Chapter 3: Awkardness and Jealousy

The sun had not begun to rise just yet as Arielle's alarm clock blared throughout her room. Instead of groaning or complaining, she had already felt joy stir within her. It was 5 in the morning and her room had been blanketed by the deep blue hues from the early morning sky. Although her bed was a tempting place to remain, she knew that she must wake to begin her routine.

Ari wiped her groggy eyes and stretched at the edge of her bed. She enjoyed the quietness that was all around her. This was the time she dedicated to be with God each morning and it blessed her to do so.

She drew back her curtains and stared out at the adjusting sky as it became a gradient of various shades of dark blue. The small flower lamp beside her bed quickly illuminated the small bedroom and so she began to pray. To avoid touching her phone, she turned on her app which wouldn't allow her to use it without willingly ending the timer. It helped her to remain accountable.

"Dear God," she began.

The only sounds that could be heard throughout the tiny home were the low whispers of Arielle's prayer and the soft breaths of her mother breathing in the room next to hers. Arielle prayed for her mother every day and her mother did the same for her. They didn't always talk about it, but the love they had for one another was stronger than the average mother-daughter bond.

"Amen," Arielle said at the very end of her prayer.

This morning Ari prayed longer than her usual hour, leaving her with about twenty minutes for her morning Bible reading.

After the twenty minutes, her phone dinged as a text came through. Julia's contact name popped up, earning a grin from her best friend. Julia knew when Arielle was available every morning. She respected her quiet time and Arielle appreciated that about their friendship.

"Hey, girly. How was work?" Julia's text read. Arielle sat on her bed, throwing herself back against the pillow. How was work? She wondered how to place it into words. It was nice, but not exactly what she expected.

"I made some new friends and found out who I'll be working with. So I'd say it's pretty good!" She replied adding a smiley face and a celebration emoji.

"Spill the tea. Now." Julia replied faster than Arielle expected with a silky emoji of her own attached. Arielle shook her head.

"I can't talk right and I don't have tea to spill. I'm sorry." She answered as she propped herself back up.

Her phone dinged again, drawing her attention to it. "Boo. Are you free on Saturday? I want to try that new restaurant on Fifth Street." Arielle felt bad. She wasn't free, but hopefully, she could say otherwise soon.

'Sorry no," she began, trying to think of when they could make time to hang out. "I'm free after church on Sunday. We can do it then if you'd prefer!"

Julia replied almost instantly, causing Arielle to laugh quietly to herself. Her best friend never missed a beat. As she came to a stand, she briefly read the text. "Yay! See you then." She had written with a jovial-looking emoji.

Arielle smiled at her phone and shook her head. Julia was nearly the complete opposite of her. The only thing that they had in common was that they both believed in God, although Julia had openly admitted that Arielle was more active in her faith, Ari never boasted. Instead, she encouraged her friend to join her at church or to read the Bible with her.

Julia on the other hand helped encourage Arielle to focus on her studies when she would rather be getting lost in the great outdoors. Their friendship allowed them to help one another and Ari always prayed for Julia and has seen her grow because of it.

The sound of birds chirping could be heard from inside the house. Arielle turned her attention to her small bedroom window and stared out as they flew from branch to branch. She pulled herself away to get ready for the day.

Her curly hair was quite messy. Tossing and turning made it look much more wild than she felt comfortable wearing it out. She went about her morning routine. Although she would have preferred to skip her hair, she was left with little choice. She still managed to finish quickly enough and exited the bedroom to be greeted by the scent of food.

"Good morning, sweetheart." Her mom's gentle voice called to her.

"Good morning, ma," Arielle responded with a grin. Her mom, Angelina, stood over by the sink. The bright sun rays poured into their kitchen through the fairly large windows and it highlighted her long wavy hair and the gold flakes that were tucked away in her brown eyes.

