Chapter 6 We Meet Again

Being a CEO was exhausting. There were a lot of files to sign, review and dispose of. Other companies were in line to sign contracts with us including the Montana, we were partners a long time ago then our company grew so we split up. I wonder what Dad is doing with them. Perhaps it's because they're the leading company in imports and exports. Time to check other documents including the list of my employees for the past five years which was intriguing. They had ratings from the board members then I saw a familiar name. Ariana was my best friend in high school. Quickly, I dialed the production department number asking for her. I wonder what she'll think about my job as a pilot or me in Sweden. There's one way to find out. The list was never-ending as I read through their CV, resume' and fitness papers. I like to be thorough. A knock had me standing up from the chair. I wouldn't want to intimidate her. " You can come in" I muttered and there She was about six feet tall I think with glasses. She was fiddling with her hands. Oh crap! She's intimidated already. What do I do? " Ariana Lindsay" she batted her eyelids. She's nervous. I can't believe she doesn't recognize me. I haven't changed that much. I did dye my hair blonde but that's it. " Don't tell me you don't remember me? Milena, the bully. C'mon, I was popular in school" she scrunches her nose with her gaze on the floor. Fine, I give up but I was convinced I was the worst female bully. Logan lied to me. Were she friends with me to avoid being bullied? Smart move. " Well, we're done here. You can leave" finally she looked at me stunned then burst into a peal of loud laughter. What's happening? " I got you didn't I? I wanted you to experience how it feels to be forgotten. You left town without notice. Not even a phone call while you were busy traveling the world" oh she's still angry about that. " Ariana, I'm back now. Are we still friends? I asked cos I wasn't the apologetic type. " For how long Milly? Two weeks maybe" I don't like where she's going with this. It's like I broke her heart. Which I didn't mean to. I was under so much pressure back then and I wanted to prove to my dad that I can do anything. Be anything. " look I didn't just leave town, my family is here too. I left everyone to be a better person and I'm not going to apologize for that. This is who I am now. I can't change it. No one can but here I am ready to be your friend again. I promise to be there for you this time. No one knows me better than you" she smiled to that blinking away tears from her eyes. I didn't know she was crying. " I'm back Ariana" I whispered pulling her into a hug more like she was crushing me with her height. " It's good to see you again" she sniffles. I have the feeling that this wasn't just about me. I wonder if Mr. Johnson was still a jerk to her. Ever since he lost Ariana's mother he has become a pervert. " I'm here now. We can live in my condo if you want. Will that be okay with you? She shrugged with her arms around me. " You know how dad is, I would have loved to live with you but I can't" that was what I needed. No sad stories of John maltreating her. She's going to be fine henceforth. " I heard you were discharged from the air force. I'm so sorry about it" I shrugged breaking the hug then caressed her hair. "No hard feelings. I'm a pilot now. A captain actually. Flying around the world is gratifying" she laughed at my choice of words. I guess it has to do with my Sweden accent. " And what has daddy got to say about that? " You know how he is but we've come to an agreement. Here I am" she giggled taking a seat on my chair. " At least he has your best interest at heart. He cares about you. You may not know it but you have the gift of finding the good people. You always have" I'm not sure what she means by that. I don't think I want to know. " Your dad cares. He's just broken. Trust me. he loves you" she rolled her eyes. Okay, she doesn't believe me. I'm not good at pep talks. "We have got a lot to talk about. Call me when it's time to go home" she said on her feet ready to leave. " See you later Milly" it took me a while to remember what I was doing before she came in only to go back to it when I did. Julian's pov Milena has been the only name on my mind for the past two days. I called every girl I attend to Milena. Even the customers. My mission in Sweden was to get myself together but I seem to be doing terribly since I met her. What has she done to me? I can't wait to see her again. That is if she'll call. There's something different about her. I knew that from the first day I set my eyes on her but I come with a lot of baggage. I need someone like her. Strong, intelligent, a little crude and discern. What will she do when she finds out who I am? " A cappuccino please" I hear Logan's annoying voice. He has refused to tell me about her. I don't know what his problem is perhaps I can bribe him. So I made the cappuccino with a little extra and took it to him. " Your order. Don't worry it's on the house" he snickered probably aware of that line. " You know I'm not telling you a word right? I pushed it further towards him smiling. " I knew you'll say that but I have a proposal" he gulps the whole cup down. Wipes his mouth and then placed a hand on the table with his chin resting on it. " You're chasing the wrong person. Milena isn't good for you. She's just too sophisticated for you. You will only get your heart broken trust me" is he kidding? How is that his business? Had I listened to him then. " You'll be surprised when things turn around. C'mon help a friend" he sighed staring at me. " What do you want to know? That's what I'm talking about. We guys need to stick together. That's what guys do. " I need to know her resident, her working place maybe. I want to see her again" he drops his hands from his chin and leaned closer. " I'll need more cups of cappuccino. Cups Julian" piece of cake. I kind of feel sorry for him. If only he knew what I can do for him. If only he knew who I am. I'll stick with the cappuccino for now. That's his bad. " Here," I said dropping two cups of cappuccino on his table while he grins. " I see you really like her. About her residence, it's in the reserved areas and you know there's tight security there. So is her place of work and she's not much of an explorer" he tells me but I don't care so I dropped a piece of paper and a pen. " Let me worry about that" he raised a brow but took the pen and scribbled something down. All I have to do is get my girl. There are millions of ways to do it. " Thanks, bro. I won't forget this" I punch my imaginary sky like a kid and walked inside. On my way home, I dropped an application in the post office and got a part-time job there guess who was my first customer? This will be easy. " Mail this for me," she tells me without looking at me. That kind of hurt but I'd like to think she didn't see me. " Milena? I called that had her turning around. Our eyes met. We just stayed that way staring at each other then her eyes averted to my uniform. Is that disgust I see? " Julian Carter, what are you doing here? She mutters still surprised. Gosh, she looks so beautiful right now with her hair cascading on her shoulder and those soulful brown eyes. I can stare at her all day. " Part-timer. Part of my job" she hums then bit her lips. " It was nice seeing you though" what! Is she leaving? I quickly discarded my hat moving away from the canter. She's the reason I'm working here in the first place. Maybe she wanted to see me cos she didn't move an inch till I changed then we were walking side by side towards the exit of the post office. " So, you didn't call me" I tease. She sighed tucking fringes of hair from her face. If only she knew how beautiful she looks right now. " Nope, I should go. Your shift isn't over. You should get back to work. I'm sure you got bills to pay" hmmm. She's playing hard to get now. Wow. " Actually, my shift ended two hours ago. Wanna ride that? I ask pointing to the Ferris wheel across the street. She just stare at me. " Okay" yes! I entwined our hands. There goes that feeling again. The Ferris wheel seems to have brought out the fun side of her cos we were on the swings now with a cup of ice cream in our hands.