A Trade Of Hearts |✔

CHAPTER 49: Picture Perfect

VANESSA

I couldn't do it.

I had made my mind up about kissing Blake, the moment I put my arms around him but now I wasn't so sure.

The images of last night flitted across my eyes. I couldn't get those dangerously beautiful blue eyes out of my head. I tried blinking but it didn't help.

I felt like such a fraud right now. I couldn't do this to Blake, to kiss him when I had someone else was on my mind but then, this is exactly what I needed. This was the confirmation I needed to know what happened last night was a mistake. This, right now, right here was what I was meant to do. What was right!

While I was torn between my conscience and my requirements, my subconscious suddenly kicked in.

I missed Blake's mouth entirely and hugged him instead.

Way to go Vanessa! First you lead him on and then you turn him down.

The moment I pulled away, Blake stood there frozen, still processing what just happened. But before he could ask me that horrendous question, "Why?", I smiled and said good night before going inside the house.

The moment I shut the main door behind me, I sighed with relief. I pressed my head against the door, letting the cold wooden surface rid me of my thoughts of hiding under my bed and dying.

I took a deep breath and walked upstairs, promising myself not to think of this. Atleast not right now.

It was as if my fate loved to play with me. I had done no such bad karma but yet it was being a bitch and made me run into Adrian.

He was leaving at an odd hour. It was safe to assume that he was meeting up with some chick. It was good that I had stopped him before things got too out of control. Of course, yesterday meant nothing to him. He was just playing around, like always.

A question popped into my head. One that wasn't for him but for me. I asked myself, did our kiss mean something...to me?

23rd December

"This is it. Stop!", I instructed my cab driver as we pulled in front of the main office building of the The People Magazine.

Since I was on the cover of Eccentric and the front page of New York Times for the same reason, The People Magazine decided to go one step further and have a special segment in their next month's magazine edition featuring my interview. Well, good for me, more I was in the public eye, more I would be noticed by the board and higher were the chances of my getting the CEO position.

I walked inside the building and checked my phone for the exact venue. I had to go on the twenty third floor so after checking in with the receptionist, I headed straight for the elevator.

As I got in, I looked at my reflection in the mirror. Ugh...I looked so tired. I blamed my last night's insomnia for that. I couldn't even sleep for a second. My mind was wandering off, again and again to what a horrible thing I had done to Blake. He even called today but I didn't pick up.

How could I?

He would surely have seen the magazine cover by now and would have most definitely pieced things together to explain to himself, why I did what I did and I was pretty sure I was not going to like his version of the explanation.

I shook my head to rid myself of these thoughts. I had to focus, I had a meeting ahead of me. I reapplied my lipstick and when the door opened, I smiled and walked out of elevator, ready to be poured with questions about me and my career.