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This is just a random one-shot that I thought of one day. I’m still working on the next chapter of NWPC and I’m re-writing AIHTG, so just bear with me. I hope you guys all enjoy this. It’s sort of a long one-shot. Consider it an early Christmas gift (if I don’t crank out the next chapter of NWPC and the revised chapter of AIHTG). Enjoy!
Warning: this is completely unedited and my beta hasn’t read through it yet. But I thought it would be a nice Christmas present to all of you guys. I’ll probably have it edited after Christmas. I apologize because this story is really cliché and happens really fast…but I hope you guys like it.
Diclaimer: I don’t own anything except for the characters and the plot.
Taxi Stealer
12.23.2007
heart has its reasons, which reason knows not of…
Blaise Pascal
“Stupid yellow cars,” Byrne muttered to herself as she held her hand up once again, trying to wave down a taxi. “No one wants to ride them anyway. They’re just last resorts.” But sadly, on this rainy day, a taxi was her only option.
She glanced at the slim silver Seiko watch on her hand, a gift from her parents for her twenty-first birthday. 8:17. Great. She had thirteen minutes before she was officially late. There were no taxis, the subway was a good two blocks away, not to mention the fact that it was rush hour in New York and everyone was trying to get to work…she hated Mondays.
A taxi stopped in front of her and an old lady stepped to get out. Finally!
Byrne was just about to get into the taxi when she was rudely pushed aside and onto the wet ground, drenching her new Dior skirt and completely ruining her Manolo Blahniks.
“I’m sorry, but I really need to get to work,” came the amused male voice.
Byrne fumed. “Well get in line you bastard. I believe that this is my taxi.” She glared up into laughing grey eyes. The bastard was finding this amusing.
“Well it is obviously my taxi now.”
“You piece of...ugh! I am in a hurry, now if you could please give me back my taxi, I’ll just forget this ever happened.” Byrne stood up shakily and held back the desire to mourn over her lost shoes and skirt. No amount of dry cleaning would fix this.
“Whatever you were going to do could not possibly be as important as what I need to do,” the man said impatiently. He shoved a couple of bills at her. “That ought to take care of everything. Thank you for the taxi.”
Byrne could not believe the gall of the man. He stole her taxi and thought that a couple of measly…oh, scratch that, the man just gave her six hundred dollars. Byrne looked back up, but the taxi had long gone. She placed the crumpled bills into her handbag and managed to hail another taxi.
“No Mr. Saunders, I apologize. It’s just that it’s raining outside and I couldn’t get a taxi and…”
“Save your story for someone who cares. I need you to do your job now.”
Byrne stared at the stack of papers he held in his hands. “But I thought…”
“Well, the meeting with Mr. Davenport is already over, and since you’re late, you get to fill in this paperwork.”
Byrne groaned. “I did not go to business school for this…”
Saunders smirked. “Well we all have to start somewhere, and you can start here.” He heaved the papers onto her desk. “By the way, you should change; I wouldn’t want Mr. Davenport getting a bad impression around here. You reek too.”
Byrne looked down at her wet clothes miserably. Stupid Mr. Davenport. Who cared about him? He was probably some old man with a beer belly and was balding.
“Thanks Gail.”
Gail smiled sympathetically. “No problem. Good luck.”
Byrne was puzzled. “Luck?”
“I heard that Mr. Davenport is with Peter right now. He’s been meeting all the employees personally, well just the ones that Peter recommends to him. So far I heard that Davenport fired two of the seven that he’s met. I guess they’re doing company evaluations a bit differently this year.”
Byrne gulped. “You know who? I mean, who was fired?” Byrne walked alongside Gail as they headed to the boss’s office.
Gail nodded. “Jack and Stephanie.”
Byrne paled. “Jack and Stephanie are some of the most serious and hardworking employees at this company. Why would he…?”
Gail shrugged. “Beats me. I don’t even think Peter knows the answer to that.”
“Davenport sounds like an asshole.”
“An asshole he might be, but he’s a hot asshole.”
“What?”
Gail blushed, “He’s actually very young, only twenty-six.”
“The man is an entrepreneur at the age of twenty-six? I’m hardly surprised that he’s an asshole now,” Byrne said wryly.
