The sound of traffic woke Raine up from her sleep. There was no doubt that Mike's apartment was closer to the center of the city, considering the high price he paid. But being closer to the heart of the city meant one thing.
Daily wakeup calls feat. traffic!
The sounds of cars honking and an ambulance passing by, had Raine's eyes open in no time. Rubbing her face, Raine sat up in bed, groaning at all the noise coming from the window. After her eyes had adapted to the sunlight, Raine slipped out of bed, walking over to the small window that overlooked the city.
Only when she looked down at the street, did she realize the massive traffic jam that was causing the road ragers to hock their horns at each other, waking up every living organism on the block.
Shaking her head, Raine untied her hair that was messier than a bird's nest. Raking her figures through her long brown locks, Raine stood in front of the mirror, tying it up in a loose ponytail.
Confusion washed over her face when she noticed she was still in her clothes from the night before. Holding her forehead with one hand, Raine walked out of her room and into the living room.
Just as her eyes fell on the empty couch, the memories from the night before came rushing back.
The dinner. The conversation. The photograph. The movie. And Xavier.
"Xavier." She whispered, recalling how she had accidentally fallen asleep on his shoulders as they watched the movie together.
Scanning the room, Raine looked for any traces of Xavier. But to her bad luck, she found none. Everything in the apartment was the same. Spotless.
Wait a minute.
The apartment was spotless.
But she hadn't left it that way last night. In fact, they had forgotten all about the dirty plates and no one had ever cleaned up the kitchen countertops, nor the dining table. But right now, everything was spotless. There was not a single dish in the sink and the countertops were shining. The table set up to perfection, no reminiscences of last night's dinner visible.
The living room, that should have been scattered with pillows and blankets from their fun movie night, was sparkling clean. It was as if last night never happened.
Overly confused, Raine stepped back into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. However, just as she reached for the faucet, her eyes fell on the single pink rose that Xavier had given her. It was sitting under a piece of paper.
Raine picked up the rose, taking in it's beautiful fragrance before unfolding the paper.
Good Morning Raine.
Thank you for the amazing dinner. I had the best time of my life. It felt so good to sit and watch a movie with you. It's been years since I've done something fun like that. I'd love to thank you for all of this in person but you kinda fell asleep on me. Anyways, I'll see you later.
-Xav
A blush grew of Raine face remembering her leaning on Xavier's shoulders. She could still hear the faint rhythm of his heartbeat that had put her to sleep. There was a magical feeling that came with Xavier's presence. Raine could let herself go and be sure that she wouldn't fall. Not when Xavier was around. That's how he made her feel. Protected and safe, two things she never thought she would feel after that day.
Pulling out her phone, she quickly tapped on his name, patiently waiting as the phone rang.
"Good morning Raine." Just like always, his voice had the capability to heat up any atmosphere.
"Morning Xav." Raine said shyly.
After a brief pause, Xavier responded. "I'm guessing you found the note."
"I did. Sorry about that. I...I was kinda tired." She said, embarrassment washing over her face.
"Not a single thing to be sorry about." Xavier stated, his authority visible in his voice.
"Thanks...."
"Raine you don't-----"
"You didn't have to clean up the place all by yourself, you know?" Raine said, cutting him off.
"Nor did I have to show up to your house for dinner. Raine, I wanted to have dinner with you. In fact I even declined a client to make it in time to your house." Xavier said laughing a little. "You had been working all day at the cafe and then came back and made all of those delicious things. It was the least I could do."
"That was really sweet of you. Thank you Xav."
"Don't mention it." Xavier spoke. Just from his voice, Raine could make out his smiling face. "Hey Raine, is it cool if I call you back a little later? I've got an important conference call."
"No problem. Bye Xav."
* * *
After finally managing to get ready and running out the door, Raine had made it to Cathy's a whole three minutes late.
"Who's the late bug today?!" Daisy smirking, coming out from behind the counter, a tray of freshly baking scones balanced on the side of her hips.