Her mother had always been a beautiful woman, but the death of her father took a toll on her. Now her beautiful eyes were decorated with dark circles below them and her usually rosy cheeks were lacking their natural pink hue, leaving her paler in appearance. It broke Arielle's heart to see her mother in so much pain over the years. She could only do so much, but she couldn't bring her dad back.

Angelina grabbed a plate from the countertop that was covered by another place. She walked over to Arielle with the yummy-smelling food that her daughter could recognize anywhere. The scent wafted below Arielle's nose and made her drool excitedly.

Angelina had made a traditional Dominican breakfast for her daughter. She didn't always have the time, but she had been waking earlier to help her daughter as much as she could. Cooking had always been the time when she would remember her late husband, Joel.

Cooking was something they did together and they loved trying new foods together too. It used to make her fall apart to even look at a dish and her weight had taken a hit over the years, but steadily she was able to gain enough weight back to look healthy. She wanted to at least try for God and for her daughter who needed her.

Angelina walked over to Ari with the tasty dish. The dish always made Arielle feel as though she was transported to the island that her mother had come from. Mangú Con Los Tres Golpes was a common dish in the Dominican Republic and it was a common dish in Arielle's life too. Yet her mother had been very health conscious over the years, so she made her alterations for the sake of their health.

Arielle felt immense gratitude that she was able to enjoy food from various cultures since her mother's mom was originally from Spain and moved to the Dominican Republic, while her grandfather was a native with indigenous blood, living on the island already.

Even though Arielle's father passed away, his roots were also celebrated in their home and didn't change even after his passing. He was Jamaican, Maroon, and Cuban and he made sure to share his culture with his wife and daughter. Her home danced with many cultures and she felt honored to have such loving parents who held up certain aspects of them, including the food and the style of music.

"This smells amazing, mama. ¡Gracias ma!" Arielle exclaimed with joy as she dug into the delicious food placed before her. Her mother laughed and grabbed a plate of her own. Regardless of how old Arielle would become, she would always be Angelina's daughter.

She surely eats like my daughter, Angelina thought playfully.

"Mama, are we still going shopping mañana?" Arielle asked in Spanglish. (Mañana translates to tomorrow.)

"Si, mi hija. ¿Donde quieres ir?" (Translation: "Yes, my daughter. Where do you want to go?")

"Well, where would you like to go ma? I received my sign-up bonus check in my account. I'm surprised it came so early, but I won't look a gift horse en la boca." Arielle giggled while pointing to her mouth.

She reached over and grabbed her mom's calloused hand. It made her scowl to feel how tough it had become. She knew it was due to the extensive cleaning and labor jobs she had taken up over the years.

"You've worked so hard for so many years. I won't waste the money. I think it would be nice to buy you a beautiful dress though. I remember how much you loved buying new dresses." Arielle's large brown eyes pleaded with her mom to simply consider it.

Angelina sighed. Her daughter was becoming a very accomplished woman which was a good thing, yet she didn't want her to worry too much about her mother's circumstances.

For years, she mourned the passing of her spouse. Her best friend. It wasn't just their finances that stopped Angelina from buying a new dress each month, but it was also because he was no longer there to take her on their date nights each month or to call her beautiful when he would first lay his eyes on her.

They had made it into their tradition. Every month they would buy new, affordable clothes to wow each other and at the end of the year they would donate most of them to friends, family, church members, and clothing bins. It was their way of celebrating while still giving.

Yet now, he was gone and so her love for dress shopping had gone with him.

"How about instead, we go to that new walkway they built last summer? You were busy with school and I was working overtime." Arielle's mom suggested. Arielle sighed but nodded. She understood that her mom didn't want her to be spending the money on her in any way, but she still intended to clear her debts.

"Okay, ma." Arielle smiled before continuing to eat the delicious breakfast in front of her.

Both women were soon on their way to the train station that Arielle always took to NYC. The next two hours felt like a blur to Arielle and soon she stood in front of the AMI tower again. This time, it felt much less intimidating.