“Anyway, good luck again, don’t sweat it too much. You’re young and you’re intelligent, so I’m sure you can find another job easily.”
Byrne rolled her eyes. “Yeah, we’ll see.” She stepped into office, fidgeting nervously.
“Ah, Miss Davies, finally. Sit, sit.” Peter gestured to the leather chair in front of his desk.
But Byrne was too nervous to sit down; her attention was on the tall dark haired man standing by the window.
“Since you were late this morning, I’d like you to meet…”
Byrne couldn’t hear anything her boss was saying as the man had turned around.
“You! You…you taxi stealer!”
Grey eyes were just as shocked as her, but it was soon replaced by laughter. “Is that all you have to say?”
This bastard was her boss’s boss? He was the president of…someone was seriously out to get her.
“I see you two have met before,” Peter said.
“Yes, this bastard stole my taxi this morning, which was why I was late,” Byrne hissed through clenched teeth.
Peter frowned disapprovingly at her words. “I’m sure that wasn’t the case.”
“You were already late,” the infuriating man spoke lightly. “A few more minutes didn’t hurt much.”
“You are the biggest…”
Peter cleared his throat. “What we called you here for today is so that…”
“I’m done here, I don’t want this stupid job anymore.”
“What?” Peter asked, shocked. “Miss Davies, I assure you that you are being dismissed all we want is your opinion of the company.”
“Huh?”
“Stop jumping to conclusions.”
Byrne glared at the man and flushed.
Peter watched her warily. “Can I continue with no further outbursts from you?”
Byrne nodded, embarrassed. She fumed silently at Davenport as she listened to Peter’s words and questions.
“You ruined my clothes, embarrassed me in front of my boss and almost caused me to lose my job! I have absolutely nothing to say to you.”
“I’m sorry, but I was really running late and it’s my first day here as president, so I really needed to…”
“What? Make a good impression? You’re the goddamn president of the company? No one could care less if you were days late! You own the place!”
“True, but I think…”
“I think that you should leave Mr. Davenport.”
“Hale.”
“Whatever.”
“Call me Hale.”
“I will call you what I want to call you and I choose to call you Mr. Davenport.”
“Can I call you Byrne?”
“What? No!”
Her hazel eyes stared angrily into his amused grey ones.
“I’ll call you what I want to call you,” he mocked. “After all, I am the boss.”
Byrne scowled. “Why are you here, as if my life isn’t hell already.”
“I just wanted to apologize for what happened this morning.”
“It’s not going to change anything; I’ve already made up my mind: I hate you. I don’t care if you’re my boss’s boss, I still hate you.”
Hale grinned. “I can get you to change your mind.”
“I highly doubt that.”
“Hi Albert, is there any mail for me today?”
The old man shook his head. “Sorry Miss Davies. There’s nothing.”
“Well, well, fancy meeting you here.”
Byrne groaned and turned to face her nemesis. “What, are you stalking me now?”
Hale gave her an amused look. “I would think it’s the other way around.”
“I do not stalk anyone,” Byrne sniffed. “I happen to live here. I have been living here for the past few years. Just ask Albert.”
“Albert?”
Byrne pointed to the old man.
The old man nodded. “Miss Davies has been with us for a while now.”
“Ah, well I moved in a month ago. Pleased to meet you Albert, I’m Hale Davenport.”
Albert smiled at Hale. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I do believe I have a lot of mail for you.” He reached behind him into a box and pulled out a stack of mail and handed it to Hale. “You certainly have a lot of mail Mr. Davenport.”
Hale just smiled.
Byrne fumed. Stupid, insolent man, here he was, stealing her…what? Mail? Byrne grimaced. She sounded to childish. But this had been her apartment first, now he was here. She stormed to the elevator with Hale following closely behind.
“Wait! Miss Davies!”
The doors shut.
“I wonder what Albert had to say,” Byrne mused out loud.
“It must have been important, he seemed pretty panicked there.”
“I’ll call him when I get to my floor.”
“What? Oh! What a coincidence, we live on the same floor!” Hale said gleefully.
Byrne moaned. “Great. Absolutely fucking fantastic.”
“I wonder how we haven’t met each other before this.”