"Sorry!" Raine said, passing an apologetic look to Daisy. "I forgot to set my alarm last night."
"I'm just playing with you!" Daisy said laughing. "Mike's not here so I'll just have to mess with you instead." Carefully, she placed each of the scones in the glass displays, ready for customers to purchase. "Do you know when he's coming back?"
"Looks like someone's missing him." Raine gushed, smirking at Daisy who simply rolled her eyes. "I wonder why?" Raine said dramatically sighing.
"Maybe cause he's my employee." Daisy tried to justified, epically failing.
"Sureee." Raine said, unconvinced. "And he should be back at noon."
A smile made way on Daisy's face as she nodded and left the room. Raine set her belongs aside like usual and made her way to the register.
The morning buzz was still going on strong. Raine could make out the intensity of the traffic jam just from looking out the windows. The cars were in gridlock and she genuinely felt sorry for the fellow employees that would make it in late of their shifts today.
It didn't take long for the traffic on the streets to be reflected to that of the cafe. Within minutes of opening, Cathy's Cakes & Coffee was jam packed with people. Raine efficiently took orders while Daisy was quick to fill them.
"That'll be $17.54." Raine said, waiting for the lady to swipe her credit card and pay. "Thank you very much! It'll be out in just a few." She said smiling before the lady left with her receipt.
When she looked back up at the next member of the line, a smile formed on her face at the familiar figure.
"Jordon!" Raine exclaimed.
"Hello Raine. It's a pleasure seeing you!" He replied, returning a smile.
"You too! So tell me, how's it going?" Raine asked, her jolly attitude brightening Jordon's day.
"It's been pretty busy today. Mr. Thorn's been taking client after client since he walked into the building this morning." Although Jordon was just an employee who worked under Xavier, it was undeniable that he truly cared for him. After all, he had watched Xavier grow into the man while he had worked for his father.
"Awe! Poor thing."
"At least the bitter man we all knew Xavier to be, is gone, thanks to you of course." Jordon said, adding a wink at the end.
"Bitter and Xavier? Oh please Jordon. Xavier's the sweetest man I know." Her smile genuine and her words truthful.
"To your good fortune, Mr. Thorn happens to only be sweet when it comes to you."
"No, that's not true. He's sweet all the time, he just doesn't know how to show it the correct way." Raine said and she wasn't lying. Raine had always been able to see past Xavier's rude behavior. She knew he was better then what he tried to show the world.
"Won't let your friend be bashed, would you now?" Jordon teased.
"What are friends for, right?" She giggled. "Anyways, what brings you here today? What is Xavier's calling for the day?" She added, getting a chuckle out of Jordon.
"Mr. Thorn has wished for you to surprise him."
"Surprise him huh?" Raine pondered, rubbing her chin and trying to think of the perfect thing she could make for Xavier. "Oh! I know just the thing!"
Quickly, Raine typed up the order on the screen, allowing Jordon to make a payment. "It'll be out soon."
Jordon moved aside, allowing the other customers to place their orders. Once the line had come to an end, Raine went back into the kitchen, coming out with a cup in her hands.
"A Spicy Chile Mocha." She said with a grin on her face as she passed the warm cup into Jordon's hands.
"That's a hot drink for a hot headed man Raine. Let's just wish his clients a good luck!"
"He'll be fine!" Raine waved off. "And if he isn't, then just give him these." Raine said, handing Jordon a box of salted caramel brownies. "And these are for you." She said, passing him yet another box full of assorted sweets.
"Raine that won't be-----"
"And Xavier's not the only friend I've made in the past few days." Raine added with a bright smile on her face. "I won't take no for an answer."
A smile made way on Jordon's face as he admired Raine's sweet gesture. Accepting the goods Raine had given, he gave her a polite nod before leaving the cafe.