She walked along with the busy crowd into the building. The elevator wasn't as full today as it had been the day before. This time, her ivory briefcase matched her ivory flats. She felt self-conscious as various eyes appeared to dissect her attire. She knew it was uncommon, but she intended to dress modestly. That would entail sticking out like a sore thumb.

As long as I'm an obedient sore thumb, then I'll live, she thought. Arielle only sought to be a good daughter to God and her parents. Everything else in life could wait. She didn't have many dreams of romance or escaping to a faraway land. Sure, she didn't love the busy city life, but if it meant changing her mom's life for the better, then she would learn to tolerate it.

The elevator dinged many times as different businessmen and women exited to go onto their work floor. Arielle waited patiently as it reached her floor.

105.

106.

107.

Ding!

She breathed out a sigh of relief. Thankfully that's over now, she thought.

"Oh, Arielle!" Susan yelled to her with a smile. The kind secretary sat at her desk and appeared jovial to be there today. Her glasses were held onto her face with the help of a beaded-like necklace. Her gray hairs were pulled back into a short ponytail and her business attire had been very modest and business-like. Arielle would have to ask her where she bought her clothes.

"Good morning Sue. How was your night last night?" Arielle asked.

"It was okay. Although boring. I'm starting to think that I need a hobby. My husband is usually asleep by the time I get back and I'm left alone." Susan responded with a small pout. Her voice was filled with sadness and it made Arielle's heart tug.

"Well there are many things to do in the city and so many classes offered to learn new skills." She attempted to suggest.

"Do you think I have the patience?" Susan laughed. "But the reason I called you wasn't to complain about my life. I wanted to inform you that Alexander has arranged for your desk to be in his office. So I bought you these." Susan said. She handed Arielle a small bin of floral-themed office supplies.

"Aw! These are so nice! Thank you, Susan!" She exclaimed. Sue laughed and waved her hands. They could both hear the elevator ding once more. That thing never stops does it? Arielle thought.

"It's no need. I'm just grateful to be working with such a kind person. I haven't always been so lucky." Susan whispered while looking at someone behind her. The curly-haired Christian didn't plan to look or turn around to see who Sue may be looking at. Arielle knew that Sue intended to be open, but she didn't want to give room for gossip.

Sadly, without looking, the voice of a woman could be heard. It was incredibly difficult to mistake that voice for another.

"You came back. How... disappointing." Meghan spoke with a snarky tone coating each word.

Arielle saw no reason in pretending not to hear her, so she turned to face her politely.

"Good morning, Meghan. It's nice to see you again." Meghan's eyes narrowed at the woman in front of her. Arielle's smile seemed to be annoyingly genuine. Her curly hair was now worn in a high ponytail with wispy pieces hanging in her face. Meghan couldn't help but feel small in front of her although Arielle was much shorter than Meghan and not the other way around. Meghan hated that Arielle made her feel like this and so she disliked her for it.

Arielle waited for her to say something, but when she didn't she turned her attention back to Sue.

"I'll just be on my way to my desk then. Thank you again, Sue, for these." She thanked me while holding up the bin of supplies.

"No problem dear," Sue smiled in return and watched happily as Arielle walked away.

"What are you smiling at you old hag?" Meghan insulted.

Sue only sighed. "Alexander isn't here, Meghan. He won't be back until twelve and we both know that you're looking for him." The phone rang and Sue took that as an escape from her conversation with the angry blond. Meghan could be heard huffing and stomping off.

Jealousy could turn a beautiful woman ugly, Sue thought.

Arielle knocked and waited patiently, but when there was no answer, she slowly creaked open the door. Mr. Marquee wasn't at his desk. Instead, there was a note on it.

"I'm in a meeting. Please sort through these potential client portfolios. Organize based on priority. Counting on you. Be back at 12." It read.

Arielle's eyes quickly caught sight of the Manila folder holding stacks of papers and a laptop beneath it.

"Today will be long." She sighed, but not long after she cringed at her negativity. "No, no. It will be productive." She whispered to herself.

