Monday morning, Beauty arrived at the company with a heavy heart; her usual brightness was dulled by the storm of emotions swirling in her mind.
She couldn't stop thinking about her conversation with Jessie last night.
Jessie had sounded so excited when Beauty asked her to go ahead with Bruno, yet it wasn't from her deepest heart.
Beauty knew she shouldn't feel this way because Bruno wasn't hers, after all.
But the thought of Jessie getting closer to him, and even pursuing him, twisted her insides in ways she hadn't expected.
As she stepped into the designer's office, her eyes darted around, instinctively searching for Bruno.
She told herself to calm down and act like nothing happened.
"Don't be jealous! Beauty. It's just Jessie. She's your best friend. You can't be upset about this."
She scolded herself internally.
But no matter how much she tried to reason with herself, the pain was undeniable.
The thought of someone else getting close to Bruno, let alone her best friend Jessie, hurt far more than she had expected.
With a deep sigh, Beauty slumped into her seat, resting her head in her hands as she tried to push the feeling aside.
"I hope today goes well without any drama. I had to try as much as possible to keep Jessie's relationship with Bruno hidden and be happy for my girl. Can I do that?"
She breathed hotly with her eyes still closed.
The moments from yesterday replayed in her head.
The intense car ride during the afternoon rain, their closeness in the car, the warmth of his hoodie, the way his eyes held hers just a little longer than usual.
Making her think he would go for a kiss.
It all happened to be in her delusional mind, so she had to buckle up and quit the fantasies.
She had his outfit dry-cleaned, ironed, and neatly folded into a Landry nylon.
He said she could keep it if she likes; she thought of it actually, but after what happened with Jessie, she better not give it back to save their friendship.
Jessie won't like to see her with Bruno's clothes, right?
*If I am her, I won't like it, so I had to put myself in her shoes*
She took her personal computer to check for the latest fabrics online.
Her fingers absentmindedly traced the edge of her desk as her mind spiraled.
She didn't want to lose Bruno, even if she hadn't truly had him to begin with.
The idea of Jessie using the opportunity to get closer to him made her heart sink further.
She hated feeling this way, so jealous, so insecure.
Maybe Jessie already talked to him, she thought, her chest tightening at the fake scene of the two making out in her head.
"Stop it already!"
She yelled inwardly and pulled her hair into a pony with her hands.
After a few seconds, she sighed deeply, staring at her computer screen without really seeing it.
"Today will certainly be a very long day."
She murmured with a bored expression on her face.
Suddenly, she heard the Company's security greeting Sir Bruno.
She quickly grabbed a mint candy from her bag and put it in her mouth and focused on her work just to keep her mind distracted by his presence.
Bruno walked into the office that morning with a brighter smile than always.
Well, it was a hopeful day.
The previous night had left him feeling more alive than he had in years. The time he spent with Beauty, the way she looked at him, the way they shared something special by having each other's hoodie was cute.
It made him smile, awkward, embarrassed and blush, all at the same time.
He never thought having this type of feeling would be possible for someone like him.
He couldn't stop thinking about her, his sister had been asking questions, disturbing his peace like a pest and today, he was determined to have another moment with her, even if just to talk.
Unfortunately, as soon as he stepped into the building, something felt off.
Everyone else who was in the room acknowledged his presence except for her. The one person he wanted so much to notice.
His new hairstyle!
New suit and tie... Overly sprayed cologne. New shoes and a puppy smile.