* * *
Today was a completely hectic day for everyone at Thorn Inc. The building was packed with new recruits, people waiting for interviews, and the preexisting employees which were already dealing with the daily mood swings of their CEO.
Xavier had arrived that morning with a stack of paperwork on his desk which he clearly wasn't happy about. Apparently one of the Finland properties was due for remodeling and the blueprints and new design ideas were up for a vote. Because the hotel was a big part of Thorn Inc, Xavier's responsibility on making sure the plans were perfect, was high.
And if that wasn't enough, Xavier was completely packed for the day up. Cindy had gone through their database to find any applicants who would be willing to handle the Toranto project, as well as people who would be open to the idea of moving there.
"Ok Cindy, debrief me on the day up ahead." Xavier said, resting his chin on his hands that were propped up on his desk.
"Of course Mr. Thorn." Cindy said, sitting down in front of Xavier with a computer in her hands. "According to the schedule, you only have one official meeting with the Knight Corporation in regards to a partnership clause. Other then that, all you've got to do is personally interview the cadiatidates for the managing director position at out new Toronto project."
"Ok great!" Xavier said, handing Cindy a file. "I need 10 copies of each paper in this file for the meeting with Mr. Knight."
"I'll have these made immediately." Cindy said, checking all the papers.
"And I need a list of all the candidates that are going to be interviewed today. Tell Jordon to run a background check on all of the people. I need their official history before I make my final selection."
"Ok, I've emailed you the list of people and I'll forward that to Jordon as well."
"Forward me what now?" Jordon asked as he entered the room with a box of brownies and a cup of coffee in his hands. After managing to walked through the room without spilling anything, Jordon set the cup on Xavier's desk, along with the salted caramel goodies.
"Just what I needed Jordon!" Xavier said, taking a sip of his drink. As soon as the warm liquid touched his tongue, his eyebrows drew together, analyzing the contents of the cup. "Mummm.....what flavor is this?"
"Upon your request, Raine deemed a Spicy Chile Mocha perfect for you."
A smile grew on Xavier's face just at the mention of Raine's name. And it was quiet obvious that this didn't go unnoticed by Cindy and Jordon who were smiled at the new person Xavier had become over the past couple of weeks.
"Is that ok or would you prefer something else?" Jordon inquired, just to stay on the safe side.
"It's just perfect." Xavier replied, getting himself together. "Cindy, get me the copies as soon as possible, I'll meet you in the conference room soon."
"I'm on it!" Cindy said, shuffling out of her seat and leaving Jordon and Xavier alone in the cabin.
"Busy day?" Jordon asked, taking a seat.
"Very. I've got a never-ending list of interviews to take on top of this meeting." He ran his fingers through his hair, messing it up in the process.
"Interviews?" Jordon asked in confusion. "I didn't know we were hiring."
"We are as of now. It's for the managing director position for the Toronto project. I have a list of people that will be arriving today. I need you to run a background check on all of them."
"Of course."
"I don't know who to hire honestly. I need someone who's efficient and trustworthy. This project is really important for the company. In fact, our stock prices have risen significantly since we announced out first Canadian branch." Xavier said, pushing his chair back.
"Don't mind me asking, but have you possibly considered Raine for the position?"
"Raine?" Xavier asked.
"Yes. I believe she is looking for a job. And I'm sure she would be the best candidate for this position. I mean she does lack experience, but in terms of trust, I don't think you'll ever find someone as trustworthy as her."
"But I'd have to send her to Toronto." Xavier stated. The through not settling well for him.
"That is a valid point." Jordon thought. "I was just making a suggestion. Obviously this is not my decision but Raine.....she's an amazing girl and I'd like whatever was best for her."
"Me too." Xavier whispered. "But sending her to Toronto, a place she's never been before, I don't think I can do that. Especially because she's alone."
"Again Mr. Thorn, it was a mere suggestion. Anyways, I'll go run these names through our servers and send you any misconceptions if I find any."
