Chapter 52: Chapter 52

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We must be our own before we can become another's

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Megan's POV

"That event was a hit!"

"And the guys there were Hawt!..."

"Hawt?...”I laughed shaking my head, "I'm starting to think to think you're in this for the eye candy"

"You're starting to think? I knew that a long time ago. Every guy is Hot to Joyce”Kim said chuckling as she ran in front of me to avoid Joyce's deadly smack.

"Duh... As if you guys didn't think them hawt. Almost naked guys parading around wet...haa”she sighed dreamily.

"Gawd Blimey Joyce...you need the holy water”Kim said shaking her head disapprovingly.

"You just saying that because you just got a divorce and Megan's not saying anything because we all know no guy there compares to her guy, eh”Joyce said nudging me and her and Kim highfived.

"Stop talking trash. What about the Millons we made from that event. Millions!”I emphasized getting excited and getting the rest excited too. Joyce started listing off things that we could do with the money. We approached the big brown door, and after looking at each other, I opened it up and we walked in.

"Well well well, if it isn't my three beauties”The middle aged woman who looked nothing short of 30 years,when she indeed 50, give or take.

"Carrie!”Joyce and Kim singed as they ran to hug her, I just stood smiling at them.

Carrie Moses Schneider, sole owner of S&C Event Managing cooperation. She had the beauty and everyday young stuff going for her. Only the little wrinkles on her face and her dyed silver hair could tell you that she wasn't young anymore.

"Megan, do I need to tell you how proud I am of you?”She said getting off her seat. I chuckled as she hugged me. "Your first project and it went marvelously well"

"I couldn't have done it without them”I say pointing at the two girls seating on the table.

"Nonsense, you were the brain behind everything, we couldn't have done anything without you”Kim said. I about to protest when Joyce cut me off.

"Ok, enough of the modesty. We all did great. People would know our name”Joyce squealed

"S&C is a worldwide Event Management, everybody already knows our name”Kim said

"Na uh, not our name, I mean our name, Megan, Kim, and Joyce”she said making us all to burst out laughing.

"Ok, we've successfully zipped off that project, unto our next one”Carrie said moving to her seat and opening her laptop.

"Would we be handling it?”I asked as we took our seats too. I wanted more projects now. I've been training with Carrie for a year now, I started from scratch, playing Hermes to everyone who worked at the cooperation, slowly I claimed the ladder where I got to know Joyce and Kim. And this 'hit' event we are just talking about was my first project that I handled on my own, without Carrie. It was awesome.

"Oh please Carrie let's handle it”Joyce pleaded. She, Kim and I were a team.

"Oo you'll be handling it alright”Carrie said giving me a teasing look. I sat up straight. Whatever Carrie had in mind was surely going to affect me.

"What is it?”Kim asked voicing my thoughts. She is always eager and impatient sometimes, but I still love her.

"Well..”Carrie says shutting her laptop and resting her elbow on the table. "A very rich and wealthy businessman is celebrating his company's joint venture with another rich business man, he's also using this a medium to celebrate his coming into politics, so It’s gonna be big and grand. We're talking about large population of Mexico elites with New Yorks”Carrie explained with a smug smile.

"Mexico?”I asked.

"Uh, Mexico”Carrie says smiling.

"Oh what a coincidence, Meg was planning on returning back to New York, with this business, It’s like killing two birds with one stone”Joyce says clapping her hands together.

"Who is it?”I asked my heart picking up tempo, "The people, I mean"

"Well, It’s Kings industries”my face fell, not what I was hoping for, "and... Altamira enterprise”I sat up, my heart picking up It’s race.

"Altamira”Joyce and Kim mutter looking at me.

Carrie claps her hands together, "Ready Meg?"

~*~

"Megan!"

I turn around not believing my ears, "Javier?"

He walked so fast, I could barely blink before he pulled me into his arms. "I found you, thank God”he breathed out, his warmth really comforting in this new London weather.

