Peter looked down at his hands. He didn't answer her question. He knew he should feel ashamed of what he did last night. But he felt nothing. He was numb. He wondered briefly if this was one of those times when you felt so much pain your nerves shut down and you went completely numb because it was the only way to deal with the complete sensory overload. But just because you couldn't feel it, didn't mean it couldn't kill you.
Peter looked at her slowly. "I know what I said last night. And I meant it. We shouldn't see each other."
Peter closed his eyes for a moment.
"But that doesn't mean I don't want to," he paused again. "And it doesn't mean I can control myself around you. It's like when I'm around you, all I want is you. I don't care about society, or the world, or the law. But then, when I finally tear myself away from you, I can see how wrong it is. How bad I am for you."
"And you think that pushing me away is any better?" she asked softly.
He met her eyes. He could see it was hurting her. Almost as much as it was him. It was hurting her to deny what they had. To try and forget him. To fight the urge to be with him, just as he fought himself to run to her every moment they turned their backs on each other.
"I did" he replied quietly. "But not anymore. Fighting it is worse."
She looked up at him, the tears slowly clearing from her eyes. She took a deep breath and stepped towards him. She took his hands in her own and turned them over, examining them.
"What did you do?" she asked him again.
He pulled his hands back and shoved them into the pockets of his slacks.
"Nothing." He told her, looking at his shoes.
She looked like she wanted to say something else, but she bit her lip and nodded.
"Well, I guess I will see you around then." She told him, she backed away slowly then turned and stepped into the lift.
He watched the doors slide shut. He wanted to say something, but he didn't know what to say. He'd admitted that he wanted to see her, despite morals and laws. He didn't know exactly what he'd expected, but this was far less than anti-climactic.
Suddenly feeling weary he dropped his head and made his way back to his room. It had been a long day and he was more than ready for it to end.
Oooooooooooooo
Zoe finally made it to her room and collapsed wide-eyed onto the couch. What had just happened? She wasn't sure why she had left. He had admitted he wanted something between them. Now that he wasn't playing hard to get it seemed much less like a game and a whole lot more real. Despite the shock that he was willing to set aside his morals and break the law to be with her, she still knew that she felt something for him. She had never been in love before. She wasn't sure what she felt for him.
Confused and tired after a long day, she had a quick shower and slid into bed between the crisp white sheets. As she lay awake, trying to sleep, she thought about what she wanted. Her mind unable to settle after the discussion with Peter... Mr. Oakley. After turning circles around the topic, a million times, she knew that she wanted something with him, no matter how much she wanted to deny it.
Oooooooooooo
The next day, Peter woke up bright and early, feeling far more refreshed than the previous morning. He showered, shaved and dressed. The only down side to these conferences was the random times. Some started at 7am while others started at 11am. Some days, they finished at midday and others 4pm. He was all for variety, but he also enjoyed sleep-ins and early finishes.
Peter left his room with plenty of time to not be late and picked up some break-fast on the way. Even before 7am New York was alive with thousands of hurrying people and busy workmen.
Oooooooooooo
Zoe slept-in late and had brunch with her brother at a cute New York diner near where he worked. She was feeling fresh and with her tights and hoody always near-by, she decided to change and go for a jog. She managed to find her way to central park and with headphones in, she fit in with the crowd perfectly. She smiled to herself, finally feeling content and at peace with the world, the fine weather directly reflecting her inner-self.
After her jog, she headed back to the hotel, however finding herself in a museum gallery for several hours before finally making it back to her room. She had a quick shower and decided to relax with a movie before Jeremy got back and wanted to go out for dinner. She already had a plan to head out after dinner and have some fun. People would be far less suspicious on a Tuesday night anyway she told herself. Though she doubted that Tuesdays were much quieter than any other night in New York.
Oooooooooooo
Jeremey texted her around 7 o'clock, telling her to meet him downstairs in half an hour for dinner. She changed into a casual knee-length black dress and black heels then applied light make-up and headed down to meet him.
He was wearing a suit, straight from work, he kissed her cheek "Hey Zo, how was your day?" he asked, linking his arm through hers.
"Hey Jez. Pretty great, I love this place." She smiled. "Fun day at work?"
He just looked down at her and raised his eye-brows, then led her out onto the street.
Oooooooooooo
"Where are we going?" she asked after they had been walking through the glittering streets for a while.
Jeremy shook his head. "You never did like surprises, did you?"
"Sure, I did. Why? Are we going somewhere nice?" she inquired.
He chuckled "No."
She smiled "Good."
He smiled down at her, "I know you. Just a pub."
"They're called bars here remember. You going to shout?" she asked.
"Please, I'm sneaking you in remember?" he scoffed.
"Guess the first round is on me then."
"Not too many tonight" he laughed, "I have a job and I'd like to keep it that way."
Oooooooooooo
They had a nice dinner and a few drinks, laughing and talking. Catching up on the latest news from their separate worlds and reminiscing over the past, reliving fond childhood memories. Zoe could feel the eyes of jealous couples and prying singles watching them the entire night. She smiled, people were always jealous of the relationship she had with her brother, whether they knew what they saw or not, they envied the evident and easy love they had for one another. Best of all, she didn't care what anyone thought when she was with him. He was her best friend and the only other person who had ever compared to him was Jack.
Oooooooooooo
"I had a really great time with you tonight Zo." Jeremey told her when they got back to their rooms.
She grinned, "Me too."
"We should do it more often"
"Yeah, we really should."
"Well, have a goodnight - and don't get into too much trouble." He told her, then he disappeared into his room with a smile.
Zoe smiled, she couldn't help but be happy. After her fight with Jack she had felt more alone than ever. Everything was starting to work itself out again.
She slipped inside her room to reapply her make up before heading out again.
Oooooooooooo
Peter had agreed to have dinner at 8.00 with a woman from the conference group who was obviously into him. He regretted it. He was as interested in her as he would be with a rock. She wasn't any more boring than any other women he'd dated in the past, unluckily for her however, she was being compared to Zoe at every word and every thought.
When it was finally over he was exhausted from pretending to be interested. She asked him if he wanted to walk her to her hotel but he politely declined, telling her he was jet lagged and needed to catch up on some sleep. She took it graciously and told him to call her - he had to give her credit for remaining optimistic after that lame date.
Walking in the brisk night air made him feel far more alive, he had started keeping a flask of whisky in the pocket of his suit jacket - between conferences and dates, he was finding it rather useful in spicing up the distasteful duties of life. He took a swig then began jogging up the stairs to the hotel.
