Chapter 18
Waking up that next morning, I couldn't help but have a smile on my face as I looked over and noticed my angel, Juri, sleeping next to me. I had traveled a long road to get back to this point, and even though I had given up on myself several times in the past, she was somehow back in my arms... restoring peace into my world...
It didn't matter that we had only shared one date. It didn't even matter that we still had a language barrier, although her English had gotten a little better. All that mattered was that when we were together, with no pride or inhibitions in the way, our hearts were aligned, and we could appreciate each other's love like it was never gone in the first place.
Speaking of love...
... for the first time in my life, I confessed my love to someone and truly meant it.
In the past, it just felt like something I was supposed to say. I had actually formed a negative opinion about it, because my ex-husband just used it as a way to get whatever he wanted out of me.
Now, however, things were different. I knew with all my heart that I loved Juri. And even though our relationship started with an unfortunate mistake, my new mission in life was to make her feel loved all the time, while also proving I deserved the love she reciprocated back to me...
That's right...
Moments after I said it to her, in the midst of our kissing, she pulled away so she could say those three amazing words back to me. Her English wasn't great, but never before had I understood her so clearly.
Her cheeks were red, and she gave me these precious puppy dog eyes. Then, in the sweetest of voices, she whispered back to me, "I love you... Karina..." before curling up into a ball of shyness.
Immediately, I opened her back up, encouraging her to accept not only the moment, but the love I so desperately wanted to share with her. We then engaged in a deep kiss, until our hearts were satisfied and we could rest in the arms of the one we loved, each other.
Now, as I found myself lying awake, almost an hour before my alarm went off, I could do nothing but smile as I watched and appreciated my sleeping beauty while replaying our entire night together. Yes, we definitely had a lot of crazy sex the night before, but as amazing as it was, it was the fact that I successfully showed her how much I loved her that left me giddy like a schoolgirl.
Somehow, even though there was a pleasant familiarity to being with her, I still loved how different things felt at the same time. Yes, we were together like old times, but now that I had her back and she trusted me with her heart, I was ready to accept the challenges of a real loving relationship.
Although I didn't want to interrupt Juri's sleep, because she looked as precious as an angel, I couldn't help but comb my fingers through her hair as I fawner over her adorableness.
"Don't worry, baby," I whispered, caressing her lightly with my fingertips while she slept peacefully. "From now on, I'm going to be the one taking care of you... because...
... that's how much I love you."
***
Fortunately, I was able to get out of bed and sneak off to work without waking my precious angel. I was really quiet, and instead of putting my makeup on at home, I just took my stuff so I could do it in the office. I didn't want to wake her up because I was afraid she would feel obligated to make me breakfast.
Juri deserved to sleep. After the night we shared together, I was sure her body was exhausted from struggling so much. Mine was as well, but the excitement of being back with the woman I loved made me feel more alive than ever.
With everything now fixed, I had a new outlook on life. I now appreciated what I had, such as my job, Juri, and even my employees. And as I began my busy day of work, I couldn't help but let that new attitude affect me by putting a smile on my face, no matter what task I was doing.
Speaking of my appreciated employees, even Alana noticed what a good mood I was in when she came into my office to wish me a good morning. She no longer knocked anymore, and she definitely didn't call me Miss Ortiz like she used to. These were signs of how strong our bond had grown, especially after setting me up with Juri.
"Karina... you look so happy today," my cute little intern said, smiling as she stood in front of my desk. "Things must be going well with Juri."
The thought of Juri resting in my bed after the night we had left me blushing in front of the intern. "Yeah... things are going well... And it's all thanks to you, Alana."
She brushed my compliment aside and shook her head. "No, don't thank me. You two totally deserve each other."
All I could do was smile at the sweet young woman, because I remember that not too long ago, she called me out for being such a terrible person. Now, I was honored that she had determined I was deserving of a woman like Juri. Even though I was her boss, I respected her almost like she was my superior.
"Well, we should probably get to work," I said, trying my best not to bask in my new love for an eternity. I then looked through a few folders, trying to figure out what I wanted to delegate to Alana.
To my surprise, the intern just kind of stood there, staring at me like she was hesitant about something. I looked up at her and asked, "Don't you want to take a seat?"
"Oh, you're still allowing me to work in your office?" she asked, twiddling her fingers. "I thought you might want me to start working at my desk again."
I paused everything for a moment as I raised an eyebrow at her. "Why would you think that?"
"No reason," she answered, brushing off whatever was bothering her. She then took a seat at my desk before grabbing a stack of papers. "Yeah, let's just get to work."
Still confused, I kept an eye on my sweet intern as she started on her assignments. I wasn't sure what it was; perhaps her hesitance, or maybe it was that she was being so quiet. Either way, something reminded me of the way she used to act before all this mess with Juri started.
"Alana... is something wrong?"
She looked up at me with wide eyes. "No, Miss... I mean... Karina. Why do you ask?"
"Did you almost call me Miss Ortiz?"
"Uh... no..."
"Alana, what is going on with you?" I asked, leaning into the young woman who was suddenly shaking like she used to when she first worked for me.
"Oh, it's nothing... Karina..."
"Don't lie to me, Alana," I said before approaching her with a smile. After getting to know her so well over the past few weeks, I now had a better understanding of how to confront her without making her feel like she was in trouble. "Just because Juri's back doesn't mean we're not friends anymore. You can still talk to me about anything."
Slowly, it looked as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulder. A smile came over her face, and although her cheeks became red, she didn't look embarrassed.
"Thank you for saying that... Karina... I just have one question for you..."
"What is it, Alana?" I asked with a soft smile of my own.
Breaking eye-contact, she stared down at the desk and asked a question that had been on her mind. "If it's okay with you... I'd still like to write stories about Serena and Yuri... if you catch my drift..."
Now, I was the one with red cheeks as I realized what that statement indicated. "You actually want to know more about our sex life, so you can write about it in your stories?"
"If you don't mind... You know... just for inspiration."
"That's no problem, Alana," I assured, nodding at her with a smile on my face. "But for now, we should probably focus on our assignments. I have a bunch of stuff to turn in by the end of the day. We can talk more about personal stuff at a more appropriate time."
With that, the sweet intern nodded her head before diving into her work. However, as the day went on, I noticed her often staring off into space.
I couldn't help but wonder if something was still bothering her. Knowing her though, I figured this wasn't the best time to push her into telling me more.
Eventually, just as we were about to break for lunch, I decided to let Alana off for the rest of the day. Obviously, there was something on her mind that she wasn't ready to talk about yet. I figured it was best for her to go home and relax instead of trying to manage it around me.
Fortunately, it appeared that I made the right decision, because a big smile came over her face as soon as I gave her the good news. She then packed her stuff before making her way to the door. However, before leaving, she gave me the assurance I wanted, that she would be okay.
"By the way, Karina," she started, smiling at me once again with the uneasiness gone from her face. "I'm really glad you enjoy your back together... And... "