"Yeah....yeah that's good." Xavier said, his mind still in deep thought about Jordon's suggestion. How could Xavier possibly explain to Jordan that his sole reason to not travel, was Raine. He was avoiding Toronto just so that he could be with her. And sending her off to take that position, would refute the entire purpose of having a manager in the first place.
* * *
The last customer left the cafe with a tray of cupcakes and espresso shots in their arms, probably for a long night that was yet to come for the poor fellow.
Mike had returned back to the cafe earlier that day, making Raine's life a million times more easier. The two of them were currently arguing about who was better singer.
"Ed Sheeran is like life Mike! You can't possibly beat him!" Raine defended.
"No, you've got it all wrong! Coldplay is the way to go!" Mike refuted, slamming his palm on the table.
"Guys, guys, guys." Daisy said, interrupting the heated conversation. "We all know that Justin Bebier is clearly the best of them all!"
"Ew no!!" Raine groaned.
"Oh please. That boy's got no talent. Nada!" Mike said, shaking his head.
"Ed Sheeran is clearly perfect when he's thinking out loud! I mean come on, I'm in love with the shape of him!" Raine snickered, a smug smile on her face.
"Ha! Ha! Ha!" Mike replied sarcastically.
"You're just----" Raine was about to finish her sentence when a loud buzzing noise disrupted their conversation.
"And that's my phone!" Raine announced before standing up and reached for her bag. An ear to ear grin appeared on her face when she read Xavier's name on the lock screen.
"Hello Raine."
"Hey Xav!" Raine greeted with a cheerful tone. "Busy day?"
Raine heard a warm chuckle resounding through the phone."Yeah. But it's better thanks to your coffee and treats."
"Well then I'm glad I sent them."
"Me too." Xavier said, his voice soft and soothing. "I was going to come by but I had a never ending list of people to meet today."
"Sounds tiring. But just to let you know, you aren't alone." She laughed. "The lines at the cafe today, were longer then the lines for the new iPhone."
"I guess we're in the same boat then." Xavier chuckled.
"I guess we are Mr. Thorn."
"I'll be leaving work soon, can I drop you off at the apartment?"
"Umm....no I think it's fine. Mike came back so I'll just go home with him. And plus, you've had a hectic day too. You should head home and get some rest."
"Alright. Take care Raine."
"You too Xav."
Despite the fact that the line had died, Raine's heart continued to beat wildly. Mr. CEO was changing her. Making her feel things she'd never felt before.
Calming her emotions down, Raine put up her best serious face as she jumped back into the conversation, determined to prove to Mike and Daisy, that Ed Sheeran was clearly the best.
* * *
"Any luck Mr. Thorn." Cindy asked, walking into the cabin after hours and hours of interviews.
"Not even a tiny bit." Xavier said, tugging his coat off and tossing it on the couch. "All of the applicants lacked experience and those that came with experience, had the knowledge of a two year old! I mean, one of the guys showed up in board shorts!" Xavier said, undoing his tie and pulling it off. "This is New York for god's sake! Not Hawaii!"
"That's unfortunate." Cindy said, sitting down on the chair. "But I'm sure we'd be able to find more applicants."
"You do that Cindy. Cause I need an extremely professional and well organized person! Someone who can manage a company without asking me a question every two minutes."
"I agree Mr. Thorn. The position is significant and vital for the success of the Toronto branch. I understand the pressure of choosing a person that would be able to hold up to the title of Thorn Inc."
"I agree." Xavier said, sitting back in his chair, trashing all of the files that were scattered on the desk. "Send me a new roster with a list of applicants who are qualified. I want people who are profession, organized, experienced, and please no models." Xavier said in an annoyed voice.
"Models?"
"That women you sent in earlier? The layer of makeup on her face, was thicker then frosting on a cupcake. And I won't even get started with her clothes. I've seen girls in Vegas clubs dressed more decently."
"I apologize for that Mr. Thorn. The dress code was listed on the application yet some choose not the follow it."