Byrne shrugged. “I don’t go out much.”
“True, and after I moved in, I had an out of state convention to attend,” Hale said thoughtfully. “Still all my other neighbors made it a point to introduce themselves to me…except for apartment 12C…would that by any chance happen to be you?”
Byrne flushed. “I’m not a neighborly sort of person,” she defended herself hotly. “Besides, I honestly did not know that someone knew moved in.”
“Well, maybe if you got out more then you would have.”
Byrne was just about to retort when the elevator jolted and stopped moving completely.
“I wonder if this is what dear old Albert was going to tell you.”
“Oh no! Shit! I completely forgot that the elevators weren’t working,” Byrne said, voice full of distress.
“Well, there wasn’t a sign in front of the elevator,” Hale commented.
“I should have known. I knew it this morning. This is all your fault!”
“My fault? How is it my fault?”
“You were distracting me.”
“With my good looks? Why thank you.”
“No! Not with your good looks! With your annoying-ness!”
Hale smirked. “My annoying-ness?”
Byrne blushed. “I’m sorry, it’s all I could think of.”
“It’s nice to know my company is full of such articulate people with a wide range of vocabulary.”
“Oh shut up.” Byrne busied herself by reading the panels on the walls of the elevator. “We need to get help.” She pressed the emergency call button, only to get nothing. “Damn it! Oh! Cell phones!” She pulled out her slim phone. No reception. “Argh!”
“Calm down, I have a phone too and I just happen to…not get reception either,” Hale said as he pulled out his Blackberry. “I had reception just yesterday in this elevator. There must be something wrong.”
Byrne rolled her eyes. “This is God punishing me.”
“Did you need to be punished?” Hale eyed her.
“I didn’t call my mother like I was supposed to and I didn’t send her a birthday gift. He’s punishing me for forgetting my mother.”
Hale laughed. “That is by far the silliest thing I have ever heard.”
“Why?” Byrne asked defensively. “I always call my mother and I always send her a birthday gift. I sort of got into an argument with her and haven’t been the best daughter lately.”
Hale rolled his eyes. “If God punishes people for that, then I would be in hell already. I haven’t talked to my mom since I turned sixteen and ran away from home.”
“You ran away from home? Are you serious?”
Hale shrugged. “I had a bad childhood and a terrible excuse for a mother. I decided that when I turned sixteen that I had had enough, so I grabbed whatever money and belongings I had and ran away.”
“Wow,” Byrne was amazed. “And to think that you’re now the president of a company.”
Hale turned a light pink. “Well I was lucky.”
“You must be smarter than you let on.”
“Thanks,” Hale said dryly.
The elevator jolted again and soon they were on their way up.
“See you tomorrow, neighbor,” Hale smirked as he stepped into his apartment.
Byrne growled. He might have had a hard childhood, but this man now was a pain in the ass and she was not going to feel sorry for him, even though he was pretty damn hot. Not that she would ever admit it out loud.
“I don’t even know you.”
“I’m not a rapist or a runaway prisoner, that’s all you need to know,” Hale grinned. “You already know I’m your boss’s boss, what else do you need?”
Byrne shrugged. “Maybe I just don’t want to eat lunch with you.”
Hale held a hand to his heart (A/N: haha, lots of alliteration, okay random).
“Quit the dramatics Davenport.”
“Hale.”
“Davenport.”
“That’s me.”
Byrne resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “You could not act any more like a four year old than well, a four year old.”
“Just come to lunch with me. I heard you love French cuisine. Apparently there’s a nice place about a block from here. We don’t even need to take a taxi.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me.”
“What, still sore about that incident?”
“You stole my freaking taxi!”
“You still have your job, I don’t know what you’re complaining about.”
“Easy for you to say, you’re your own boss, you make the rules, I don’t. I can’t just waltz in whenever I like.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. You don’t know a damn thing,” Hale said in a deadly whisper.
Byrne paled. “Listen…”
“No,” Hale bit out. “I’m through with this. I try to be nice, but you always shut me out. You’re always jumping to conclusions. You think you know who I am? I thought maybe we could get along, but clearly I was wrong, so I’m through.” He raised his hands up in surrender and backed out of her doorway. “I’m done.”