"What are you doing here”I ask really confused. Is he here for a business? Of all places it's London?.

"I was looking for you, how could you? How could you run away with Keith?”He ask looking as If he was going to through up at the mention of Keith's name.

I didn't say anything. I just kept staring at him, was he serious? He told me to leave and now he is here, Jealous of Keith? "What the hell are you doing here?”Keith voice thundered coming out with two coffee cups and a packaged cheesecake.

"I was about to ask you the same thing”Javier said using his hand to move me out of the way and landing a solid punch on Keith's face. A gasp escapes my lips as Keith fall to the ground.

"You bastard”Keith growled getting off the ground, his mouth bloody as he lunged at Javier, the both of them started exchanging blows in the street of London. People stopped to stare and almost everybody in the coffee shop was staring at the show through the glass.

"Stop! Both of you”I shouted, I was going to let them fight to their heart content but they didn't seem like people who would stop fighting anytime soon, so I had to stop the really interesting yet horrifying show. Keith pulled away first breathing like someone who just ran from a moving train. Javier looked like he could still fight for the next 2 hours. "Keith I'm so sorry”I apologized using it as a medium to look away from Javier's face, if I stare at him, I would run into his arms and tend to his wounds. "Please let me talk to him”Keith nodded and left packing our fallen lunch up from the ground.

I turn to look at Javier, closing my eyes then opening it up again to glare at him. "You glare at me?”Javier asked scoffing, "Why did you apologize to that pipsqueak"

"Say that again”Keith said from behind me, he wasn't gone yet.

"Pipsqueak”Javier says in a heartbeat daring Keith, Keith takes a step forward and I place a hand on his shirt, shaking my head at him, he swears under his breath and walks away. "Yea, that's right, run far away from me"

"Javier”I say feeling really upset, "How can you come here and cause a fight...with Keith?"

"I'll beat up that darn teacher over and over again if you let me, because he took you away, he ran away with you, what gives him the right to do that? If he wants to run, let him run away alone!”Javier says.

"He didn't take me away or run with me, I left. I left with him on my own free will, because... Because YOU told me to!”I yell, really angry.

"I did that for a reason Megan”he says slowly, "I was going to have Clyde explain everything to you when he arrived New York, which was a freaking hour before you disappeared"

"Well It’s too late now, whatever reason it is, I don't want to know, you should just leave”I say.

"Come with me Megan, come back home, don't say here with that Fraud teacher, please”he pleaded holding my shoulders.

"No”I shrugged, "Home is nowhere to me now, in fact London is more home to me, than New York. Everyone has left me, including you. You...you hurt me”I said tears falling off as I pointed at his chest.

"I...I did it for a reason god damn it!”He yelled hitting the fall and making a lady tremble in fear, lift her toddler off the ground and run to safety.

"Go away, am starting my life afresh. I don't need you. I want you to leave me Javier..”I said wiping angry sad tears away from my face and taking the courage to look at his beautiful blue eyes fill up with sadness.

"What you thinking about Mate?”Joyce said opening up a can of beer.

"I thought only men say 'mate' to fellow men”I ask pulling off my waistcoat and hanging it on the standing hanger beside the door. Joyce shrugged. "Two years in London and I still don't know British."

"You'd think you'd learn”Kim said laughing as she pulled off her shoes, "Bloody hell, this shoes almost killed me. I don't know, are heels gifts to mankind or torture?"

"Torture-”I say at the same time Joyce says “Gifts-". She tosses me a chilled can of beer and does same to Kim.

"So...what you thinking 'bout?”Joyce ask again plopping down on a sofa.

"You needn't ask, of course she's thinking about Mexico, New York, our new project and her 'It’s complicated' relationship with Javier”Kim says.

"God I love that name”Joyce moans and I snap my neck at her direction glaring at her, Kim pats my leg, mouthing, 'she didn't mean it'.

I sigh as I gulp down my chill beer loving the way it went down with a little sting, it was really refreshing. I've been planning my return to New York. For a long time now.