Xavier nodded, taking a sip of the Spicy Chile Mocha that Raine had sent a while ago. He look that last sip of the warm liquid, a smile appearing on his face, thinking of Raine. "That's alright. Just make sure it doesn't happen again."
"Of course Mr. Thorn. I'll get right on it."
"You may leave if you wish. It's almost time for closing anyways. And I'm heading out."
"I'll just finish up a couple of errands and then I'll be out of here. Let me know if you need anything." She said, getting out of her seat.
"Sure. Oh and please call Jordan up."
"Noted." Cindy said before vanishing behind the doors of his office.
* * *
The buildings passed by, one after the other, as Jordon sped through the city. Exhausted would be an understatement of how Xavier was feeling right now. It had been a long day and last night's dinner clearly didn't help. He had stayed up with Raine till 1 AM until he noticed her sleeping peacefully on his shoulders. His mind told him to carry her to her room and allow her to sleep comfortably on the bed but his heart didn't. His hands inched to trace her beautiful features that innocently shine off her tranquil face. He took his time, memorizing each detail of her angelic face.
Once the movie had ended, Xavier lifted her up in his arms, careful not to wake her and carried her to her room, tucking her in bed before turning off the lights. He was about to grab his jacket that he had left in the dining room and head out, when he noticed the state of the kitchen. It was an utter mess with plates scattered all over the place.
His mind told him to leave but his heart did not listen. Setting his jacket back down, Xavier took care of the mess, washing all the dishes and wiping off the countertops. He even went ahead and cleaned the living room, afraid that Mike would be upset at Raine if he came home to a mess. Once he was done, he left the sweet note and and headed home.
"Damn! I don't think I've met so many unprofessional people in one day!" Xavier said, rubbing face.
"Rough interview Mr. Thorn?" Jordon asked, looking up in the rearview mirror.
"Rough would be an understatement!" Xavier said, shaking his head and sighing. "And I still haven't found anyone good enough for the position."
"I'm sure you'll find someone sir. Cindy seems to have everything in control."
"Yeah Cindy's been doing........" Xavier stopped talking, his voice trailing off as a thought popped up in his mind. It was as if a lightbulb had be switched on. All of the tiredness on his face vanished and instead, Xavier found himself grinning. "Jordon, you're a genius!"
"Sorry Mr. Thorn?" Jordon asked confused. "I don't think I'm getting you."
"Turn the car back."
Confusion washed over Jordon's face at Xavier's weird reactions. "Thorn Inc?"
"Yes! Come on Jordon! Fast!" Xavier pushed, eager to make happen everything that was bubbling in his mind.
Although Jordon was confused, it wasn't the first time Xavier had asked him to do something like this. Following the orders he was given, Jordon made a U-turn, heading back to Thorn Inc.
The car stopped in front of the tall glass building, but even before Jordon could put it on park, Xavier pushed the door open, taking long strides to the door.
"Good evening Mr. Thorn." Cole, the security in charge greeted. "Have you forgotten anything?"
"Is Cindy still in the building?" He asked.
"She's still in her cabin, I presume."
"Great." Xavier said, timidly waiting for the elevator to arrive.
As soon as the ding resounded in the room, Xavier rushed inside, pacing around the four walls as he rose from the surface of the ground and to his desired destination.
As soon as the slider doors opened to the top floor, Xavier rushed out, proceeding Cindy's office. Her door was left ajar and the lights were still on, a humming sound was heard which stopped abruptly, followed by the door pushing over.
"Mr. Thorn?!" Cindy replied, her hands on her heart as relief washed over her face. "Oh my gosh! I saw a shadow and thought someone broke in!"
Xavier nodded, his mind quickly trying to piece up a response. "Cindy....."
"I thought you already left the office? Did you need anything?" Cindy said, noticing Xavier's tongue tied situation.
"In fact I do." Xavier said pausing. "I need an answer."
"To?"
"You up for a promotion?"
______________________
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