Byrne fell onto her sofa, still in shock. She hadn’t meant for it to get this far. She just thought…no she hadn’t been thinking. She closed her eyes. That’s it, she wasn’t thinking. She’d apologize tomorrow.
“What the hell do you…oh, it’s you.”
Byrne bit her lip. “I just wanted to apologize. I’m really sorry for assuming things about you and for jumping to conclusions. I’m just a bit touchy and I really don’t know you very well, so…I made you a pie.”
Hale watched the twitchy blonde amusedly. She was really terrible at apologizing. “Byrne, it’s three in the morning.”
“I know I could have waited until tomorrow but this whole guilt thing was really eating me up and I just felt like I really should apologize. Baking helps me calm down and I thought that you would like pie, you seem like an apple person. Not that I know or anything,” Byrne babbled.
Hale took the pie from her hands before she went on any further. “Thanks, I’m sure I’ll enjoy it. And you’re right.”
“About what?”
“I am an apple person,” Hale grinned. “All’s forgiven. This pie smells divine.”
Byrne blushed.
“Thanks.”
“Well, thanks for forgiving me,” Byrne murmured looking down at the slippers that she had forgotten to change out of. “If there’s anything I can do, just let me know.”
“There is one more thing…”
Byrne looked up and blushed. He wasn’t wearing a shirt. Damn the man for looking so fine!
“You can come out to lunch with me later…much later,” Hale smirked.
Byrne flushed even darker if possible. “I know it’s early. I think I’m a bit of an insomniac.”
“Hey, if it means more pie for me, I’m all for it.”
Byrne half-heartedly glared at the tall man. “Where?”
“Beg pardon?”
Somehow Byrne resisted the urge to laugh. Finally she had thrown the man off. “Where do you want to go for lunch?”
“I told you about that French place right? Well I thought we could still go there. I’ll pick you up at twelve sharp.”
“Decisive and bossy.”
Hale winked.
Byrne stayed up the entire rest of the early morning trying not to think of why her heart was beating so fast and why it seemed as though a smile had permanently etched itself onto her face.
“So you had fun?” Hale asked as they reached their apartment complex. He held the door open for her.
“Yes, I honestly did,” Byrne smiled up at him as she entered into the building.
Hale let out a breath of air that he had been unconsciously holding in. She had been full of surprises today. He had thought she would be the ice queen she normally was, but he was surprised to find a vivacious woman who was full of compassion and wit. In other words, she was everything a man wanted in a woman. She had also laughed at his jokes, she had given him genuine smiles and he had enjoyed receiving them.
“Hale!”
Hale was jolted out of his thoughts by Byrne, who was holding the elevator for him. He grinned sheepishly and caught up.
“Are you okay? I called your name a couple of times.”
Hale smiled. “I’m fine, just thinking about what a wonderful time I was having with you.”
“Smooth talker,” Byrne muttered. It’s probably what had gotten him so far in life.
“Only with you.”
Byrne blushed and rolled her eyes as she stepped off the elevator onto their floor.
“I had a really nice time,” Byrne said softly. She grimaced inwardly at the way she sounded—helpless, which she was not. This was the man she was supposed to hate, the taxi stealer!
“Me too,” Hale whispered as he tucked a stray curl behind her ear.
Byrne felt as though someone had turned the heater onto flaming hot. She wasn’t supposed to feel this way. This was completely unexpected. This was not acceptable! But against her will, her eyes closed and somehow her body readied itself for what it knew was coming.
Hale leaned in and kissed her.
Byrne’s mind caught up with her as soon as her back hit the wall. She panicked, and breaking the kiss, she ran into her apartment.
Her mind argued that it was the right thing, but she felt a tugging within. She held a hand to her heart, which had been racing. She didn’t like this feeling. Not at all.
“Finally,” Byrne muttered to herself as she finished typing up a report. It had taken her all week to write it up and now she was done. She glanced at the clock. Perfect timing. Hale would be busy in a meeting and she could leave for her apartment.
“Byrne, Peter wants to see you in his office now,” Gail piped from her office door entrance.