Home is nowhere to me now.

That's one of the biggest lie, I've ever told in my life. New York is my home, It’s where I grew up, it's where I made all my worst and best memories. It’s where I fell in love, where I met, bonded and broke up with my epic love. Also Javier is my home, wherever he is is where I want to be.

I don't need you. I want you to leave me Javier.

That's the biggest lie, I've ever told in my life. How can I say I don't need Javier? Of course I need him. He is my other half, He's the air I breath, without him, I'm a walking pack of bones covered in flesh with blood. I can't live without Javier. I love him and being without him drives me nuts.

All these were proven when I had to return home, three times in the last two years.

"Being without you drives me nuts-”he says cupping my face.

"And being with you drives me nuts-”I retorted removing his hand from my face. "I can't... I can't be with you like this. I want all of you and this won't work. It just can't. Wait for me, leave me be but wait for me. It’s tough but...”I was cut short when his lips landed on mine.

My hand self consciously went up to my lips, that was the last time, I saw Javier, the last time I was in New York, he didn't want me to come back, we had to met in the outskirts of town to avoid being seen by Faye.

Yes, Faye, that bitch. I found out what she did, I found out that she was the cause of my breakup with Javier. Clyde used his fine time to explain it to me, he personally came to London and did all the explaining when Javier fell off the edge. By 'fell off the edge' I mean almost kill himself by drinking alcohol. He thought Keith and I were a couple. He even had someone follow me up and down London, I found out soon and got really mad at him.

Speaking of Keith, we fought. We had a huge fight during my college graduation after he kissed me. I became furious at him, i even slapped him right on the face. I can't believe he likes me, like he has been crushing on me ever since we were little. It's me that's the girl he can't get out of his mind. It's so unbelievable. I now know how Sam felt when I confessed to him. I apologized for being furious, then I turned him down peacefully. We decided to stay away from each other for a while but we became friends again. I like Keith as a friend, he has been really supportive and helpful. It would hurt to lose him.

"I'm going to bed.”I announced dragging my tired butt off the sofa, Kim and Joyce were already fast asleep, today was a busy day for us all. "Goodnight”I say before walking myself to my room. The three of us shared this really cool, big and spacious apartment. Kim and Joyce have been my friends and family for over a year now. Yes they were crazy but they stood by me. We told each other things, shared stories, cried together and also worked together.

~*~

"Everything is set”Joyce said.

"The music, food, pool, decorations, everything”Kim said joining us.

"Good because am really exhausted and this has to be perfect”I asked looking around and inspecting everything with my eyes.

I was finally back in New York, nobody knew about my arrival except Keith who was against it and Rita who is in college. Yes my baby girl made it to college, far away from new York. I wanted it to be a surprise, for Javier and especially Faye. And turns out the party is a masquerade one, am I in luck or what?

"So since everything is perfect, do we have time to spare for sleep, coz...”Joyce yawned, "I could really use a nap"

"Sleep?”I asked surprised at her. Is she drunk? "Come on Joyce, it just two hours before the party we can't sleep"

"Two hours is a long time”she complained.

"Do you know how long it takes for me to dress up?”Kim asked her, I nodded saying she should listen to Kim.

"Fine. Let's go blow our minds out”Joyce said.

"Bodies”Kim correct putting her arm over Joyce's shoulder. "Let's go blow our bodies out"

An hour and forty-five minutes later.

"Just a little curl here and...done”I said looking at my creation that Kim's face. "You look perfect girl"

"I do, I do, I really do”She squealed jumping up to go put on her dress.

"Do you think blond fIt’s me”Joyce ask touching her blond curls and looking at herself in the mirror. "I don't think so anymore, I think I look better with my natural black"

I groaned grabbing my clutch and mask, "come on guys let's go, Joyce you look great. Now come on. I got ready an hours ago". True I don't see why people fret so much about getting dressed. Although I do admit, I did fret for myself but I did for good reason. I'm meeting the love of my life today, my arch enemy and the love of my life parents. It's a big deal. I wore a simple red dress with a golden mask, it won't be easy to recognize me today.