Time ticked by and the large stack of papers slowly dwindled to just a few by the time the office door opened. Ari lifted her gaze in surprise. She had lost track of time. It was twelve already? She wondered in shock.

"Afternoon Ms. Burnes." Alexander greeted. Today he was sporting a black suit, a white button-up, and a deep red tie. It made him look as powerful as he likely was in the business world.

As always, he found her to look like an absolute angel. Her hair was pulled away from her face allowing her perfectly angled features to be placed on display. He wanted to look her up and down but fought the urge and looked away instead. Being forward with her didn't help him yesterday so today he planned to tread lightly. Maybe that will work, he thought.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Marquee. I apologize I hadn't expected you yet so I became startled."

"It's twelve," Alexander answered plainly. Maybe that was too abrupt of a difference, he thought.

A blush rose to Arielle's cheeks. She felt silly for even saying that. Of course, he said he would be back at twelve, but she had completely stopped focusing on the time and only focused on her work.

"Yes, sir. I lost track of the time. I was so focused on working that I didn't realize how quickly the afternoon had rolled around."

Alexander attempted to fight a smile from coming forward, but he failed. "May I pay you a compliment?" He asked quietly.

"I don't know. It depends on the compliment. You are in charge of your own choices." She concluded.

"You look very sweet when you blush." His smile was soft and Arielle looked away. She couldn't entertain compliments like this. She needed this job and she needed to work here correctly without receiving any bias from her employer.

"Thank you, Mr. Marquee. I don't know if it is appropriate to compliment me in such a way." She said. She allowed her eyes to meet his before clearing her throat. "Here are the papers that you asked me to sort through. I only have seven more to complete. If you need me to pick up your lunch this afternoon, then I can." She offered with a smile.

"My lunch meeting did cancel on me, so why don't you grab us something from the cafeteria?" He suggested. Arielle nodded eagerly. Her breakfast was filling, yet it had worn off a while as she organized his client's portfolios.

"Well here," Arielle stood. "I can go right now."

Alexander nodded from his desk. "You can grab me the chicken Caesar salad." He stated. Arielle gave him a swift nod and turned. She could feel his gaze on her back as she exited the room. She could finally breathe once she left the office.

As she walked towards the elevator, it opened, and out walked Meghan. Arielle was genuinely stunned by how persistent she was. She didn't think that Alexander was a liar, but she assumed that he may have exaggerated about Meghan's insistent visits throughout the day. Yet so far, it seemed like what he said was accurate.

The tall blond had a look of hatred in her eyes and smirked at Ari as she passed by. It didn't make any sense to her that someone could easily hate a mere stranger, but Meghan seemed to have it down pat.

The elevator ride was already becoming a normal routine for Arielle and the similar smells from the cafeteria greeted her as she walked out from it. Mr. Marquee didn't request coffee today, but Arielle surely wanted some. She walked up to the stand from yesterday and smiled at the tall ginger that seemed to have remained in the same spot.

"Hi, Jeremy!" Arielle greeted.

Jeremy's smile quickly grew as he saw her again. He had been wondering if he'd see her today and it wasn't a lackluster sight. He foolishly bragged to his friends about the beautiful girl that he swooned at his job when in all honesty he hadn't even asked for Arielle's number yet.

"Hey! You're back." He greeted back excitedly. He realized his voice made him sound too excited, desperate even. As though he had been waiting around all day only thinking about her. And he had, but he didn't want her to know that. Clearing his throat, he controlled himself and attempted to level out the excessive excitement that he displayed.

"Yes! In the flesh," she giggled. He sighed in awe which caused Ari to tilt her head in curiosity. Jeremy's face became beet red within seconds.

"S-So, same coffee as yesterday?" He stuttered.

"You remember my order with all the people that come through here?" She asked in genuine amazement.

"Would it be bad if I said yes?" He asked while scratching the back of his head.

"No, silly." She responded. "It would be really impressive and kind."

"Then yes I did." He answered quickly.

"Well I hope you'd never lie to me either way," she laughed. "Lying is a pet peeve of mine and it's a sin." She said softly, with her smile unwavering.