She tried not to panic. He probably just wanted to ask her about the report, after all Peter was very hands on and very understanding. He liked to know what was going on in the office. She tried to calm down her nerves. Deep down, she knew that it was Hale. She didn’t know what possessed her to follow Gail, maybe it was the hope that deep down it was Hale. Goddamn it, she was feeling things that she shouldn’t for the bothersome man.
Byrne entered Peter’s office quietly, and sure enough, rather than Peter sitting in the expensive leather chair, it was Hale.
“Where’s Peter?”
“He had to go take care of some things,” Hale said dismissively. “But let’s not talk about Peter. We need to talk...about us.”
Byrne shuffled the papers she held in her hands nervously. “I don’t think so. There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Oh, but there’s a lot to talk about.”
Byrne jumped, since when had Hale gotten out of the chair? And why was he so close?
“Like that kiss that happened and you running away like the devil was chasing after you.”
“I did not run,” Byrne said indignantly. “You just caught me by surprise.”
Hale raised a dark brow. “Oh really? You seemed to enjoy it.”
“You’re a real ass you know that?”
“Yes I know, I’m a taxi-stealing ass,” Hale smirked. “You never cease to remind me.”
Byrne flushed. “I thought it was a friendly date, I did not expect you to kiss me.”
Hale shrugged. “You were just too cute and you were actually smiling and happy to be with me, so I thought why not? You usually hate being around me.”
“I don’t hate being around you. You just…you just get to me sometimes. You’re everything that I’m not.”
“And that’s a bad thing?”
“Yes! Well, no…maybe…I’m not sure,” Byrne admitted reluctantly. “I feel all nervous and fluttery whenever I’m around you and I don’t like it.”
“And you never felt like this around any of your previous boyfriends?” Hale asked skeptically. “That’s usually what you feel around someone you like.”
“No, I never felt nervous around them, I felt relaxed and at ease.”
“So you’re saying that the reason you’ve been acting all skittish and hating me is because you’re nervous around me?”
“That and the time…”
Hale scowled. “I know, I’m sorry about that okay? Well I’m not terribly sorry but…”
“What do you mean you’re not terribly sorry you ruined my skirt and shoes!”
“I can buy you new ones if that’s what you want.”
“You don’t get the point Hale.”
“You called me Hale.”
“I did not.”
“You did.”
“Slip of the tongue. I promise it won’t happen again.”
“Go out with me again.”
“What?”
“I like you and you obviously like me, so I’m doing what normal guys do, asking the girl they like out on a date.”
“I don’t like you.”
“You‘re in denial.”
Byrne huffed. “I am not in denial.”
“If you don’t like me, then going out to lunch with me won’t be a problem for you then, now will it?” Hale smirked.
“I hate your stupid logic.”
“So, what do you say?”
“Fine,” Byrne sighed. “One date.”
She reached for her phone as it vibrated. “Hale?”
“Meet me at the coffee shop in ten?”
“Sure.”
After hanging up, Byrne contemplated her relationship with Hale. After agreeing to go on that one date, she just couldn’t resist saying no to a second and then a third and so forth. There was just something about him. She giggled to herself; maybe it was fate that had knocked her over that Monday morning.
They were now an official couple. Being the girlfriend of the president of the company she was employed at was rather uncomfortable, but she hadn’t discussed it with Hale. Byrne grimaced, not that she really wanted to. She could already imagine his reaction. He would most likely fire anyone he heard spreading rumors or causing any trouble.
She checked her email one last time.
“Jameson Incorporated,” Byrne murmured. It was another business she had sent in an application to in secret. She scanned the email. Her eyes widened. She had received an interview; the only downside was that it was in Atlanta, but the pay and benefits were great. She bit her lip; she would have to discuss it with Hale soon. She wondered if he had a branch in Atlanta as she grabbed her belongings and left the office.
Hale grinned as he saw his girlfriend of two months enter the coffee shop. It was still hard to believe that Byrne had agreed to all of this. Ever since he had pushed the spirited blonde out of his way, he had felt an attraction.
“Hey.”
Hale leaned in and kissed her. “Hey yourself. What do you want?”
“Black coffee is just fine.”
“Woman after my own heart.”
Byrne rolled her eyes.
“Listen, I was thinking about our living situation.”
“You mean the fact that we both live in the same apartment building and on the same floor?”
