small grimace appeared on his face -one I saw every time he drank his coffee. I wondered why he was taking his coffee black if he didn't like it but I decided that wasn't my business.

"Thank you," he said.

I nodded and walked out of his office. The next few hours were spent trying to get work done and not think about what happened the last time I spilled coffee on William. I stared at my computer screen but all I could see was broad shoulders, hard nipples, and a taut abdomen.

What was wrong with me?

Thankfully, someone walked up to me before I could delve deeper into those thoughts. I hadn't even heard them come through the elevator. That was how far away my mind was. I shook my head and focused it on the young man in front of me. He held a package in his right hand and a clipboard in his left. He was a delivery guy.

Someone must have gotten something for William. Maybe his girlfriend wanted to surprise him at work. I felt a strange pang in my chest at the thought of William having a girlfriend but I ignored it. There was no way I was jealous. I hated William. I've always hated him.

"I have a package for Ms. Jane Hart," the man said as he looked at me with expectant eyes.

I froze. I couldn't believe anyone sent me something at work. It was probably just Ryan or Skylar. They were the only ones who knew I worked here now.

"Miss?"

I shook my head. "Sorry. I'm Jane Hart."

He gave me the clipboard and I signed. I didn't know what to expect when I opened the small bag. Ryan would likely send me something related to work since he was all about being practical. Skylar would send me novels or something else entertaining. I had complained to her about how boring my job was. With those expectations in mind, I opened the bag.

I blinked when I saw what was inside. I had to be seeing things. I lifted my head to call the delivery guy back but he was already gone. This package couldn't be for me.

Inside the bag, there was a small pink pillow. It reminded me of the ones I had in my bedroom as a teenager. I pulled it out of the bag and held it high, my brows furrowing in confusion.

Who would send me this?

I dropped the pillow on my desk. A small card lay at the bottom of the bag. I lifted it and read the note.

This doesn't mean you can use it during work.

I knew who it was from the second I read it. I turned the note around to look for where he'd signed his name. It was blank. No name on the card but I knew it was him.

William… bought me a pillow. William—the guy who has hated me for years—bought me a pillow. I couldn"t wrap my head around it. He probably did it so I wouldn't have to sleep on the hardwood of my table. But why would he care?

As far back as I could remember he had always disliked me. A memory rushed through my head.

"Does she really have to be here?" my brother's friend said as he glared at me.

I glared right back, never one to back down when someone was being mean to me. I'd only met William a few times before today and he'd been mean to me every single time.

I guess it was normal for boys to not want to play with girls but that didn't give him the right to be so annoying. I wanted to shove his face into the dirt beneath my feet but I knew that would be physically impossible.

William may be young but he was strangely tall and brawny for his age. Much taller and stronger than my brother. I'd tried and failed many times to shove Ryan's face in the dirt so I knew it would be more difficult with William.

I settled for glaring at him instead. "I don't want to be around you either, Willy," I said with a devious smile.

I knew he hated that nickname. I called him every time we saw each other and I never planned to stop. If it annoyed William, then it made me happy.

William's glare intensified. We remained locked in a heated stance until he sighed and shook his head. "Fine. You can stay."

I brought myself back to the present where the gift from William still sat on my desk. I needed to say thank you. I walked over to his door and knocked.

"Come in," he said from the other side.

I kept my gaze on the floor as I walked in. For some reason, I felt awkward. I was used to the William who didn't like me. I didn't know what to do with the William who did something nice for me. I forced my gaze up and my eyes collided with his.

"Thank you for the… um… the pillow."

William nodded and focused on his work again. I took that as my cue to leave his office. He may have done something nice for me this one time but he was still the William I'd always known. The rude grumpy kid who couldn't stand to be around me.

"What did you say?" I asked as I stared at Skylar with wide eyes. The food in my mouth had lost its taste and I was tempted to spit it out. No matter how unladylike that would be. My heart beat at a rapid pace, drowning most of the words that came out of Skylar's mouth. I heard the highlights though.

Mirabel.

Great work.

Promotion.

Senior editor.

Skylar was getting my job. Skylar—the girl who had been working at Bella"s Elite for only a year and a half—was getting my job. Skylar—the girl I'd introduced to Mirabel—was getting my job.

This had to be a joke.

I slaved away at Mirabel's side for three years and she fired me without blinking. As if that wasn't painful enough, she was giving the job I'd been vying for to my best friend.

The food in my mouth was no longer the problem, it was the food in my stomach. I could feel it lurching, threatening to spill out over the table that separated me from Skylar. She sat on the other side. Her earlier look of excitement had slowly shifted into one of apprehension.

She could tell I wasn't happy. My face was probably devoid of color. Guilt washed over me. What kind of friend would I be if I wasn't happy for her? It wasn't her fault that I got fired. She deserved this role.

Even if she'd only been working at the company for eighteen months, a voice in my head said. I silenced it.

Being supportive of my best friend was all that mattered. I swallowed the food in my mouth and reached for my drink. Skylar watched me with expectant eyes. I gulped slowly, forcing my food down my throat. Then I turned to her with a bright smile. It was so bright the corner of my cheeks hurt from maintaining it.

"I'm so happy for you," I said in an exaggerated cheery voice even as pain squeezed my heart.

Three years of waiting.

Three years of hoping.

Three years of working hard at everything I did.

Only for someone else to come in and take what I'd worked for.

My smile slipped slightly but I fixed it. Now it was bright enough to rival the sun outside. Skylar had asked to meet me during my lunch break. It wasn't unusual but it was unexpected. I had no idea what she wanted to tell me but never in a million years would I have guessed this.

Skylar sighed, her shoulders deflating like she had been carrying a heavy burden. "Thank goodness. I was really worried you would be upset. I know this is the role you always wanted and I feel terrible about taking it but you know I can"t turn it down."

"Of course," I said. My voice sounded cold but my megawatt smile remained in place. From time to time it slipped to the point where I was just baring my teeth, but I amped it up as soon as I noticed. My best friend was just promoted. I needed to celebrate with her, not be jealous of her.

I tried to be happy for Skylar. I really did. But my emotions were stronger than me. I lied about having to get back to work, using William's grumpy attitude as an excuse. Skylar believed me.

I walked back to the office on shaky legs, asking myself why life was so unfair to me.