Jeremy gulped. He knew from yesterday's conversation that Arielle was a religious woman, or at least it seemed like it, but this confirmed it. By the time they'd start dating, she'd find out how he lied to his friend about swooning her on the first day that they met. Oh gosh... how would they get through that-

"Jeremy?" Arielle chimed in.

"Huh?" He snapped out of it.

"I don't want to alarm you, but you said all of that out loud... And the espresso machine behind you is leaking all over the floor."

"What!?" His eyes were wide and then the second thing she had said sunk in too. He swung his head to the actively leaking espresso machine. "What!?" He yelled again.

Arielle had a pained look on her face. She felt incredibly bad and thought it'd be best to leave to give him time.

"I'm sorry, I'll go. Well, unless you needed help cleaning that up. Alexander didn't request coffee so it isn't a big deal."

"No no. It's okay and I'm-" he calmed himself down a little before continuing. "I'm sorry then. You heard what I said about lying to my friends about swooning you. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have."

Arielle offered him a small smile. "I accept your apology. You should also tell them the truth. I'm flattered that you find me swooning though." She said quietly with a reassuring smile.

"O-of course. You are. I'll tell them. Thank you for not being angry with me." He responded genuinely.

"No need to thank me. Alexander's waiting for me, so I'll go. It was nice seeing you again. Bye, Jeremy."

"Bye..." Jeremy spoke under his breath with a weak wave. What is wrong with me, he lectured himself.

Arielle made it back upstairs soon enough with Alexander's lunch along with her own. She opened the office door to see Meghan sitting in the small chair across from Alexander's desk.

"...and I can take her spot." Meghan could be heard saying. Arielle's eyes narrowed at what she heard. Meghan despised her enough to attempt to sabotage her employment.

"Who's the spot?" She asked directly, but with a calm tone, as she placed her food and Alexander's food down.

"This has nothing to do with you," Meghan responded shortly. Meghan crossed her arms and glared at Arielle's back. She knew what Arielle was doing. She was playing innocent in attempts to win Alexander, Meghan thought vehemently.

"Okay, I'll believe you," Arielle responded with a small smile before looking at Alexander. "Sorry for the wait, Alexander." Mr. Marquee's eyes widened at the sound of his first name coming from her mouth and Meghan responded the same.

"Who are you calling Alexander!? He is your boss!" Meghan screamed. Arielle's eyes widened at the random outburst which made her look like a deer in headlights. This only angered Meghan more, if that were possible.

Arielle didn't have to respond. Alexander responded for her.

"I requested her to call me by my first name and that is none of your concern. All you have done is waste my time again, Meghan. Please leave my office now." Meghan's blue eyes widened and then shrunk to slits as she glared at Arielle. She pushed herself up without the usual grace she attempted to exhibit for Alexander and stormed out of the room.

Arielle blew out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding and looked over to Alexander who simply shrugged.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Marquee. I didn't intend to call you you first time. I realized I did the same thing earlier while talking to Jeremy and that is my fault."

"Please don't apologize. I requested you to. Susan also calls me by my first name, so it isn't just you." He chuckled.

"Well, if that's the case then okay." Arielle smiled and Alexander practically beamed in return. Arielle wasn't used to seeing such perfect teeth. The man before her lived up to the term bachelor. She could see why Meghan pined after his attention. It didn't make her actions right, but it did make it rather simple to learn the root cause of it.

Arielle sat back at her desk and began to eat the sandwich she grabbed from the cafeteria after saying a short prayer in her head. While she munched on her meal, Alexander's mind wandered over to all that had transpired. It may not have seemed like much, but this was the first step. He enjoyed witnessing her confidence and self-control. It made him want to know her more. She was more than her beautiful appearance. Her personality resembled that of an angel too.

Maybe he'd be able to forget the deliberate sabotage that someone was directing towards his business although he already knew who it was.

Lorenzo Denaliz would be his concern for another day.