“Yeah, that. Not that it’s not convenient, but I feel like lately you’ve been living at my place more than you’ve been living at your own.”
Byrne nodded warily.
“So I was wondering if you would like to move in with me?” Hale asked quietly. “It seems a waste two have two apartments when we could share one.”
Byrne bit her lip. “Are you sure about this?”
Hale nodded. “I’ve thought it through and it makes sense. Plus, we could share a bedroom.”
Byrne laughed at the suggestive look he shot her. “Fine, but not for that reason.”
Hale shrugged, but grinned, she had agreed. He had thought she would need time, but apparently he was wrong. “Great. You can move in tomorrow.”
“Whoa, what’s the rush?”
“You don’t want to move in?”
“Well, tomorrow’s Thursday and I still have work, why don’t we wait until Saturday when I’m off?”
“I don’t have work; I’ll move your stuff.”
“Hale…”
“Fine,” he pouted.
Byrne smiled over her cup of coffee.
“Hale Davenport? Is that you?”
Both looked up to see a slender brunette beaming down at Hale.
“Amanda?”
The brunette smiled. “Yeah, it’s been a while hasn’t it?”
“Five years,” Hale said incredulously. “I don’t believe it. Out of all places…”
Amanda looked at Byrne, questioningly. “Is she your girlfriend?”
“Oh! Amanda this is Byrne Davies. Byrne, this is Amanda Livingston. Byrne is my girlfriend,” Hale took Byrne’s hand and kissed it gently. “She’s moving in with me.”
Amanda smiled. “That’s wonderful! Hale is the greatest.”
Byrne gave her a weak smile. “I know.”
“We grew up together California. We were neighbors.”
“I used to have the biggest crush on him throughout high school,” Amanda admitted, laughing.
“Oh,” Byrne said uncomfortably.
“Here, sit down,” Hale said suddenly, pulling out a chair for her.
“I don’t want to interrupt anything,” Amanda said hesitantly.
“Nonsense, you don’t mind, do you Byrne?” Hale looked at Byrne expectantly.
Byrne took a deep breath. “Of course I don’t. In fact, I had completely forgotten that I was supposed to meet up with Gail. We were going to go shopping together. I’m sorry I have to leave, but you two have fun. I’m sure you have a lot of catching up to do.”
“We do,” Amanda said, watching Hale. She turned to Byrne and smiled. “It was nice meeting you.”
“You too,” Byrne echoed.
Hale kissed her on the cheek and Byrne felt her heart fall as she walked out the door. She could hear them laughing even at the door of the cafe.
He never laughed like that around her. Who was she kidding? How could someone like Hale be with someone like her? She couldn’t measure up to the supermodel statuesque Amanda. She suddenly felt like crying. She wiped her face and looked up. It was raining, how appropriate. She laughed bitterly at herself. Here she was, crying over a guy, a guy she hadn’t even liked in the first place and now? Now what?
“Where have you been? It is raining!”
“I think I noticed,” Byrne said bitterly, looking down at her drenched clothes.
Hale cursed and pushed her into his apartment. “Stay here, I’ll go get you a towel.”
Byrne sighed. She had called Gail after leaving the café because she needed someone to talk to.
“You’re just being insecure,” Gail said. “It’s normal. It’ll pass.”
Byrne shook her head. “I’m not insecure. He’s everything I’m not. We don’t fit together. They do.”
“You just met the girl. They probably never had a romantic relationship before.”
“They have. It’s so obvious.”
“What’s obvious is that Hale is crazy about you.”
“I don’t see how you were so irresponsible,” Hale muttered as he handed her a towel. He took the other one and started drying out her hair. “I mean, if it started raining, you could have at least bought an umbrella. Now you’re going to catch pneumonia.”
“Stop it Hale,” Byrne said weakly.
Hale paused.
“I’m just going to go home. I don’t feel too well.”
“You probably already caught pneumonia,” Hale placed a warm hand on her forehead. “You feel a bit warm.”
Byrne swatted his hand away. “Stop being ridiculous! I’m going back to my apartment okay?”
Her sharp voice shocked Hale. He nodded slowly. “Okay. I’ll see you in the morning then?”
“Maybe.”