Soon after we arrived the guest started coming too. Carrie was even present, according to her, sir Altamira wanted her present. The number of guest kept growing and growing, soon the whole place was filled with dressed up rich people, but I was only interested in one, I kept craning my neck searching for him. A man with blond hair and captivating blue eyes. Someone who could turn me inside out with just one stare.

Javier.

I visited the food section making sure everything was alright over there when my eyes met her. Faye, she wore a dress as dark as her heart. Her hair was no more silver but brown with blond highlights. I would say she looked beautiful if not that my dislike for her wouldn't let me. She also seemed to be searching for someone. Let me guess, Javier.

I turned around to go look for Kim or Joyce and ask how best I should introduce myself to Faye. Should I 'accidentally' spill my drink on her, or lead her to the pool and push her in. I personally prefer the latter. I froze in my spot, letting my eyes adjust to the figure about 15 foots from me.

Blond hair looking messy, blue eyes darken and wondering about, dressed in black all through. Fitted suit, with the blazer open giving me and every other appreciative eyes, a nice view of his abs outlining on the fitted shirt, two buttons were even open. His body was propped off on the drink table he looked bored, sipping off his glass containing most likely alcohol. This is supposed to be a mask party, where is his Mask?

I gulped suddenly feeling shy and the thumping of my heart making me confused. Nevertheless I started walking towards him not knowing what the hell am going to say. George suddenly appeared and whispered something to his ears.

"Dammit, where is she then?”He snapped, his fist tightening around his glass.

Where is who? Faye?

"Megan” someone called and his eyes immediately snapped up. I quickly turned around. Dammit. "Come Meg, let me introduce you”Carrie said latching unto my hand and dragging me away.

She ruined it, she ruined my grand entrance back and into pretty boy's life.

"Mr Altamira, Dani, meet my second in command, Megan. Megan, Richard Altamira and Wife Danielle, our patronizers and host”Carrie said.

"Good evening sir, ma, it's nice to meet you”I say trying to act as classy as possible. I've already met them bit they didn't need to know that now.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too Megan. I know you're responsible for all these, you did an excellent job”He said smiling at me and shaking my hand.

"Thank you sir”I say, smiling proudly, he loved my work. I smell an approval.

"I'd like to introduce you to my son, Javier”he turned around, "Javier come over here"

I gulped, using every will power not to turn behind and watch him. But soon he was standing in front of me.

"Meet Javier Altamira, my son. Javier meet Megan, the beauty we have to thank for all this, Carrie's assistant”he introduced.

I finally looked up, my brown eyes meeting his. He frowned and brought his hand forward, I gulped and took it, his firm hand engulfing my tiny ones. He refused to let go, I looked at him and his eyes remained glued to me. I cleared my throat, "nice to meet you, Javier"

He still didn't let go of my hand. Dani cleared her throat and nudged him, "Javier put on your mask, this is a mask party”he finally let go of my hand and she laughed, "he is quite, the charmer isn't he?”I smiled in response, holding my hand and missing his warmth.

"Want to help me put in on?”Javier asked showing his black mask, his eyes still on me.

"Huh?”I asked surprised and taken back. He smirked and put on the mask by himself satisfied at my response. Have I been exposed?

"Javier, don't talk to a stranger like that”Richard scolds, Javier shrugs, "Megan please let him apologize to you on the dance floor, hmm?"

"Gladly”Javier says grabbing my hand and dragging me to the dance floor. He lifted up my hands and placed them over his neck, his hands went to my waist and pulled me to him, our bodies touching.

I didn't say anything, I couldn't. My head is blank, my tummy is erupting butterflies and my heart is about to go into danger mode. His head dipped down and I could feel his breath on my ear. I shivered loving every moment of this dance.

"So...till when do we pretend?”He whispered his breath fanning me deliciously.

Busted.

******