Free An Involuntary Spark by Unknown Page B

reservations she endured when she started seeing Eli. He was older, but that maturity was what drew her to him. That and he was incredibly aware, she felt safe and tended to in his care. But she'd experienced many doubts when she started to see him consistently because she didn't want their relationship to come out and for people to start questioning her motives. Even though he wasn't her direct boss, she still knew people would talk.
     
    But that turned out to be the least of her worries. Two months in, she'd overheard one of the other higher ups refer to someone as his wife and that was the beginning of the end. She'd never felt so duped and blindsided.
     
    It was still emotionally taxing for her to look at him or even be in the same room as him.
     
    She'd known better than to date someone from work anyways, but she'd gone against her gut. All because he was gratifying and made her feel indescribably special. But it turned out he was also a massive liar and pathological.
     
    Amiira slipped into a high waisted, teal pencil skirt that hit her mid shin, and paired it with a thin, crème, long sleeved sweater, and black heels. Although it was relatively warm in LA for only May, her office had the propensity of being naturally cool. She put on some understated and simple diamond earrings, and took one more look at her naturally wavy, thick hair, which her Haitian and British mix of ancestry was responsible for, before grabbing her purse and walking towards her front door.
     
    Before she had even reached the door, her phone was buzzing in her purse. Quickly plucking it from the side pocket, she glanced at the caller ID before sliding her finger across the glass to answer it.
     
    “Hey girl,” Amiira offered cheerfully. It was one of her dearest friend's, Naomi, who was undoubtedly going to attempt to talk her ear off about something.
     
    “What are you doing?” Naomi asked, her voice tempered with interest, almost like she was going to ask a more pressing question, once the initial one was answered.
     
    “On my way to work, why? What's going on?”
     
    “Nothing much. You wanna do lunch today.”
     
    “Yes, lets. I have something to tell you.”
     
    “What is it? You got a man?”
     
    “Girl, all exciting news needn’t come with a dick attached.” Amiira said evenly as she rolled her eyes, thankful that she got onto an empty elevator so that she could continue her borderline inappropriate conversation.
     
    “Sometimes it does though. You know I just can't wait for you to find him. I almost think I'm more anxious for you to meet the one, than you are.”
     
    “That's quite possible at times. I'm just off this thing with Eli and the last thing I'm thinking about is a man, or meeting one.”
     
    “Ugh, I warned you against him. I knew there was something off about him. You two were always at your place, you guys never really went out. I just had a bad feeling.”
     
    “Well, clearly now we know why,” Amiira relented, with a bit of irritation in her tone. Remembering how she had agreed that they not go out, so no one from work would see them. This wasn't how she wanted to start her day. Talking about one of her biggest mistakes in the last year, hell maybe in the last decade.
     
    She wasn't sure what trumped carrying on with a married man.
     
    “It's not about a man, Nae,” Amiira went on, walking swiftly through the parking garage to her car. The sound of her high heels hitting the concrete emitted throughout the underground structure. “I'm gonna be MIA on the weekends this summer.”
     
    “What? Why?”
     
    “I'm going to be in La Jolla, soaking up the sun and relaxing,” Amiira explained as she opened her car door and slid inside, shutting it behind her. “I rented a room in a summer house that's right on the beach. I figured it's like a vacation but I don't have to take any time off, and I get to do it every weekend.”
     
    “Tuh. I'm jealous,” Naomi replied. Amiira could almost