“Oh, by the way, Amanda invited us to dinner tomorrow night.”
Byrne paused at his door. “Tell her I won’t be able to make it and I’m sorry. I hope you two will enjoy dinner together.”
“What plans?” Hale asked, but the door slammed shut and Byrne was gone.
“If he still carried some sort of torch for this Amanda woman, then he obviously would not be dating you, now would he?”
“Maybe he thought he had no chance with her so he went for second best instead, or maybe third. Anyway, he said that they hadn’t seen each other in five years.”
“He can’t be in love with someone he was never romantically involved with. Five years? That‘s a long time to still be in love with someone.”
“No, it’s not. Like, yes, but love? No.”
“Byrne, you are crazy he is not in love with her. I don’t know how many times I can say this. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. Plus the way you treat him, if he liked you, he would not still be with you.”
Byrne gave a small laugh. She was pretty horrible to him sometimes.
But it was all because she loved him.
Byrne held a hand to her mouth. Oh God. She was in love with Hale. She felt a tear slip down her face. Now what was she going to do? She was in love with the man. This was a situation she was trying to avoid all along. She hated committing because in the end everything would fall apart, just like her parents’ marriage.
“Someone like Hale does not fall in love with a girl like me. I’m not his type.”
“The man does not have a type and if he does, you’re his type.”
“Amanda is. She’s perfect, just like he is.”
“Love isn’t about types. It just happens, Byrne.”
“It never happens to girls like me?”
“Why? You’re gorgeous. You just refuse to accept and acknowledge the fact.”
“I’m just going to get hurt in the end.”
“He is, if you keep on going like this. Byrne, don’t do this to yourself.”
“I’m the one who’s going to end up hurt,” Byrne whispered to herself.
“I know I’m sorry. It’s just that I’ve been catching up with Amanda.” Of course. She guessed that’s what they called it these days. They had been “catching up” for two weeks now. “She just recently got out of a failed marriage and all that. I’ve been trying to help her get on her own feet again.”
“How sweet,” Byrne murmured.
Hale shuffled his feet nervously. “I have a huge favor to ask of you.”
Byrne held her breath. “Okay.”
“Amanda’s looking for a place to live, so I was wondering if we could possibly push back our plans of moving in together. I don’t want her to live in hotels.”
Byrne felt as though a hand had grasped her by the throat and was strangling her. “Of course. I don’t mind.”
Hale was grateful. “Thank you. I knew you’d understand.”
“No problem.” What was she going to do now that she had packed everything? She didn’t feel like unpacking.
“Were you going to tell me something?”
I love you. Byrne shook her head weakly. “I forgot.”
Hale gave her a peck on the lips. “I’ll see you then.”
“See you,” Byrne echoed.
She waited until Hale was gone before collapsing onto her apartment floor. She couldn’t stop the pain in her chest. He had just ripped out another piece of her heart and she was never going to get it back. She felt as though she couldn’t breathe. Why did she love him? And why did he not love her back?
“Oh Byrne,” Amanda smiled.
“Hi, is Hale here?”
Amanda stepped out into the hallway. “He’s busy right now.”
Byrne’s face fell.
“You should just leave him alone.”
Byrne glanced up at the tall brunette. “What did you say?”
“Hale doesn’t love you, he loves me. We were sweethearts in college.”
Byrne felt as though her heart was being ripped out and stomped on. Realization dawned on her, “You planned this all along.”
Amanda smirked at the naïve blonde. “Of course. Seeing the two of you in the café was purely coincidence, but as soon as I saw him again I remembered how great we were together. I knew that I couldn’t let him go again. So you see, for us to be together, you need to be out of the picture.”
“You were never looking for a place to live.”
“No, but we just skipped a few steps because we would have moved in together eventually.”
“Amanda? Who is it? Is it Byrne?”
She opened the door just a sliver. “No, it’s just the Girl Scouts selling cookies!”
“Okay, I want some of those chocolate mint cookies.”
“Got it!” She shut the door again. She turned to Byrne. “You were never good enough for him anyway. You really think that you two would have lasted? You’re just a fling to him. I’m just saving you the heartbreak that was bound to come. You’ll thank me one day.” Amanda stepped back into the apartment and shut the door.
You’ll thank me…She had never been good enough for Hale. Byrne felt the hot tears rush down her face as she ran back to her own apartment. She fell onto her bed. She wished she could just disappear. Why was love so painful? Why did it hurt so much?
Glancing miserably around her room that was now packed into brown boxes, she knew what she had to do. She deserved to be happy and if it was the only way, then so be it.
Hale would be arriving at the office at this time. Peter would most likely inform him of her resignation. She was just grateful that neither of them knew where she was headed. With the traffic at this hour, it would be impossible for him to catch a cab or be able to get onto the subway and come back in time to stop her. He didn’t know she was leaving.
She had been lucky that the job opening in Atlanta was still available. She glanced at her watch. Her flight was in two hours.
She sighed sadly and was just about to get into the car when she was knocked onto the ground. She fell to the floor. At least it wasn’t raining. It reminded her of the time when…oh screw it, she thought as she started crying.
“Miss?” the driver called worriedly.
“I’m so sorry Byrne,” he murmured. “I never meant for it to happen.”
Byrne glanced up to see warm grey eyes. “It’s you.”
“I couldn’t let you leave. I’m a selfish bastard. I want you all to myself.”
“But…”
“I told Amanda to leave. I swear to God I didn’t know what she had done. I wouldn’t have let her live with me if I had known.”
“How did…?”
“Albert called me about half an hour ago, telling me that you had given back your key and you were moving. Amanda was there when he called and she revealed everything. I ran all the way here after telling her to leave and get out of my life. I shouldn’t have ever let her come between us.”
Byrne remained silent.
“God, why didn’t you say anything?”
“There was nothing to say. You were obviously still pining after her. You spent all your time with her. I thought it was what you wanted.”
“You never asked what I wanted. You had no problem with me spending time with her.”
Byrne felt the tears returning. “I don’t have time for this; I have a plane to catch.”
“Don’t leave! Please! I’m begging you, Byrne.”
“I don’t have a reason to stay.”
“Stay for us,” his grey eyes were pleading.
“There hasn’t been an ‘us’ since she came,” Byrne said sadly. “I’m starting to think that there was never an ;us’ to begin with.”
“We can start over.”
Byrne shook her head. “I’m late.”
“Is that all you can say?” Hale said incredulously.
“I don’t have to listen to you.” She got into the taxi and was about to shut the door, but Hale stopped her.
He looked into her hazel eyes seriously. “I love you Byrne.”
Byrne didn’t say anything.
Hale continued, “I’ve been in love with you since the day I pushed you and stole your taxi. I’m sorry about Amanda. I wish there was something I could do to go back and fix everything, but there isn’t. I know I haven’t been showing you the most attention or been the best boyfriend lately, but I’m going to make that up to you, that is, if you’ll let me.”
Hale waited nervously for an answer.
She loved him too, even after all the pain he put her through. On the one hand, she shouldn’t forgive him because of the pain he caused. But on the other hand, she loved him and that should be enough. But was it? He loved her too. And he had gotten rid of Amanda, so that must have meant he didn’t care for her. Love was about taking chances, wasn’t it?
Gail’s words came back to her. “It’s so obvious that he loves you. You’re the only one who can’t see. If you break things now, you’ll never know what could have happened. Love is not an everyday occurrence, you know. It has its ups and downs, but it’s worth it.”
“I love you too, even if you’re a taxi stealer,” Byrne spoke softly.
Hale looked relieved and joyous as he grabbed her out of the taxi and held her in a bone-crushing embrace. “I love you so much. I was so scared that you were going to leave me.”
Byrne shook her head. “I didn’t want to leave.”
“And now you won’t have to.”
Byrne smiled.
Hale handed the taxi driver some money. “Will you take her stuff back to the apartment?” He grinned down at Byrne. “Miss Davies, will you do me the honor of moving in with me?”
“Now?”
“Well your stuff is already packed, so why not? Plus you gave your apartment back.”
Byrne bit her lip.
“We can throw Amanda’s stuff out.”
She smiled. “Okay.”
Hale kissed her gently. He looked into her eyes. His grey eyes sparkled. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“Even if I steal taxis?”
“Even if you steal taxis.”
The End.
